Alternative school educator Mike Padron of Rockford, Illinois, succumbed to Covid on Nov. 19, 2020. He was just 38 years old. Photo credit: Rockford Register Star

With great sadness we report the loss of yet another educator to Covid. Mike Padron, a teacher in Rockford, Illinois, succumbed to the disease on November 19, 2020. He was just 38 years old.

Mike taught at Language Arts at Summit Academy, the alternative school for the Boone-Winnebago Regional School District. Mike’s widow Nikki Padron, who is an elementary school teacher, asserted that her husband dedicated his career to helping Rockford’s “most delicate students.” She said he held his students to the highest standard and championed their progress.

Mike was favorite among his colleagues and students, remembers Scott Bloomquist, the Regional Superintendent of the Boone-Winnebago Regional Office of Education. “Mr. Padron worked hard every day to connect with students and parents, doing all he could to meet their needs. He will forever be remembered as an educator who put students first,” Bloomquist declared.

Mike was born on April 19, 1982. After Mike Padron graduated from Boylan Catholic High School, he earned his degree at Rockford University. He launched his career as an educator at Rockford’s Kennedy Middle School. At the time of his passing, he was teaching Language Arts at Summit Academy. In 2014, MIke was nominated for a Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching.

To read more about Mike Padron, see this obituary at legacy.com.