The District 202 Foundation for Excellence recently presented the 2023 Walter G. and Juanita F. Niehus Award to retired District 202 Technology Director Margie Bonuchi.
Bonuchi retired from District 202 in 2022 after 23 years of leading the Technology Department.
The Niehus Award honors certified or non-certified staff and support members who have shown extraordinary commitment to students, parents, and employees.
The Plainfield Foundation for Excellence presented the Niehus Award to Bonuchi at the District 202 Board of Education’s May 29, 2024, regular meeting. The Foundation administers the Niehus Award on behalf of the Niehus family.
The Niehus Award, established in 1986, honors the legacies of former District 202 Superintendent of Schools Walter Niehus and his wife, respected former teacher Juanita Niehus.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Glenn Wood presented the award to Bonuchi citing her more than 20 years of leadership in District 202 and the Plainfield community.
Bonuchi came to District 202 in 1999 when the district was growing fast after the 1990 tornado.
As Director of Technology, Bonuchi was involved with:
Helping outfit with technology 20 new schools in 10 years
Saving the district thousands of dollars with E-Rate grant money from the FCC for telecommunications and Internet infrastructure
Creating and running the annual band boosters craft show for 23 years, raising almost a quarter of a million dollars for band programs at all four District 202 high schools
Serving on the Foundation for Excellence board helping raise money and choosing student scholarship winners
Volunteering with community organizations including the Rotary and Lions clubs; the YMCA Gala committee, Interfaith Food Pantry
She has volunteered countless hours and currently serves as a Plainfield Village Board Trustee
One nomination praised Bonuchi for understanding that a strong and healthy school system creates a good community that benefits families in and out of the classroom.
Her work as a district employee with the YMCA, the Foundation for Excellence, and the band boosters, has created partnerships that benefit students and the community.
“Whether it is collecting food for the Lions Club, working as a coordinator at the Daybreak Shelter, serving as a village trustee, working on the Plainfield Village Planning Commission, the long-standing goal of service to Plainfield and the families that make it great to live here always sat at the core of her mission since moving here all those years ago,” read one nomination.
Wood said the Niehus Award is the most significant award any staff member can get.
“I feel very honored to be receiving the Niehus Award,” Bonuchi said. “I love my volunteer work, especially with the school district where we affect the lives of students and teachers.”
The 2024 Niehus Award will be presented at the June 26, 2024 Board of Education meeting.
