D203 Teacher Union Awards Scholarships
Students honored for their Community Contributions

Five students from the Naperville area received scholarships from the Naperville Unit Education Association (NUEA) in the amount of $2000 each in April.  The NUEA annually gives four scholarships to high school seniors who are children of NUEA members, and one scholarship to a college student entering an education-related field.  Scholarships are awarded based on extracurricular participation and contributions to the community.

The 2025 High School Scholarship recipients are Marc Townsend from Oswego East High School, Lydia Park from Naperville Central High School, Owen Driscoll from Oswego High School, and Santino Dill from Addison Trail High School.  This year’s Future in Education collegiate winner is Maddie Sniadecki from the University of Iowa, originally from Naperville.

Please join the NUEA in celebrating the achievements of these five students and their future success as leaders and innovators.

Owen Driscoll

Owen Driscoll will be attending Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee to major in Music Education and Performance.  His academic accomplishments are many, including serving as President of the National Honors Society while also joining the BIONIC Club, the Science National Honor Society, the Spanish Honor Society, and the Tri-M Music Honor Society.

Owen is an accomplished musician on organ, bassoon, and percussion, having received many of the highest honors available in the state. He plays in the Oswego Wind Symphony, the Oswego Marching Band, and the Oswego Jazz Ensemble.  He plays in the DuPage Symphony Orchestra and the Naperville Youth Symphony Orchestra, where he is the principal bassoon. He auditioned into the IMEA All-District Honors Orchestra, and subsequently made the All-State Honors Orchestra, establishing Owen as one of the best bassoon players in the state.  He was also awarded outstanding woodwind student at the Birch Creek Music Summer Symphony Session.  

Outside of school, Owen has volunteered at the Kendall County Community Food Pantry, as well as worked with the Kendall County Community Pantry Garden and the SNHS Environmental Action Club.  Despite his busy schedule, Owen still finds time to teach private piano lessons to younger students, which helped inspire his passion for teaching music as a career. 

Marc Townsend

Marc Townsend will be spending his next 4 years at Purdue University studying Mechanical Engineering.  Throughout Marc’s high school career, he has established himself as a leader and innovator in STEM projects, including CAD, robotics, and coding.  His robotics team won several local and national awards for design, inspiration, and impact.  His team also built special adaptive equipment for children with special needs.  

Marc was the lead CAD designer and builder for the First Tech Challenge Team 18183. He mentored younger STEM students and launched several STEM videos in both English and Spanish.  He was a state finalist in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition by designing, building, and patenting the Algae Air system, which is an algae-based bioplastic fertilizer.  

Marc was also active in several different honorary clubs and activities in high school.  He was a member of Mu Alpha Theta (math honors society), and he was a member of his school’s Wind Symphony, Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Combo (piano), and Marching Band.  His senior year, he was selected to play in the prestigious IMEA District Jazz Combo on piano.  These experiences help explain Marc’s statement, “The world is full of nuance.  Especially now, with all the world’s knowledge at our digital fingertips, yet buried between misleading advertisements and agendas, it is more important than ever to understand the details of the issues we face today.”

Santino Dill

This fall, Santino will be attending the University of Kentucky and majoring in finance with a minor in marketing.  Santino’s high school career was rich in academic, athletic, and volunteer opportunities.  As an academic leader, Santino was a member of the National Honors Society (serving as President senior year), an Illinois State Scholar, and the Principal’s Advisory Team.  He also served on the Student Council every year while taking several AP and honors courses.

Athletically, Santino was the captain of his football team, having played every year at Addison Trail High School.  He was also a member of Blazer Ambassadors, the school Baseball Team, the Basketball Team, and the Letterman’s Club.  Additionally, he played travel baseball for three years.

As a volunteer, Santino helped nursing home residents learn and utilize various forms of technology.  He also dressed as Santa for the children of his teachers, and he volunteered for two years at Feed My Starving Children.  He shoveled snow for elderly neighbors and worked as a volunteer assistant football coach for the youth football team in his community.  

