A trip to Orlando, Florida, this past summer for the National Educators Rising Conference sparked a new event at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, an idea inspired by JCHS Educators Rising President Sophie Walker. Amid thousands of students from across the country, Walker noticed something surprising.
“When we went to nationals, I was expecting very elite clubs that are more or just as active as us, but that was not the case,” the JCHS seniors recalls. “There were so many schools that only went to the competitions.”
Our JCHS Educators Rising club has long strived to be more than a competition-focused group. Members participate in classroom-focused workshops, plan and lead STEM camps for younger students, shadow teachers, and volunteer at Head Start. All of these experiences build real-world teaching skills and set the club apart.
Motivated to share these successes and help other schools strengthen their own programs, Walker decided to create a workshop at Johnston City High School. Her goal was to show students and sponsors what a student-led club can look like and to offer practical strategies for bringing that vision to life.
Her idea quickly grew when officials at Southern Illinois University Carbondale heard about Walker’s plan. Not only did they praise the idea, but they also offered to host the workshop on campus. Before the event, Walker led a breakout session at SIU Education Day, becoming the first high school student to run an independent session at the annual event. There, she encouraged students to take leadership roles in their schools and communities while promoting her upcoming workshop.
Walker spent countless hours preparing for her workshop by designing informational handouts, creating worksheets, and organizing materials. Then, on November 20th, the first-ever Educators Rising Experience Day at SIU became a reality. Students and sponsors from Du Quoin, Trico, West Frankfort, and Meridian attended.
“I wanted them to walk away with the motivation and resources to build their clubs,” she says about her workshop. “We told the other schools the benefits of and how fun our activities are to motivate them to implement a plan. Then, we gave them a binder with plenty of resources to kick-start their planning. It had a few different sheets where they could list ideas, actions, and many other things.”
However, she didn’t do it alone. Backed by her JCHS Educators Rising officers, each member mentored another school and helped them develop an action plan. This includes Vice President Mariah Hall, Curriculum Director Max Saavedra, Treasurer Logan Smith, Public Relations Coordinator Brea Chestosky, and Heads of Fundraising Jack Carnine and Maci Saylor. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with one school even requesting follow-up support.
Club sponsor Mr Ryan Shick is proud but never surprised by his students’ drive. He believes their enthusiasm consistently pushes the club to new heights.
“Every year, these students amaze me with their aspirations to better themselves and those around them,” Mr. Shick says about the club. “Sometimes I want them to hit the brakes on taking on so much, but their passion and drive make it hard for me not to support them in pursuing these things.”
The JCHS Educators Rising club was the first of its kind in Illinois, founded by Mr. Shick in 2018. Yet he credits the club’s statewide impact to both past and current members whose leadership helped shape the organization. Current Johnston City teachers Mrs. Brianna Thornton, Ms. Anna Clark, and Ms. Madison Weber all played roles in the club’s earliest years.
Several alumni also left major contributions:
Ms. Anna Clark, former JCHS Ed Rising President, expanded enrichment opportunities for younger students and helped write the club’s first constitution.
Peyton Shelton served as the first-ever President of Educators Rising for Illinois.
Ryley McPhail served as Vice President of Educators Rising for Illinois.
Ms. Madison Weber helped write the constitution and develop activities that are now used statewide as Ed Rising resources.
Mr. Shick believes these efforts, past and present, not only strengthen opportunities for aspiring educators across Illinois but also prepare JCHS members to lead classrooms sooner than most future teachers.
“By continually expanding opportunities to grow as educators, I’ve seen our members become increasingly prepared,” he says. “Some students graduate ready to take over their own classroom if it were possible.”
With her own graduation approaching, Walker hopes to make one final impact. She plans to submit presentation proposals for the 2025 National Educators Rising Conference, including a session highlighting the importance of student-led chapters. She is also preparing underclassmen to continue Educators Rising Day at SIU so the event can continue to grow.