APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – 10 local teachers were awarded for their excellence as educators and honored during a ceremony on Thursday night in Appleton.
The Fox Cities Chamber announced the recipients of their 2025 Excellence in Education Shining Star Awards. The 10 recipients were chosen from a pool of 245 nominees.
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The following educators were the recipients for their work:
- Johnston Elementary’s Karissa Ring – Kindergarten
- Freedom Elementary’s Tracy Larson – Special Education
- Little Chute High School’s Eugene Wall – Special Education
- Park Community Charter School’s Jennie Gries – 2nd Grade
- Freedom Elementary’s Penny Kurkiewicz – 1st Grade
- Freedom High School’s Sarah Heezen – Agriculture
- Fox Valley Lutheran’s Jill Dolan – Art
- Neenah Joint School District’s Kate Dickinson – English as a Second Language (ESL)
- Kaukauna High School’s Kyle Dunphy – Technology Education
- Hortonville Area School District’s Jillian Prahl – Family and Consumer Sciences
Fox Cities Chamber President and CEO Becky Bartoszek said it’s an honor to be able to commemorate local educators, who are shaping the minds of the youth of today and adults of tomorrow.
“It’s about recognizing those people that are shaping the future of our workforce and our community,” Bartoszek said. “The business community will only continue to grow and thrive if our next generation is prepared for the challenges that come.”
The honorees were celebrated during an event, emceed by Local 5’s Lisa Malak and Millaine Wells at the Butte des Morts Country Club in Appleton. Each honoree was chosen by a volunteer panel of Fox Cities education professionals.
Read more about each of the honorees on the Fox Cities Chambers website.
