The entire school building was alive with anticipation on Monday, May 4 as Dr. Rawls returned from a hastily arranged, totally bogus “meeting with a donor.”

Mrs. Yolanda Horton, Leo’s Director of Community Engagement, and Academic Coordinator Jennifer Fleck were behind the ploy, designed to get Dr. Rawls away from Leo for a few hours. In his absence, a suitable, surprise reception was arranged to honor his selection as a Golden Apple Award winner, for excellence in leadership.

A thunderous ovation greeted Dr. Rawls as he entered an auditorium packed with pom-pom-waving students, faculty, alumni, friends and family members. 

“I thought something might be up when I saw all the cars in the parking lot,” Dr. Rawls said. “It doesn’t matter whether it’s a total surprise, it’s a tremendous honor – for Leo High School.

“I share this with our staff, our students, and everybody involved with our Mission.”  

Dr. Alan Mather, President of the Golden Apple Foundation, made the presentation. Golden Apple is a nationwide non-profit set up to support quality education, with an emphasis on schools in underserved neighborhoods. Each year it recognizes 10 teachers and two school leaders within the state of Illinois for extraordinary service to their students and school communities.

The award carries a $5,000 stipend for the honoree, a $5,000 award to their school and a scholarship to take graduate courses at Northwestern University. Dr. Rawls, completing his 10th year as Leo’s principal, raised his leadership profile this year by adding the title of school president when Dan McGrath retired in January after 16 years at Leo.

McGrath, now Leo’s President Emeritus, offered congratulatory remarks, along with Archdiocesan Catholic Schools Superintendent Greg Richmond, Big Shoulders President and CEO Josh Hale, St. Sabina Senior Pastor Father Michael Pfleger and Academic Coordinator Jennifer Fleck, Dr. Rawls’ “right-hand person” for 10 years who is leaving Leo to become Principal at Our Lady of Tepeyac High School.

Dr. Rawls saluted his mother, Dr. Andre Rawls, who was in attendance, for being a beacon of support in his life, as well his wife Rukiya and daughter Samira, who are understanding and accepting of his all-out commitment to Leo. The presentation was the lead story in the next day’s Chicago Sun-Times. Several TV and radio stations provided coverage as well.

While emphasizing that the award was “a school honor,” Dr. Rawls said it also carried a message for Leo’s students.

“I was a candidate for this in 2022,” he said. “I think I did pretty well, but I didn’t get it. So I applied again, did what I was supposed to do, and this time I got it.

“So what I want you to take from this is if you’re knocked down, disappointed by something, pick yourself up and keep going. It’s what Leo Men do. And it pays off.”