Dec. 10--Three suburban Chicago educators are up for a $1 million prize after being chosen as finalists in an international contest for exceptional teaching.
Teachers from more than 120 countries were nominated for the Global Teacher Prize from the Varkey GEMS Foundation.
The foundation this week announced the 50 finalists, which include 16 U.S. educators.
Jacqueline Lopushonsky of Wheaton; Paul Solarz of Arlington Heights; and Mark Vondracek of Gurnee are among the finalists.
Lopushonsky incorporates multiculturalism into all her lesson plans while teaching students with learning disabilities at Lincoln Elementary School in Wheaton. She formerly taught in Oak Park.
Solarz is a fifth-grade teacher at Westgate Elementary School in Arlington Heights. Earlier this year, he was given the Illinois Computer Educator of the Year Award.
Vondracek teaches physics at Evanston Township High School, and has been a runner-up for Illinois' top teaching award in the past.
The foundation is the philanthropic arm of GEMS Education, which has schools worldwide. Its prize "seeks to do for education what the Nobel Prize has done for science, literature, and peace," according to its website. It selected the finalists for inspiring kids to be global citizens, as well as for efforts to improve the teaching profession and recruit others to become educators.
The winner will be announced during an education forum in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in March.
cmgutowski@tribpub.com
Twitter @christygutowsk1
