Eau Claire Virtual School honors teacher with Golden Apple award

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - The Eau Claire Virtual School is an educational path for learners in kindergarten through 12th grade. Our next Golden Apple award recipient is an educator with a wealth of teaching experience, 30 years in fact! Helping students and their families who have chosen the Virtual School as their place of learning.

“The winner of this year’s Golden Apple for the Eau Claire Virtual School is Mrs. Skalecki!”

Eau Claire Virtual School principal Jim Schmitt let students know that Deborah Skalecki is this year’s Golden Apple recipient. Now in the Virtual School’s third year, Skalecki is part of the educators assigned to offer high-quality learning experiences through live lessons and independent assignments.

“Giving children the opportunity to connect socially and so we’re always finding ways to do that to keep that level of engagement high is something that I’m always striving for,” says Deborak Skalecki. “And just that open dialogue among students I think can happen much more freely in the classroom and I have to be much more conscientious virtually so that continues to happen and we have that flow of good discussion.”

“It is amazing the environment that she sets, she knows every kid very, very well. The conversations that she has, you feel she’s sitting there right with them in person,” adds Jim Schmitt. “She’s so closely connected to their lives and you just feel this incredible warm embrace even online when she’s with her students, it’s amazing. It’s one of the most fun things that I get to do is going to observe teachers and being in her classroom virtually is just an amazing experience.”

Mrs. Skalecki and the Eau Claire Virtual School will each receive $500 from the Eau Claire Public Schools Foundation and Deborah will also receive a golden apple crystal at the awards banquet in April.

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