Santino believes that his generation needs to push for better access and acceptance of mental health issues.  He believes that reducing the stigma surrounding mental health challenges is necessary for everyone to lead happier and healthier lives. 

Lydia Park

Lydia Park will attend St. Louis University, where she will study Occupational Therapy.  Lydia was very active at Naperville North High School as an athlete and as a volunteer.  A passionate runner, Lydia participated on both the Cross Country and Track and Field Teams for all four years of her high school career.  She was a state qualifier for three years, and as a leader, she helped establish team events, trips, and various group activities.  

Lydia also worked as a Sunday School Teacher at Redemption Church.  She was a nanny, caring for three children, and she was a volunteer at the Hesed House, where she helped prepare meals for over 100 homeless people.  She also organized daily sports activities for a class of 20 athletes with disabilities.

She stated that time management was one of the most crucial skills she learned in District 203, having to juggle coursework, projects, and jobs.  She also cited communication and self-advocacy as being equally important for continued success, especially as an occupational therapist.   

Future in Education Award Winner Maddie Sniadecki

Maddie Sniadecki is currently enrolled at the University of Iowa studying Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.  As a straight A student, Maddie is a regular on the Dean’s List and the President’s List in her school.  She is enrolled in the Clinical Linguistics and Disparities Lab in the Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County (NCJC) Project, which is where she found her calling while working with underprivileged groups of multilingual preschool children.  The scope of her work includes providing multi-tiered systems of support, dynamic assessments, and the integration of resources fit for a variety of languages.  

Maddie stated that she loves the process of learning by seeking out every opportunity to make the most of her educational experience.  As a researcher, Maddie understands that critical thinking skills are necessary to interpret the data she is given.  When she is not sure, she takes advantage of the resources available to her, such as relying on colleagues and teachers to help her.  These skills are only a few that she learned as a student in District 203.  

Maddie also takes advantage of other networking groups on campus.  She is a member of the Optimist Chapter, the CSD research club, and the Dance Marathon, where she surrounds herself with other like-minded students interested in service and professional growth.  She is proud of her growth as an academic risk-taker, and is planning on eventually continuing her education in graduate school.

About the NUEA

The NUEA is the association of 1500 certified staff members who work in Naperville School District 203.  They are a unified voice advocating for students and the teaching profession.  Led by President Ross Berkley, they work with the community, administration, students, and parents in District 203 to help provide the best educational experience possible to residents of Naperville, Bolingbrook, and Lisle with District 203. 

For More Information

Please contact David Carroll
dcarroll@nuea203.org

High School Senior Scholarship Winners

Future in Education Scholarship Winner

Twice each year, the IEA Foundation funds SCORE grants of up to $1,000 to IEA members who have ideas for community service or school projects. Those members collaborate with our community partners to organize anything from food drives to outdoor classrooms to blanket-making parties for nursing home residents.  These projects unite students to communities, teach the value of service, fill the needs of schools that may not otherwise be being met and deepen relationships in school buildings.

Since 2013, more than $360,000 worth of these grants have been awarded across the state of Illinois. To see a list of those projects, videos, photos and more, you can visit the SCORE page on the IEA website.

Thousands of students have benefited from the program – from ideas as simple as “birthday parties in a bag” for kids who may not otherwise have had one to a snow-shoveling program in northern Illinois where grade-school students shoveled the drives of elderly neighbors.

And communities have benefitted, too, like the Bloomington-Normal area where ISU students set up their sewing machines and did quick clothing fixes for people for free – sewing on buttons, fixing holes, hemming pants.

THE STUDENTS AND IEA MEMBERS NEED YOU and here is why: The IEA Foundation funds these grants and it relies on donations.

