Each year the Golden Apple Foundation honors 11 educators around Illinois with their Award for Excellence in Teaching. This year they honored Karen Englemann of Cobden Junior-Senior High School.
The students and staff of Cobden Junior-senior high school filled the gym with cheers as family and consumer sciences teacher Karen Englemann walked in to a surprise assembly waiting to award her the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching.
The honor comes with a $5 thousand dollar award and a semester sabbatical at Northwestern university. Alan Mather is the president of the Golden Apple Foundation. He says Englemann set herself apart by preparing her students for life beyond the halls of Cobden High School, "Part of what we heard over and over from parents and students is that she prepares students for what life is goin to be like. It could range from things like balancing an account or what was going to happen on a job interview."
The foundation received 470 nominations from around the state last fall for the award. Nominations can come from the community, students, or staff. She received a nomination from one of her students. In addition to teaching family and consumer sciences, she coordinates the school's homebound education program, is involved in the spring play, and leads the Future Teachers program mentoring aspiring teachers.
Englemann says earning the award was a rigorous process. Once she was nominated, she filled out an application. From there, she made it through two review rounds becoming one of 30 finalists. The Golden Apple Foundation visited Cobden to observe her in the classroom and talk to students, staff members and parents.
While she was nervous about the process, Englemann says she just focused on being herself, "I have a lot of different things going on that I do. A lot of activities, clubs, and organizations that I sponsor. I had to go through and just have fun teaching every day. If Golden Apple likes it they do, and if they don't, they don't. I can't go and change who I am."
Cobden Superintendent, Edwin Shoemate says Englemann's work is inspirational for her students, "We've had several students who've graduated and come back to do their student teaching with her. You've had students who've had a great experience with her and have come saying they want to teach under you."
Englemann says she couldn't accomplish this alone saying she's proud of the work that they accomplish at Cobden, "The culture here is just amazing. We have really supportive families and students. When I get an idea of something I want to try, they're like, 'OK! Let's go?'"
Mather with the Golden Apple Foundation says everything she does adds up to make the students' lives better, "She has an impact on this community far beyond graduation. And that's what we need to honor."
The student cheering and support seems to show that's something the students of Cobden knew even before she won the award.
