Kohl Teacher Fellowship Grant Winner

Excellence and innovation are the trademarks of West High teacher Ginny Kester.

Ginny's teaching is guided by two simple goals - push students to achieve their potential and care about them as people. In the words of a former student, "She enlightens you."

That effect is felt school-wide.

Ginny created an academic foundations class that improved West High freshman retention by 50%.

An embedded honors program aimed at increasing the number of students participating in honors, and a $20,000 grant to redesign study halls, and a peer mentoring program where ethnically diverse upperclassmen serve as role models for their younger classmates are but a few of the many examples of Ginny's always well-planned and researched initiatives.

Her innovation dates back to her days at Sennett and Longfellow. In the early 90's she was honored by the Mothers of Simpson Street for a tutoring program at the neighborhood center.

Ginny started the first girls' lacrosse league in Wisconsin and still coaches a team that now competes against 8 teams across the state.

Ginny Kester has always believed in her students and one person's ability to effect positive change for schools... for 29 years and counting.

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