McHenry Community High School’s Carl Vallianatos was named nonprofit Employer of the Year by Illinois State University’s Division of Student Affairs to recognize the strong partnership between the high school and university to develop future educators.
Vallianatos traveled to Normal on Tuesday (April 29) for the Career Excellence Award ceremony to recognize groups and individuals who help university students with career readiness.
“I view this as an organizational award because of all the hard work and caring from our staff and administrators who coordinate cooperating teacher assignments, and for our staff teaching our future teacher program,” Vallianatos said.
McHenry High School has, on average, five to seven student teachers from Illinois State University each year, and many have gone on to get permanent positions in the high school system. McHenry has also introduced a Teaching as a Profession program for students interested in a career in education that includes classroom work then clinical observations in classrooms.
In 2023, McHenry hosted Illinois State University educators and future educators for class, tours and learning for a day in September.
Vallianatos was nominated by Gary Higham, Ph.D., associate director, Teacher Education Center and coordinator for the Secondary Professional Development Schools (PDS) program. They’ve been working together since 2021 to develop a strong pipeline for student teachers and educators looking to start their careers.
In addition, McHenry High School helped coordinate a research study for the university of early career educators to find out what things they need to better prepare students for the transition to educators. Vallianatos said he’s proud of the honor of one of the state’s best universities for aspiring teachers.
“We often hear from our staff that ISU student teachers are some of the best we have had,” Vallianatos said. “And many of our newly hired Redbirds excel in the classroom.”
In his nomination letter, Higham credits Vallianatos for opening doors for real-world experiences for Illinois State students. McHenry High School is now referred to as a Nest Up North for Redbirds, Higham said.
For the high school’s Teaching as a Profession program, one Class of 2024 graduate went on to study education at Illinois State, and two Class of 2025 members are set to go to Illinois State in the fall.
