By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
Get our mobile app
ROCKFORD — There was a moment Thursday where Molly Kettelhut felt her efforts in the classroom where truly appreciated, and it came just a couple minutes after the shock and tears faded from the surprise of receiving a prestigious Golden Apple Award.
After the presentation, one of her seventh grade students at Galapagos Rockford Charter School embraced her with a congratulatory hug. Then another did. And another. Soon she was swarmed by nearly the entire class as she clutched her Golden Apple in one hand and wrapped her other arm around her students.
“It tells me that I’m doing my job right and they feel loved and safe in this room,” Kettelhut said. “I work really hard to foster a classroom that the kids feel loved, the kids feel safe, the kids feel like they can be their authentic selves to me.”
More positive news: Yash Musabji shows the shine and the grind as he works to elevate Rockford’s music scene
Similar moments filled with emotion and surprise played out across six classrooms in Boone and Winnebago counties on Thursday during the annual presentations of the Golden Apple Award for teaching excellence.
Kettelhut was honored along with Leann Burmeister-Juliano of Belvidere North High School, Alex Hartz of Hononegah High School, Cara Wolfe of Flinn Middle School, Yuri Moctezuma of Belvidere South Middle School and Michael Davis of Kennedy Middle School.
“I am feeling absolute, complete joy,” Wolfe said after being surprised in her eighth grade classroom. “I am on cloud nine with so much joy and happiness in my heart. I have an amazing job and this just solidifies that.”
The Golden Apple Foundation of Rockford gathers family members and friends of teachers in secret and brings them to classrooms for the surprise presentations. It’s the culmination of a process that started in September with a record 1,400 nominations. That list was whittled down to 20 finalists.
Kettelhut was surprised by her father, Eric, and stepmother, Louisa Elder, and her 14-year-old twin sisters Anabelle and Elisa, who all came to her classroom from Northbrook.
Wolfe’s parents, Randy and Linn Carter, were there for the presentation along with her husband and their two children, Violet, 1, and Juliette, 3. She thanked her family and her students, saying the award was as much theirs as hers.
“I remember seeing the Golden Apple for the first time in middle school when I had a Golden Apple teacher, and I just knew that was going to be a goal of mine one day,” Wolfe said. “To be not even 10 years into my teaching career and achieving this goal just means the absolute world to me.”
More news: New Sattva Yoga Spa sets out to be a Rockford neighborhood wellness escape
The volunteer-driven Golden Apple Foundation has presented awards here since 1997, initially only to Rockford Public Schools teachers before expanding it to 150 public and private schools in the two counties.
Winners receive a $1,000 stipend, free professional development through the Regional Office of Education and, of course, the Golden Apple trophy.
“They work so hard and it’s just so rewarding to see them thank and appreciated,” said Jennifer Stark, executive director of the foundation. “It can be a thankless job, and this is our way of making sure that they know that we appreciate them and that they’re vital to our community and to these students.”
About the winners
Here’s a look at this year’s winners, along with background information about them provided by the Golden Apple Foundation.
Leann Burmeister-Juliano | Belvidere North High School
About: Leann Burmeister-Juliano of Loves Park has taught English at Belvidere North High School the past three of her 15 years of teaching. She has a master’s degree in differentiated instruction.
“Continuous professional development is something I am committed to, as the methods of yesterday don’t meet the needs of today,” she told the Gold Apple Foundation.
What others say about her:
“The impact of her teaching is perhaps most evident in the success of students who, under her guidance, have flourished academically and personally,” Principal Jim Friesema said. “Even students in English 11 who have previously struggled in the subject are not only showing up every day, but are also finding success in her class – a testament to her ability to inspire and guide her students to reach their full potential.”
A classroom observer wrote that Burmeister-Juliano provided “a genuinely excellent class experience where observers could witness ‘lightbulb moments’ as students related to the material.”
Alex Hartz | Hononegah High School
About: Alex Hartz of Rockton has taught math for 15 years at Hononegah High School.
What others say about him:
A student nominator wrote:
“Mr. Hartz creates an environment in his classroom where learning calculus is fun. Every time I’d heard people talking about Calculus, it was always in a negative manner that painted the subject as one that’s flat out terrible. In Mr. Hartz’s class, though, he would start every lesson by making the title of the lesson into something hilarious so that it wasn’t as daunting. My favorite was the lesson on ‘continuity’ that he changed to ‘contimooity,’ and featured an elongated cow. He also has creative ways to explain derivative rules that help us understand instead of just memorize. My brother, who is a college math tutor, was helping a girl in Calculus 101 who was struggling to understand derivative rules so he used Mr. Hartz’s methods. Finally, after three tutors, she understood. Both my brother and I are very grateful to have been his students.”
Molly Kettelhut | Galapagos Rockford Charter School
About: Molly Kettelhut of Rockford teaches seventh grade English language arts and social studies at Galapagos Rockford Charter School. She has been a teacher for seven years, including the past five at Galapagos.
“The support that I provide to my scholars is lifelong, not just for one year,” she told Golden Apple Foundation.
What others say about her:
A student nominator wrote that Kettelhut “gave me the courage and the mindset to try my hardest and to push and achieve my goal.
“She made me believe in myself and have confidence in the person I am and come to be. I never knew another human being can have a huge impact on me as a person and encourage me as much as she does. I’m in high school and this lady still has an impact on me. I get all A’s and I believe it’s because of her, because I got all bad grades until her fifth grade classroom.”
Cara Wolfe | Flinn Middle Schoool
About: Cara Wolfe of Rockford has taught eighth grade English language arts at Flinn Middle School the past three of her nine years of teaching.
What others say about her:
A student nominator wrote Wolfe “is a daily source of joy for everyone around her.”
Wolf’s teaching partner Aubrey Barnett, who was also a Golden Apple Award finalist, wrote that Wolf “goes above and beyond to support any student in need. Her genuine concern for every student is reflected in the affection her students hold for her.”
Yuri Moctezuma | Belvidere South Middle School
About: Yuri Moctezuma of Rockford has been a teacher for 10 years, including teaching social studies at Belvidere South Middle School for the past two years.
What others say about here:
Moctezuma was praised for her commitment to bilingual education and her ability to seamlessly transition between teaching in English and Spanish.
Principal Ben Commare told the Golden Apple Foundation that she “embodies the essence of an extraordinary educator, creating an engaging and inclusive learning atmosphere.”
A former student’s mother said “she collaborates with other teachers to support students’ reading, writing and executive functioning skills in addition to her social studies curriculum. This truly shows that she considers the whole child, not just the child that is in her classroom once a day.”
Michael Davis | Kennedy Middle School
About: Michael Davis of Rockford has been teaching special education at Kennedy Middle School for the past 10 years. He has been teaching for 26 years.
He says his classroom is “an empathetic zone where students are free to make mistakes, learn from them and develop their potential, all accompanied by joy and laughter.”
What others say about him:
A classroom observer said Davis put on “a master class in positive behavioral intervention strategies.”
The staff member who nominated him wrote, “Mike Davis … treats the kids so good and helps them so much. He gets so excited to teach them new things …. I’m glad the kids have him as a teacher.”
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas