The Findlay Rotary Club has announced its nine semifinalists for the 2022 Golden Apple Awards.

Annually, Rotary chooses three teachers from the elementary level, three teachers from the middle school level and three teachers from the high school level to compete for the award.

At the elementary level, the three semifinalists are: Sarah Cleary, Second Grade teacher at Jefferson Primary; Mandy Tiech, Speech Pathologist at Jefferson Primary; and Tonya Thorbahn, Gifted Intervention teacher at Chamberlin Hill Elementary.

At the middle school level, the three semifinalists are: Andrea Lee, English & Literature (Grades 8-9) Cory-Rawson; Heather Nusbaum 7th Grade English/Language Arts at Donnell Middle School; and Kristina Rodman, Middle School Intervention Specialist at Van Buren Middle School

At the high school level, the three semifinalists are: Chelsea Burden, American Government at Van Buren High School; Andrea Barger, English Teacher at Arlington High School; and Becky Bucher, Business, Family & Consumer Sciences at Cory Rawson High School.

The Findlay Rotary accepted nominations for the award from students, parents, administration, colleagues and the community-at-large through the beginning of April.

Nominees are required to be a current teacher in the Findlay area or a Hancock County school and have at least three years of experience.

Nominated teachers submit a resume, a teaching philosophy essay, and two letters of recommendation to the Rotary Community Selection Committee consisting of Alissa Preston, Leah Brant, Leo Bonaparte, Charity Rauschenberg, and members from the Golden Apple Academy who selected this year’s semifinalists. A second group of members from the Rotary Final Selection Committee interviews and conductions classroom visits to determine the finalists.

The finalists will be announced at the annual Golden Apple Awards Dinner on October 19, 2022.

The finalist at each level receives the Golden Apple Award along with a $2,500 cash prize.

Second and third place semi-finalists each receive a $250 cash prize.

Finalists also accept an invitation to join the Golden Apple Academy, a group consisting of all past Golden Apple Award finalists.

Click here to find out who won last year.