Vandergrift named first Teacher of the Month at Coal City High School

Emily Vandergrift has been named Coal City High School’s first Teacher of the Month, an honor established by Educators Rising, a student organization for those interested in education careers. The recognition program began in November, and Vandergrift is its inaugural recipient.

Students nominated teachers for the award and could submit comments about their nominees. Comments about Vandergrift, a second-year social studies teacher, included: “makes learning fun,” “very understanding to all her students,” “she always makes me feel comfortable in class to ask questions,” “she has fun style and vibes,” “keeps positive energy when teaching,” “she has a great sense of humor,” and she is simply, “the best.”

Coal City High School is part of Coal City Community Unit School District 1, which serves Grundy and Will counties. The district includes Coal City Early Childhood Center, Coal City Elementary School, Coal City Intermediate School, Coal City Middle School, and the high school itself. More information about the district can be found at https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/.

According to data from the Illinois State Board of Education, there are 153 teachers in the district with an average salary of $69,297 before pension contributions; 77.9 percent are women and 22.1 percent are men. No teachers have more than ten absences per year (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).

The student population in the district is 86.9 percent White, 0.6 percent Black, 9.6 percent Hispanic, and 0.6 percent Asian (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). In 2020, spending per student was $21,619 with total expenditures reaching $47 million (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).