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Individual recognition of teachers begins in the fall with Apple Day. Each public school and ISBE recognized non-public school teacher in Winnebago and Boone County is presented with a fresh golden delicious apple delivered by a community volunteer with a thank you for their dedication to another year of educating the youth of our community. The entire community, including parents, students, colleagues, and administrators are then invited to nominate teachers deserving of special recognition. The recognition focus is rotated each year from Pre-K-5th grade teachers to 6th-12th grade teachers.
Nominated teachers are honored at a reception and encouraged to complete the next step in the process by completing an application. The Golden Apple selection committee reviews the applications and narrows its selection to 20 full-time, certified teachers with a history of 5 years of teaching. The teachers are then observed four times in their classrooms by community volunteers consisting of former educators, businessmen and women, and parents. They are evaluated on classroom atmosphere, rapport with students, classroom management, lesson content, teaching techniques and professionalism. In addition, the twenty teachers participate in an interview by a team of selection committee members.
Five teachers are selected as Golden Apple Recipients and are presented with the prestigious Golden Apple Award in a surprise classroom presentation. They receive a number of rewards and are honored at the annual Golden Apple Award Banquet. In addition, they are highlighted in a special program produced by 23WIFR that spotlights excellent teachers. The 5 Golden Apple Teachers are then inducted into the Golden Apple Teacher Academy and commit to enhancing the Academy's mission.
