Dupage Policy Journal

The Fenton Community High School Board of Education had a meeting to highlight Matthew Lynch, football coach at Fenton High School, with the INSPRA Distinguished Service Reward.

“INSPRA is an acronym that stands for the Illinois chapter of the National School Public Relations Association,” Rick Kambic, director of Communications and Community Engagement of Fenton High School district 100, said during the meeting. “Every year it conducts the Distinguished Service Awards contest. The Distinguished Service Awards recognize individuals who make a difference in their school communities by promoting public education and enhancing programs and services.”

Lynch is a part of the Positive Coaching Alliance, an organization dedicated to encouraging youth sports culture. When his players’ 20-21 season was delayed from fall until spring due to the pandemic, he created multiple different avenues to keep his players positive, focused, and dedicated, including writing essays about different teachers they admire at Fenton.

The Independent Newspapers reported Lynch replaced coach Mark Kos in August 2017.

He later submitted two nominations along with some of these essays to the Chicago Bears’ new program High School Community All-Stars which recognizes and honors student-athletes who are involved in and bettering their community.  Both of the players that coach Lynch nominated became inaugural recipients of the award, and the Bears also named coach Lynch NFL High School Coach of the Week in November of 2020.

The board will meet again at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the Academic Resource Center on 1000 West Green Street in Bensenville, Ill.

This relationship that developed between the Chicago Bears and Lynch Resourcench furthered and grew through other different partnerships and opportunities. Lynch was given a ten-minute segment on the radio where he talked about his colleagues and school.

The Bears held a summertime scrimmage at Fenton high after arranging it with Lynch, made generous donations to the athletics fund at Fenton, and agreed to partner with Lynch when he approached them with a request to help honor veterans at a Fenton High home football game.