TCSEA is proud to congratulate one of our own. Kelly Ebker is AWESOME and deserves this recognition. The Illinois Education Association honored Kelly at a ceremony on April 25, 2025.
Region 62 has been holding the Excellence Awards for many years. So many fantastic and deserving educators have won this award. We come together each year to not just give out crystal apples but to truly say thank you to the amazing education professionals of our region. The Region 62 officer team sifted through many excellent nominations. Those that we chose to honor truly are the best that Region 62 has to offer!
Tara Block nominated Kelly Ebker for this award. Here is what she wrote:
Kelly and I have been work partners for 29 years. She is a School Psychologist, and I am a School Social Worker. We have been placed together in the same schools and have never been separated. Two peas in a pod. This partnership works. It works because Kelly is genuine. She is a hard worker, dedicated to the profession, dedicated to her students, and dedicated to the buildings and staff with whom she is assigned to work with.
Kelly's leadership skills are excellent, but her people skills are even better. She communicates with empathy and understanding. She listens to those around he,r and this helps them feel heard and understood even when they know that resources may be slim and answers may be few. Kelly has demonstrated her leadership within TCSEA by being a lead psychologist for the last several years and serving as a union co-president for 18 years. Her co-workers lean on her for her advice and expertise often. Kelly has supervised future school psychologists for over 20+ years.
Kelly has a wonderful sense of humor, and her peers welcome her into their classrooms, conference rooms, and/or offices with open arms. Kelly is one of the first people to lend a helping hand to people in need and the first to send a funny meme or tell a funny joke to make you laugh when you are down and need a smile.
Kelly has dedicated the last 29 years of her professional life to School Psychology, and she has been a very successful one. She has been instrumental in helping to make Tri-County Special Education a successful agency and has been a vital tool in assisting her schools in meeting the needs of students. For these reasons, I feel she is deserving of the Region 62 Excellence Award this year.