‘It always led here’: She started teaching at 47 and is now a Golden Apple Award winner

Kristina Lancaster may have gotten a late start on her teaching career, but she’s making the most of it.

The fourth grade teacher at Big Hollow Elementary School was honored with a Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching at the Ingleside school on Thursday.

“It took me until I was 47 to start teaching,” she said. “I went a circuitous route, but this is where I’m supposed to be. I love it. I love coming to work every single day, and this just tells me I made a good decision.”

The awards honor outstanding teachers for having lasting, positive effects on students’ lives and school communities.

Lancaster was one of 10 teacher recipients of the award and was selected by the Golden Apple Foundation from more than 600 nominations among fourth through eighth grade teachers in Illinois.

Under the guise of an assembly, students and faculty gathered in the auditorium before Principal Vinni Biancalana revealed it was time for a special announcement.

In came a parade of staff from the Golden Apple Foundation, along with Lancaster’s friends and family. What touched her most was the presence of a group of former students in attendance.

“That felt pretty good,” Lancaster said. “You build those relationships with kids, and they’re mine forever. That comes from our tight-knit classroom, which to me is so important. They love each other, and obviously me, and I love them right back.”

Biancalana said Lancaster is endlessly dedicated to her students and tireless when it comes to preparation.

“She works her magic with kids and gets tremendous growth out of them,” she said. “She really strives to get intrinsic motivation and to get them to be proud of themselves, and uses that as the fuel to perpetuate learning, which is awesome.”

Lancaster’s students were probably more excited about the possibility of Lancaster winning than their teacher was, Biancalana said.

“This was their teacher, and they were behind her 100% and knew she was going to win,” she said. “They love her, and she loves them right back.”

It’s the second win for a fourth grade teacher at the school since 2023, when Lancaster’s co-worker Andrea Woods won the award.

Alan Mather, president of The Golden Apple Foundation, said that having two winners from the same school in such a short period speaks well of the school district and administration.

“You have to have people who support teachers,” he said. “More people leave teaching because of a lack of support from administration than any other single reason. So that tells me that this is a school that not only is affirming the good people do, but also challenging them to be their best selves and supporting them when they take risks for children.”

Lancaster received a $5,000 cash award and a spring sabbatical provided at no cost by Northwestern University. She also joins the Fellows of the Golden Apple Academy of Educators, a community of educators dedicated to addressing the teacher shortage in Illinois.

Now 56, Lancaster, started teaching in 2017 after a career that included working in public relations, being an attorney and spending time on the school board.

“I’ve done a lot of jobs, a lot of careers, but it always led here,” she said, adding that even though her background would suggest eventually moving into administration, she has no desire.

“I love the classroom, I love the kids so much, those light bulb moments,” she said.

She encouraged others who are well into their careers but have thought about teaching to take the leap.

“You’re never too old to do what you want to do,” she said. “They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Yes, you can. Yes, you can.”