Nominate a teacher for Highland Park Community Foundation's Golden Apple Award

The Highland Park Community Foundation is now accepting nominations for the 2022 HPCF Golden Apple Award.

The Golden Apple Award recognizes and celebrates outstanding teachers whose efforts demonstrate the impact that inspiring teaching has on children in the Highland Park/Highwood community.

After a year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the HPCF Golden Apple Award is now in its 11th year of honoring excellence in the teaching profession.

"All of us at the Highland Park Community Foundation are delighted to honor innovative and deserving educators for their exceptional work," said Sara Sher, HPCF Golden Apple Selection Committee chairwoman.

"As a former educator, I am extremely proud to chair the committee. As a group, we are tasked with selecting one teacher each year, out of the many who are nominated, who has inspired academic achievement while enriching the lives of his or her students."

Nominations for the 2022 Golden Apple Award will be accepted for full-time teachers currently working in North Shore School District 112, who spend most or all of their time teaching grades 6-8. Teachers must have completed four full years of teaching and commit to teaching for a minimum of two additional years in the Highland Park/Highwood community after receiving the award.

The recipient of this annual award will receive a $2,000 cash honorarium, a $500 gift card to the Apple store, and a Golden Apple statue. The teacher who earns the award will be recognized by the school in which he or she teaches and at the district level. The Highland Park Community Foundation will also honor the recipient at its annual Grant Awards Reception.

Nominations for the 2022 HPCF Golden Apple Awards are due by 5 p.m. Nov. 17.

To nominate a teacher, submit the nomination form, which can be found under "Awards" on the HPCF's website, www.hpcfil.org. Nominations are welcome and accepted from all community members, including students, parents, colleagues and administrators. Self-nominations are not permitted.

To learn more about the Highland Park Community Foundation and its work, visit www.hpcfil.org/.

The Highland Park Community Foundation was established in 1992 at the request of the city of Highland Park to build and maintain a permanent endowment fund. The HPCF strives to improve and enrich people's lives with annual grants to nonprofits that provide educational, social service, and cultural programs for Highland Park and Highwood residents.

The foundation's purposes are to expand opportunities and address the unmet needs of the community.