Title: Retired Educator
Company: Palos School District 118
Location: Brookfield, Illinois, United States
Richard A. Nicholls, Retired Educator at Palos School District 118, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Educators for dedication, achievements, and leadership in middle school education and coaching.
Having accrued 35 years of professional experience in teaching, Mr. Nicholls began his career as a sixth grade teacher for the Chicago Public Schools in 1966. After spending one year in the city of Chicago, he went on to serve Palos School District 118 in Palos Park, Illinois, specializing in social studies and U.S. history, from 1967 until his retirement in 2001. During his tenure in education, Mr. Nicholls was appointed to various school district committees, including the curriculum development committee and the Illinois goals assessment program committee for school standards. In 1995, he co-wrote “Curriculum for Development of Thematic Units for Transition of Palos South Junior High School to Palos Middle School.”
A devoted athlete, Mr. Nicholls played four years of college baseball and, played semi-professional baseball from 1968 to 1970. Utilizing his athletic prowess in his profession, he had served as a volleyball coach to Carl Sandburg High School from 1985 to 1991, Victor J. Andrew High School from 1981 to 1984 and Palos South Junior High School, now known as Palos South Middle School, from 1977 to 1990. Officially retiring from coaching in 1996, Mr. Nicholls was proud to lead his teams to seven American Athletic Union National Championships and two Junior Olympics National Tournaments.
Today, Mr. Nicholls maintains his affiliation with the National Education Association, the Illinois Education Association, the United States Volleyball Association, the Palos Education Association, Phi Theta Kappa and the Junior College National Honors Fraternity. Finding great success throughout the course of his career, he was the recipient of the Citizen Award from the American Legion in 1964. He had also been a Chicago City Champion in Baseball in 1960 and 1961, as well as recognized as the Palos Athletics Co-Rookie of the Year. Despite his commendable accomplishments, Mr. Nicholls most enjoyed his involvement in various extracurricular activities as well as sponsoring school trips for 22 years, visiting such locations as Washington, D.C and Springfield, Illinois with his students. Notably, he also guided high school and college students into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness of Northern Minnesota and Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada.
Mr. Nicholls was inspired to become a teacher by his faith, as he looked to Jesus Christ since he was a teacher and walked with the people himself. He first received an Associate of Arts from Lincoln College in 1964, going on to earn a Bachelor of Arts from MacMurray College in 1966. In 1967, he conducted postgraduate study at Loyola University. A few decades later, Mr. Nicholls notably achieved a Master of Arts from the National Louis University in 1991. Now settled into retirement, Mr. Nicholls enjoys traveling, paddling, biking and gardening. To attest to his legacy, Mr. Nicholls can also be found in the 51st, 52nd, 54th, 56th and 57th editions of Who’s Who in America and the fifth through eighth editions of Who’s Who in American Education.
For more information, please visit:
Marquis Millennium
Press Release
Who’s Who Lifetime Achievement
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