This year, three teachers from FHS were nominated for the Golden Apple Award. The teachers nominated were Mr. Ed Majors, Ms. Katie Gigl and Ms. Ruthanne Gudzan. On Friday, April 24, Mrs. Linda Keener and Officer Tom Liberty pulled the teachers from their classrooms and told them they needed to report to the lunchroom.

“I was terrified, [Mrs. Keener] didn’t tell us where we were going, she just said come with me right now,” Gudzan said. Once the teachers got to the lunchroom, they were handed a certificate and told that they were nominated for the Golden Apple Award in front of all the students in A lunch.

The Golden Apple Award is something given to teachers who are very devoted to their job. Nominees must really care about students and want to give them the best education possible.

“It is for teachers who are dedicated to their profession and who stand out,” Gudzan said.

These three teachers were chosen to be nominated by the administration, as well as the members of PAC.

“It means a lot knowing that I was nominated by the administration, that they thought enough of me to nominate me,” Majors said.

The administration had to write, for each teacher, a letter of recommendation in order to be nominated for the award. Then the choice was up to the organization behind the Golden Apple Award to decide who would win.

This award, sponsored by The Prevention Network and CLASS Academy, wants to recognize teachers who possess four qualities: dedication to students, school spirit, positive influence on colleagues and some trait that makes them unique. They looked for recommendations in grades K-4, 5-8 and 9-12 that demonstrate all of those qualities.

Not only were teachers from the high school nominated, but so were teachers from Freedom’s middle and elementary schools.

“Each school nominated three elementary, three middle school and three high school [teachers],” Gigl said.

The ceremony to announce the winners was held on Wednesday, May 13. The celebration was held at the Prevention Network building in Baden and nominees were served orderves for their accomplishment. None of the high school teachers won, but they were all very honored to have received the nomination.

“It’s phenomenal. I’m super honored and it’s easily one of the biggest compliments I’ll receive in my lifetime,” Gigl said.

“All of the hard work and tears that I’ve put into everything I do is not going unnoticed so it’s nice to feel appreciated,” Gudzan said.