Brittany Green, Wyvetter Younge School of Excellence principal in the East St. Louis School District, is a finalist for the 2022 Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Leadership in Illinois. She is one of six finalists out of more than 100 statewide nominees.
“I believe that building strong relationships between school and family are key factors in increasing student achievement,” Green says on the school’s website.
Alan Mather, Golden Apple president, called Green and other finalists “transformative school leaders [who] affirm, challenge, and support, teachers, and students.”
“These school leaders have not only guided their school communities during the most trying of times, they have also empowered teachers and students to thrive. We recognize their leadership, resilience, and commitment to success that elevated those they serve,” he said in a release.
As a finalist, Green will be honored in Chicago during the Celebration of Excellence in Teaching and Leadership in April. Following a series of in-person campus visits by the Golden Apple committee, Green could be named the Golden Apple Leadership Fellow.
She would receive a $10,000 award, of which $5,000 would be used for a project of her choosing at Younge School of Excellence. Green would also be eligible to join over 300 members of Golden Apple Academy of Educators in the Hall of Fame.
“Dr. Green consistently goes the extra mile to lead her students to success,” Superintendent Arthur R. Culver said in a release.
“She is outstanding because of her commitment to excellence, courage to make difficult decisions, compassion for her students, as well as her strong intellectual capacity.”
Green’s school is named for the late former Illinois state Rep. Wyvetter Younge who passed in 2008. Younge was a member of the legislature for 34 years after her election in 1975.
Green is the former principal of Gordon Bush Elementary School. Under her direction, it rose from the bottom 5% of all public schools in the state in 2016 to being ranked as “commendable,” the second-highest ranking by the Illinois State Board of Education.
Gordon Bush and Wyvetter Younge Alternative Center exchanged campuses following the 2020-21 school year. Renamed the Younge Academy of Excellence, the school retained Bush’s administration and staff and now served K-8th grade students.
