Neuqua Valley High School Teacher Chosen Apple Award Finalist

NAPERVILLE, IL — A Neuqua Valley High School English teachers is among 30 finalists for the coveted Golden Apple Awards for excellence in teaching and could be surprised this spring as a recipient of the award, the Illinois-based not for profit organization announced on Tuesday.

Laura Dabezic is among the finalists after the creative educator who has a habit of turning "motley crews" of students into "a fierce group of writing superstars" was recognized as a finalist for the honor, the Golden Apple Award organization said in a news release announcing the finalists.

After six months of learning under her watch, Dabezic's Neuqua Valley students are capable of "taking down any argumentative or rhetoric-based question that arises on their AP test," the organization said in a the news release.

"With her signature legal pad at hand, Dabezic starts each school year by assigning prompts from the previous year’s national AP English test, and takes notes on what students already know about composing a well-crafted argumentative essay," the release said. "Instead of grading these essays (Dabezic doesn’t believe in grading skills that haven’t yet been taught), the papers are collected as “evidence” to gauge where her new class is at, and which gaps need to be filled. The result pays off two-fold when — just before the end of the course — students are presented once again with their original essays.

Dabezic says nothing bolsters her students’ confidence quite like seeing how far they’ve come, the not-for-profit organization said.

The Golden Apple finalists were chosen after a highly competitive process that resulted in the naming of the 30 finalists who are all 9th-12th grade teachers.

“These last two years have truly taken a toll on teachers, staff, families, and students,” Alan Mather, president of Golden Apple said in the news release. “While great teachers have always been impactful, this is particularly true during this past year, where these finalists have demonstrated the commitment to providing ongoing support and high-quality instruction to their students and we are proud to honor them.”

The Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching honor outstanding teachers for having lasting, positive effects on students’ lives and school communities, the release said. Teacher finalists demonstrate, through their teaching and results, significant, positive impact on their students’ growth and learning.

The 2022 Golden Apple Award recipients will be surprised in the spring and Northwestern University provides a spring sabbatical to award recipients at no cost. Each recipient receives a $5,000 cash award, the release said.

Award recipients become Fellows of the Golden Apple Academy of Educators, a community of educators who play an important role in preparing the next generation of teachers in the Golden Apple Scholars and Accelerators programs which are dedicated to addressing the teacher shortage in Illinois, the organization said.

“Teachers —like these finalists — are in high demand across our state and country,” Alicia Winckler, CEO of Golden Apple said in the release. “The Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching recognizes and elevates this critical profession. With a growing teacher shortage, we need more highly effective teachers to positively impact the lives of students in all of our communities.”