Golden Apple Awards To Help Harford Co.Teachers Incorporate Innovative Ideas In Classrooms

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — A handful of Harford County teachers have been honored with a Golden Apple Award, which provides them with grants to help further innovation in their classrooms and schoolwide to enhance learning.

Freedom Federal Credit Union honored 10 local educators at its 14th annual Golden Apple Awards reception held in Joppa last week. Established in 2011, the Golden Apple Award recognizes and supports teachers from Harford and Baltimore counties, as well as educators from Baltimore City.

The top $2,000 awards went to educators using podcasting technology to give students new ways to learn and lead. Tara Recor of Prospect Mill and Emmorton elementary schools in Harford County will implement podcast-powered “learning walks,” blending physical activity with academic enrichment.

At the $1,000 level, educators are focusing on STEM innovation and sustainability. Mike Homishak of Aberdeen High School in Harford County gained support for his two newly launched electives in bacteriology and zoology, allowing students to experience college-level science in high school. At Edgewood Elementary, Lisa Brown will create both a mobile Makerspace cart and a permanent media center station, bringing hands-on STEM to every student in her school.

The $500 awardees are tackling innovative ways to support the whole child and connect learning beyond the classroom. Melissa Berardelli of C. Milton Wright High School in Harford County will bebridging algebra with the real world, using motion analysis and data science to show the power of math in everyday life. At Hall’s Cross Roads Elementary in Harford County, Lindsey Gilmour will be creating take-home learning kits to empower IEP students and strengthen school-to-home partnerships. At Patterson Mill High School, Michelle Curry will be building a more tactile and engaging pre-school space where her students can gain hands-on experience in early childhood education.

“Each of these educators has taken a bold idea and transformed it into an opportunity to inspire, empower, and support their students,” said Mike MacPherson, president and CEO of Freedom Federal Credit Union. “For 14 years, the Golden Apple Awards have been a way to give back to the people who dedicate their lives to shaping our communities’ future, and we are proud to continue growing this program.”