Kristen Mitchell, who has taught kindergarteners the last 10 years at Evanston’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Literary and Fine Arts School, is one of 30 finalists for the 2018 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Only five percent of the 650 nominees, comprised of kindergarten through third grade teachers in the Chicago area, have been selected as finalists for this spring’s award.
The 30 finalists will experience a final round of review and classroom observations before 10 are selected to receive the coveted award. All the finalists will be recognized at the Celebration of Excellence this Saturday at the Hilton Rosemont Chicago O’Hare.
Each Golden Apple Award recipient receives a tuition-free, spring quarter sabbatical to study at Northwestern University. Each recipient also receives a $5,000 cash award and becomes a Fellow of the Golden Apple Academy of Educators, giving them a stronger voice and a larger stage from which to make a difference in education within Illinois and nationally.
Evanston/Skokie School District 65 Superintendent Paul Goren said Mitchell is ““a tremendous teacher who has dedicated her career to educating and inspiring our youngest learners. She is truly deserving of this honor.”