South Hills Child Development Center teacher named Golden Apple Teacher of the Year
The 34th year of the Golden Apple Award ended with the naming of the teacher of the year.
The presentation was made on Wednesday night at PennWest Edinboro University.
Taylor's Hope spreading addiction, mental health awareness with new billboard
The five finalists were named, and then the winner with this year's teacher of the year, was Robin Gilson.
She's a teacher from South Hills Child Development Center in Millcreek who was surprised to hear her name.
'Well, I didn't think I'd win the top five, and then when they named me for the teacher award, I was like, I was shocked. It was crazy, just crazy, because all these teachers deserve it,' Gilson said.
Golden Apple Award: Robin Gilson – South Hills Child Development Center
The Golden Apple is co-sponsored by JET 24, PennWest Edinboro and Big Ideas Learning, which presented the Ron Larsen Cup to Wattsburg Elementary teacher Morgan Kingen.
The cup is given for the most creative use of the $250 given to each Golden Apple winner by Big Ideas Learning.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Pella Middle School teacher earns Golden Apple
PELLA, Iowa — The Golden Apple often goes to teachers who have decades of experience in the classroom. Sometimes, we find younger teachers who are making a big difference, too. Just like his name, Hayden Vroom is always on the go and oftentimes loud. 'You can throw kids off by just yelling or standing in a weird spot. Like, if you stand on a desk, they're like 'Whoa what is this guy doing?' But you have their attention all of a sudden,' Vroom explains. 'Anyway, you can get their attention, and if crazy is how you get their attention, then it works.' It works for this math and science teacher who is only in his third year of his first teaching job at Pella Middle School. 'I'm far from the best teacher in the building actually, as far as teaching strategies and all that,' Vroom said. 'But when it comes to passion and energy, I feel like I bring that every single day.' Nominate your favorite teacher for the Golden Apple Award! Passion and energy that make his students want to learn. 'There's never really a dull moment. Like he can always just make someone laugh,' Lauren Van Kley, 8th grade student, said. 'And science has never really been my favorite subject, but he always just finds a way to make it fun.' And teachers want to teach. 'Because of him, everyone has more energy,' fellow teacher Cody DeKruyff said. 'There's more effort given to learning. There's more just overall positivity. And you can feel it when you step into his classroom and areas around it also.' Encouragement that's felt by everyone Mr. Vroom crosses paths with. 'He's just like a pure light in this school,' Sibley Carlstone, 8th grade student, said. 'He never fails to try to get to know all the students. And he's so energetic, and it really brightens everyone's day around here.' It's why several of his students and fellow teachers nominated Mr. Vroom for the Golden Apple. 'Wow… that was like the best kept secret ever,' Vroom said when accepting the award, 'I had no idea, that's kinda awesome. Wow, I'm honored. I'm actually speechless which is saying something because I'm never speechless.' A recognition for a teacher who's always called Pella home. Vroom graduated from Pella Christian and went to Central College to study education. A career path he credits back to the teachers he had in school. 'I think the stereotypical answer is I had some really good role models in my life,' Vroom said. 'Wow, he [one of his former teachers] made history fun. This guy was crazy in his own way. He talked about video games sometimes. Like he was just a person. I'm like man, he's real. He's real. And I'm like I want to be that. I want to be real to kids.' And so far, he's doing just that. 'He also really tries to connect with students,' Van Kley said. 'He's not really like what you think of as a teacher, he's also kind of like a friend and someone you can really trust.' More: Golden Apple Award winners Another 8th-grade student, Kaitlyn Weaver, described him as a 'very caring guy' who cares about everyone. 'They all come from something different, right? You never know what they're coming in with every single day and meeting them where they're at is kind of a big deal to me,' Vroom said. 'And I feel like every single day, you can bring joy. So I try to meet them with some joy every single day and seeing a smile is a win in my book.' Mr. Vroom is also known as 'Coach Vroom.' He is the middle school girls' track coach, as well as an assistant coach for the high school football team. Check out the extended interview with Mr. Vroom below: Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
4 teens assaulted, robbed another teen during Norwalk drug deal, police say
DES MOINES, Iowa — Four teenagers have been charged as adults after police in Norwalk say they assaulted and robbed another teen during a drug deal. The Norwalk Police Department said the incident took place on Saturday, May 24 and started with a Norwalk teen conversing with someone over social media about a drug transaction. A plan to meet in the 900 block of East 17th Street in Indianola was set. Court documents filed in the case say the deal was to buy marijuana and a THC cartridge for $50. Chase suspect bitten by K9 after running from stolen truck, DMPD says Police said that when the victim showed up to complete the transaction, he was assaulted by four teens. They allegedly threatened to shoot him and stole his cell phone, an iPhone 14+. NPD said witnesses broke up the altercation, and police were called. The West Des Moines Police Department and the Warren County Sheriff's Office assisted NPD in locating three suspects who were arrested and charged with first-degree robbery, among other offenses. The fourth suspect in the robbery was identified later and arrested. One of the teens had two handguns on him during the incident. The weapons were seized. A preliminary hearing for the teens is scheduled for June 2nd. Pella Middle School teacher earns Golden Apple WHO 13 Farm Report: Wednesday, May 28th Iowan and her bell play key role in Scripps National Spelling Bee Gov. Reynolds to sign rural health care bill Wednesday No sign of missing Eddyville man after boat hits concrete in Des Moines River Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Golden Apple Award winner: Congratulations to Amy Marx!
VICTOR, N.Y. (WROC) — Congratulations to Amy Marx, our latest Golden Apple Award winner. Marx is a Kindergarten teacher in Victor and is one of those teachers that everyone wants to learn from. Early Childhood School Principal Robert DeRose says, 'She is positive, she is joyful. She does everything that every child needs. She supports our families, she supports her colleagues and brings joy and happiness to our hallway, school and certainly her classroom.' Inside her Kindergarten classroom, Marx teaches kids to read and write and how to be kind. Parent Erin Fittipaldi says, 'She is the kindest, most genuine person you will meet, and she carries that into the classroom as well.' Marx has been teaching for more than 25 years and most of that time has been spent in Kindergarten. She told News 8, 'These little loves. This is when all the magic happens. This is when they learn how to read and write, and everything for them is just so grand. Their hearts, this is the only place you can come when you first come in that they all give you hugs and love every single day. It's just so special.' 'Her students feel loved, her families feel supported, and every child makes phenomenal progress both with their academics as well as their social, emotional, and behavioral skills,' Principal DeRose said. She feels like she's the lucky one though, getting to call 'teaching' her job. 'It feels so special. These kids work so hard every day, and it's just the best. Kindergarten is fantastic,' said Marx. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
