Golden Apple Foundation is pleased to announce the names of 20 Teachers from Winnebago and Boone County who have been selected to move forward in the process for the 2012 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching.  These talented Pre-K-5th grade teachers were chosen by a selection committee of community volunteers who had the difficult task of selecting only 20 teachers from a large group of worthy nominees.

Please join us in congratulating the following excellent teachers….

Sonia O. Belmontes
Barbour Language Academy-Rockford
2nd grade

Kalliopi Bruck
Carlson Elementary School-Rockford
Early Childhood

Emily Chostner
West View Elementary School-Rockford
3rd grade

Beverly L. Cicolello
Fairview Early Education Center-Rockford
Early Childhood

Candice Collins
Walker Elementary School-Rockford
3rd grade

Ginnie Cunningham
Dorothy Simon Elementary School-Winnebago
1st grade

Kristen Curtis
Lincoln Elementary School-Belvidere
Kindergarten

Heather Dobnick
Shirland School-Shirland
3rd grade

Jennifer Egen
Rockford Lutheran Academy-Rockford
2nd grade

Jeléna S. Holcomb
Barbour Language Academy-Rockford
Kindergarten

Caron Ann Hruby
Ledgewood School-Roscoe
Pre-Kindergarten

Debbie Lecuyer
Kinnikinnick School-Roscoe
4th grade

Amy Lewis
Kinnikinnick School-Roscoe
4th grade

Emily Moyer
Ledgewood School-Roscoe
Kindergarten

Jean Perkins
North Boone Upper Elementary-Poplar Grove
5th grade

Jennifer Sanderson
Stone Creek Elementary School-Roscoe
1st-3rd grade Music

Natalie Sommers
Ralston Elementary School-Machesney Park
3rd grade

Bianca Sutherland
Saint Rita Catholic School-Rockford
5th grade

Tiffany Thomas
Dorothy Simon Elementary School-Winnebago
1st grade

Gina Marie Tuula
Whitman Post Elementary School-Rockton
5th grade

These teachers will be observed by trained community volunteers on four separate occasions in their classrooms during January and February, 2012. They will participate in an interview in the final stage of the selection process. The process will culminate with the selection of 5 Teachers who will receive the prestigious Golden Apple Award in surprise classroom presentations and will be highlighted in a special program produced and aired on 13 WREX.

Each Golden Apple teacher will receive a cash award, a professional development stipend, a Rockford College Scholarship, a laptop computer compliments of Supplycore, a desktop computer compliments of Rockford Computers for Schools and computer software compliments of Entre Computer Solutions. In addition, they will be inducted into the Golden Apple Teacher Academy where as members they will work to increase public awareness of educational excellence in our schools, promote the profession of education and provide professional development training and mentoring to new and veteran teachers.

Golden Apple Foundation is celebrating its 16th year of taking positive steps to achieve improved education in Winnebago and Boone Counties. The Annual Golden Apple Banquet recognizing Excellence in Education and honoring the Golden Apple Teachers will be held on Friday, April 20, 2012 at the Radisson Hotel & Conference Center sponsored by First Rockford Group.