Education Matters: Metro-east school employee nominated for national award
An employee of East St. Louis School District 189 is one of only two professionals in Illinois to be nominated for the U.S. Department of Education’s 2026 RISE (Recognizing Inspiring School Employees) Award.
Tyonna Woodhouse is a Homeless, Attendance and Truancy Officer at James Avant Elementary School. She can be seen doing home visits, helping families connect with resources like food and housing, tackling attendance issues, and overall advocating for students in general, a press release from the district says.
The district credits her with reducing chronic absenteeism and boosting student engagement.
“We are incredibly proud of her nomination to the national level,” Superintendent Arthur Culver says in the release. “Her work reflects the excellence we strive for every day and demonstrates the powerful impact one can have on the lives of our students and families.”
The U.S. Department of Education usually announces the national honoree in the spring, an Illinois State Board of Education news release says. ISBE chooses its state nominees from top-scoring educational service personnel from its Those Who Excel and Teacher of the Year Awards. This specific national award honors classified school employees, like paraprofessionals, bus drivers, food service workers and more, the release explains.
Of note
This will be our final education column of 2025; we won’t have a column on New Year’s Eve. But don’t fear, Education Matters will be back in 2026!
Honor Roll
- We have tons of students of the month to congratulate this week. First off are some of our youngest to receive their school’s honor: Jaxon Martin and Isla Herr from Belleville 118’s Jefferson Elementary.
- Coolidge Junior High School in Granite City honors their students of the month by department. The math department students of the month for November are Lainey Davison, Olivia Brown, Lorelei Becerra and Lillian Jackson. For the English department, we have Lilian Hobbs, Axel Garay-Salazar, Liliana Delgado and Ayden Clayton, and for the science department we have Kymani Bradley, Jozie Alfred, Ricardo Ruiz and Frankie Schwaller. The social studies department honored Emmeria Bergin, Kaleb Northcutt, Jordyn Cooper and Kenneth Douglas. Last but not least, Akari Kuntz and Reed Corzine were honored by the band department.
- Also in Granite City, the Rotary Club celebrated juniors Audrey Martinez and Emily Sahrhage as November students of the month. Visit gcsd9.net to read more about Martinez and Sahrhage.
- Swansea Rotary Club’s student of the month is High Mount School’s Torian Hopkins.
- Belleville East has already announced their December students of the month: Freshman Emmalin Schaustal, sophomore Hannah Guthrie, junior Atticus Slocum and senior Vernon Mathis.
- Two East St. Louis School District 189 employees were honored at The Biz Spot Community-Rooted Innovation Awards. Mason Clark Middle School Library Media Specialist MyKeia Thomas is an advocacy honoree, and Bush Alternative Center School Social Worker Catrice Johnson is an education honoree.
- Keep an eye out for Belleville East Senior Kalyn Reid’s essay “Immortal Words: Bram Stoker’s Eternal Influence on Gothic Horror” in the Dec. 9 edition of the National English Honor Society Museletter. Reid is the treasurer of the school’s Literary Lancers.
- At Belleville Township High School District 201’s Monday night meeting, Director of Special Education Stacy Louderman recognized Annaliese Baumann, who is in her fourth and final year of the transitional education program at Bridges. Louderman said Baumann can always be seen “smiling from ear to ear,” as Baumann exemplified when receiving her certificate. “She arrives every single day ready to learn and set a positive example for her peers,” Louderman said. “She approaches new tasks and challenges with determination, participates actively and encourages others through a very optimistic outlook.”
- Louderman also recognized Bridges teacher Stephanie Baltz, who has worked with District 201 for eight years. Louderman praised Baltz’ ability to ensure all students can participate and learn, have a choice in their learning and lead other teachers. “Simply put, Ms. Baltz is one of the most dedicated, skilled and impactful educators in our area, and we are incredibly grateful for the expertise and heart that she brings to our team and to our students,” Louderman said.
Mark your calendars
- East St. Louis’ Wyvetter Younge School of Excellence’s annual Christmas program, “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas” is from 9-10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 17 at the school, 3939 Caseyville Ave.
- The next day at 6 p.m., the East St. Louis Senior High School Music Department and the Lincoln Middle School Orchestra are performing “The Story of Christmas in Song.” This will be held at the high school, 4901 State St.
- Do you have a little one at home? Granite City’s Six Mile Regional Library District is hosting a Play and Learn for babies and toddlers at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 26 at its 2001 Delmar Ave. location. There will be stories, songs and playtime. There are also other upcoming dates: Jan. 9, Jan. 23, Feb. 13 and Feb. 27.
- Now through Sunday, Dec. 21, the Swansea Winter Wonderland and Santa House is at the Thompson Center. Hours are from 6-8 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 1-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. There’s photo opps, purchasable hot chocolate and cookies and every child in primary school can pick a small gift, the flyer says.
In case you missed it:
- Similar to the discussions O’Fallon School District 90 administration and school board members were having this summer, O’Fallon Township High School District 203 is also exploring ways to accommodate growth. The Smiley Campus, which has seen 10 additions since it was constructed nearly seven decades ago, is of particular concern. Last week, I wrote about potential solutions from both administration and the community.
- O’Fallon’s Central School District 104 will also see some changes soon, thanks to a recent $2 million bond issuance. Read more about how the district plans to use these funds on bnd.com.
- The words “I’m not a math person” have escaped my mouth many times, more specifically, I’ve been known to say “There’s a reason I write for a living and not do computations.” A recent piece from Capitol News Illinois explains I’m not alone — even Illinois students today tend to score better in English language arts than math — and what’s being done to try and buck this trend, plus how the common rhetoric I and many others spew doesn’t help the problem.
- Smithton schools will be getting a new superintendent next year, as its current superintendent Courthey Castelli will be Roxana’s next superintendent. We’ll update you as Smithton’s search progresses, but for now, you can read more about Castelli’s background on our website.
This story was originally published December 16, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
