2012 Golden Apple Nominations

All nomination forms must be postmarked, emailed, or faxed by April 30, 2012.

2011 Golden Apple Awards TV Broadcast Dates

KCTS 9/Seattle and KYVE 47/Yakima
Sunday, April 8, 2012 at 3:00 p.m.
Monday, April 16, 2012 at noon

2011 Golden Apple Awards - Individual Winners

• Lary Barilleau, Hamilton International Middle School, Seattle
• Dan Brown, Okanogan High School, Okanogan
• Pamela Landoni, Hellen Haller Elementary, Sequim
• Beverly Mowrer, New Start High School, Burien
• Marcus Pimpleton, Denny-Sealth Music, Seattle
• Valerie Stensland, Dutch Hill Elementary, Snohomish
• George Thornton, Oroville High School, Oroville
• Jennifer Wiley, Franklin High School, Seattle

2011 Golden Apple Awards - Program Winners

• College Mentor Program, Wenatchee School District, Wenatchee
• Lincoln Center, Lincoln High School, Tacoma

2011 Golden Apple Schools of Excellence

• Garfield High School, Seattle
• Mercer Island High School, Mercer Island

More About the 2011 Winners

Lary Barilleau, Teacher, Hamilton International Middle School, Seattle
Lary Barilleau knows that a student who is active in the arts is a happy student. Called "an ambassador for the world" by one parent, Lary builds a community of creativity, diversity and inclusion through his international arts classes, teaching up to 500 students a day at every level of academic achievement. Through arts education, he teaches pride in one’s own culture and understanding and respect for each other's. Over the last seven years he's directed more than 30 cultural performances, brought more than two dozen resident artists from around the globe to Hamilton, and reflected his students' own diverse cultures through presentations and performances. "The connection to the arts helps strengthen my students' sense of worth and empathy for those around us," he says. "The arts enable my students to build creativity and community."

Dan Brown, Teacher, Okanogan High School, Okanogan
For twenty years, Dan Brown has merged his work as an educator and his experience as a professional artist to give his students at Okanogan High School a panoramic view of the art world beyond the classroom. Through his personal connections to the art community, students are able to apprentice with working artists to learn skills and techniques in a studio environment, and regularly explore art outside of school—in galleries, museums, foundries and art openings. In the classroom, Dan relies on a collaborative approach that draws on the skills, ideas and talents of his students. Their work is displayed throughout the community in places like the library and city hall; several have even shown and sold their work in local art galleries. "My favorite compliment is walking into the home of parents of a former student and seeing their art work displayed," he says.

Pamela Landoni, Elementary Professional Development Coordinator, Sequim School District, Sequim
One of the clearest testimonials to the impact a teacher can have is a former student coming back to say thank you. Pam Landoni has had many students return to say thanks. She worked to develop lifelong learners as a fourth-grade teacher at Helen Haller Elementary. She made her passion to teach clear to students on the first day of school and, as a result, test scores naturally improved. Now, after 28 years in the classroom, she’s teaching teachers. As Sequim School District’s first-ever Elementary Professional Development Coordinator, Pam helps educators find meaningful opportunities—acting as guide, mentor, coach and trainer to Sequim’s teachers to advance the educational aims of her district’s Student Learning Plan and increase achievement for all students. "I love education," she says. "There is always something to learn from colleagues and students."

Beverly Mowrer, Teacher, New Start High School, Burien
At Burien's alternative high school, Beverly Mowrer's students were once on the verge of dropping out. Some have been homeless or tangled in the legal system, many are financially stressed. For these young adults, finishing school can be the last thing on their mind. And yet, with the attitude that "teaching is not my job... it's my calling," she helps her students want to learn for themselves and earn a high-school diploma. She works tirelessly to involve the community in her mission, once organizing a trip aboard a 1917 wooden tall ship after which the crew was so impressed with the motivation and commitment of her students, they pulled together a 3-day excursion. Last year, her students won a King County Earth Hero Award for their work to remove invasive species and restore native plants to Salmon Creek Ravine near their school. "She goes above and beyond to motivate learners who otherwise have no place to go," says one colleague. "She cares for her students as though they are her family."

Marcus Pimpleton, Music Director, Denny Middle School/Chief Sealth High School, Seattle
Marcus Pimpleton is a passionate force for music education in Seattle schools. In multiple positions—with middle school, high school and university students and the All-City Band—he builds bridges and creates innovative opportunities for his students to learn about life, leadership, volunteering and community through music and performance. In the classroom, Pimpleton saw many middle school students put down their instruments as they made the transition to high school. Aware of the link between music study and academic achievement, he pushed for a chance to teach both the middle- and high-school bands. In two years, the high-school band has doubled in size. He has also run music camps during school breaks and has seen retention rates increase. "The most powerful learning that takes place in my classes is not musical," he says, "but the personal development that comes from students taking ownership."

