Deerfield High Teacher Wins Golden Apple Award For Teaching Excellence

Deerfield IL

06 May, 2022

2:19 PM

Description

DEERFIELD, IL — It was a rewarding surprise Thursday for Deerfield High School teacher Nikki Lazzaretto. The dance teacher was named a Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching award-winner during a special ceremony at the school. The Golden Apple Foundation honors and supports great educators who advance educational opportunities for students annually. Lazzaretto is one of 10 teacher award recipients in Illinois. Following a highly competitive process, the 2022 teaching award recipients were selected from more than 400 nominations of 9th-12th grade teachers. RELATED: Deerfield Teachers Get Prestigious Nods "We are honored to celebrate our 2022 award recipients and their many contributions both inside and outside of their schools. We know that their impact doesn't stop at their classroom doors. These amazing teachers positively influence thousands over their lifetimes by shaping the lives of students, schools, and communities," said The Golden Apple Foundation President Alan Mather. The Golden Apple Foundation's bio on Lazaretto: Lazzaretto takes a different approach to class instruction: instead of simply asking dance students to perform for her, she invites them to take ownership of the audition process by creating scoring rubrics and acting as judges for one another. In doing so, students are able to more effectively self-assess their own performance, and many under her study have learned that dance has just as much to do with showmanship and production as it does movement. Lazzaretto feels that dance is a place where students can feel safe to express their identities through their own physical bodies and movements, which is rarely allowed in other class environments. She invites deeper conversation among her students by prompting them each week with an exercise called "Rose and Thorn," where each member of her class speaks to something beneficial that has happened to them in the past week, as well as any difficulties currently happening in their school or personal lives. According to Lazzaretto, this allows her to see her students for the "whole people '' that they are, and it also allows other students to recognize and bridge the gap between themselves. Ultimately, this makes Lazzaretto's dance classroom a unique, hybrid environment where students can freely discuss culture both at an intellectual level and through activity-based dance and movement routines. Each award recipient receives a $5,000 cash award and a spring sabbatical provided by Northwestern University at no cost. Award recipients also become Fellows of the Golden Apple Academy of Educators, a community of educators who play an important role in preparing the next generation of teachers in the Golden Apple Scholars and Accelerators programs - which are dedicated to addressing the teacher shortage in Illinois. The nomination period for the 2023 Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching & Leadership is open. All are invited to nominate exceptional 4th-8th grade teachers and Pre-K-12th grade school leaders in Illinois at www.goldenapple.org/awards. Golden Apple's social media channels will feature surprises for each of the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching & Leadership recipients. Follow the news here: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn.