Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois names Class of 2017
Golden Apple recently announced the induction of the 2017 class of the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois program, a group of 234 dynamic young people who have chosen to dedicate themselves to a future career teaching students in Illinois schools-of-need.
Since its inception in 1989, the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois program has grown to nearly 2,000 statewide participants. The program is uniquely designed to prepare future teachers to thrive in the most challenging high-needs school environments where more resilient teachers are desperately needed.
The program provides tuition assistance to each future teacher while they pursue an undergraduate education. Beginning the summer after high school graduation and continuing throughout their undergraduate years, scholars benefit from multiple teaching internships, ongoing academic and career mentoring and course work on the art of teaching delivered by Golden Apple Award-winning teachers. When scholars complete the program, they have acquired more than two times the classroom teaching experience garnered by traditionally prepared teachers.
Golden Apple continues to support scholars after they begin their teaching careers through ongoing mentoring and professional development. In return for the financial, academic, and professional development support that Golden Apple provides, scholars agree to teach in a school-of-need in Illinois for five years following college graduation.
"We congratulate the Class of 2017 Golden Apple Scholars as they embark on an exciting journey to become exceptional teachers and improve the educational outcomes for students in challenging school settings in Illinois," said Dominic Belmonte, Golden Apple CEO. "The intensive mentoring, with its focus in the classroom, uniquely prepares aspiring teachers to handle the many real-world challenges of teaching in high-need schools. As a result, Golden Apple Scholars are prepared to not only do the job with resilience, but to excel at it."
The scholars program has been proven to profoundly improve persistence and graduation rates among participants. In addition, the program has been shown to have a significant impact on workforce development by helping low-income and underrepresented students gain necessary skill development for a lasting career in teaching. Evidence of the success of the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program includes:
• More than 1,000 Golden Apple Scholars are now teaching in more than 500 schools-of-need in Illinois;
• 82 percent of scholars who enter teaching remain at least five years, compared with 55 percent statewide;
• More than 650,000 students in Illinois have been taught by Golden Apple Scholars since 1989.
The 2017 Class of Scholars represents a diverse group of young people from across Illinois with nearly half as first-generation college students, who are the first in the families to attend a four-year college, and nearly half are from underrepresented groups.
Local Golden Apple Scholars Class of 2017, including hometown and high school attended:
Arlington Heights:
John Hersey High School: Steven Custer;
Barrington:
Barrington High School: Lindsay Olesen;
Bartlett:
Bartlett High School: Chelsea Lenart;
Des Plaines:
Maine West High School: Ryan Bien Dela Cruz, Miranda Gonzalez and Camille Wilczek;
Elk Grove Village:
James B. Conant High School: Esther Cho;
Elk Grove High School: Andrea Flores;
Franklin Park:
West Leyden High School: Jonathan Alioto and Daniela Lucero;
Hanover Park:
Hoffman Estates High School: Joshua Bost;
Hoffman Estates:
James B. Conant High School: Amber Clark;
Mount Prospect:
Prospect High School: Dayna Laffey;
Palatine:
Palatine High School: Kelly Gimmler and Madeline Plesnicar;
Rolling Meadows:
Rolling Meadows High School: Gabrielle Frank, Elizabeth Hardt and Jocelyn McHugh;
Schiller Park
Holy Trinity High School: Kenneth Munoz;
Streamwood:
Hoffman Estates High School: Maureen Black;
Wheeling:
Wheeling High School: Abigail Cozariuc and Jacqueline Skup.