Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - January 23, 2004
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Gov. Gary Locke Presents 2003 Golden Apple Awards to Educators

SEATTLE – Jan. 23, 2004 – Gov. Gary Locke presented the annual KCTS Golden Apple Awards to Washington state educators this evening in Seattle.

“It has been said ‘The mediocre teacher tells, the good teacher explains, the superior teacher demonstrates, and the great teacher inspires,’” Locke said. “It is clear to me tonight that we are in the presence of greatness.

“To all of the educators we honor here tonight – congratulations, and thank you for inspiring our children. Great teachers are the soul of an enlightened society. We entrust in them the most precious thing we know in life – our children.”

KCTS Television sponsors the awards with funding from PEMCO Insurance. The goal is to recognize outstanding individuals and programs making a difference in Washington state schools. Each winner is recognized with a Golden Apple statuette. Each of the individual winners receives $250, and each of the winning programs receives $500. PEMCO Insurance also awards each Golden Apple recipient a $1,500 grant to support work in their classroom, school or program.

In May 2003, KCTS invited students, parents, teachers and community members to nominate individuals and programs epitomizing excellence in education in public and private schools across the state. The station received more than 130 nominations for this year’s Golden Apple Awards.

A panel made up of representatives of the Washington State PTA, the Seattle School District, Western Washington University, the Alliance for Education, the Snohomish School District, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), the Washington Education Association and the Issaquah School District evaluated the nominees. Seven educators and three school programs were honored.

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Editor’s Note: A list of the 2003 Golden Apple winners is attached.




2003 Golden Apple Award Winners

Individuals
· Jeffrey Charbonneau, science teacher, Zillah High School
· Darice Johnson, teacher, African American Academy (K-8), Seattle School District
· Judy Kawabori, teacher of English, social studies and Japanese, Meadowdale Middle
School, Edmonds School District
· Diann Lavik, principal, Franklin Elementary, Port Angeles School District
· Lisa Queen, first-/second-grade teacher, Hood Canal School, Hood Canal School
District
· Jay Wiley, science teacher, Gig Harbor High School, Peninsula School District

Programs
· Cascade Discovery Program, Cascade School District
· Family Involvement Center, Tacoma School District
· Hanford High School-Middle School Drama Program, Richland School District

Stanley O. McNaughton Golden Apple Award
· Marja Brandon, head of school, Seattle Girls’ School



























2003 Golden Apple Awards – Winners’ Profiles

Individuals

Jeffrey Charbonneau
Science teacher, Zillah High School, Zillah
With new ideas and a natural enthusiasm for the subject, Jeffrey Charbonneau has revitalized the science department in a small school facing financial challenges. He helps students believe in themselves and gives them the tools they need in order to succeed. In addition to securing donations of biotechnology equipment from private industry, Charbonneau has obtained grants for technology, computers, software and science equipment to enhance his students’ learning experience. A prime example of his efforts is Project CROAK, which provides students with experience using technology to conduct field-based research into the biodiversity and ecology of amphibians in the Zillah area. Project CROAK has brought significant income to the school through two grants and has led to increased community involvement. Continually going beyond the norm, Charbonneau volunteered part of his summer vacation time to remodel the science classroom and, at his own expense and on his own time, created a Web site to keep students and parents informed about ZHS’ science program. He has further enhanced the learning experience by launching a science club whose growing membership provides ample evidence of the enthusiasm for science that he has instilled in ZHS students.

Darice Johnson
Teacher, African American Academy, Seattle School District
In her classroom community, Darice Johnson and her students live by two sayings: “Stand up for what is right, even if you are standing alone” and “The dictionary is the only place where success comes before work.” Johnson uses a variety of teaching strategies to help nurture her students’ sense of personal and social responsibility and to help them achieve success – from an “Honesty Chair” that encourages them to share feelings and explore solutions to challenges, to a basketball hoop at which they line up to test vocabulary learning. Leading through example, Johnson goes above and beyond her regular classroom schedule with activities that include coordinating the Yearbook Crew in the Academy’s after-school program and teaching in Seattle’s Rainier Scholars program for academically gifted students of color. After spending a month studying in South Africa under a Fulbright grant, Johnson returned home vowing that she would touch the life of every one of her students in a meaningful way and that “not having” would not be an excuse for not learning. Johnson believes in using every challenge as an opportunity for learning and every success as a means of celebrating a transformed and enlightened person who will become a responsible member of the community – a belief she lives every day in her classroom.


