Sarah Yakus (née Scott), who taught math since 2008 at Glenwood Middle School in the Ball-Chatham School District in Chatham, Illinois, and was to start this school year as principal at Glenwood Elementary School, died in her home in Auburn on Saturday, August 6. She was 32.

Sarah Yakus (left), November 2015 (Facebook)
Superintendent Douglas Wood told the State Journal-Register she was a “phenomenal” educator and a “brilliant” math teacher, liked by everyone. “She was loved by the staff, her students, and the school community as a whole,” he was quoted as saying. The district has made crisis counselors available to students at the high school next week.
The cause and manner of death were not immediately reported, but preliminary autopsy findings earlier today do not suggest any foul play, according to WAND-TV (NBC affiliate).
Ms Yakus graduated from Jacksonville High School and earned her associate’s degree from Lincoln Land Community College before graduating from Eastern Illinois University with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She later earned her Master of Science in education administration.
Sarah is survived by her husband, Adam Yakus, whom she married on September 13, 2014.
Visitation will be from 3 until 7 PM, Wednesday, August 10, at Auburn United Methodist Church, and from 10 until services at 11 AM Thursday at the church with Rev Brian Caughlan, Rev J Cook, and Rev Nathaniel Kern officiating.
Memorials may be made to the Animal Protection League, 1001 Taintor Road, Springfield, IL 62702, or to Chatham Middle School Girls On the Run.
I pray that God may bless Sarah and shine eternal light upon her, as she has fostered a spirit of wisdom and truth in her many students over her short career and brought light to those around her over her short life. And may God look upon those students now and let them enjoy their learning, as she has helped them do in the past, take delight in new discoveries, even though this teacher has left our world, and persevere in their studies, growing in their desire to learn all things well. And may God also look upon Sarah’s fellow educators, helping them strive to share their knowledge with gentle patience and with the understanding that all learning has a purpose and all purposes have a time.