2024 Crystal Apple Award Winners

Over 600 nominations describing superb lecturers poured in, and hundreds of votes have been forged. Now, the time has come to disclose the winners of our tenth Annual Crystal Apple Awards.

Yearly, College Specialty invitations educators and faculty communities to appoint deserving lecturers who embody our key contest standards of inspiration, management, and fervour. This yr’s nominees have been all really inspiring and deserving of this honor!

We chosen 10 finalists and invited you to vote for the highest 3 winners. Thanks to everybody who despatched in nominations and voted. Extra importantly, thanks to all of the lecturers who encourage college students and their communities day by day with their ardour and dedication.

Listed below are the three Excellent Winners!

Congratulations to our three winners! Every winner receives a Crystal Apple trophy, a $500 College Specialty merchandise certificates, and a $250 College Specialty merchandise certificates for his or her faculty.

Typhani Russo, Commonwealth Constitution Academy

Typhani Russo has been educating for 8 years and has positively impacted a whole bunch of younger individuals’s lives. Not solely does she educate 4th grade, however she additionally teaches her college students an important lesson of all: the right way to be a compassionate human being.

Because the founding father of her personal non-profit group, Bookworms In opposition to Bullies, she evokes her college students to beat bullying and proactively make a distinction within the lives of others.

Her affect is so nice that one scholar and her associates held a lemonade stand and used the cash they earned to purchase a brand new pair of sneakers for a classmate. In 2021, her college students stunned her once they stopped enjoying throughout recess and commenced selecting up trash across the faculty’s perimeter. This quickly turned a day by day prevalence, so Typhani provided gloves and baggage and joined them.

Mercedes Salas, Uvalde Elementary College

Mercedes Salas teaches 4th grade in Uvalde, Texas. She has been propelled by her power and bravado to change into a hero to throughout her.

Regardless of the challenges she endured, her ardour for the scholars locally compelled her to return to the classroom.

To her college students, Mercedes is greater than a trainer. Her fixed love, kindness, and assist have impacted lots of her college students’ lives.

Her college students love her as a result of she really and genuinely cares about their well-being and success. She goes above and past for them, they usually see it.

Julie Pfeifer, Abraxas College of Ohio

Julie Pfeifer began her educating profession later in life. She attended school similtaneously her son, along with her daughter in junior excessive, and graduated with honors whereas elevating her household.

Julie has written quite a few grants to offer college students with new alternatives. She has written curricula for brand new programs, together with a Lifeskills class the place the scholars earn certifications, write a resume, learn to prepare dinner and stitch, and study taxes, W-4s, W-2s, and retirement plans.

Julie teaches Algebra I and II, Geometry, and Lifeskills. She began a Ebook Membership, an Auto Physique Membership, and a 3D printing Membership for college kids to design and create. She is at all times planning new methods to encourage and curiosity her college students.

Congrats to the 7 Inspiring Finalists!

The remaining 7 finalists obtain a Finalist Certificates, a $100 College Specialty merchandise certificates, and a $100 College Specialty merchandise certificates for his or her faculty.