Judy Kawabori
Teacher of English/Social Studies/Japanese, Meadowdale Middle School, Edmonds School District
Judy Kawabori’s goal is to teach children as individuals and to nurture in them the knowledge, skills, expertise and passions that will make them whole people. Kawabori enriches the prescribed social studies and English curricula by connecting the real world to her classes’ daily work. For her “Famous Person Project,” students research the life of a well-known person they admire, write an “autobiography” and “become” that individual for a 15-minute presentation. Kawabori also has introduced a Culture Fair project in which students research their family trees, a debate program that has become a district competition, and a Model United Nations. During the 2002-03 school year, Judy brought the American Ideals Oratory Competition to her school as a means of providing students with an opportunity to develop the intrinsic self-esteem that is only attained through measured success. Two years ago, Judy introduced the school’s only foreign language course – a Japanese language class that was so successful it became a full-year course for which 8th-grade students receive a year of high school credit. In her classes, Judy sets high standards, maintains high expectations, and constantly reminds her students that they are capable of greatness.

Diann Lavik
Principal, Franklin Elementary, Port Angeles School District
Diann Lavik is an active participant in every phase of the daily routine at Franklin Elementary, from major events to small details. She knows every student by name and has introduced a variety of innovative programs to motivate them through positive experiences. Each week, she invites writing and math students to her office to share and celebrate their special moments of achievement over treats such as pizza that she buys with her own money. Each trimester, a recognition assembly celebrates students in all classrooms; by year’s end, every student in the school has been recognized as outstanding in a designated area. Lavik instills awareness of the larger community by encouraging students and staff to “think outside of self.” Franklin students have participated in many selfless activities – from making quilts for orphans in Bolivia and collecting money for children in Afghanistan to gathering food for the hungry and serving as caring companions to the residents of a local convalescent center. Through her tireless and innovative efforts, Lavik has molded her school into a multi-dimensional learning community that reflects her philosophy of “putting children first.”

Lisa Queen
First-/Second-Grade Teacher, Hood Canal School, Hood Canal School District
Lisa Queen combines respect for each child in her class with seriousness of purpose and high expectations. Working at a small K-8 school in a rural district affected by a high poverty rate, Queen has found a variety of creative ways to embrace and engage the diversity of her students and their families – from bringing a Native American reading curriculum to life with a potlatch that transformed the school cafeteria into the shores of Hood Canal to staging a performance of African tales complete with costumes and elaborate sets. She initiated a first-grade after-school tutoring program in reading that is now offered at all grade levels and also serves as a “Young Authors” advisor, working with students in grades 1-8 to produce two yearly publications and events that have included a “poetry slam” complete with back-up musicians. Queen’s generous spirit has touched many in the community. She serves as a volunteer translator for Spanish-speaking parents when needed, and with her own money, she has funded scholarships for former students who have graduated from high school. Consistently promoting high ideals, community caring and quality teaching, Queen goes well beyond the norm in her efforts to improve public education and the lives of her students.

Jay Wiley
Science Teacher, Gig Harbor High School, Peninsula School District
For more than 20 years, Jay Wiley’s professional goal has been to dramatically increase the number of students who have access to courses in chemistry and physics. Jay has focused on correcting the misconception that these courses are only for the “intellectual elite” and has spearheaded a movement to reach out to a greater portion of the student population. As a result, Gig Harbor High School has significantly expanded its science program, more than quadrupling the number of chemistry and physics sections offered. In his classes, Wiley provides hands-on learning opportunities through engaging labs and demonstrations. He also brings local engineers, doctors and pharmacists into his classroom to demonstrate how science is used in everyday life and to introduce students to career opportunities. Working with the school’s Special Education department, Wiley has helped students with special needs in science courses become excited about learning chemistry and physics. For the past three years, more than 80 percent of the students in Wiley’s advanced placement physics course have passed the AP exam, as compared with the national average of 60 percent. Several of his former students have pursued careers in science, medicine and education. Wiley employs powerful teaching practices that stay with students long after their graduation from high school.

