Celebrate Education is an annual recognition honoring local teachers, principals, coaches and volunteers for their continuous hard work and dedication to the students of Oshkosh. As a part of the recognition, grants are awarded to exceptional public and private school educators for special programs they conduct in the classroom, on the field, and after school.

Due to extreme winter weather conditions on March 16, 2026, this year’s Celebrate Education dinner and event was cancelled as a safety precaution. However, the 2026 grant and award recipients received their award certificates in the days following the snowed-out event.

This year’s Celebrate Education recognition was sponsored by the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation, Mid-Morning Kiwanis Club of Oshkosh, UWO College of Education and Human Services, Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce, Oshkosh Area School District Education Foundation, Edward and Belle Rudoy Endowment Fund, and Oshkosh Southwest Rotary.

Recognition and grant funding included the UW-Oshkosh Outstanding Elementary Teacher Awards, Celebrate Education Grants funded by the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation, Mid-Morning Kiwanis, and the OASD Education Foundation, the OASD Spirit of Education Award, Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce Education Leadership Award, Edward and Belle Rudoy Outstanding High School Teacher Awards, Edward and Belle Rudoy Technology Grant Award, and the Dr. Stanley Spanbauer Education and Leadership Award.

In lieu of not being able to celebrate the hard work and accomplishments of our teachers and staff in person, please join us in celebrating these dedicated OASD educators recognized through this year’s Celebrate Educations Awards. You can read about their grant-funded educational programs below.

OASD Celebrate Education Award Recipients

UW-Oshkosh Outstanding Elementary Teacher Awards

Isabella Doege - Jefferson Elementary School

Cheryl Elliott - Lakeside Elementary School

Annie Flaherty - Shapiro STEM Academy

Heidi Wara - Carl Traeger Elementary School

Edward and Belle Rudoy Outstanding High School Teacher Awards

Jeff Becker - Oshkosh West High School

Mary Gabriel - Oshkosh West High School

Patrick Griffith - Oshkosh North High School

Celebrate Education Grant Awards

Emily Sopata - Carl Traeger Elementary
Hands-On Knowledge: Bringing CKLA to Life - To purchase supplemental books aligned with CKLA (Core Knowledge Language Arts) curriculum in second grade.

Sarah Karns - Emmeline Cook Elementary School
Books for Students - To purchase Scholastic Books for students in the classroom to take home.

Megan Jarosh - Franklin Elementary School    
Kindergarten S.T.E.M. and Literacy - To purchase materials to enhance the science, technology, engineering, literacy and math opportunities within the kindergarten classrooms.

Abigail Rogers - Franklin Elementary School
Literacy Coming Alive! - To purchase hands-on instructional materials to enhance the first grade CKLA curriculum.

Nicole Wiltzius - Franklin Elementary School
Purposeful Playtime: Learning, Building, and Growing Together - Funding for developmentally appropriate STEM, construction, dramatic play, and social-emotional learning materials for a kindergarten classroom.

Shanon Olson - Franklin Elementary School
Inclusive Cooking: Teaching Life Skills One Recipe at a Time - Purchase food items and essential kitchen supplies to integrate cooking into the autism and intellectual disability classroom.

Michelle Dorn - Franklin Elementary School
Emotionally Regulated Learners - To purchase sensory tools, such as themed sensory bins, putty, magnetic, building, fine motor activities, squeezable toys, marble mazes, fidgets, visual timers and more to help students regulate their emotions so that they can be ready for learning.
        
Rachael Hipke - Menominee Elementary School
Menominee Elementary Caring Closet - Removing Barriers to Learning - To purchase items for the school’s Caring Closet to ensure students have access to essential clothing, particularly during winter months.

Jennifer Kautzer - Oaklawn Elementary School
Closing Reading Gaps Through Systematic Decodable Text Instruction - Purchase decodable text sets (with lesson plans) and provide professional learning for educators on effective implementation.

Traci Soeller - Oshkosh Area School District
Storytelling Kits - To purchase sets of children's favorite and classic story books for OASD Early Learning classrooms.

Justine Schwartz - Oshkosh Area School District
Chomp Shop “CAD” Lab - To purchase materials, supplies, and equipment to bring CAD to life in the classroom using digital designs and turning them into real prototypes using “Cardboard-Aided Design”.

Tanya Schmidt - Oshkosh Area School District
Focusing on Change: The Lewis Hine Investigative Inquiry Kits - To purchase class sets of books, trade books, digital cameras and memory cards to assemble 15 inquiry kits.

Whitney Stenbroten - Oshkosh Area School District - Oshkosh Early Learning
Learning and Play Go Hand in Hand - Purchase materials to help create meaningful and intentional dramatic play and imaginative play experiences for 4K students.

Jessica Nunez - Oshkosh North High School
Applied Animal Science Lab Kits: Nutrition, Genetics, & Animal Welfare - Purchase materials needed to enhance Animal Science instruction through applied lab kits.

Gina Munig - Oshkosh North High School
Communities at Oshkosh North High School: Podcast - To purchase podcasting equipment to support the Multimedia Communication and Production course.

Emily Christofilis - Oshkosh North High School
Functional Manipulatives and Educational Tools - Purchase educational games and manipulatives to teach students with intellectual disabilities grades 9-12.

