Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart in Lake Forest has announced that Principal and Latin Teacher Madonna Lee Edmunds of Lake Bluff is the recipient of the 2006 Frances de la Chapelle Excellence in Teaching Award.

Edmunds has taught Latin and served as Principal at Woodlands for thirty-seven and six years, respectively.  During her long and distinguished teaching and administrative career, she has served as French and Latin Teacher, Foreign Language Department Chair, Director of Curriculum, and Academic Dean.  Edmunds has also served as a senior advisor and National Honors Society (NHS) moderator, and as a member of numerous boards and committees, including the Barat College External Advisory Board, NCOG (Network Committee on Goals for Sacred Heart Schools), Curriculum Committee, Academic Committee of the Board of Trustees, Faculty Development Committee, and the Admissions Committee.  Edmunds’ professional honors include a Dolores Kohl Education Foundation Certificate of Distinction, a Barat College Margaret Burke Alumnae Award, and NCOG recognition for her “expertise and professionalism in exercising leadership.” Edmunds holds a B.A. from Barat College and a M.A. from Roosevelt University.

Reflecting on Edmunds’ accomplishments, Head of School Gerald Grossman of Glenview said,  “Madonna represents the best traditions of Sacred Heart education.  Her commitment to academic excellence and her students’ individual well-being are exemplary.  We are privileged to be students, colleagues, and friends of this exceptional Sacred Heart educator.”

Named for a beloved former Woodlands head of school, the Frances de la Chapelle Award is given to acknowledge and promote excellence in teaching at Woodlands Academy.  Both faculty peers and students nominate candidates, and administration and faculty vote on awardees.