Neuqua Valley High School teacher Gillian Schneider was one of the 30 Illinois educators honored at the Q Center in St. Charles on Saturday for being a Golden Apple Award finalist for excellence in teaching.
Schneider has been an educator for more than 24 years and currently teaches English and creative writing to students in grades 10 through 12. She also oversees the Interdisciplinary American Society Block at Neuqua.
A passion for teaching and student development
According to a news release from the Golden Apple Foundation, Schneider creates supportive learning environments for students to improve their writing, while emphasizing its importance as a skill and creative outlet.
She is also among those working to develop a district-wide dual-credit English curriculum for Indian Prairie School District 204 to improve college readiness for students. Furthermore, Schneider revamped her school’s student literary magazine, helping to establish it as a nationally recognized publication.
Golden Apple Award winners to be announced this spring
Winners of the Golden Apple Award will be announced later this spring and will receive a $5,000 cash award. They will also receive a spring sabbatical, provided by Northwestern University.
Winners will become fellows of the Golden Apple Academy of Educators, a group that works to help grow the next generation of educators in the Golden Apple Scholars and Accelerators programs.
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