[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 148 (Thursday, September 29, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1422]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




COMMEMORATING NICHOLE FOLKMAN, FINALIST OF THE ILLINOIS STATE BOARD OF 
                EDUCATION 2017 TEACHER OF THE YEAR AWARD

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DARIN LaHOOD

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 28, 2016

  Mr. LaHOOD. Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to honor Nichole 
Folkman, a 2017 Illinois State Board of Education Teacher of the Year 
finalist.
  Mrs. Folkman teaches English at Hartsburg-Emden Community Unit School 
District 21 in Hartsburg, Illinois. Having taught high-schoolers for 
over a decade, Mrs. Folkman's passion for teaching, her students, and 
their success, makes her a most deserving top ten finalist out of a 
field of 250 nominees.
  As a high school student, Mrs. Folkman recognized her desire to 
teach. Upon graduating from Milliken University, she began her career 
as an English teacher, focusing on how to effectively educate her 
students in the intricacies of the English language, journalism, and 
speech. Her approach in the classroom continues to engage and excite 
her students about the values of education within the language arts. 
Most importantly, because of Mrs. Folkman's ability to connect and 
inspire pupils within the classroom, Hartsburg-Emden students 
consistently look to her as a role model as they focus on their own 
futures.
  It is an honor to represent teachers like Mrs. Folkman, who 
passionately invest their time teaching the children of our schools. 
Her devotion to teaching has positively impacted not only her students, 
but also her colleagues and our community. I wish her the best of luck 
at the Those Who Excel banquet on October 22nd, where the highest 
teaching award in the state, the Illinois Teacher of the Year, will be 
presented.

                          ____________________