Crystal Apple Awards Celebrate Outstanding Amador Valley, Foothill and Dublin High School Teachers

May 5, 2014

Crystal Apple Award WInners 2014

For over a decade Dublin and Pleasanton high school students of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have led an event that brings educators, parents, students and members of the community together to celebrate education excellence. What makes the Crystal Apple Awards unique is that students not only nominate and select the recognized teachers, but also run the evening celebration. During seminary, a religious study class held early each morning before school, students are given the opportunity to nominate a teacher that has not only made learning more meaningful, but also one who fosters character values they deem important to life. The nominations are then considered by a committee comprised of students who review all nominations and then choose the recipients for the year.

The event featured student-led presentations filled with photo essays and memories of each recognized teacher, along with emotional thank you’s from the Dublin High School, Amador Valley High School and Foothill High School teachers. The Crystal Apple Awards recognize teachers who take the extra time and care to look after each of their students and help them in their school career, while also giving guidance in living a good life.

The Crystal Apple Award recipients for 2014 are:

Amador Valley High School (Pleasanton) – Jen Hoenshell and Amber Carrion
Dublin High School (Dublin) – John Parsons and Gregory Rodriguez
Foothill High School (Pleasanton) – Joshua Hill and James Clark

Dublin High Teacher Gregory Rodriguez with Susie Viazzo

A consistent theme throughout the event was how each teacher had inspired their students with a passion for education. Amador Valley High School student Chase Barkdull on teacher Amber Carrion, “I have learned more things about being a leader, and just being a good student, from Mrs. Carrion than I have from any other teacher.”

Foothill High School student Jessica Amos on teacher Joshua Hill, “He is passionate about what he teachers, and always gives good advice. He makes learning fun and it is evident that he cares about each of his students.”

Dublin High School student Samuel Merrill on teacher John Parsons, “He has a great love for reading and writing, and wanted to share with his students how fun language and literature can be. He doesn’t just teach to teach – he teaches to inspire.”

The full house in attendance for this year’s event means there will likely be many teachers in the years ahead who will celebrate a Crystal Apple Award.

Additional photos from the event are available here.

Past Crystal Apple Award recipients:

	Amador Valley High School	Dublin High School	Foothill High School
2004	Mr. Neil Bellow, Mr. Matt Campbell	Ms. Kim Penske, Mr. Ron Rubio	Mr. Dustin Collins. Mr. Robert Loew
2005	Ms. Linda Newman, Mr. Peter Robbins	Ms. Veronica Alvarez, Ms. Sara Hollison	Mr. Ed Cloyd, Ms. Nina Rees
2006	Mr. Clark Fuller, Mr. Darren Pagtakhan	Ms. Kim Bauman, Mr. Jeff Taylor	Mr. Kurt Richey, Mr. Scott Sears
2007	Mr. Chris Murphy, Mr. Colin Wenstrand	Mr. Tim Sbranti, Mrs. Lenni Velez	Mrs. Mary Crawbuck, Mr. Howard Gilliland
2008	Mr. Mark Aubel, Ms. Pattie Peters	Ms. Rebecca Briggs, Ms. Anna Kim	Ms. Barbara Correia, Mr. John Nix
	Officer Floyd Gill (Alameda County Sheriff’s Office – DHS), Ms. Laurie Sargent (Valley High School)
2009	Mrs. Jill Battilega, Ms. Anne Johnson	Mr. Darren Tippit, Mr. Mark Wainwright	Mr. Scott Gorsuch, Ms. JoAnn Koobatian
	Ms. Liz Paz-Rumore (Quarry Lane School)
2010	Ms. Delise Anderson, Ms. Mairi Wohlgemuth	Ms. Barbara Hall, Ms. Julianne Sundstrom	Mr. Greg Haubner, Mr. Zach Lipman
2011	Mr. Matt Kelley, Mr. Ryan Templeman	Ms. Kathleen MacDonald, Ms. Maria Vlahiotis	Mr. Jeremy Detamore, Mr. David Middleton
2012	Ms. Heather Pereira, Mr. Matt Thayer	Ms. Lauren Andrade, Ms. Rochelle Morris	Mr. Tom Calvert, Ms. Shaun Martins
	Mr. Tom Pankey (Valley High School)
2013	Mr. Tom Hall, Mr. Jon Grantham	Ms. Lisa Carhart, Ms. Kelly Beck	Mr. Chris Jones, Mr. Michael Leitz
	Ms. Laurie Sargent (Valley High School)
*Presented by Dublin and Pleasanton high school students of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints*