DeKalb, IL – Tom Nesti, beloved instructor and native of Oglesby, was accustomed to awarding students for their hard work, so he was surprised and pleased to be on the receiving end this year. On Saturday, March 3, Tom Nesti received the Excellence in Teaching Award at the Northern Illinois Regional History Fair for his dedication to teaching Illinois history. The Fair normally exists to honor students for their achievements in the field of history, but Nesti has been such an enormous positive influence on the History Fair that he was given special notice and presented with the award by Anne Petty Johnson, coordinator of the Regional History Fair, and Pete Harbison of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
Nesti earned the award through decades of dedication and effort. He has taught at the junior high school level at Oglesby public schools for 26 years. He has taught social studies every year, along with reading classes. Nesti himself introduced the History Fair to Oglesby Washington Junior High School 14 or 15 years ago, and has led his students to enormous success every year. At the 2007 Regional History Fair, nineteen of Nesti’s students won superior awards and a chance to go to the State History Fair for their exhibits.
Nesti will be retiring his teaching position in the fall to pursue his passions of hunting, fishing, and helping his wife out around the house, and the community of Oglesby will greatly miss his expertise, dedication, and love of teaching.