Congratulations to the 2026 Justin Wynn Award recipients!

The Justin Wynn Fund’s 39th annual awards ceremony honored 28 students on May 3, 2026! Attendees included teachers and school leaders from District 65, along with District 65 Superintendent Dr. Angel Turner, District 202 Superintendent Dr. Marcus Campbell, and Mayor Daniel Biss.

Each spring, the Justin Wynn Fund honors two fourth-grade students from each of the District 65 schools. The Justin Wynn Award recipients are chosen by their teachers and school leaders for demonstrating outstanding leadership, citizenship and sportsmanship.

Congratulations to the 2026 Justin Wynn Award recipients!

• Bessie Rhodes: Layla Coello and Camilo Vargas Giles
• Dawes: Mariana Donnellan and Skylar Farr Lee
• Dewey: Amen Bezzawork and Eva Prokopeak
• King Arts: Juna Chapman and Mia West
• Kingsley: Dina "Max" Gillett and Demi Taylor
• Lincoln: Adrian Theo Bajric and Noemi Palumbo
• Lincolnwood: Ransi Thomas and Sienna Valcin
• Oakton: Taylan Hardy and Lilia Pinckney
• Orrington: Berit Foreman and Leela Narendra
• Park: Sean Hunwick and Isabella Squeo
• Rice: Wyatt McTague and Jayden Weatherspoon
• Walker: Alannah Burt and Karim Keita
• Washington: Adrian Dixon Jr. and Zoe Ramos
• Willard: Sofia Bertsche and Elise Lizenbergs

The Justin Wynn Fund, an Evanston nonprofit organization, was founded in 1987 to honor the memory and legacy of Justin Wynn, a service-minded young leader who passed away in a swimming accident at the age of 9.

Photo credit: Genie Lemieux of Evanston Photographic Studios