Katherine Dube
Katherine Dube ’97 was selected in May as one of the top high school teachers in the Chicago area.
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn visited Dube’s school, TEAM Englewood Community Academy, to congratulate her for being among 10 recipients of the 2013 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching. The award carries a cash prize and a tuition-free sabbatical to study for a quarter at Northwestern University.
Dube, who majored in English at Mary Washington and earned a master’s degree from the University of New Hampshire, teaches high school freshmen who read at the fourth-grade to ninth-grade level. She makes her expectations for them clear right away: They’re going to college.
Last year, her students achieved the highest reading gains for their grade level among 17 high schools, according to a Golden Apple press release.
“Katherine believes that learning requires risk-taking, respect, and trust in the teachers and school,” the release said. She “is a dedicated and caring teacher who could teach elsewhere,” but who sees her work as a calling to be answered passionately.