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2005 KCTS Golden Apple Award Winners

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INDIVIDUALS

Eugene Clegg
Physics and Chemistry Teacher (10-12), Mt. Si High School, Snoqualmie Valley School District #410

To enter Mr. Clegg's classroom is to be immersed in creative thought. Eugene spends countless hours researching and building equipment for scientific experiments and demonstrations. His semester projects give students the opportunity to see the science that is inherent in art, music, athletics and life in general. Students study one of 29 topics and can create a science art project, teach scientific concepts to elementary students, interview scientists working in specific disciplines or do environmental community service. During Eugene's monthly Science Enrichment Days, students use the scientific method as a game trying to solve the "why" of a discrepant event. Students develop hypotheses and then defend their ideas in class against different points of view. When charged with the task of building science classrooms for the future, Eugene acquired funding for state-of-the-art educational tools and technology that he installed himself. He is in charge of the Knowledge Bowl and spends many hours arranging matches and driving students around the state to compete. For students who prefer the arts, history and literature to chemistry and physics, he designed a new course called "Humanities Physics." Dedicated to the success of his students, Eugene has redefined the open-door policy. After school, students can retake tests, redo experiments, request recommendations for scholarships or just talk. Eugene believes that success in science and life lies in the willingness of his students to open their minds to the creation of new ideas and unexplored worlds.

Andrew Delegans
Marysville-Pilchuck High School, Agricultural Education (9-12), Marysville School District #25

A teaching veteran with more than 30 years' experience, Andy Delegans offers over 150 students a "hands-on" experience in farm life. Using recycled building materials, reclaimed surplus district equipment and donations, Andy has built an offsite classroom on an 18-acre parcel of land. While meeting the school district's educational objectives, Andy developed a rigorous course of study that is relevant and that instills leadership and a sense of self-worth. The course incorporates a global perspective but emphasizes work and relationships within the local community. Programs include Agricultural Science, Horticultural Science, Forestry/Natural Resources, and Animal Science. Students are allowed to immerse themselves in the day-to-day operations of the farm. Along with their textbook work, they raise beef and dairy cattle, chickens, goats, pigs, horses and cats, operate machinery, and design, build and maintain outbuildings and corrals. The Animal Science program provides a petting zoo that receives up to 40,000 visitors a year. The farm offers students who have met with little academic success an opportunity to thrive. Andy grooms the individual talents of his students, stressing that quality work and a responsible attitude are the keys to success.

Paul Fowler
Music Instructor, Van Asselt Elementary, Seattle School District, Seattle

When Paul Fowler arrived to teach music at Van Asselt Elementary, "the stage began to rock!" Under Paul's guidance, a once-anemic music program with few instruments has blossomed into a curriculum in which all students from K-5 learn to read and create music and play the keyboards, drums and xylophone. To get instruments into the hands of his students, Paul borrowed them, and lobbied his administration for new ones. He encourages his students to nurture their creativity by making up songs and inventing composition games. When it comes to performance, he thinks outside the box. On one occasion, his students went on stage with basketballs, wooden xylophones and a conga drum, and brought down the house. He has integrated original songs into the GLAD (Guided Language Acquisition Design) curriculum the school adopted two years ago. Since Van Asselt has the highest English as a Second Language student population in Seattle, Paul teaches students to perform music from many different cultures. Paul created an after-school performance choir with 55 students, a cello choir for fourth- and fifth-graders, and a faculty choir—all of whom are out there, rocking the local community.

Wayne Greer
Fifth-Grade Teacher, T.T. Minor Elementary, Seattle School District, Seattle

Wayne Greer's credo is that all children are capable of learning and that all children are worthy and deserving of the best that educators have to give them. Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Wayne earned a scholarship to Grambling State University, where he became a member of the Grambling State University Tiger Marching Band. When he arrived at T.T. Minor as a third-grade teacher, the principal charged him with starting a band program. Students from the third, fourth and fifth grades were asked to try out. Using the model from Grambling State University, Wayne created the T.T. Minor Bullpup Marching Band—the only elementary-school marching band in Washington state. The Bullpups perform on television and all over the state. The band's success played a key role in the Seattle School District's reversal of its decision to close T.T. Minor. Playing in the band has ignited the desire of Wayne's students to learn and to strive for excellence in all aspects of their lives. They have transformed the discipline learned in band into hard work in the classroom. Through Wayne's leadership and the power of music, these young band members are shaping a bright future for their school and themselves.

