2024-2025 Rochelle Lee Teacher Awardees
The Rochelle Lee Teacher Award is a book grant for Chicago public and charter school elementary educators to enhance their classroom libraries and develop a love of reading in their students. Awardees receive a grant of $500 to purchase books for their classroom library. This year's application pool was extremely competitive. We received 287 applications from more than 139 public schools across Chicago and were able to award 100 grants.
This year's awardee cohort represents 69 schools; 70 are new award recipients, and 30 previously received a RLTA grant.
WITS is honored to help these educators improve their classroom libraries.
Nikiya Alfred, William H. Brown Elementary School
Nicole Anderson, Portage Park Elementary
Nancy Arredondo, Velma F Thomas Early Childhood Center
Paula Barajas, Irma C. Ruiz Elementary
Amy Betts, Josefa Ortiz De Dominguez Elementary School
Allison Bizon, Suder Campus Montessori
Teresa Black-Jordan, Frederic Chopin Elementary
Farrah Blake, Phillip D Armour Elementary School
Alyson Boner, Frederic Chopin Elementary
Jesse Bostic, Walt Disney Magnet Elementary School
Steven Bruehl, Salmon P Chase Elementary School
Maggie Burke, Christian Ebinger Elementary School
Jade-Paula, Cabrera Lewis School
Andrew Chenohara, Gillespie Magnet School
Sherry Chuhak, Taylor Sharon McAuliffe School
Finley Clark, Paul Revere Elementary
Katherine Costello, William H. Seward School
Tiffany Cruz, Bridge Elementary
Amanda Del Dotto, Jordan Elementary Community School
Liliana Diaz-Herrera, Sandoval Elementary
Melissa Dippel, Prescott Elementary
Cynthi Domine, Rufus M. Hitch Elementary School
Mary Espinosa, Dr. Jorge Prieto Math & Science Academy
Jocelin Estrella, Miranda John F. Eberhart Elementary
Krista Evans, Sauganash Elementary
Megan Fair, Mary Gage Peterson Elementary School
Emily Gandolfi, Mary Gage Peterson Elementary School
Rebeca Gonzalez, A.N. Pritzker Elementary
Reem Habeeb, Mary Gage Peterson Elementary School
Amy Haley, Asa Philip Randolph Elementary School
Carol Hilker, Hawthorne Scholastic Academy
Kevin Hujar, Jose de Diego Academy
Lisa Jeff, Esmond Elementary
Andrew Johnson, Brentano Math & Science Academy Elementary School
Ashley Kahn, Hamilton School
Abraham Karim, Asian Human Services - Passages Charter School
Sheela Karsten, Rachel Carson Elementary School
Shane Koch, Richard Yates School
Christina Korbakis, Talcott Fine Arts and Museum Academy
Natalia Kuprewicz, Sharon McAuliffe School
Laura Land, Sharon McAuliffe School
Denise Lara, Christian Ebinger Elementary School
Rachel Lara, Helge A. Haugan Elementary School
Sora Lim, William G. Hibbard Elementary School
Dana Loaiza, Robert J. Richardson Middle School
Kimberly Lopez, Christopher House Elementary School
Paulina Lopez, [pre-service teacher] TBD
Lacy Lucien, Hedges School
Simone Main, Mosaic School of Fine Arts
Julisa Marquez, Brentano Math & Science Academy Elementary School
Rachael Marra, John Milton Gregory School
Sara Martinez, Charles S. Brownell Elementary
Katherine McIntyre, John B. Drake Elementary School
Amanda McPartlin, Edgebrook Elementary
Daisy Mendez, Rachel Carson Elementary School
Emma Messner, William G. Hibbard Elementary School
Stephanie Michl, William G. Hibbard Elementary School
Tina Mohammad, John A. Walsh Elementary School
Itzayana Montes de Oca, Helge A. Haugan Elementary School
Mirsad Muminovic, John Hay Community Academy
Gissell Muniz, William G. Hibbard Elementary School
Joel Munoz, Sandoval Elementary
Josefina Nava, Hedges School
Anne Nolan, Helge A. Haugan Elementary School
Nkanga Nsa, Lewis School
Katie O'Brien, John M. Palmer Elementary
Breanna Ott, Jordan Elementary Community School
Katelyn Pederson, Helen Peirce International Studies Elementary
Joseph Pekarek, Ogden International School
Michael Pierson, Portage Park Elementary
Laura Potts, Langdon Marvin Camras Children's Engineering Elementary School
Sarahi Quintana, Brentano Math & Science Academy Elementary School
Theresa Quitshaw, Sharon McAuliffe School
Nathan Ramin, Ellen Mitchell Elementary School
Kimberly Richardson, Louis Pasteur Elementary
Consuelo Rodriguez, Ferdinand Peck Elementary School
Paulina Rosales, J. W. Von Goethe Elementary
Gabrielle Rounbehler, Portage Park Elementary
Lucila Sandoval, Henry D. Lloyd School
Samantha Sartin, Alexander Bouchet Elementary
Erin Senese, Sidney Sawyer Elementary School
Kara Silverglat, National Teachers Elementary Academy
Stephanie Smith, Graham Elementary
Gina Soria, Mariano Azuela Elementary School
Karina Sotelo, Rachel Carson Elementary School
Gina Spears, Portage Park Elementary
Shira Stonehill, Graham Elementary
Sandra Streit, Langston Hughes Elementary
Caitlin Taff, Lasalle II Magnet School
Meg Tanabe, Frederick Funston Elementary School
Marlene Tapia Garcia, Talcott Fine Arts and Museum Academy
Erica Tully, Lewis School
Yadira Vazquez, J. W. Von Goethe Elementary
Dennis Verrett, Brentano Math & Science Academy Elementary School
Sabrina Walls, Brown Arnold Mireles Academy
Taffney Washington, Alex Haley Elementary
Dana White, Oscar F Mayer Elementary School
Mary Kate Witry, Jose de Diego Academy
Letty Zuniga, Hedges School
Diana Zurawski, Galileo Scholastic Academy
Why classroom libraries are important
RLTA RESOURCES: WITS LIBRARY MATERIALS
Professional texts available to use in the WITS library (select "professional texts" from drop-down menu). This resource is for RLTA awardees only.
Booksource’s Classroom Organizer is a free, online tool to catalog your classroom library books, create class check-out rosters, manage usage reports, and more. This resource is available for all teachers.
RLTA RESOURCES: WITS Lending library
The WITS Lending Library contains more than 350 sets of children and young adult books. Titles are available in whole class sets and smaller group sets. Current and former WITS educators may borrow books from our lending library. This resource is for RLTA awardees only.View the Rochelle Lee Lending Library catalog and availability online via LibraryThing.
Contact Daphne Robinson in advance to borrow books from the lending library for your students. This will ensure that the desired books are available, and that a specific time can be scheduled to pick up the books.
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