Lake County Gazette

Rachel Whitener, a fourth grade teacher at Kreitner Elementary School, has been selected to receive the 2025 Stan Schaeffer Education Community Leadership Award from Collinsville Community Collaboration (C3). The award will be presented at the C3 Awards dinner on December 3, 2025, at the Gateway Center in Collinsville.

C3 is a partnership between the City of Collinsville, the Collinsville Chamber of Commerce, and Collinsville Community Unit School District #10. The organization annually recognizes individuals and organizations for their contributions to the community.

The Stan Schaeffer Education Community Leadership Award honors an employee within CUSD 10 who has made a significant positive impact in education and on the greater Collinsville community. It is named after Stan Schaeffer, a retired educator and former mayor of Collinsville.

Rachel Whitener is a graduate of Collinsville High School. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Quincy University and a master’s degree in Diversity and Equity in Education from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She is currently in her ninth year teaching at Kreitner Elementary.

Within CUSD 10—which includes schools such as Caseyville Elementary School, Dorris Intermediate School, Jefferson Elementary School, John A. Renfro Elementary School, Maryville Elementary School, Summit Elementary School, Twin Echo Elementary School, Webster Elementary School, as well as Kreitner—Whitener serves as election chair for the Collinsville Education Association (CEA) and acts as a building representative. She mentors new educators and participates in several leadership groups within the district. More information about CUSD 10 can be found on the Illinois Report Card website: https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/

Kreitner Principal Dr. Kari Daugherty said that Whitener’s students have shown consistent growth each year: “Mrs. Whitener uses innovative and engaging lessons that students use independently to contribute to the classroom climate and, reportedly, have taken with them to the next grade level at Dorris Intermediate School. She creates a fun, competitive and supportive classroom environment where every student is expected to demonstrate respect and contribute constructively to the learning of others.”

Superintendent Dr. Mark B. Skertich praised Whitener’s ability to connect with students: “Rachel builds outstanding relationships with students so they clearly know she cares about them.” He added: “She shares pertinent information about her own life so they are able to build two-way relationships, and students know they matter. This leads to improved behaviors, hard work and a well-rounded class with social and academic improvement.”

He continued: “Over the years this has led to her students performing in English and math at or above the state average on a consistent basis. Additionally, students read, read and read some more in hopes of becoming not only mega-readers as individuals but also as a class.”

Dr. Skertich also said: “Spend five minutes in Mrs. Whitener's class and you will know the students are engaged, have manners and rise to her expectations because of how she treats them as individuals; they know she cares and hard work is expected.”

According to data from the Illinois State Board of Education for CUSD 10—covering Madison and St. Clair counties—the district employs over 400 teachers with an average salary above $60,000 per year; most teachers are women; none had more than ten absences during one school year; district spending was nearly $17 thousand per student for a total budget exceeding $104 million; student demographics are diverse with just over half identifying as White while nearly one quarter identify as Hispanic (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).

In addition to her teaching duties, Whitener organizes activities such as entering her class into art contests—resulting in state- and national-level winners—and coordinating science-based events like Kreitner’s annual egg drop challenge alongside local engineers.

Tickets for this year’s awards dinner will be available soon through information posted on the City of Collinsville website.