Join the Foundation as we rally around our students, teachers, aides, bus drivers, librarians, nurses, secretaries, support staff, higher ed faculty and support staff, schools and community. Your support helps build relationships between schools and communities and within school communities.  Every dollar counts, because every student and every good SCORE grant idea counts!

From Becky Pringle, President of the NEA:

We did it!!!
Together, we finally repealed GPO and WEP, the unfair penalties that denied retired educators, first responders, and other public service workers their full Social Security benefits.
The Senate passed the Social Security Fairness Act today in a historic 76 to 20 bipartisan vote. President Joe Biden is expected to sign the legislation into law.
Soon, Martha Karlovetz from Missouri will be able to get her full Social Security payments—benefits she paid into for 15 years before she became a teacher.
Gayle Harbo in Alaska will be able to finally receive her late husband’s Social Security—payments the government has taken from her just because she was a teacher.
And now, educators can enter the profession mid-career or work a second job without jeopardizing their retirements.

See what this historic victory means for educators across the United States, and let us know what it will mean to you.

This victory for retired educators, both current and future, was only possible because of your advocacy and the collective voice of our union. For decades we have lobbied Congress, telling our stories about how these unfair penalties hurt retirees and the education system. Together, you contacted Congress more than 430,000 times with messages, calls, and in-person visits to pass the Social Security Fairness Act.
Now, millions of educators, first responders, and other public service workers will get their full Social Security, benefits they and their spouses earned.

We did this, together.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your tenacity and righteous activism.

In solidarity,

Becky Pringle
President
National Education Association

Breaking news from the U.S. Senate, as Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has teed up a vote on H.R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act, as early as Monday to once and for all fully repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP)! As you know, repealing these unfair penalties that take away earned Social Security benefits from millions of educators, first responders, and other public service workers has been an NEA priority for 40 years. Now, thanks to your incredible advocacy and that of our members, we are on the cusp of history. But we have to close out strong.

Every single senator needs to hear from you and your members right now that they need to vote yes on H.R. 82 next week. (We expect multiple rounds of votes, with the first procedural or cloture vote needing 60 to advance). Senators who are co-sponsors need to hear from you. Senators from fully impacted states need to hear from you. Senators who have not co-sponsored the Social Security Fairness Act need to hear from you.

NEA members have made hundreds of thousands of contacts on GPO-WEP repeal this year. The NEA Board of Directors has lobbied on repeal 3 times this Congress. NEA and our labor and retirement security allies rallied at the rainy Capitol on Wednesday to push the Senate to finish the job, which is when Schumer made the commitment to force the vote.

A reminder that the House passed H.R. 82 by a vote of 327 – 75 in November. This bill has broad bipartisan support and the time to finish the job is now.

Flood the Senate phone lines! We have 3 ways you and your members can call your senators:

The URL: www.nea.org/SSFairness

1. the QR Code (on the right)
2. dialing 1-844-912-1779

Let’s keep up the pressure until the final vote. We are on the verge of history for our members – current retirees and future retirees. And repealing these penalties will make it easier to recruit and retain future educators too. Help us end 2024 with an incredible win.

The Naperville Unit Education Association (NUEA) is offering five scholarships to children of current members. The deadline to apply for these scholarships is 3:00 pm on Monday, March 3, 2025.

These scholarships are not need-based. Winners are selected on the basis of academic success, school activities, volunteer/work experience, and thoughtful responses to essay questions.

HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR SCHOLARSHIPS
Four scholarships in the amount of $2000 each will be given by the NUEA. Applicants must be in their senior year, attending a post-secondary school next year.

High School Senior Application Instructions

FUTURE IN EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIP
One scholarship int he amount of $2000 will be given to a student enrolled in an undergraduate program who will be starting their 3rd year or later in an education-related field of study.

Future in Education Application Instructions

Please send all materials or questions to NUEA Scholarship Coordinator David Carroll at Madison Jr. High.

