DeLong Middle School math teacher honored with Golden Apple Award

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - Through a partnership with the Eau Claire Public Schools Foundation and local businesses, WEAU is proud to present the Golden Apple Awards for the next several weeks. The Golden Apple is awarded by a nomination from peers and distinguishes one outstanding educator at each of the 20 ECASD schools.

DeLong Middle School Principal Michele Wiberg making the announcement recently, “I don’t know if you’re aware of this or not but your teacher Mrs. Gullicksrud was chosen by her colleagues as this year’s Golden Apple, yes, let’s give her a round of applause, that’s awesome.”

Congratulations to DeLong math teacher Karen Gullicksrud for being this year’s Golden Apple recipient. Gullicksrud says while it’s a thrill to be recognized by her fellow educators, she says there are many people doing amazing things every day at DeLong.

Karen admits learning math is not always easy for her students but it’s a challenge that she embraces.

“I really love teaching people math because I think it’s not everyone’s favorite and so sometimes people don’t think of themselves as math students and it’s really cool to see them make progress, get better, see gains and just be excited when they learn a new concept. It’s kind of the hard part of the job sometimes is getting them to buy in but I think that’s kind of the puzzle of teaching I guess,” says Gullicksrud.

“She makes great relationships with her students and you can see in there that not only are they learning but they are really enjoying being in there and want to do well. And they really like her, they make good connections with her, she’s not only a great teacher, she’s a great person. You need to have staff that can build relationships with kids because you have to take care of kids first and then the curriculum will come,” adds Wiberg.

Mrs. Gullicksrud and DeLong Middle School will each receive $500 from the Eau Claire Public Schools Foundation and Karen will receive a Golden Apple crystal at the awards banquet in April.

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