In September of 1983, the Board of Education established the Outstanding Contribution Award for service to the district. This award recognizes a full-time employee who has demonstrated a sustained and/or significant contribution to the educational program and students of the district. This employee also has significantly gone beyond the normal duties of his/her particular job and has made significant contributions to the community within the District.
This year’s winner has been described as “someone who is one of the most impactful and dedicated members of our school community”.
This person approaches everyone with a positive attitude, a warm smile and an unwavering sense of compassion. They are a trusted listener, a calming presence, and someone who can be relied upon in any situation. This person has “an incredible ability to balance safety with approachability; someone of authority with empathy”.
We were lucky enough to hire this individual over five years ago to be a part of the Dragon Family! She came to us having served in a variety of supervisory and managerial positions after dutifully serving this country in the Army for ten years. What better background could you have to become a part of our security team at PCHS.
She is a super hero to our Little Dragons, she knows many students by their shoes she can see in bathroom stalls, and she is truly one of the most recognized faces of PCHS as she may spend more hours here than most of us.
Please join me in congratulating this year’s Outstanding Contributor, Ms. Jill Stecken.
Jill has brought a level of professionalism to our security team that we all have benefited from. She takes her job very seriously and PCHS is a much safer place because of it. She is a master relationship builder and it is obvious that she cares about this place, our people, and most importantly, our students very much, even the ones that drive everyone crazy on a daily basis!
She has me convinced that she loves PCHS almost as much as her dogs, the Bears, and the WNBA! And, if she doesn’t she fakes it really well! I am so excited to recognize Jill on behalf of our staff and our School Board; she is so very deserving of this honor! Please join me again in congratulating the 2026 Pekin Community High School Outstanding Contributor, Jill Stecken.
Dr. Danielle Owens