ROCKFORD, IL — Teachers walked a red carpet, laughed beneath crystal chandeliers and dined on black table cloths as Rockford’s education community gathered to celebrate the best of the best in education.
Nearly 380 guests toasted Golden Apple Teacher Award finalists and winners and other honorees April 24 during the Golden Apple Foundation’s 2026 Excellence in Education banquet at Rockford’s Tebala Event Center.
Jennifer Stark, executive director of the Golden Apple Foundation of Rockford, said area teachers persevered through difficult times this school year.
“But still they showed up,” Stark said. “They remained student-centered, flexible and committed to excellence. That’s what heroism in education looks like.”
The foundation honored the 20 finalists for the prestigious Golden Apple Teacher Award, the six award recipients and an outstanding principal.
The six Golden Apple Teacher Award winners were: Hayley Gotzsche, a choir and theater teacher at Willowbrook Middle School in South Beloit; Kelsey Zammuto, science teacher at Hononegah High School; Chelsea Spinello-Johnson, the Thurgood Marshall School teacher who is the first librarian to win the award; Shawna Sterling, a science teacher at Harlem Middle School; Bryce Thomas, a history teacher at Guilford High School; and Katie Volk, an English teacher at Rockford Christian School.
Dorothy Simon Elementary School Principal Heather Baker was recognized as the 2026 Golden Apple Outstanding Principal.
And Rockford Barbell Executive Director Elliot Ganet, a former special education teacher, received the Jan Jones Service Award for his dedication to helping students of all abilities overcome life’s challenges and cope with traumatic experiences.
Gotzsche told the audience that educators have the daunting responsibility to be a powerful guide in the lives of students.
“I want them to not be a bystander in this chaotic, multifaceted, sometimes painful, sometimes terrifying, always beautiful life, but have the bravery to feel every bit of it, good and bad, and know they lived a full life through self expression,” Gotzsche said.
Jeff Kolkey writes about government, economic development and other issues for the Rockford Register Star. He can be reached via email at jkolkey@rrstar.com and on X @jeffkolkey.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Elite educators honored at Rockford area Golden Apple banquet
Reporting by Jeff Kolkey, Rockford Register Star / Rockford Register Star
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