Mary Hebert
Principal, Dry Creek Elementary, Port Angeles School District 121, Port Angeles

Mary Hebert leads with her heart and her deep respect for the human condition. In 1999, when she became the principal at Dry Creek Elementary, she replaced a beloved longtime principal who had passed away. Her inspiration and leadership gave hope to teachers and students at a time of uncertainty. Mary set out to boost academic achievement and expectations by instituting school-wide goals in math, reading, writing and behavior. When students reach their goals, they are publicly acknowledged and rewarded. By inviting students of all grades to eat lunch with her and share their writing, she nurtures their enthusiasm for learning. Mary knows the name of every child at Dry Creek Elementary. "She really likes us," says nine-year-old Alexandria. Mary fosters a sense of accomplishment, recognition and community in her students at monthly "get-togethers," when the entire school gathers and acknowledges birthdays, academic success and excellent behavior. Mary has formed strong links with the local community of the Lower Elwha Tribe by creating Native American Day and having her students host Elders’ Luncheons. To further enrich learning, Mary found funding for the A+ After-School Program, which provides students with extra help with their work after school. Mary and her dedicated staff believe in the success of every student. Their motto: Always do the best you can, plan your work and work the plan.

Patricia MacGowan
State Director, Washington Math, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA), K-12 statewide, University of Washington, Seattle

Patricia MacGowan is driven by a passion to help underrepresented minority and female students succeed in engineering, math, science and technology. In 1982, Patricia served as a lead teacher on the team that founded MESA in Washington state. The program began with 88 students in Seattle and now serves over 5,000 K-12 students in more than 80 schools in 23 districts across the state. As state director, Patricia has built a model of how partnerships between higher education, industry, communities, parents and elders can positively impact the largely untapped talent of minorities and female students and prepare them for careers in highly skilled technology professions. Under Patricia's leadership, MESA participants participate in a unique curriculum that shows them how math and science impact their environment and everyday lives; they benefit from classes, field trips, after-school programs, math/science competitions, internships, mentoring, college preparation and career advising. Ninety-six percent of MESA seniors go on to college, and the program was recognized with the Presidential Award for Mentoring in Math, Engineering and Science in 2002. MESA offers teacher development to more than 350 K-12 teachers annually. Believing in the power of parents to help their children achieve, Patricia founded the Powerful Parents program in 2000. A constant champion for the program, she secures funding from sources including the state legislature, businesses and private foundations. She works diligently to break down any barriers between students and college by building scholarships. Thanks to Patricia's tireless passion, MESA students know that the only limit on their success is the limit they put on themselves.

Elise Michaels
Third-Grade Teacher, Artondale Elementary, Peninsula School District

The love of learning is contagious in Elise Michaels' classroom. A lifetime learner herself, Elise teaches above and beyond the traditional school curriculum. Selling school supplies at her student-run store during lunch, Elise's third-graders invest themselves and their individual strengths and talents to make the store a success. Skills such as writing letters to request a loan, stocking the store with supplies, determining prices, running the store and paying back loans are lessons children take beyond the classroom and into their lives. To widen the scope of their experiences in the community, Elise takes her students to a local nursing home so they can share stories, work on art projects and sing with their elders. Students not only learn to appreciate the elders' history and life experiences; they also see the joy their visits bring into their lives. Using unconventional methods to teach conventional concepts (such as dividing up homemade brownies to explain fractions), Elise generates excitement for learning on the part of each of her students, no matter what their learning level. The trust she engenders in the classroom builds the confidence of her young students, enabling them to reach and surpass academic goals. Knowing there is not just one road to success, Elise's creativity, sense of community and drive to create responsible citizens give her Artondale third-graders a strong foothold for the future.

