Superintendent Dr. Catherine Finger has been awarded the title 2014 Lake County Superintendent of the Year. On May 21st, Dr. Finger was awarded for her dedication to the Lake County school district. She was honored with this award at the annual Lake County superintendents meeting in Gurnee.
Receiving this award was a great surprise and blessing for Finger.
”It was a lovely surprise! Another element of the surprise was when Senator Melinda Bush came to the July meeting of the Board of Education and shocked me with a plaque of honor signifying that the Illinois Senate had passed a resolution in my honor; that was another complete surprise and another moment of gratitude, celebration and happy tears,” she said.
Although the award came as a surprise to Finger, it is something to be predicted by coworkers, who describe her as someone that puts as much effort in to their job as Finger.
“It was not a surprise at all as there is no one more deserving than her to have won this award,” said principal Dr. James Roscoe.
Anyone and everyone who knows Finger were full of happiness when the news was broken.
“My whole family was very excited for her as they know how hard she works to ensure that our students have the best environment in which to learn, to play and to perform. My six and eight year old daughters even made her cards to show their appreciation of her accomplishment,” Roscoe said.
Finger only had positive reactions to the news.
“When I received the award, I was shocked, humbled, and I cried,” she said.
Bringing home the gold was a great accomplishment that brought pride to all students and staff of the Lake County school district.
“I could not be more proud of Dr. Finger as she was more than deserving to win this award. It is a small token for the vision, commitment and dedication she has shown our great schools,” Roscoe said.
When Finger was proclaimed the winner against six nominees, she was given two plaques, which both hang in her office.
“When I received the plaques, I also found out I was also nominated as the State Superintendent of the Year by the Lake County school districts. We will not know whether or not I am a finalist for that honor until early November,” she added.
Although the award was a spectacular achievement for Finger, she believes that winning it once is more than good enough for her.
“Once in a lifetime is plenty! There are so many other wonderful superintendents worthy of recognition,” she said.