The Joliet Catholic Academy family is proud to announce that two of its own faculty members are being honored at the Joliet Area Great Teachers Banquet by the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry. History teacher Joe Gura and Math teacher Marge Lakota have been selected for their excellence in their craft along with 14 other area teachers. The program was started in 2008 to honor outstanding local educators. An awards banquet will be held in their honor on March 14^th at the Jacob Henry Mansion.

Joe Gura is in his 40^th year of teaching and joined the JCA family in 2011. He teaches History and Sociology here at Joliet Catholic as well as coaches Hillmen Basketball. He earned his B.A. from Lewis University in History and his M.A. in Cultural Studies from Governor’s State University. Joe has an extensive teaching and coaching history in which he has received many accolades. Joe resides in Joliet and has been married to Karen for 39 years. The couple has three children and 5 grandchildren.

Marge Lakota is a veteran math teacher, having been with the St. Francis Academy/JCA team for 33 years. Prior to SFA, Marge taught grade school for two years. She has brought many notable developments to the math department over the years, such as the Accelerated Algebra 1 Course for Eight Graders and the Math Lab. She has also received numerous awards in her tenure. Marge earned her B.A. from St. Xavier and her Education Certification from St. Francis. She attended Northern Illinois University for graduate studies. She resides in Joliet with husband of 45 years, Jerry. The couple has 5 children and 9 grandchildren.