Collinsville Community Collaboration (C3) has announced Rachel Whitener, fourth grade teacher at Kreitner Elementary School, was chosen to receive the 2025 Stan Schaeffer Education Community Leadership Award.  

C3 is a partnership between the City of Collinsville, Collinsville Chamber of Commerce and  Collinsville Community Unit School District #10 to recognize excellence in community and public service.

Since 2018, the C3 Awards have been held annually to recognize organizations and individuals for their outstanding contributions to the community. This year’s awards dinner will be held on Wednesday, December 3, 2025 at the Gateway Center in Collinsville. 

The Stan Schaeffer Education Community Leadership Award was established to honor the late Stan Schaeffer, retired  educator and former mayor of Collinsville.  The award is given to an employee within CUSD 10 who has gone above and beyond in the field of education resulting in a positive impact on the greater Collinsville community.

Recipients of the Schaeffer award must be leaders and good role models in CUSD 10 who work to further education, take initiative to help others and create positive change within the Collinsville  community.  

Rachel Whitener, a fourth grade  teacher at Kreitner Elementary School, is a graduate of Collinsville High School.  She holds a bachelor’s degree from Quincy University and a master’s in Diversity and Equity in Education from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.  

Currently in her ninth year teaching at Kreitner, Whitener is actively involved in both the classroom and the school community.  She serves as the Collinsville Education Association (CEA) election chair and as a building representative.  She is a mentor for new educators, a member of the Kahoks Task Force Group, Kreitner Leadership Team and district strategic planning committee.

Whitener is well-respected for what happens in her classroom.  For the past three years, her student’s gains in reading proficiency have resulted in none being considered at-risk in reading by year’s end.

Kreitner Principal Dr. Kari Daugherty says Whitener’s students show significant (at or above expected) growth consistently from year to year.  

“Mrs. Whitener uses innovative and engaging lessons that students use independently to contribute to the classroom climate and, reportedly, have taken with them to the next grade level at Dorris Intermediate School.  She creates a fun, competitive and supportive classroom environment where every student is expected to demonstrate respect and contribute constructively to the learning of others,” according to Dr. Daugherty.

She is an active participant in school leadership, school improvement and family engagement events at Kreitner.  She invites guest speakers from a variety of career fields to extend learning in biology, science and STEM units.  Her competitive, fun-loving and outgoing personality have endeared her to students, parents and colleagues as an innovative educator who masterfully combines the joy and rigor of learning.

Whitener organizes many opportunities for Kreitner students.  She entered her class into the Daughters of the American Revolution art contest, resulting in three state winners and one national winner. In partnership with the Collinsville Fire Department and local engineers, Whitener coordinates Kreitner’s annual egg drop where 4th graders learn the principles to prevent an egg from breaking when it is dropped from varying heights, and all Kreitner students get to watch. 

In May of 2025, Whitener’s class earned bragging rights and the coveted gold belt prize when they prevailed against fourth grade classes from CUSD 10 and local private schools to become the Tug of War Champions of the 2025 4th Grade Jamboree. 

“Rachel builds outstanding relationships with students so they clearly know she cares about them.” says Collinsville CUSD 10 Superintendent Dr. Mark B. Skertich. “She shares pertinent information about her own life so they are able to build two-way relationships, and students know they matter.  This leads to improved behaviors, hard work and a well-rounded class with social and academic improvement.”  

“Over the years this has led to her students performing in English and math at or above the state average on a consistent basis.  Additionally, students read, read and read some more in hopes of becoming not only mega-readers as individuals, but also as a class,” adds Skertich.

“Spend five minutes in Mrs. Whitener's class and you will know the students are engaged, have manners and rise to her expectations because of how she treats them as individuals, they know she cares and hard work is expected,” he says.