Mercer Island High School to receive a 2012 Golden Apple Award from KCTS 9

Mercer Island High School was recently named a Golden Apple Award winner by KCTS 9 in the annual program designed to honor successful teaching models and programs among Washington state educators. MIHS and Garfield High School in Seattle were selected among six high school nominees statewide for School of Excellence Awards. In an updated press release on November 4, 2011, KCTS 9 provided the following information:

The statewide Golden Apple Awards program is sponsored by KCTS 9 and funded by PEMCO Insurance and the School Employees Credit Union of Washington. Special funding for the 2011 Golden Apple School of Excellence Awards comes from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This year’s winners will be honored at an awards ceremony held in February 2012 in Seattle. Each winner will receive the Golden Apple statue and a cash award, and will also be profiled by KCTS 9 and featured in a primetime broadcast on public television stations statewide in February 2012.

For more information on the winners, click here.

“We were very pleased to be nominated for this award,” said Mercer Island School District superintendent Gary Plano, “and absolutely thrilled to be among the winners. Congratulations to our students, teachers, parents and staff at MIHS for their hard work and dedication.”

The Golden Apple Awards, sometimes called the “Academy Awards” for educators, has been airing on KCTS 9 since 1992. The program features outstanding teachers and programs that showcase the best in education in Washington State. For the 20th Anniversary of the program, KCTS 9 launched a new award category: Golden Apple School of Excellence. This category considers quantitative and qualitative criteria to assess schools in Washington state that are meeting the needs of today’s diverse student populations. The nominees were evaluated by representatives from OSPI, Washington Education Association, Association of School Principals, Washington state PTA, and prior Golden Apple Award winners.