PEORIA, Ill. – Charter Oak Primary Principal Kathleen Rodriguez was tricked Tuesday into learning she would be receiving the “Golden Apple Award” for excellence in leadership.
“I was told that there was a strange smell in the gym. So, I rushed over,” said Rodriguez. “I called the secretary before I headed over, and asked if we were going to be evacuating, just so I knew what I was walking in to, and what action I was going to take when I got here. She said they were waiting for me.”
Rodriguez says when she entered the gym, she learned that she was instead winning a $10,000 award in front of most of the school’s cheering students.
The Golden Apple Foundation cited, in part, Kathleen Rodriguez’s work to partner the school with outside organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the Peoria Humane Society, among others.
“It’s really critical to all of our functioning here,” said Rodriguez. “Things that we’re trying to implement, we can’t do it without the support of this community. Peoria is rich in resources. We are so grateful to be able to draw from some of those organizations.
The foundation also cited Rodriguez’s “passion for learning” and how that is given to her students and staff. She’s one of only two District-150 principals to ever receive the honor, and one of 19 to receive it in its history.
“Peoria is an amazing city,” said Rodriguez. “We have amazing individuals here — so gifted, so talented. I don’t think it’s hard to not find somebody who could fit the bill.
Half the money goes to the school, half goes to her, and Rodriguez says it will come in handy, because she’s working on her doctorate right now.