Amanda Fortner - Oshkosh North High School
Global Flavors, Global Celebrations - Purchase decorating equipment, food products, packaging, and supplies for curriculum and instruction activities for the Global Flavors and Global Celebrations collaboration.

Gloria Dorschner-Mackie - Oshkosh North High School
Improving Ensemble Intonation with Tuner-Metronomes - To purchase a classroom set of Tuner-Metronomes which are used by students to check their instrument's intonation.

Kathleen Erickson - Oshkosh North High School
Literacy for All: High-Interest Texts that are accessible for English Language Learners - To purchase a diverse collection of high-interest, accessible reading materials specifically selected for English for Speakers of other Languages students in grades 9-12.

Sara Klein - Oshkosh North High School
English Classes Supplemented with Arts Core Assessments to Make Learning More Engaging - To purchase art supplies to give students a more creative and engaging way to demonstrate learning.    

Robyn Badtke - Oshkosh West High School
Wildcat Green: Growing Fresh Flavor at Oshkosh West - Purchase equipment and materials to establish a hydroponic garden at Oshkosh West High School Family & Consumer Sciences culinary kitchen to be utilized by all 5 culinary classes.

Angela Rodriguez - Oshkosh West High School
Authentic Texts for Spanish 3 Global Academy - Purchase more authentic texts to incorporate more comprehensible language input into the existing curriculum.

Heather Schilling - Oshkosh West High School
Operation Heal! An Exploration of Wounds and Wound Care - To purchase wound packing models and essential materials for a Health Science Career and Technical Education Course.

Kayley Wontor - Oshkosh West High School
Oshkosh West Fashion and Interior Design Sewing Machines - To purchase more sewing machines so an entire classroom can work simultaneously.            

Andrew Thompson - Perry Tipler Middle School
Finding Strength Within: Advancing Reading Comprehension and Transforming Student Perspectives - Purchase 15 copies of Ben Mikaelson's Touching Spirit Bear and classroom workshop materials.

Jaime Thompson - Roosevelt Elementary School
Emotion Aquarium - To purchase a new social emotional curriculum called Emotion Aquarium.

Trisha Paskey - Shapiro STEM Academy
Behavioral Specialist - Shapiro and Lakeside Elementary School - Purchasing materials and tools to support a behavioral specialist serving two schools.

Julie Reichenberger - South Park Middle School
Art and Teen Life Skills For All - To purchase materials needed for art projects and teen life projects to provide access for students with IEPs.

Abigail Lemke - South Park Middle School
Books for Birthdays - To purchase books for students with reading deficits to help make reading fun, exciting and relatable.

Hannah Dumke - TRUE Academy
Tassels for Tomorrow - To purchase a set of reusable caps and gowns to ensure that every graduating student can participate in the commencement ceremony regardless of financial circumstances.

Shannon Fredrick - TRUE Academy
Loads of Kindness - To purchase clothing such as pants, t-shirts, and sweatshirts for students who may need new items, and to purchase laundry baskets with supplies so students can feel confident coming to school in clean clothes.

Ashley Daane - Vel Phillips Middle School
Shark Tank: Solving Oshkosh – Community Innovation Challenge - Support classroom materials, guest speakers, and event resources for the Shark Tank: Solving Oshkosh - Community Innovation Challenge program.

OASD Spirit of Education Award

The OASD Spirit of Education Award celebrates individuals who provide exceptional service to the district, schools, and community. Recipients demonstrate a passion for learning, inspire others, and serve as role models for school and community partnerships.

This year, the Oshkosh Area School District proudly presented the award to James Chitwood, PhD. Many in the community first came to know Jim through his service on the Board of Education from 1989 to 1998. Since then, he has continued to support students and teachers, bringing the perspective he gained on the Board to guide initiatives that directly benefit classrooms and learning.

When the OASD Education Foundation was established in 2012, Jim was a founding board member. He helped shape its vision, mission, and guiding principles, laying the groundwork for everything it achieves today—supporting classrooms, expanding opportunities, and connecting schools with the community. He has remained a steady, thoughtful presence as the organization has grown.

Jim has also been a key part of the team behind Trivia Night, the Foundation’s longest-running and most widely recognized fundraising event. For 12 years, he has helped create the trivia questions that challenge, entertain, and keep participants coming back. That work happens quietly behind the scenes but is a big part of the event’s success.

What stands out about Jim is his strong belief that public schools thrive when the community supports them. His leadership has helped create an organization that continues to invest in students and teachers, enriching classrooms and opening doors that might not otherwise exist.
Because of Jim’s vision, commitment, and support, countless students have benefited from opportunities that have a real impact on their lives. Please join us in congratulating and thanking this year’s Spirit of Education Award recipient, Jim Chitwood.

Congratulations OASD Educators

The Oshkosh Area School District extends its sincere appreciation and congratulations to the OASD educators and staff who were recognized with awards through the 2026 Celebrate Education recognition. These educators have a passion for providing students with modern, engaging learning experiences and resources to set students onto a path of continued growth within their journey through education. To this year’s award recipients - thank you for being champions for students within the classroom and throughout the community of Oshkosh.