Valerie Stensland, Kindergarten Teacher, Dutch Hill Elementary, Snohomish
Valerie Stensland believes “kindergarten should be where a child falls in love with learning,” but the fun educational environment she creates at Dutch Hill Elementary has more than just her students excited to come to school. A volunteer team of parents and grandparents comes in every week to contribute to a classroom atmosphere full of joyful interaction. Each month brings a new activity to highlight holiday and seasonal festivities: students learn to count using pumpkin seeds in October, then go a step further to collect and graph data on different sized pumpkins. In December, gingerbread men leave clues around the school to a puzzle that doesn’t get solved until June. "Not only has she inspired my children to be lifelong learners," says one parent. "She has inspired me to become a teacher.... she is an innovator of education who loves what she does and does all she can."

George Thornton, Teacher, Oroville High School, Oroville
Teaching at a small, remote school just miles from the Canada–U.S. border in Eastern Washington has its challenges, but George Thornton doesn’t let anything keep his students from having big learning experiences. Limited by geography but not by possibility, George uses interactive technology to connect Oroville to the world and give his students every chance at engaging learning opportunities. His students have learned about Afghan culture by holding the first Skype conversation with an all-girls school in Afghanistan and used Google Earth to better understand the homes of their peers across the world. Senior projects emphasize community service and study-abroad programs bring the world to a remote community of less than two thousand. Thanks to his work, students at Oroville High are increasingly open to the possibilities awaiting them in the wider world.

Jennifer Wiley, Principal, Franklin High School, Seattle
Jennifer Wiley believes in education as a tool to provide any individual access to a level playing field and the opportunity to prosper. As principal for eight years of a public high school serving the country’s most diverse zip code, she’s worked with staff to support "a campus free of second-class citizenship." In 2003, Franklin staff and community chose to de-track—doing away with an honors program for high-performing students only and allowing any student to aim for and achieve honors credit. Nearly nine in ten students from the class of 2009 reported heading to a two- or four-year college, and more than one in five graduating seniors were recently admitted to the University of Washington at a time of high admissions standards. Also a talented percussionist, Jennifer teaches a steel drum class for students with little or no music experience. "She can talk the kids’ language without trying to sound like them," says one colleague.

College Mentor Program, Wenatchee High School, Wenatchee
The value of higher education is well-established, but when you’re the first person in your family to go to college it can be hard to make that step alone. In 2003 , two staff members at Wenatchee High School saw this unmet need and created the College Mentor Program to support "first generation" students in their pursuit of a college education. Today, a team of nearly three dozen community volunteers including doctors, lawyers, college students and teachers works one-on-one with students to overcome barriers of language, income level and sometimes-overwhelming paperwork. The results: after eight years, scholarship amounts have soared and Wenatchee’s mentors have helped blaze a trail toward a college degree for more than 60 high school seniors.

Lincoln Center, Lincoln High School, Tacoma
More school after school? School on weekends? School in the summer? Lincoln Center says: yes, yes and yes. The accelerated learning program at Tacoma’s Lincoln High School adds 540 hours of learning time to the school year to help students catch up academically. After three years, Lincoln High School beats the district average for GPA across all student backgrounds, has outscored the other schools on the district math assessment, statistically eliminated the achievement gap at Lincoln Center and increased parental involvement compared to the rest of the school. Outside the classroom, Lincoln Center builds connections to the community, pairing students with clubs, organizations or athletic teams—connections that teach the importance of real world experiences and prepare students for life outside of high schools as they step toward higher education.

Garfield High School, Seattle
Seattle's Garfield High School is like no other high school in Washington State. Its central location, diverse student population, academic opportunities and expectations, clubs and student-centered focus make it not only a unique academic institution, but a top choice among students year after year. Garfield's excellence begins in the classroom and extends to a variety of assessments including the High School Proficiency Exam, End of Course Exams and college preparation exams such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test. Students aspire to be challenged and succeed in academic advancement through the rigorous programs and activities offered at Garfield. The school has the largest and most successful Advanced Placement program around, offering 15 AP courses and 15 Honors courses spanning the arts, sciences and humanities, including three language courses that four out of five students enroll in. Most notably, however, is Garfield's outstanding music education program, which attracts gifted young musicians from across the city and state. The school's nationally recognized jazz band has won every major competition on the West coast and took home first place awards in the Essentially Ellington National Jazz Band Competition and Festival at New York's Lincoln Center in 2009 and 2010.

Mercer Island High School, Mercer Island
At Mercer Island High School, students are challenged by educational activities and experiences that encourage them to reach their individual potential. From A.P. classes to extracurricular activities, Mercer Island High School provides programs that directly impact student achievement. One example is BRIDGES, the school's student and advisory leadership program. This program helps build positive relationships throughout the school, representing cross-grade membership led by trained junior or senior student leaders and a staff advisor. Lessons include discussions of health and social issues, Culminating Project guidance and more. "The program was founded in 2004, at a time when the whole country was reeling from the shock of Columbine and violence in American schools," says Dean of Students Jamie Prescott. "It was also our firm belief that much of the high school experience is about acceptance, friendship and building confidence." Through programs like BRIDGES, Mercer Island High School is realizing its vision to provide a respectful, healthy and supportive learning community committed to preparing students for the future.