2026 Golden Apple Award Recipients

Kelsey Zammuto has been teaching for 15 years, the past nine at Hononegah Community High School in Rockton, where she teaches Chemistry and Environmental Science.

Katie Volk has been teaching her whole 34-year career at Rockford Christian Schools, where she teaches English Language Arts.

Bryce Thomas teaches African American History and Global Studies at Guilford High School, where he has taught the past three of his six years as a teacher.

Shawna Sterling is a 7th grade science teacher at Harlem Middle School in Loves Park, where she's taught the past 13 of her 15 years of teaching.

Chelsea Spinello-Johnson has been at teacher for 18 years and has been at Rockford's Marshall Middle School for 10 years. This year she left her classroom to become the school librarian, where she's still teaching students literary skills every day.

Hayley Gotzsche has been teaching for 10 years -- seven at South Beloit's Willowbrook Middle School, where she teaches choir and theater.