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Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching & Leadership

 
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2025 Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching & Leadership Award Recipients

 
 

Timothy Aberle

Shelbyville Community Unit School District
Shelbyville, IL

Excellence in Teaching Award Recipient

Kindra Callahan

Kewanee High School
Kewanee, IL

Excellence in Teaching Award Recipient

Matthew Erbach

South Elgin High School
Elgin, IL

Excellence in Teaching Award Recipient

Erin Clifford

Bolingbrook High School
Bolingbrook, IL

Excellence in Teaching Award Recipient

Dillin Randolph

Niles West High School
Skokie, IL

Excellence in Teaching Award Recipient

Elizabeth Dribin-Khoshaba

Niles West High School
Skokie, IL

Excellence in Teaching Award Recipient

James Rowe

Clare Woods Academy
Wheaton, IL

Excellence in Teaching Award Recipient

Kathleen Mahoney

Lake View High School
Chicago, IL

Excellence in Teaching Award Recipient

Emily Feltes

North-Grand High School
Chicago, IL

Excellence in Leadership Award Recipient

Nick Anaya

Lindblom Math & Science Academy
Chicago, IL

Excellence in Teaching Award Recipient

Victor Hurtado

Schurz High School
Chicago, IL

Excellence in Teaching Award Recipient

Mike LaScola

Everest Satellite High School
Belvidere, IL

Excellence in Leadership Award Recipient

Karen Engelmann

Cobden Jr./Sr. High School
Cobden, IL

Excellence in Teaching Award Recipient

 
 

The Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching & Leadership was the idea of Golden Apple founders Mike and Patricia Koldyke, who felt that excellent teachers did not receive adequate recognition for their contributions to building a stronger, better-educated society. 

Every year since 1986, Golden Apple has selected master teachers to receive the prestigious Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching. In 2014, Golden Apple began honoring exemplary school leaders with the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Leadership in honor of founding Golden Apple board member, Stanley C. Golder.

Golden Apple Award recipients play an important role in preparing the next generation of teachers by providing instruction and mentorship to future teachers in the Golden Apple Scholars and Accelerators programs - programs dedicated to addressing the teacher shortage. 

 

ACADEMY OF EDUCATORS

Golden Apple Award recipients become lifetime members of the Golden Apple Academy of Educators. These master educators help prepare the next generation of teachers through both our Golden Apple Scholars (for undergraduates) and Golden Apple Accelerators (for career-changers) programs.