Programs

Cascade Discovery Program
Cascade School District
Located on the grounds of the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery, Cascade High School’s Cascade Discovery Program (CDP) meets a variety of student learning needs while fostering a sense of self-esteem and teamwork. The result of a partnership between the Cascade School District and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, this alternative education program provides unique opportunities to study, work, explore and research within a living indoor and outdoor laboratory. Students put their studies in English, math and science into practice with meaningful, hands-on experiences such as studying natural habitats and evaluating water quality. Hatchery neighbors such as the Wenatchee National Forest and Alpine Lakes Wilderness, as well as numerous area businesses and mentors from a variety of fields, provide diverse real-world learning options. Individualized learning plans offer every student an opportunity to excel. CDP students who have struggled in traditional classroom settings often demonstrate higher degrees of success, and the program has helped reduce Cascade High School’s dropout rate by half. Cascade Discovery Program makes learning meaningful and encourages success by narrowing the gap between theory and practice. The program goes beyond the traditional high school curriculum to set a new standard for rich learning experiences.

Family Involvement Center
Tacoma School District
Tacoma Public Schools’ Family Involvement Center (FIC) is a one-of-a-kind facility that provides essential services to the school district’s students and their parents. The FIC helps the district achieve its three primary goals - increasing parent involvement, promoting higher student achievement and increasing attendance in school – through a variety of activities and services. Each August, the center helps students start school ready to learn by distributing free donated school supplies and gently used clothing. The FIC offers free parenting workshops on subjects including special-needs issues, sibling rivalry, how to talk to kids, math and reading. The center also contributes to the safety and welfare of the district’s children by providing a central location for background checks on volunteers who will be working with them. As a measure of its success, since the FIC was established in 1994, the number of families using its services has increased by 25 percent each year. Family is at the heart of all the FIC does and includes all who care about students in the Tacoma School District. The FIC family includes more than 10,000 parents, business, college, high school, community and senior citizen volunteers who are involved in its district programs.

Hanford High School-Middle School Drama Program
Richland School District
Sharing the same campus, Hanford High School and Hanford Middle School maintain a joint drama program that is aimed at allowing students to excel and to grow into creative, confident, industrious, group-minded adults. Parents and other adult volunteers join faculty in working with the schools’ drama students, and a parent drama booster organization raises funds throughout the year to support scholarships and activities such as field trips. Through the program, students find their talents, learning how to perform on stage and how to use advanced technologies in lighting, sound and stage design. The results are impressive: Last spring, the 5th Avenue High School Musical Theatre Awards sponsored by Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre recognized Hanford High School’s production of Les Miserables with nine nominations and an award for Best Light Design. Students’ learning is enriched through the selection of plays that allow them to explore different lands and cultures and important social and historical themes. The Hanford High School-Middle School Drama Program provides students with learning experiences that take them far beyond the mid-Columbia region.

Stanley O. McNaughton Golden Apple Award

Marja Brandon
Head of School, Seattle Girls’ School
The mission of Seattle Girls’ School is to empower middle school girls to think critically and seek creative solutions to real-world problems. The school provides a challenging academic environment that highlights science, math, and technology, embraces diversity and promotes collaboration, integrated learning and respect for all. Marja Brandon has been the central visionary in the creation of Seattle Girls’ School. Marja has built a hands-on, project-oriented curriculum based on the latest brain research, providing exceptional opportunities for students to excel by using their learning as they acquire it. Because of the many different ways students can demonstrate accomplishment – through writing, test-taking, building and inventing – students with many different learning styles experience success, which fosters self-confidence and spurs them to more ambitious goal-setting. Students learn to take charge of their education, and the results are powerful. At Seattle Girls’ School, Marja has created a revolutionary teaching model – a vibrant and diverse learning community that emphasizes respect and empowerment for all, and in which each student can excel.

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