HPCF Golden Apple Recipients

Highland Park Community Foundation (HPCF) is proud to recognize Jennifer Sobel, seventh-grade Dual Language Spanish/Spanish Language Arts teacher at Northwood Middle School, as the recipient of the 2025 HPCF Golden Apple Award.

Jennifer’s journey as an educator has been deeply influenced by her personal immigrant experience, which continues to shape her approach to teaching. She is dedicated to creating a classroom environment where students feel valued, challenged, and supported. As shared by a colleague, “Jennifer is a passionate educator and leader committed to social justice, equity in education, and the pillars of Dual Language education. She has developed a curriculum for the Spanish Language Arts classroom that focuses on social justice and equity that allows students to see themselves represented in what they are learning.”

Other colleagues describe Jennifer as “someone who teaches with passion and heart,” adding that “her infectious enthusiasm for education motivates others to develop the same mindset.” She is a teacher who makes a lasting impact on everyone she encounters. Beyond teaching the curriculum, Jennifer helps students learn life lessons, think critically, be kind, and approach challenges with confidence.

Jennifer’s administrator shared, “Jen’s classroom is a model of engagement, where students aren’t just learning the Spanish language; they are mastering how to read, write, communicate, and collaborate through authentic high-level assignments. Jen doesn’t just meet expectations, she exceeds them.”

Jennifer comes from a long line of educators, including her great-grandmother and grandmother, who taught in one-room schoolhouses in Mexico. Reflecting on receiving the award, Jennifer shared, “This is because of the people who made me who I am. What’s most important to me is that all of my students know the feeling of being loved and cared for, that they matter, and that there is always someone in their corner.”

The HPCF Golden Apple Selection Committee met in early May to choose this year’s award recipient. Jennifer Sobel learned she had been selected at a surprise celebration on May 13th, where she was presented with a golden apple statuette and The Sara Sher Excellence in Teaching Prize—a $2,000 honorarium and $500 Apple Store gift card. Jennifer, along with semi-finalists Michael Buss and Sharon Steckel, was also honored at the May 20th NSSD 112 School Board meeting.