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Ever since she was a child growing up in the Chicago suburb of Elmwood Park, ���������ƽ�� alumna Kathleen Mahoney was always drawn to teaching. “I remember hanging out with my best friend and we would play ‘school’,” she explains. “We set up desks with cabinets and used my Beanie Babies as students, and there was a chalkboard my parents bought me so that I could present lessons.”

Twenty years later, Kathleen has graduated from stuffed animals to high school students, and she was recently awarded the prestigious Golden Apple for her work as a civics instructor at Lake View High School on Chicago’s North Side. The highest honor an American high school teacher can receive, the award is reserved for exceptional educators who inspire their classrooms and compel their staff members to nominate them. Mahoney was one of 11 Illinois teachers honored with the award for 2025, and she discovered she won after a surprise trophy presentation during her fifth period class.

“It came out of nowhere—I love my work and my students but never expected to win this,” she says. “One of my students recently approached me after graduation, and he told me his favorite memory of the school year was sitting in class and seeing me win the Golden Apple. I feel extremely lucky in life that I get to do this as a career, and to be honored for that was a wonderful moment”

Kathleen’s path to this honor passed through ���������ƽ��, when she earned her Special Education LBS1 Graduate Certificate from ���������ƽ�� in 2011. This came after earning a BA in Journalism from Indiana University and an MA in Teaching from Dominican University, and Kathleen was able to earn her certificate as a commuter at ���������ƽ��’s Schaumburg campus. 

“Earning the certificate from the Schaumburg campus was incredibly convenient,” she says. “I was able to get great face-time with professors and network while still living in the suburbs, so I’m very grateful I went through the program. I was challenged and learned a lot about student communication and managing individuals with special needs.”

When Mahoney joined Lake View High School, the social studies department assigned her the Civics course due partially to her background in media literacy from her Journalism undergraduate experience. Her tenure in the role has been an incredible success, with many students telling her they want to pursue roles in local government when they become older. 

Mahoney’s curriculum is project-based, where students develop presentations on governmental systems that date back to the Roman Senate and include the modern Illinois House of Representatives. They also participate in a Supreme Court unit where students research one of the nine justices’ judicial track records and render a decision from a theoretical case based on their previous judgements. 

Mahoney also encourages civic engagement outside the classroom. After learning about the budgeting process at the federal, state and municipal level, her students develop a budget for local alderman Matt Martin and Lake View High School principal Paul Karafiol, and their budgetary suggestions have revealed additional funds that could contribute to the local community. In the case of the 47th Ward, the students successfully proposed additional safety nets for public park soccer fields, while the high school budget team uncovered enough money for additional cafeteria fans. Near the end of the school year, Mahoney’s students also participate in Nex Gen Student Council, where 50 mock aldermen discuss pertinent community issues such as neighborhood policing, construction schedules and funds for new sports venues.

“I’m always so impressed by my students whenever they interface with real leaders and politicians,” Mahoney says. “It proves that young people can be civically engaged if you provide them with the right curriculum and apply what you’re trying to teach to real-world instances that are meaningful to them.”