Highland Park Neighbors Magazine Articles

Nominations for the Highland Park Community Foundation’s (HPCF) 2024 Golden Apple Award are now open! The HPCF Golden Apple Award honors and recognizes teachers who display excellence in their profession as well as those who leave a lasting, positive impact on their students in the Highland Park and Highwood community. The annual HPCF Golden Apple Award will be awarded in spring 2024 to a Highland Park High School teacher who exemplifies these qualities.

“Each year, we honor an exemplary educator with the prestigious HPCF Golden Apple Award,” said Sara Sher, Chair of the HPCF Golden Apple Committee. “The recipient is chosen based on content knowledge, instruction, staff and student interaction, and contribution to school and community. It is our mission to collect nominations from the community to award a teacher who has dedicated their time and effort to making a difference in their student’s lives through their academic guidance and encouragement.”

HPCF 2024 Golden Apple Award nominations will be accepted for full-time teachers currently working at Highland Park High School. Community members – students, parents, colleagues, and administrators – may submit nominations. Nominations by family members and self-nominations will not, however, be accepted. To nominate an educator, please visit https://bit.ly/3PiLEJG.

L to R: 2023 HPCFGA Award Recipient Mirela Vesa with finalists Rachel Joseph, Meredith Rossman, and HPCFGA Committee Chair Sara Sher

“The Golden Apple Award is a wonderful opportunity to recognize and thank our high school teachers for the outstanding work they do,” said Jean Meadows, HPCF Board liaison to the HPCFGA Committee. “They create exciting, thoughtful, and engaging learning experiences for our diverse student population. And they build meaningful personal relationships with children and parents. Our teachers are such a valuable resource in our caring community.”

The HPCF Golden Apple Award honoree will receive a $2,000 honorarium, a $500 Apple Store gift card, and a Golden Apple statue. There will also be a celebration in recognition of the recipient at the high school, and they will be honored by the HPCF after the award presentation.

In order to be eligible for the award, the nominee must have completed four full years of teaching. Educators must also be committed to continue teaching in the Highland Park and Highwood community for at least two years and be part of the Golden Apple Selection Committee after receiving the HPCF Golden Apple Award. Nominations will be accepted until Wednesday, November 17, 2023, at 5:00 P.M.

Show your appreciation for the outstanding HPHS teachers who have positively impacted their students by submitting one or more nominations today! For more information or questions regarding the HPCF Golden Apple Award, please contact Sara Sher at sarasher606@gmail.com.