District 88 recognizes recipients of the Dr. Scott J. Helton Excellence in Educational Leadership Award, established in honor of late District 88 Superintendent

During its May 18 meeting, the District 88 Board of Education, along with the administration, recognized the three education leaders below as recipients of the Dr. Scott J. Helton Excellence in Educational Leadership Award, which was established in honor of the late District 88 Superintendent Dr. Scott Helton.

  • Josh Chambers, Assistant Superintendent For Human Resources at Glenbard District 87

  • Gina Ziccardi, Associate Superintendent For Student Learning at Community High School District 99

  • Adrian Talley, Superintendent of Indian Prairie School District 204

To watch the presentation, click on the video above. To view photos from the event, see the images below.

Dr. Helton passed away on Dec. 10, 2020. He was a true leader, ambassador and advocate for the students of District 88 and beyond. He had more than 33 years of experience in education and served in a variety of capacities, including as Principal of District 88’s Addison Trail High School for 11 years and as Superintendent of the district since 2012. He will be remembered for going above and beyond to build trust and genuine relationships with students, staff, parents and community members.

The DuPage Division of the Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA) established the Dr. Scott J. Helton Excellence in Educational Leadership Award in 2021, which can be presented to a worthy school leader working in DuPage County. This award is not necessarily to be given annually; rather, it allows for superintendents to nominate a colleague or a leader within their own school district who can best represent the characteristics listed below. The master plaque of the winners is housed at District 88.

Candidates for consideration of recognition for the Dr. Scott J. Helton Excellence in Educational Leadership Award must be able to demonstrate each of the following characteristics:

  • Humility
  • Gratitude
  • Allyship
  • Positivity
  • Advocacy
  • Mentor
  • Relationship builder

To see the full award details, go to https://www.dupage88.net/site/public/files/?item=6041.

According to the DuPage Division of the IASA, “(We) lost a great leader, colleague and friend in Dr. Helton … It is our hope that this tribute will do more than just preserve the memory of a great man, but will also honor those leaders who best exemplify the characteristics Dr. Helton embodied that made him an exemplar of educational leadership.”