Emerson's Benka Gets Illinois' 'Assistant Principal Of Year' Award

Emerson Middle School in Niles is having a very good year. 

Tim Benka of the school was just named Illinois' Assistant Principal of the Year for the 2011-12 school year by the Illinois Principals Association and Horace Mann.

The statewide award comes on top of some other good news. The Illinois State Board of Education recognized Emerson with its Academic Excellence Award.

To earn that honor, 90 percent of the students at an elementary or middle school must meet or exceed state standards in reading and math for at least three consecutive years, and make Adequate Yearly Progress for at least two years. 

"It's our first time on it (the academic excellence designation)," said Dr. Vicki Mogil, Emerson's principal. "We hope we'll be able to maintain it."

She gave credit to Emerson's staff, including Benka, and praised him on receiving the assistant principal of the year honor.

Sets expectations for good behavior

While one of the roles of an assistant principal is traditionally to discipline students when the situation calls for it, Benka, a graduate of Northeastern Illinois University, acts as more of a role model in setting high expectations for kids of how to behave, Mogil said.

"Colleagues recognize his ability to create a positive school climate without creating a fear of the administration," she explained. "Students know the expectations and perform accordingly."

Jason Leahy, IPA Executive Director, noted that Emerson students indicate every year in an annual survey on school climate that even though Benka is in charge of discipline, on social and emotional issues, "he is the staff member that students feel most comfortable going to for help." 

In addition to Benka's role in maintaining students' good behavior, he also evaluates teachers and thus acts as a leader in teaching. 

"He's very good at allowing other people to speak up. He's good at helping other people share their ideas," Mogil said. 

Benka also leads the school's behavior team, which is part of the quality improvement team, which is made up of staff members, Mogil added. He also is a leader of 6th through 8th grade student goal-setting. 

Former Lincoln principal nominated him 

Benka said he's humbled by receiving the award. 

"I didn't expect anything of this magnitude. I'm happy for the school and the district," he said. Emerson is part of Park Ridge-Niles Elementary School District 64. 

He credited Jim Blouch, a retired principal of Lincoln Middle School, where Benka taught special education for 10 years before coming to Emerson 13 years ago, for nominating him for the award, and Mogil for making positive comments and being a great mentor. 

Benka said he's looking to donate the $1,000 which comes with the award back to the school district, though he joked it's tempting to use it to put a new engine in his SUV. 

District 64 Superintendent Philip Bender said in a prepared statement, “We are delighted that Tim has received this high honor, which reflects his dedication to putting kids first and foremost every day.” 

In addition to Benka's assistant principal duties, he  served on a district-wide Strategic Planning Team. He is also a board member of the Maine Community Youth Assistance Foundation (MCYAF), which helps steer teens away from drugs and alcohol.

School worked since 2006 to help struggling students

As for the academic excellence award, Mogil said its origins began in 2006, when school personnel sat down and talked about how they could better help kids who were struggling academically. 

"The staff has done a lot of work over the years to find better ways to approach all levels of kids with different learning styles.  We knew some kids were struggling and we asked, 'what can we do about that?'" she recalled. 

More information will be coming out about the award, she said.