Matthew White, an orchestra teacher at Scullen Middle School in Naperville, is one of 30 Illinois finalists in the 2026 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching.
White, who teaches 6th- through 8th-grade students, was selected from nearly 600 nominations statewide and recognized for his impact in the classroom, according to the nonprofit Golden Apple Foundation, which announced the nominations Wednesday.
White learned in December an anonymous person nominated him for the honor, which has given him a chance to reflect and be thankful for the parents, students and colleagues at Scullen, he said.
“Just the nomination was such an incredible honor,” said White, who is in his 11th year at the school and was notified he was a finalist by email Wednesday. “I’m very humbled by the recognition.”
“I don’t really view this as something I am doing by myself,” White said. “Everything I do as a teacher is collaborative, whether it’s with my teaching colleagues or with my students. This is a really cool celebration of the collaboration that I get to have every day.”
Golden Apple finalists demonstrate through their teaching and results the positive impacts they have on their students’ growth and learning, the foundation said in a news release.
“Exceptional teachers remind us every day what is possible for students,” Alan Mather, president of Golden Apple, said in a statement. “They create classrooms where curiosity and challenge are encouraged, confidence is built, and learning feels meaningful. These finalists exemplify the dedication, care, and skill that define teaching at its finest. We are proud to recognize the lasting impact they have on their students and school community.”
White has been shown to go above and beyond, the release said.
As an example, the organization cited White’s collaboration with audiologists and engineers to help a deaf student with a cochlear impact play the violin.
When the student struggled to hear his tone on a traditional violin, White and his co-teacher Daryl Silberman worked to connect an electric violin directly to the student’s implant system. It was described as “an epic success.”
It was the first time a student with hearing loss enrolled in his orchestra, White said. Watching the student show off his violin with pride was one of his best experiences as a teacher, he said.
“That morning that we plugged it in and it worked, his face — and I’m going to get emotional — lit up like a lighthouse,” White said. “It was so cool. I mean that is why we do stuff like this, to give kids that excitement. He walked around for the next month. Anybody he saw, he wanted to show them the instrument.”
White then advocated that the school buy the instrument so the student would have permanent access to music, he said.
“It is something I’m so proud to be a part of,” he said.
The efforts White makes on behalf of his students helped contribute to his finalist designation, the foundation’s announcement said.
Every student can find a place in White’s curriculum, and White has worked to blend Western and non-Western music in ways that challenge students to explore identity, history and culture while developing real skills.
His role in launching his school’s first Carnatic ensemble, a music commonly associated with South India, by seeking out the help of a local expert and learning the art form himself was noteworthy, the foundation said.
White said he’s also expanded that to teaching North Indian Hindustani classical music and next year, they will teach Arabic music.
“We are trying to expand to show our students that we are representing them in the music we are choosing, the repertoire we are working on, but also that anybody can do this,” White said. “Anybody can join this group and learn about this music, be curious and celebrate the awesomeness that music is.”
Students feel loved, respected and seen, he said. His goal is to ensure students feel comfortable in his classroom.
“It is so important to me that students know that there is somebody here at school that really cares about them,” White said. “I make sure my classroom students know is a safe place to take a risk and know that it’s OK not to get it right the first time. And I want my students to see themselves in my classroom. So my classroom is one of my favorite places in the whole world. It is colorful and full of representation and celebration.”
He also teaches that being a musician means having civic responsibilities. As an example, he asks his students to perform at a nursing home on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to help the residents combat loneliness. The ensemble will be returning to the nursing home in March, White said.
“The universal language of music is such a powerful thing we get to tap into,” White said.
Parents and colleagues describe his classroom as “life-altering,” noting that students grow as musicians and as confident, empathetic people, according to the Golden Apple Foundation.
White lives in Lisle with his wife, Elizabeth, and 9-year-old son Wesley, whom he credits for his success.
Mather, president of Golden Apple, said he was impressed with White’s background and the innovative methods he uses in his classroom.
“It just illustrates the steps he takes to ensure every child really receives instruction that will affirm them and make them feel important,” Mather said.
Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching honor outstanding teachers for having lasting, positive effects on students’ lives and school communities.
“There are teachers doing amazing work in virtual anonymity everyday,” Mather said. “But their students know it. Parents know it.”
Nominees will learn in the spring if they have won a Golden Apple. Ten winners will receive a $5,000 cash award and a free spring sabbatical provided by Northwestern University.
Recipients also become Fellows of the Golden Apple Academy of Educators, a community of educators who play a role in preparing the next generation of teachers through the Golden Apple Scholars and Accelerators programs, designed to address the teacher shortage in Illinois.
The award not only honors the teachers but offers inspiration to future teachers that they too can make a lasting impact, Mather said.
For a list of award finalists, go to www.goldenapple.org/golden-apple-awards-finalists-2026.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
