Kane County Reporter

During West Aurora School District 129’s June 5 board meeting, Superintendent Jeff Craig presented Challenge Coins to two esteemed members of the district as gestures of appreciation for the successful culmination of the school year.

The coins serve as symbols of respect, instilling a sense of pride in the recipients for their exceptional accomplishments or performance demonstrated over time.

Craig honored board secretary Joy Engfer for facilitating the board’s constant work and keeping them organized and effective.

"Twenty-five thousand of our community members and roughly 12,000 students and our 2000 employees have timely, accurate and efficient information,” Craig said during the meeting.

He also presented a coin to Anna Gonzales, director of Community Affairs, for her constant dedication to communication both in and outside of the district.

Instituting a unique practice in the 2019-2020 academic year, West Aurora School District 129 introduced the tradition of crafting and distributing challenge coins to individuals who exemplify unwavering commitment, bravery, excellence and integrity within the school community. Originating from military customs, the coins were originally devised to uplift morale and acknowledge deserving individuals. Since the district's inception of the commemorative coins, more than 50 individuals from various facets of the community—including alumni, teachers, administrators and current students—have been recipients of the recognition.

Among the previous recipients in 2023 were Billy Loftus and Mark Williams, both educators at the Weisner Center for Career Development since its establishment in 2019; a May District 129 Twitter post said. Loftus specializes in welding and building trades, while Williams excels in welding and precision machinery. The Weisner Center was established to expose students to alternative career paths and skill sets beyond the conventional route of higher education.

The post also included a video clip of Craig’s visit to the center, during which he shared a few words.

"We recognize folks for excellence, for integrity, for honor, for outstanding efforts either over time or just in general, just something we want to recognize that stands out above the crowd," he said. "So I want to acknowledge a couple of folks for excellence in their field. For developing some extremely high-quality programs in this building that has taken us from the start to beyond what we can even comprehend. This is important because what [our students] are doing here, what [they] are a part of, it’s unprecedented."