Lion Ray Jackim (at podium) and Pastor Clark of the First Baptist Church of Bridgeview welcome guests. (Photos by Carol McGowan)

Lion Ray Jackim (at podium) and Pastor Clark of the First Baptist Church of Bridgeview welcome guests. (Photos by Carol McGowan)

Local teachers honored by Lions Clubs

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Beene Edwards Toulios

Argo Summit Lions Club President Tula Beene (from left), Alexa Edwards, and Argo Supt. Dr. William Toulios.

By Carol McGowan 

The Lions clubs of Argo-Summit, Bridgeview, and Justice recently honored two teachers at their Appreciation Awards ceremony at the Bridgeview Community Center.

The event was presented by the Lions Clubs, and Indian Springs School District 109, and, sponsored by the Village of Bridgeview.

The welcome was given by Bridgeview resident, Lion Raymond Jachim Sr., who has been a charter member of the Bridgeview Lions Club since 1975, along with being a Past District Governor for Cook County Lions Clubs.  Jachim has emceed the event for 16 years.

The invocation was by Pastor Clark of the First Baptist Church of Bridgeview.

All that attended were treated to a luncheon of sandwiches, salads, and cake before the award ceremony.

Two Educator of the Year Awards were given out.  One was to Argo Community High School teacher Alexa Edwards, and the other, to Indian Springs School District teacher Mary Lou Wyderski.

Alexa Edwards came to Argo Community High School seven years ago from Kankakee High School, and she’s a mentor and instructor in the art department. She is an Assistant Division Chair of the Career Technology and Fine Art Division.

Her efforts into district projects such as the Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Memorial Plaza and Senior Class Mosaic Memory Wall, are endless.

The school says Alexa ‘Embraces the traditions and core values of our community as if she lived here for years.  She is a great educator in our community and makes every day count for our Argonaut community.”

Mary Lou Wyderski is a physical education teacher at Brodnicki Elementary School in the Indian Springs School District. She was hired in August of the 2005-2006 school year, where she was assigned to Brodnicki and Player School before being place into her current position at the beginning of the 2016-2017 academic year solely at Brodnicki.

Wyderski has a love for life-long learning, teaching and leading.

The school says, “Ms. Wyderski’s dedication to Brodnicki Elementary School, School District 109, and most importantly, to the children of the communities served, grows stronger with every passing school day and school year. She is an outstanding teacher and an equally outstanding person outside of the classroom.  She represents all of School District 109 impeccably.”

Along with Jachim, Lion Tula Beene from the Argo-Summit Lions Club was on hand to present the award to Alexa Edwards, along with Argo High School Supt. Dr. William Toulios.

Indian Springs School District Supt. Dr. Blair Nuccio presented the award to Mary Lou Wyderski.

The Wilkins Jr. High Band & Orchestra provided music for the event.

Jackim Wyderski Nuccio

Lion Ray Jachim (from left), Mary Lou Wyderski, Indian Springs School Supt. Dr. Blair Nuccio.

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