Honoring the outstanding teachers in Catholic schools

About the award

Through the generosity and kindness of the Jack and Rhodora Donahue Family Foundation of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, the Golden Apple Award has been established to honor outstanding individuals who devote their lives to teaching in Catholic schools. This awards program has been expanded from the Diocese of Pittsburgh to include the Diocese of Toledo. The 2024-2025 school year marks the 20th consecutive year that this prestigious award has been presented in the Diocese of Toledo.

This year’s Golden Apple Award recipients were:

– Bonnie Brunelle – Central Catholic, Lima

– Jenny Chirico – Lial, Whitehouse

– Sara Dubois – St. Rose, Perrysburg

– Amy Horstman – St. Michael the Archangel, Findlay

– Ruth Pifher – St. Francis Xavier, Willard

– Jessica Rodriguez – St. Patrick, Bryan

– Maria Shultz – Calvert Catholic, Tiffin

– Erin Webb – St. Aloysius, Bowling Green

– Kelsey Zochowski – Christ The King, Toledo

The Diocese of Toledo recognizes and deeply appreciates teachers who base their ministry on the following “Credo”:

As Catholic School Educators,
we believe our Catholic School is not only a school,
but a community of Faith;
we believe those entrusted to us are not only students,
but children of God;
we believe we are not only educators,
but Ministers of the Gospel;
we believe the values we teach are not only character development,
but a call to Holiness;
we believe our courses of study are not only academic pursuits,
but a search for Truth;
we believe the purpose of education is not only for personal gain
and the development of society,
but for the Transformation of the world.

In light of the valuable contribution made by Catholic school teachers to the Church, and society in general, the Diocese of Toledo is able to demonstrate its appreciation through the Golden Apple Award program.