The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington recently announced the 10 local Catholic elementary school teachers who have been named as 2022 Golden Apple Award winners.

The Golden Apple Award, giving annually to 10 Catholic school teachers in the Archdiocese of Washington for teaching excellence and dedication to Catholic education, is sponsored by the Donahue Family Foundation and includes a $5,000 check and a golden apple.

Jack and Rhodora Donahue, founders of the Pittsburgh-based foundation, sent their 13 children to Catholic schools. Eager to express their deep appreciation to Catholic school teachers for providing a quality academic and faith-filled education for their children, the Donahues through their foundation have established this award in five dioceses around the country.

This is the 14^th annual year that the Golden Apple Awards have been presented in The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.

Here are the 10 Golden Apple Award winning teachers for 2022 from Catholic elementary schools in the archdiocese:

• Katharine Balog of St. Jude Regional Catholic School in Rockville, Maryland, where she is the fourth grade teacher and assistant principal. She has taught there since 2010. Father Paul Lee, the pastor of the Shrine of St. Jude, said, “It’s clear to see that Kat’s role as a religion teacher to her fourth graders is taken seriously and devoutly. This year also marks Kat formally joining the administration of the school, being named assistant principal at the start of the year. While teaching full-time and taking on a leadership role, she still approaches each day with the same energy and professionalism.” 

• Allison Ervin of Holy Redeemer School in College Park , Maryland, where she is the kindergarten teacher. She has taught there since 2013. Father Andrew Clyne, a parochial vicar at Holy Redeemer Parish, noted, “The principle goal of a teacher is to aid their students in achieving that quest articulated by that ancient principle: ‘know thyself.’ I would venture to say that a fairly good measure of the quality of any teacher is the degree to which their students come to learn this lesson, the lesson ultimately offered to us by our divine teacher. And by that measure, Mrs. Allison Ervin is an exceptional teacher.” 

• Susan Feudale of St. Martin of Tours Catholic School in Gaithersburg, Maryland, where she is the second grade teacher. She has taught there since 2003. Father David Wells, the pastor of St. Martin’s, said, “Mrs. Feudale is a true icon of a Catholic educator. She lives and shares her faith, and is passionately dedicated to the education of her students. When I enter her classroom, I immediately recognize the warmth, skill, and wisdom of a teacher who has honed her craft. She is charitable, humble and magnanimous. A woman of Christian virtue, she instills these virtues by word and example in the classroom.” 

• Riana Fisher of Sacred Heart School in Washington, D.C., where she is the Middle School instructional lead teacher. She has taught there since 2016. Capuchin Franciscan Father Emilio Biosca, the pastor of the Shrine of Sacred Heart, said, “Ms. Fisher is a strong Catholic educator who is committed to both faith formation and academic excellence for our students. She takes her students on a faith journey through the liturgical year and helps build a faith that is centered on Christ and service.” 

• Cheryl Hanton of St. Augustine Catholic School in Washington, D.C., where she is the fifth grade teacher. She has taught there since 1993. Father Patrick Smith, the pastor of St. Augustine Parish, said, “If one engages in only a five-minute conversation with Mrs. Hanton about  why she does what she does for a living, it will quickly come to the light that for her entire career, teaching has been more of a profession for Mrs. Hanton and certainly more than a job. She sees teaching as her vocation, a calling from God. As a bright, enthusiastic, young Christian woman in the mid-1970s she said ‘yes’ to God’s call to teach His children. Forty-six years later, she continues to say ‘Yes,’ like any faithful disciple of Christ would.” 

• Margaret McCoy Padukiewicz of St. Michael’s School in Ridge, Maryland, where she teaches the third grade. She has taught since 2017. Father Peter Giovanoni, the pastor of St. Michael’s Parish, said, “Mrs. Padukiewicz is an excellent teacher who is concerned with not just the academic development of her students, but with the spiritual development of her students as well. She creates an ideal environment for St. Michael’s third grade children.”  

• Maggie Quade of Our Lady of the Sea of School in Solomons, Maryland, where she is the third grade teacher and vice principal. She has taught there since 2016. Father Kenneth Gill, the pastor of Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish, said that she “exhibits a deep commitment to our Catholic faith and values. Her students are engaged with our faith, not simply as a subject to be learned, but as a life to be lived. And she exemplifies this in her demeanor, always smiling, always with a kind word, always with an offer to help. Students and teachers alike are treated with kindness and respect, an attitude that makes all of us a little better each day.”

• Lori Anne Russell of Little Flower School in Great Mills, Maryland, where she is the third grade teacher. She has taught there since 2018. Father Jerry Gamrot, the pastor of Holy Face Parish in Great Mills, said, “Mrs. Russell is an excellent educator and a person of faith. Her caring heart and consistent methods make her a very desirable professional to have in our team of teachers. They are her great assets in effective teaching. She is well-liked among her colleagues and highly respected by parents. Mrs. Russell models and exemplifies belief in the school’s Catholic philosophy.”

• Patrick Sharp of Our Lady of Mercy School in Potomac, Maryland, where he teaches science and math to middle school students. He has taught there since 1992. Msgr. Charles Antonicelli, the pastor of Our Lady of Mercy Parish, said, “Catholic school teachers are a breed apart, and Pat is everything a Catholic school teacher should be. His lifetime dedication to academic excellence and Catholic identity and his selfless commitment to serving others makes him most deserving of the Golden Apple Award.”

• Rosanne Weber of Our Lady of Victory School in Washington, D.C., where she teaches art, math and STEM classes. She has taught there since 2009. Father David Fitz-Patrick, the pastor emeritus of Our Lady of Victory Parish, said, “Rosanne is a woman of great faith – a true servant leader, always stepping up to whatever needs to be done, teaching the Good News of Jesus within every academic discipline to her students, her fellow faculty and administration, and parents and benefactors.” 

(The information in this article was provided by the Catholic Schools Office of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.)