D211 Golden Apple Scholars honored

Three Schaumburg-Palatine High School District 211 students were honored at a board of education meeting Thursday for recently being selected as Golden Apple scholars.

The Golden Apple Foundation named 135 Illinois high school students Golden Apple scholars this year. The scholars are awarded with thousands of dollars of financial aid to attend one of 53 Illinois universities to become educators. They are also given mentoring and training by the foundation throughout their time in college and beyond.

In return, the scholars agree to teach for five years in an Illinois school of need. The commitment must be completed within eight years of the scholars earning their bachelor’s degrees and teacher certification.

Two of the scholars — Jae Eun Shin and Maya Lane — are students at Conant High School. Lizbeth Arreola from Palatine High School was also named a scholar.

All three girls will receive tuition assistance of $2,500 per year for their freshmen and sophomore years of college, and $5,000 a year for their last two years of college.

They will also be awarded a $2,000 stipend each summer when they spend six weeks observing classrooms and learning more about good teaching skills.

Shin, who helps adults in English as a second language classes after school, plans to go to Loyola University Chicago to study bilingual/bicultural education.

Lane, a track, volleyball and basketball athlete and peer mediator, will attend Illinois State University to study special education with a specialty in teaching the deaf and hard of hearing. She hopes to also get her master’s degree in speech pathology.

Palatine High School social studies teacher Asa Gordon attributed Arreola’s hardworking personality to her parents. She will attend Eastern Illinois University in the fall and plans to major in math and Spanish.