TD Teachers, Staff receive 2022 Golden Apple awards

From North Wasco County Education Foundation:

In 2021, the North Wasco County Education Foundation launched a new program to recognize and reward exceptional staff and volunteers in the D21 school district. Similar to other teacher award programs around the country, the Foundation calls them the Golden Apple Awards. Not only are the staff and volunteers recognized for their efforts, the winners also receive a $500 cash award. Four winners are chosen each year from a very qualified pool of nominees.

This year the Foundation received 50 nominations from fellow educators, supervisors, parents, and others in the community. A sub-committee of Foundation board members review all of the nominations and then meets to select the winners each year. Two teachers were selected, one classified/support staff person, and one person from the other category (administration, department head or volunteer). The Foundation is delighted to announce the winners of the 2022 Golden Apple Awards below. 

Wesley Mitchell with North Wasco County Education Foundation board member Stephen Jupe.

Wesley Mitchell- 5th-grade teacher at Dry Hollow Elementary

Wesley Mitchell received four nominations, which made him an obvious choice for one of the teacher awards. He is an innovative, hands-on teacher who goes out of his way to bring resources into the classroom, particularly in STEM education. One of his nominators had this to say about him:

“Wesley is without a doubt a once-in-a-generation teacher. He consistently shows his caring for his students and those he works with on staff. His lessons for students are very creative and the students in his class just love coming to school and being in his room. He is so innovative in STEM activities and science activities. He constantly is sharing ideas with others in our building. Parents gravitate towards him and want their children to be in his class. He is Dry Hollow's most requested teacher! The Dry Hollow community can be proud to have a teacher of his caliber in their school. He's just one special teacher that I'm sure students will look back on years from now and remember as their most favorite teacher.”

Jill Pearson with North Wasco County Education Foundation board member Stephen Jupe.

Jill Pearson- Social Studies teacher and running coach at The Dalles High School

Jill Pearson is a homegrown teacher, having graduated from The Dalles Wahtonka High School. She trained as a Spanish teacher and has moved effortlessly into teaching social studies. In 2021 she took over as head coach of high school cross country and long-distance track teams when Robert Thouvenal retired. Now completing her 7th year of teaching, Ms. Pearson is an inspiring young educator. She also received multiple nominations, including the one below:

“Jill goes 100% out of her way to be inviting towards students. She operates out of positivity, and her students respond. She is extremely creative and will teach history by making and modeling costumes from the era, creating the food that corresponds with the topic, using all manners of visuals to teach a concept: trickle-down economics with old wine glasses, colored chalk historical timelines on the sidewalk, cans of SPAM, twenty dollar bills, etc. Her teaching toolbox gets more creative each year. In addition, she is a phenomenal coach always going the extra mile to motivate her students. She is the type of young teacher that gives us "old" teachers new life.”

Patty Jones with North Wasco County Education Foundation board member Stephen Jupe.

Patty Jones- Head Secretary at Colonel Wright Elementary

Patty has served the students and staff of The Dalles for many years with efficiency, kindness, and an ineffable ability to adapt to changes with cheerful optimism. She was the secretary at Wahtonka High School when the two districts combined and continued for some time with the changes under The Dalles Wahtonka High School. More recently she was the heart of the office of Colonel Wright Elementary administration. Patty’s nominator had this to say about her:

“Patty has always been the glue that holds the entire school together. She knows everything about everything. Whatever your need as a staff person, student or parent, Patty is who you go to. She ALWAYS does everything with a smile and a supportive nature. She goes way beyond her duties, from staying late daily to gifting her creative ideas to help others. She would not say no to anyone, she would just help figure out a solution to the problem. As a previous staff person, I know that every Principal that worked at Colonel Wright; we’re SO thankful that they had the most supportive person to go to for all their needs. I could go on forever if you need more!”

Cindy Miller with North Wasco County Education Foundation Administrative Director Rebecca Thistlethwaite.

Cindy Miller- Executive Assistant at D21 Administrative Office

Cindy Miller has been the Executive Assistant for North Wasco County School District since it began operating as a district in July of 2004. She has excellent skills and a wide range of experience that includes working in law enforcement and working in similar Executive Assistant positions for the local Education Service District and the former The Dalles School District. Cindy is always there to help when someone calls. 

Cindy was nominated by a D21 school board member, who had this to say about her:

“The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of Cindy is that she is always there for you. In my role as a school board member and as the past chair of the board, when I needed someone to help me find the answer to questions I had, she was my go-to contact because she was there for me or anyone else that needed questions answered or advice on a situation at hand. If she didn't know the answer to my question she would always be able to refer me to someone else that would probably know. She also goes out of her way to help others. She is kind, respectful, honest, knowledgeable, and by all means helpful! She has a very long history of working for this school district and she has always excelled at her job as an administrative assistant. She works overtime and has been a jack of all trades. She created the former district website and improved upon it over time. She knows who does what within the district and within our community. She can figure out technological problems that no one else can, and for this, she was also my go-to person! She cares about the people she assists and I always knew as board chair that she had my back as well as anyone else who she assisted. She procures food for events, organizes staff and board recognitions, makes travel arrangements, and has close ties with law enforcement when the district needs police for any emergency that can and does occur in the schools or on district grounds. She has a deep knowledge of our district's history and is an indispensable ally for the administration staff. In my opinion, she is a rock star!” 

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For more information or questions, please contact Rebecca Thistlethwaite, Administrative Director of the North Wasco County Education Foundation at rebeccathistlethwaite@gmail.com or call 541-806-1526. The Foundation welcomes donations to support programs such as the Golden Apple Awards and Classroom Mini-Grants. Find out more at nwascoed.org.