January A+ Award: Mrs. Shiles, Graham Elementary

The Indian Prairie Educational Foundation (IPEF) and District 204 proudly honor Michelle Shiles, the LMC Director at Graham Elementary, with the January A+ Award. Watch the A+ Award team’s surprise visit to recognize Mrs. Shiles for “Making a Difference in District 204."

Mrs. Shiles was nominated for the A+ Award by current Graham parent Jon Guerrero and his sons, Adrian and Tyson. In their essay, they describe the fun themed events that she creates to encourage students to read, such as “Read Under the Stars,” “Camp Day,” and “Beach Day”. From events like Culture Night to the STEM Fair, she always has a carefully chosen selection of books in her mobile library to support and reinforce what is happening at Graham. They also wrote about the many activities she supports to get students more involved in the library, her strong support for the Graham PTA, and her organization of Graham’s Team IPEF annual Spirit Squad.

“The real problem with nominating Mrs. Shiles for the A+ Award was the word limit for the essay,” said Mr. Guerrero with a proud smile. “She does so much for Graham that it was hard to cut our essay down to size!”

Thank you to A+ Award sponsor Western Governors University who once again is partnering with IPEF and District 204 to help recognize one staff member each month for making a difference for students. To celebrate these outstanding staff members, Western Governors University is generously donating $1,000 for each month’s winner to use in his or her school.

You can nominate a staff member by visiting A+ Award.