PROGRAMS

Adopt-a-Farmer Project
Waterville Elementary, Waterville School District, Diane Peterson, Director

What do short-horned lizards and Eastern Washington farmers have in common? The Adopt-a-Farmer Project. Diane Peterson began the project when the real-life experience of her fourth-grade students began to contradict scientific research that stated the short-horned lizard did not live in the wheat fields and farmland of their community. A University of Washington biologist asked the students to become short-horned lizard experts as part of a national Naturemapping Project. Diane seized the opportunity to integrate reading, writing, geography, math and technology into the project. Now doing authentic field investigation that is relevant to their community, students are working with local farmers to collect data on the horny toad sightings and behavior. Teams of farmers and students chart and graph the data using Excel files, then ArcView, a sophisticated mapping software. Students are able to utilize their individual strengths in a variety of tasks that include writing, maintaining and updating a Web site, analyzing data, drawing illustrations and presenting findings to the scientific community and to national conferences. The popular and relevant project caught the eye of the George Lucas Educational Foundation, which sent a representative to Waterville and made a video about the project. The Adopt-a-Farmer Project has given students a unique understanding of the process of tilling the land (often working with farmers who are their dads, uncles and grandfathers) and the fragile relationship between the environment, the economy and the community.

Hispanic Academic Achievers Program
Columbia Basin School Districts, Ruben Lemos, co-founder

Founded in 1990, the Hispanic Academic Achievers Program (HAAP) set the goal of encouraging Latino students in the Tri-Cities, Yakima and Moses Lake to reach for the stars and excel in school. HAAP works with local school districts to identify students in grades 4-12 who overcome serious challenges and maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. In a large public ceremony, these students are recognized for their academic excellence. In 1990, 237 students were recognized by HAAP; in 2005, more than 3,500 students were honored. Since 1991, HAAP has partnered with businesses to create a scholarship fund for college-bound high school seniors. To date, HAAP has awarded $935,000 in scholarships. In 2006, the program expects to exceed the $1 million mark. Many of these scholarships go to students who are not only the first in their families to go to college but the first to graduate high school. In addition to awarding certificates and scholarships, HAAP donates new laptop computers to students; the computers are obtained through the efforts of HAAP volunteers working with local business. HAAP believes that by building a strong educational foundation, Latino students will create an opportunity for a rich future for themselves, their families and their communities.

Stanley O. McNaughton Golden Apple Award

Jannie Neiffer
English Literature and Communications teacher, Royal City High School, Royal City School District

"If you give a man a fish, he can eat for a day. If you teach a man how to fish, he can eat for a lifetime." Jannie Neiffer, a teaching veteran of 32 years, teaches her students to fish. Her goal is to instill in each of her students an understanding of their own capabilities and the endless possibilities for their futures. Through her Applied Communications class, students experience the real world by job shadowing and learning how government works, how to set up personal finances and how to research and present the best possible solutions to problems. Jannie has led the development of the Culmination Senior Project and Portfolio. Her seniors create a resumé packet, a portfolio and a career/research project and final speech. While the process of the project prepares students for college and the workforce, it also evokes a great deal of pride in the students when they see the culmination of their accomplishments. Jannie sets high standards for herself and her students. In setting goals, learning organizational skills and learning to never give up, her students know that by meeting the standards of today, they are ready for tomorrow. And Jannie, always eager to learn, asks her students to find something to teach her. Through her uncompromising dedication, her one-on-one attention to her students and her willingness to let students redo their work to meet the highest standard, Jannie teaches her students an invaluable trait that will serve them wherever they may go: to believe in themselves.

PemcoPemcoThe KCTS Golden Apple Awards are sponsored by KCTS Television and are made possible through funding from PEMCO Insurance.