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District 59 community outreach specialist Arlette Antunez named Illinois nominee for national RISE award
Summary
District 59 recognized its Community Outreach team and announced that community outreach specialist Arlette Antunez is one of two Illinois nominees for the national Recognizing Inspiring School Employees (RISE) award; board members praised her role supporting families during crises and holiday programs.
The Board of Education for School District 59 recognized its expanded Community Outreach team and announced that community outreach specialist Arlette Antunez is one of two Illinois nominees for the national Recognizing Inspiring School Employees (RISE) award supported by the U.S. Department of Education.
Dr. Bresnahan introduced the team and said District 59 grew the outreach staff from three to six specialists in recent years to better connect families with services. Ashley Robertson, director of social emotional learning and student supports, told the board the team goes “above and beyond” to help families with holiday needs, internet access, housing searches, insurance questions and applications. Robertson said the district’s Toys for Tots partnership has grown from about 100 invited children in early years to roughly 250 this season and that last year the outreach program supported more than 1,600 children.
Larry Ganon, a building principal, highlighted Antunez’s hands-on work during family crises — including helping a family after a house fire — and described the district’s ‘adopt a family’ holiday program that provided gifts for more than 100 students at his school this year. Ganon presented flowers and thanked Antunez for her “trusted” presence in the community.
Antunez, the nominee, thanked colleagues and supervisors and credited the broader team for enabling the work. The board recessed briefly for a reception so members, staff and community outreach specialists could take photographs.
Why it matters: Board members said outreach staff are the “trusted faces” who help remove barriers to learning by addressing non-academic needs that can interfere with attendance and academic progress. Several board members and the superintendent linked the outreach work directly to student readiness and affirmed plans to support expansions in staffing and funding moving into the resource-allocation discussion next month.
What’s next: The RISE process will advance to the national level in spring; the board noted there will be further announcements and social-media stories as the finalist pool is narrowed.
