At a surprise assembly Nov. 28, 2012, Mary Rabinak, Glenbrook Off-Campus High School teacher, was named “Symetra Hero in the Classroom” for her work as a Special Education Instructor.

Symetra Heroes in the Classroom is a community program that celebrates the achievements of K-12 teachers and rewards them for their efforts, according to Diana McSweeny, media relations manager for the Symetra Life Insurance Company.

A person who is connected to a teacher may nominate them online. Winners are chosen based on teaching ability, demonstrated leadership and making a real difference in students’ lives. The program is presented in Chicago by Gallagher Benefit Services and the Chicago Bears. Nearly 300 teachers have been recognized by the program so far.

The award, given to only 16 of the K-12 teachers in Illinois, includes prizes such as sideline passes and tickets to the Bears game Dec. 2, $1,000 for Glenbrook Off-Campus, a personalized Bears jersey and an Office Max gift card.

Rabinak was nominated by off-campus teacher Anne Blair, who has worked with Rabinak for seven years.

Blair, a Chicago Bears fan, discovered the program through an advertisement on the Bears official website.

“When I read it, the entire time my mind was just going, ‘Mary Rabinak! Mary Rabinak!’” Blair said. “I felt like she was so overqualified. In the years that I worked with Mary, I came to see a different side of teaching that I wasn’t used to seeing, and that was someone whose heart and soul went into the heart and soul of the students as well.”

To nominate Rabinak for the award, Blair filled out a form online that had general questions as well as a two-page letter to help establish what type of person Rabinak was for those running the program.

Due to the odds, Blair was quite surprised to find out Rabinak had won.

“I knew that she totally deserved this award, but I really didn’t think I was going to get an email one day saying […] ‘Your friend is a winner,’” Blair said. “I almost fell out of my chair.”

Blair, coordinating with Dr. Douglas Strong, Glenbrook Off-Campus instructional supervisor, kept the award a secret from Rabinak, letting her find out once representatives from the program came to Off-Campus to present Rabinak with the award.

“They called an all-school meeting,” Rabinak said. “I was sitting, just expecting another student or staff presentation, and all of a sudden they started giving their spiel about what the award is […] and I’m like, ‘It’s not me, I’ve been teaching forever and never gotten nominated for anything.’ And then all of a sudden, they said Mary Rabinak. They pronounced my name wrong, and then everyone went, ‘That’s you!’”

Lauren Berk, teaching assistant to Rabinak, described Rabinak’s reaction.

“It’s hard to shock Rabinak, she’s been through a lot, but it was definitely a surprise,” Berk said.

While Rabinak has not yet used her Office Max gift card, nor has Off-Campus used the $1,000, Rabinak wears her custom jersey and already went to the Bears game with her family and Blair, according to Rabinak.

Principal Dr. Brian Wegley expressed his pride for Rabinak.

“We are obviously very proud of her, and I know that she is a tremendous human being and asset to the Glenbrooks,” Wegley said.

Rabinak said receiving the award was the most humbling experience of her teaching career. One of Rabinak’s favorite experiences associated with the award is the pride her students have expressed.

“A lot of the times when our kids get sent here […]there’s a lot of sadness, they feel like they’re away from their peers, their favorite teachers,” Rabinak said. “And for some of them, they’re like, ‘Wow, our teacher was one of 16 only from the state of Illinois who got picked this year, we have one of the top teachers!’ To see their sense of pride […] was cool.”