Teacher honored
Medford special education teacher, Misty Galli, was among 100 teachers around the state to be recognized with a 2024 Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Teacher Fellowship Award.
“I am honored to receive the Herb Kohl Fellowship Award,” Galli said.
Recipients of the Teacher Fellowship awards receive $6,000 stipend which she can use at her school. Galli, and the other winners were nominated for their leadership and service in and outside the classroom, their ability to inspire a love of learning and to motivate their students.
Galli said she has plans for what to do with the money to improve education in the school.
“I’m already looking at a set of decodable readers to add to my educational materials for next year,” she said.
See MISTI GALLI on page 8 Galli has taught for the Medford Area Public School District at Medford Area Elementary School for the past 18 years, earned her Wilson Dyslexia Therapist credentials, taught reading to special education and dyslexic students, been an Instructional Mentor, been an IEP Procedural Compliance Coach, been active in outside of school time School and Family Engagement events, volunteer of Taylor County Literacy Council, and taught at our Medford Adult Diploma Academy for over 10 years.
“Congratulations to Misty on this achievement and recognition,” said Joseph Greget, student services director for Medford Area Public Schools.
“Herb Kohl believed that education is the key to the future of Wisconsin and our nation,” JoAnne Anton, President & CEO of Herb Kohl Philanthropies said. “That’s why he invested in and prioritized awards that recognize students, teachers, and principals who demonstrate incredible hard work, achievements, and service. We hope this year’s awards help this impressive group of recipients in their individual pursuits today so that they pay it forward in the future. We call that the Herb Kohl Way.”
Award recipients are selected by a statewide committee composed of civic leaders and representatives of educationrelated associations and the program’s co-sponsors: The Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, regional Cooperative Educational Service Agencies (CESA), the Association of Wisconsin School Administrators, and the Wisconsin Homeschooling Parents Association.
Galli said she was nominated for the award by a colleague.
“A colleague nominated me for the Herb Kohl Award for my ongoing efforts in teaching reading,” she said. “To become a candidate, I had to go through an application process. The process consisted of writing six essays and getting three letters of support one each from a parent, peer, and community member. I’m so thankful to have received such supportive letters of recommendation from a parent, colleagues, and our community.”
“Misty Galli is an exceptional teacher who exemplifies what it means to be a dedicated teacher to students of all ages. When I met Misty, she was assigned as my mentor for a job I was new to. She was a leader in showing me how to always believe students are capable of learning to read, stay resilient with students who are struggling, and accept that if they are not learning it is my responsibility to continue to dig deeper to find a strategy that will work for them,” stated one of the letters of recommendation that was part of the application process.
While being nominated is an honor, there is a lot of work that goes into receiving the award.
“I submitted my educational background and work experience in the field of education. Responses to my essay questions were about my career in teaching reading to elementary-age students and helping adult students earn their high school diplomas. The essay questions asked me to respond to various topics such as my educational philosophy, how to raise student achievement, and my goals for my classroom and professional development,” Galli explained.
In addition to the teacher fellowship awards, the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation awarded Student Excellence and Initiative Scholarships of $10,000 to 187 graduating high school students who have demonstrated academic excellence and initiative and have displayed a broad range of activity and leadership in their community. Principal Leadership awards of $6,000 were given to 17 principals for setting high standards for instruction, achievement and character, and creating a climate to best serve students, families, staff and community.
The Kohl Foundation award program was established by Herb Kohl, former U.S. senator, philanthropist, and businessman who died December 27, 2023. Since 1990, the foundation has awarded nearly $38 million to Wisconsin educators, principals, students, and schools.
Following Monday night’s city council committee of the whole meeting, council members took a tour of the new Cedar Ridge Apartment complex on Progressive Ave. located just north of the NTC campus. The complex has already leased at least one unit with the plans to have the 8-building, 16-plex building and clubhouse building completed and ready for occupancy by June 1. The remaining 16-plex structure should be ready for occupancy by July 1, which is well ahead of the late summer original timeline.
The apartment complex is being built under a federal and state tax credit program and is intended as workforce housing. Each unit has its own furnace, air conditioner and washer and dryer as well as ample storage space within the units. There is also a fully accessible unit that includes additional strobe lights connected to the door buzzer and smoke alarms as well as accessibility upgrades.
BRIAN WILSON/THE STAR NEWS
The clubhouse building (above) includes a large common room with kitchenette area for parties and gatherings along with a workout space. Within the next few weeks playground equipment will also be installed at the complex.
