Golden Apple scholarship winners share their teaching experiences

Heather Knobloch Sherwood immersed herself in musicals and theater offerings during her years at Hoffman Estates High School, but since then she has found her voice in teaching.

Likewise, Carmela Balice credits her teachers in a Schaumburg High School American Studies class - Jessica Wienke and Rose Ryan - with changing her life. They not only went beyond the curriculum, she says, but they encouraged students to make a difference every day.

Both Balice and Sherwood are doing just that, making a difference in the lives of students they teach, and by extension, their families and school communities.

The two young women were at the center of a recognition ceremony hosted by Golden Apple, which recognized 40 teachers - all former Golden Apple Scholars - who had reached their five-year commitment of teaching at high-need schools.

"We are indeed proud of these young educators who have fulfilled all that we had hoped would occur for them when we selected them as scholars," said Dominic Belmonte, chief executive officer of Golden Apple

"They have provided hundreds of deserving children with quality, educational experiences," Belmonte added, "which they may not have received otherwise."

Both Balice and Sherwood were named Golden Apple Scholars their senior years of high school after a rigorous application process. As a result, they received a scholarship and attended Illinois State University, where they pursued education degrees.

Each year, they attended summer institutes where they gained credible classroom experience, as well as mentorship from a Golden Apple teacher. In return, they were asked to commit to teaching at a high-need school for at least five years.

After graduating, Balice taught in a fifth/sixth dual language class at Otter Creek Elementary School in Elgin for three years, before spending one year in a fifth-grade dual language class at Enders-Salk Elementary School in Schaumburg.

Last year, Balice returned to Elgin as a gifted specialist, where she serves six of the neediest schools in the district and coordinates a summer program at Quinn Community Center in Maywood.

She says her summers spent with Golden Apple's summer institute helped put her at the head of her class.

"By the time education majors set foot in the classroom, I had already had three summers worth of experience in schools of need," Balice says, "which allowed me to understand the importance of community and culture within a classroom."

She adds that she learned the importance of parent engagement and was able to negotiate the language barriers - all before she did her student teaching during her last year of college.

Sherwood adds that before she walked into her first job interview, she had more than 700 hours of on-site experience in summer schools through her summer institute sessions.

"My preparation at Golden Apple Summer Institute taught me leadership qualities, best practice strategies, collaboration techniques, and so much more," Sherwood says.

She taught for a year downstate at Bloomington Junior High School, before moving back to her roots in the Northwest suburbs.

For the last four years, Sherwood has worked as a language arts teacher at Grove Junior High School in Elk Grove Village. She now participates in curriculum planning sessions in Elk Grove Township District 59, while coaching two running clubs and organizing family nights, like Poetry Slam.

"The leadership qualities taught through the foundation allowed me to be who I am and more," Sherwood adds. "I am forever grateful for this program."