Quality education starts with quality teachers. And the Golden Apple Award honors the very best teachers in the Chicago area each year. Lt. Governor Quinn is familar with Golden Apple, as his younger brother John won the award as a U.S. history teacher in 1992. Quinn was honored to present Sandy Noel with the 2006 Golden Apple Award. Noel is a physical education teacher at Hatch Elementary School in Oak Park. She integrates nutrition, dance and brain research in her curriculum to engage her students in healthy lifestyles. Like the other nine winners of the 2006 Golden Apple Award, Noel received a tuition-free fall-term sabbatical at Northwestern University, a personal computer and induction into the Golden Apple Academy, which now includes 200 expert teachers. As part of her sabbatical, Noel created the curriculum guide for the Walk Across Illinois School Fitness Program. |