On Thursday, March 15, the Crystal Apple Awards will celebrate its 20th anniversary recognizing excellence in education. Nine outstanding educators from local public school districts will join the ranks of the prestigious Crystal Apple winners during the ceremony, taking place from 4:30-6:30 PM at the Professional Development Center at Educational Service District 123 in Pasco.
The Crystal Apple award program began in 1999 with the goal to honor just a few of the many wonderful classroom teachers across our public schools. The nine 2018 Crystal Apple winners now brings the total number of awarded teachers to 228 since the program’s inception. This annual recognition of outstanding educators in our communities is only possible through generous contributions from community organizations, businesses, and service groups who sponsor the ceremony both monetarily and through gifts to the recipients. Thanks to these charitable organizations, each Crystal Apple winner is presented with a beautiful glass “crystal apple,” gift certificates to local sporting events and dining, and a $1,000 check. (The teachers have already been informed of their awards. See the attached list of 2018 Crystal Apple winners.)
Superintendents from the nine represented districts (Columbia-Burbank, Finley, Kennewick, Kiona-Benton, North Franklin, Othello, Pasco, Prosser, and Richland) will present the gifts to each winner at the March 15 ceremony. At the close of the presentation, a “Special Achievement Award” will be presented as a surprise to one winner for his or her outstanding and sustained contributions to education across the region. (This person does not know of the award beforehand but will be present in the audience.)
The public is encouraged to attend the celebratory event on Thursday, March 15, beginning promptly at 4:30 PM in the ESD 123 Professional Development Center, located at 3924 W Court St in Pasco. For more information, contact Molly Curtiss at 509.544.5787 or mcurtiss@esd123.org.
2018 Crystal Apple Winners
Jimalee Custer
Columbia School District – Columbia High School
9th-12th Grade Guidance Counselor
Kris Mars
Kennewick School District – Hawthorne Elementary School
3rd Grade
Paula Laing
Othello School District – Scootney Springs Elementary School
Kindergarten
Rachael Morgan
Richland School District – Hanford High School
9th-12th Grade German 1-4 and AVID
Peggy Layman
Finley School District – River View High School
6th-12th Grade Librarian and Online Learning Specialist
Mary Ann Parra
Pasco School District – Robert Frost Elementary School
K-6th Grade Resource Room
Julie Legard
Prosser School District – Keene Riverview Elementary School
K-2nd Grade
Kim Tanner
North Franklin School District – Olds Junior High School
8th Grade Language Arts
Maria Weakley
Kiona-Benton School District – Kiona-Benton Intermediate School
4th Grade