NUEA members joined NESPA members in a rally held at PSAC on Monday, November 18. NESPA members include District 203 aides, secretaries, and support personnel. They have been working without a contract since June.

After the rally, several union members, community members, and parents spoke at the school board meeting. They talked about how much we all value the important work provided by NESPA members, and how it does not serve the community well to drag out negotiations.

Special thank you to the NESPA Executive Board, the bargaining team, and NESPA members for continuing to fight for fair wages and decent working conditions.

On Friday, August 9, NUEA and District 203 co-hosted a breakfast at Meson Sabika to welcome new educators into the district. Attendees heard from Board President Kristine Gerike, Asst. Superintendent for Human Resources Meredith Haugens, Asst. Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Jayne Willard, NUEA President Ross Berkley, NEF Co-Chair Julie Beehler, and Superintendent Dan Bridges.

NUEA serves certified staff members at all levels in District 203, including teachers, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech pathologists, psychologists, social workers, counselors, and more!

New teachers have been attending professional development activities all week. On August 12-13, all district certified staff attended professional development, and the first student attendance day was Thursday, August 15. NUEA is looking forward to a great year!

We know not everyone gets a break during the summer. Thank you to all of the teachers, specialists, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, maintenance staff, secretaries, substitutes and all education professionals who are supporting student learning. We appreciate all you do.

Also, thank you to all of our certified staff members taking coursework, engaging in professional development, designing curriculum, attending conferences, and preparing for students this fall. A successful start in the fall depends on preparation over the summer. District 203 staff members are already hard at work, even though it is July!

Three students from the Naperville area received scholarships from the Naperville Unit Education Association (NUEA) in the amount of $1500 each.  The NUEA annually gives three scholarships to high school seniors who are children of NUEA members.  Scholarships are awarded based on extracurricular participation and contributions to the community.  These scholarships were awarded in May, 2024.

The scholarship recipients are Grace Brady from Nequa Valley High School, Lucas Moen from Naperville Central High School, and Eliana Nungaray from the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA).

A fourth scholarship of $1500 was awarded to a current college junior or senior who is entering into the field of education. The student must be the child of an NUEA member to be eligible to receive the scholarship. This year’s winner is Grace Lueken from Loyola University.

The NUEA scholarships were created by certified staff in District 203 through their union to recognize outstanding contributions among area high school seniors and college students.  The scholarships are funded by member dues and represent a small portion of the local support NUEA provides the community through scholarships, volunteerism, and charitable giving.

Grace Brady
Grace Brady plans to major in Sustainability in Food & Environmental Systems at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign this fall. Grace is winner of the 2024 Building Leadership Around Sustainable Transformation contest and has initiated an Illinois bill to require climate change education in all Illinois public schools, which just passed the general assembly and is awaiting the governor’s signature.  As the daughter of two educators, she is a strong supporter of the NUEA, the IEA, and the NEA. 

While at Nequa Valley High School, Grace participated in many extracurricular events, including the Naperville Sustainability Taskforce (NEST) and the Art Honor Society.  She was also a member of the French Honor Society, where she helped plan several service learning opportunities.  

Outside of school, Grace worked as an intern at Accelerate Climate Solutions, where she built their website, conducted research, and organized community events.  She also volunteered for Feed My Starving Children, participated in the Illinois Waterway Cleanup initiative, and helped paint holiday windows for local businesses.  She worked extensively with Rep. Janet Yang-Rohr to develop a bill to guarantee the right of students to contact legislators.  

Lucas Moen
Luke Moen will be attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he will major in Interdisciplinary Health on a pre-med track.  While a student at Naperville Central High School, Luke prioritized his involvement in school activities, such as the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) his junior year, Business Professionals of America (BPA) his senior year, and National Honors Society his junior and senior years.  As an athlete, Luke participated on the wrestling team for three years.  

Luke also worked hard in community-related services.  He was the Vice-President and Philanthropy Chairman of the Young Men’s Service League (YMSL).  He also was an active photographer and videographer, as well as a member of the Saint Elizabeth Seton Parish.

