Two area teachers were named for a Teacher Fellowship and won $6,000 through the Herb Kohl Foundation. The teachers had to write essays that touched on their skills and accomplishments in their careers. Lisa Mueller, a 34-year-teaching veteran is one of the award’s recipients. Mueller teaches first grade in Sturgeon Bay at St. John Bosco Elementary School. Mueller is a native of the area, was nominated for the fellowship by a school parent, and expressed gratitude for the community that’s supported her over the years. 

Southern Door Elementary’s Jessica Meacham was the other award winner and she has been a primary teacher for 18 years. She’s also the founder of the PreK-12 STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) program. Meacham is no stranger to such accolades, as she was Wisconsin’s Rural Teacher of the Year in 2013 and won the award on the national level in 2014. The teachers had to write essays that touched on their skills and accomplishments in their careers. 

Washington Island High School senior, Julia Valentincic was awarded a Student Initiative Scholarship amounting to $10,000 through the same foundation. She will be granted the scholarship upon graduating this Spring. Valentincic carries a 3.96 GPA, and is heavily involved in extracurricular activities including being an officer with the school’s student council, being a part of the school’s cross-country, basketball, trap shooting, and softball programs. Valentincic even plays in the school’s band playing a variety of instruments that include the trumpet, cello, and piano. She will attend St. Norbert this Fall and chase a degree in business, emphasizing mathematics.

This is the 31st year of the Kohl Foundation and Fellowship Program, which was founded by Herb Kohl in 1990, who was a known Wisconsin businessman.

(Photo courtesy of the Herb Kohl Education Foundation)