A Barrington 220 School District educator is among 30 finalists – statewide – for the highly-regarded Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching this year, according to a news release announcing the finalists.
Lori Ford, a SD220 enrichment instructional specialist for sixth- through eighth-graders, is among the finalists selected by the Golden Apple Foundation, which highlights different grade levels annually, Golden Apple officials announced in a news release.
“The impact of a great teacher reaches beyond the classroom and these finalists are proof of that,” Alan Mather, president of Golden Apple, stated in the release.
Ford began her career in education in the Golden Apple Scholars, a teacher preparation and tuition assistance program for Illinois high school and college students working toward a career as a teacher in Illinois schools of need, SD220 officials stated in a district news release.
“It’s a full-circle moment to have the work of this program recognized by Golden Apple, the very organization that laid the foundation of who I am as an educator today,” Ford stated in the SD220 release.
As an enrichment instructional specialist, a role she helped create in 2008, Ford supports elementary, middle and high school students who currently attend or attended Sunny Hill Elementary School, in Carpentersville, and who are in the SD220 Extended Program, the website states.
“More than anything, it’s thrilling to me to have the opportunity to elevate the success stories of the scholars I work with,” Ford said on the website.
Ford received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from National Louis University, as well as certificates and endorsements in gifted, English Language Learners, and middle school language arts, social sciences, and music, the district release states.
“It is truly an honor to work alongside Ms. Ford and to witness the effort she puts forth each and every day to ensure that every child has a champion,” said Jordan Anderson, the district director of learning services. “I am so proud of everything that she does, and am thrilled that Ms. Ford is being recognized as a Golden Apple Finalist. The Barrington 220 community is extremely fortunate to have someone with such a kind, compassionate, and dedicated spirit working with our students.”
According to the district news release, Ford’s role was created as a way to increase representation of Sunny Hill students in the school district’s gifted program.
Overall, the district has more than 700 students identified as gifted, though there is no specific count of gifted students provided for Sunny Hill. The 12-school District 220 enrolls more than 8,000 students in pre-K to 12th grade, with, overall, 19% of students coming from low-income families and 10% are English language learners, according to state data about the district. But at Sunny Hill, about 90% of its approximately 279 students come from low-income families and approximately half of the student body are English learners.
“Through the vehicle of the program I oversee, we have seen our students overcome tremendous adversity and rise to their potential. There’s no greater gift for an educator than that. This journey with Golden Apple is for my students. It always has been,” Ford said in the SD220 release.
The Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching honor outstanding teachers for having lasting, positive effects on students’ lives and school communities, according to the Golden Apple Foundation news release.
Officials noted in the release that teacher finalists demonstrate – in their teaching and results – significant, positive impact on their students’ growth and learning.
“Their dedication to providing an engaging, high-quality learning experience for their students and commitment to creating positive outcomes in their school communities is impressive,” Mather said in the release.
Golden Apple’s mission is to inspire, develop and support teacher and school leader excellence, especially in schools of need, the release states.
“We are proud to highlight their important work and to honor them as finalists of the 2023 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching,” Mather stated about the finalists in the release.
Finalists selected to be Golden Apple Award winners will be announced this spring. The release states that Northwestern University is providing a sabbatical to award recipients at no cost, and each recipient will receive a $5,000 cash award.
According to the release, award recipients become fellows of the Golden Apple Academy of Educators, which plays a role in preparing the next generation of teachers in the Golden Apple Scholars and Accelerators programs. The programs help address the teacher shortage in Illinois, officials explained.
