Robbins Elementary School kindergarten teacher honored with Golden Apple award

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - We’ve had so much fun the past four weeks with our Golden Apple award visits to the 20 schools in the Eau Claire Area School District. An opportunity for WEAU and the Eau Claire Public Schools Foundation and local businesses to show their appreciation for educators and staff in the ECASD. We have two final stops to make, the first to Robbins Elementary to honor a long-time kindergarten teacher.

“As you can see we are celebrating Mrs. Dervetski today with the Golden Apple award and we are so excited and congratulations and you deserve it so much, let’s hear another giant round of applause!”

That’s Robbins principal Jake Donze presenting Anika Dervetski with the golden apple award. Along with her current kindergartners, any student at Robbins that had her as their teacher took part in the celebration in the school gym. Mrs. Dervetski says it’s a thrill to be honored by her peers and of course the kiddos.

“From kids to staff to the families that we have, the staff is really here to support each other, the families are really awesome and support their kids and they are awesome partners,” says Anika Dervetski. “So it was really need to see all the signs, the golden apples and to see all their excitement, the kids were just beaming ear-to-ear. I don’t think they really fully understand why, they were so excited to be part of this special day.”

“She is someone I think people would describe as a wonderful teacher from the past, they would be saying all the things that are qualities of Anika Dervetski. She is kind and compassionate and I think more than anything, of course she’s a kindergarten teacher, she just has boundless patience and does such a beautiful job with those kids,” adds Jake Donze. “I mean it’s almost like there’s some magic that happens early in the school year that takes all these kindergarten students and they end of being the role models for the school so often in terms of our expectations and their behaviors and all that. She does a magnificent job.”

Mrs. Dervetski and Robbins Elementary school will each receive $500 from the Eau Claire Public Schools Foundation and Anika will also receive a golden apple crystal at the awards banquet in April.

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