Teacher of the Year

Gurnee, IL - Woodland Primary School Kindergarten Teacher Carrie Monterroso has been named one of the Village of Gurnee Teachers of the Year for 2024. Monterroso, along with the winning teachers from Warren Township High School and Gurnee District 56, will be recognized by the village at the May 6 Board Meeting with an official plaque and a grant for $1,000 from the Henderson Foundation.

Carrie is a Kindergarten teacher in the Dual Language program at Primary, and has been part of the Woodland Learning community since 2012. She is currently in her 18th year of teaching, and previously worked in Chicago Public Schools.

Teacher of the Year Announcement: English / Spanish

Ms. Monterroso was presented with the Teacher of the Year title at a staff meeting, and her colleagues created a surprise tribute video that was played during the celebration.

Woodland selects a school winner from each of the four schools in the district. From the list of finalists, an overall winner is selected for recognition as the Village of Gurnee’s Teacher of the Year. This year’s four finalists are (pictured clockwise from top left):

• Carrie Monterroso, Woodland Primary
• Amber Dennis, Woodland Elementary
• Erica Veronie, Woodland Intermediate
• Richard Haines, Woodland Middle School

Monterroso and the other school finalists will be formally recognized by the Woodland Board of Education at the May 23, 2024 meeting.