Loves Park Teacher Honored for Being a Beacon of Inspiration and Excellence

St. Bridget Catholic School teacher recognized as 97ZOK Teacher of the Week, praised for her innovative approach to learning and supportive nature.

97ZOK Teacher of the Week

Congratulations to Kelli Appino from St. Bridget Catholic School in Loves Park, Illinois.

Emily Pope (mom) and Nolan (son) nominated Mrs. Appino, they write,

Mrs. Appino makes going to school a lot of fun. Some fun things we do are play games like Sparkle to learn our spelling words. On Thursdays, we have center time where we get to do fun projects. At the end of the day, if everyone finishes their work, we get to play silent speedball.
Mrs. Appino always makes me feel special from the moment I walk into the classroom to the moment I walk out. I always feel included and she is a very fair teacher. I know if I’m having a hard day, Mrs. Appino will always be there for me and help me. Overall she makes me very happy! That is why I think Mrs. Appino is a great teacher and should win Teacher of the Week! Nolan Pope (age 10)

 

Mrs. Appino has been the teacher to two of my children over the last few years. She was my older son’s teacher during part of Covid and she provided a safe-feeling classroom. It was such a scary time for everyone but her classroom was a comfort and safe place to learn and be as normal as could be in that time. I will forever be grateful that she went above and beyond to help them succeed with multiple times of quarantines or eLearning!

My older son had a speech delay since he was a toddler and had a harder time learning some of the English language sounds and rules before her class. Mrs. Appino did everything she could to help him understand and learn this. The confidence he has in himself after the year with her is amazing and he continues to succeed in this area! He feels so smart in this subject that he even tries to teach his little brother information before they learn it in class. :)
My younger son was lucky enough to have Mrs. Appino this year. He can be a shy and nervous kid at times and from day one with Mrs. Appino’s he has felt special, included, happy and not nervous in her classroom. Mrs. Appino is the type of teacher that students just feel good being around and she’s is always making sure everyone is succeeding. My son has learned so much in her class but I truly just love seeing his excitement to go to her class and come out of her class every day! This has been his best year and he’s so happy!
Although Mrs. Appino does so many nice things for kids and families, I think the sweetest thing she does is have the kids throw the moms a Mother’s Day party in her classroom. She has the kids serve the mom’s snacks, make moms a keepsake gift and even write and read them a poem about their moms that day. The day is so special for moms and a wonderful way to teach the kids about sweet things you can do to make your mothers so happy!
Overall, Mrs. Appino has brought so much joy to my children and their classmates, I hope to bring some joy to her as Teacher of the Week because it is well deserved!

We caught up with Mrs. Appino the day before her last day of school for the year. You can hear our chat below.

97ZOK Teacher of the Week-Kelli Appino from St. Bridget Catholic School in Loves Park, IL by Steve Shannon

As mentioned in our chat, here is Emily (producer of 97ZOK's Steve Shannon Show) with Mrs. Appino when she was a 4-year-old Preschooler.

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As Teacher of the Week, Kelli was surprised with a cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes and money to spend at WM Day Spa Salon.

If you would like to nominate your favorite teacher, click HERE.

Click HERE to see past Teachers of the Week.