Two teachers from St. Paul in Grafton named Kohl fellows

Two teachers at St. Paul Lutheran School in Grafton have received 2024 Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Teacher Fellowship Awards.

Third-grade teacher Jenny Clemens and seventh-grade teacher Joy Yurk are among the 100 Wisconsin teachers named fellows this year by the Herb Kohl Foundation for their exemplary leadership, passionate service and the inspirational roles they play in  the classroom and community, the foundation announced last week.

“Herb Kohl believed that education is the key to the future of Wisconsin and our nation,” JoAnne Anton, president and CEO of Herb Kohl Philanthropies, said. “That’s why he invested in and prioritized awards that recognize students, teachers, and principals who demonstrate incredible hard work, achievements and service.

“We hope this year’s awards help this impressive group of recipients in their individual pursuits today so that they pay it forward in the future. We call that the Herb Kohl Way.”

Teacher fellows receive $6,000 awards.

Award recipients are selected by a committee composed of civic leaders, representatives of education-related associations and the program’s co-sponsors: the Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, regional Cooperative Educational Service Agencies (CESA), the Association of Wisconsin School Administrators and Wisconsin Homeschooling Parents Association.

The Kohl Foundation award program was established by Herb Kohl, a former U.S. senator, philanthropist and businessman who died Dec. 27, 2023. Since 1990, the foundation has awarded nearly $38 million to Wisconsin educators, principals, students and schools.