Luke particularly benefitted by becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA).  The training was extensive, requiring over 120 hours of coursework.  Despite the long hours and hard work at a local nursing home, Luke found his passion.  He states, “…caring for those around me fills me with so much pride that it’s nearly indescribable.”  Luke has made a huge difference in the community through his actions.

Eliana Nungaray
This fall, Ellie will be attending Stony Brook University with a major in Marine Science.  Ellie is an active participant in athletics, music, and academic activities at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA).  By balancing all three areas, Ellie found success as a student.

As an athlete, she has played soccer for the Team Chicago Soccer Club, Evolution Soccer Club, and the IMSA team, while also serving as a manager for the boy’s soccer team at IMSA in 2022.  As a musician, Ellie has played violin for three seasons in the prestigious Naperville Youth Symphony Orchestra.  And as an academian, Ellie has worked at IMSA as a writing center tutor, a teacher assistant for the STEMbassadors program, and a mentor for the Girls IN2 STEM program.  

Outside of school, Ellie has worked as an intern for the Field Museum of Natural History Mammal and Education Department.  She conducted research on the impact of UV filters on freshwater algae.  She also worked as a Parairie Volunteer for the Forest Preserve District of Will Country.  Ellie’s activities and research have made a major contribution toward benefitting the lives of Illinois residents.

Future in Education Award Winner Grace Lueken
Grace just finished her junior year at Loyola University Chicago.  She is majoring in Secondary Education with an emphasis on History.  Grace noted that the Social Sciences are becoming increasingly politicized.  As a result, teachers must be aware of implicit biases so that all voices may be heard and historical movements may be discussed with honesty and integrity.  Grace’s plan to help overcome these challenges is to teach students how to interpret and analyze primary and secondary sources to help them identify biases and think critically about the topic at hand.

Grace credits District 203 teachers in helping her develop her own critical-thinking skills.  She states that Naperville Central teachers gave her the foundation to help her develop her ability to analyze and organize information meaningfully.  They helped her craft her communication skills so that she could share her perspectives with others clearly and concisely.  She is a passionate and articulate advocate for marginalized people and, as such, will make an excellent history teacher when she completes her college career.  

About the NUEA

The NUEA is the association of 1400 certified staff members who work in Naperville School District 203.  They are a unified voice advocating for students and the teaching profession.  Led by President Ross Berkley, they work with the community, administration, students, and parents in District 203 to help provide the best educational experience possible to residents of Naperville, Bolingbrook, and Lisle with District 203.

If you are an education employee hired after Jan. 1, 2011, you are enrolled in Tier Two of either the Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS), the State Universities Retirement System (SURS) or the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF). In a nutshell, this means you have to work until age 67 to retire with your full benefits. Your peers hired prior to this date only have to work until age 55, if they have 35 years of service. There are also drastic differences in the salary your retirement income will be based upon and on the cost-of-living adjustments your pension earns post-retirement. We believe Tier 2 is a major flaw in our pension system, and it is causing many to switch careers or choose not to begin a career in education in the first place. 

As you know, educators in TRS and SURS do not pay into Social Security. Federal law allows government agencies to do this, as long as the benefits those agencies offer are at least equal to what Social Security pays, a law known as the “Safe Harbor” provision. There are real concerns that the current Tier Two system for these educators will violate the Safe Harbor provision this year, which could trigger financial repercussions for the state of Illinois. We are trying to change this and have filed legislation (Senate Bill 2024) to do so. We will be needing your help. 

For more information, see below, and watch for opportunities to take action. 

Get the Facts

• Senate Bill 2024 – Tier Two Fix for TRS, SURS, and IMRF
• Tier 1 and Tier 2 Fact Sheet
• TRS’s EZ Guide to Tier 1 and Tier 2
• Retirement Resources – TRS, IMRF, SURS