USF to honor freshman English teacher with
Bishop Imesch Teaching Excellence Award
The University of St. Francis will honor St. Francis High School teacher Lydia T. Lyzinski with the 2006 Bishop Joseph L. Imesch Award for Excellence in Teaching and Caring.
The award will be presented at 8 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 20 at the annual Breakfast with the Bishop. Students, parents and teachers representing each of the 76 Catholic schools in the Joliet Diocese are invited to the breakfast. The bishop and USF President Michael J. Vinciguerra present the award.
The recipient chosen is a model for excellence in teaching and service in the educational community as well as a Christian role model among students, faculty and administration, according to John Gambro, dean of the university’s College of Education. Breakfast with the Bishop is part of the university’s Catholic Schools Week celebration.
Lyzinski has taught freshman English for 15 years at St. Francis High School in Wheaton. "Known as the freshman ‘mom,’ she reaches out to each and every single student and recognizes his or her many strengths and talents, in and out of the classroom. Her compassion and kindness are legendary. Many a burden-bearing student has been known to visit her classroom and walk away with a lighter heart," wrote St. Francis High School principal Raeann Huhn, who nominated Lyzinski for the award.
Lyzinski’s colorful classroom is always alive; her students are known to act out Romeo and Juliet, complete with costumes and play swords. Beyond the classroom, Lyzinski established an annual father/daughter dance and mother/son brunch as well as a spring fling. She helps lead the school in prayer as Eucharistic minister and has served as a leader on the school’s Kairos retreats.
Lyzinski will be the seventh recipient of the Bishop Joseph L. Imesch Award for Excellence in Teaching and Caring given by the University of St. Francis.
The University of St. Francis serves more than 4,100 students nationwide. The university offers more than 60 areas of undergraduate study, including education, arts and sciences, nursing and allied health, business and social work. USF offers 13 graduate programs in education, business and health care. For more information about USF programs, call 815 740-3400 or visit the university web site at www.stfrancis.edu.