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541 Teachers Nominated for the 2026 Golden Apple Awards
| “[This teacher] doesn’t just teach math, she brings life to her classroom! Her enthusiasm and positive energy is contagious. She creates an environment where every question is welcome, every mistake is a step forward and every student feels empowered to succeed. Thanks to her, I’ve gone from dreading math to loving it”! “[This teacher] has helped me with things like dealing with heartbreak, getting a job and even helping me with my college journey. I owe everything to her.” “She gives us lots of tips and she helps out a lot! She also is really good at math. She gives homework that helps me, in my opinion, a lot”!
These are just a few comments from 6th-12th grade teacher nominations for the prestigious Golden Apple Teacher Awards for 2026. Parents, students and community members submitted more than 1,550 nominations for 541 teachers in more than 50 Winnebago and Boone County schools. These teachers are making a positive difference in students’ lives. See the full list of nominees Nomination List 25-26. A reception to honor nominees will be held Thursday, Nov. 13, at Rockford University, 5050 E. State St. District superintendents and building principals will join Golden Apple Foundation in congratulating nominees. The nomination is the first step in the process to select teachers who represent excellence in secondary school teaching. The next step is for teachers to honor the nominations with self-reflective essays and letters of recommendation. Nominees must have five years of teaching experience, be a certified teacher and be teaching full time in 6th – 12th grade classrooms in Winnebago or Boone County. A selection committee will review the teachers’ professional portfolios and choose 20 teachers to continue the process with classroom observations and interviews, which are conducted by community volunteers. Five teachers will receive the Golden Apple Award and be honored at the Excellence in Education Banquet on April 24, 2026, at the Tebala Event Center. Each Golden Apple Teacher will receive a $1,000 cash award, a professional development stipend through the Regional Office of Education, a tablet or laptop from Entre Computer Solutions and a Rockford University Scholarship. They will also be inducted into the Golden Apple Teacher Academy. |