HARRISBURG, Pa. – Seven educators from Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Harrisburg will be honored with the 2023 Golden Apple Award. The highest recognition given by the Diocese to principals and teachers, this honor commends the educator’s professional excellence, leadership, commitment to Catholic values, and devotion to teaching in a Catholic school.
“The principals and teachers in our Diocese are incredibly dedicated to their ministry of providing a high quality, Catholic education for their students. These seven educators, through their demonstrated efforts to go above and beyond, are witnessing to this ministry,” said the Most Reverend Ronald W. Gainer, Bishop of Harrisburg. “Their dedication, commitment to Catholic education, and service has been witnessed by many, and it is for these reasons they are being honored. I commend each of these educators and thank them for the profound influences they have in the lives of our Catholic school students.”
“The winners of the Golden Apple Awards are annually the best of the best, and every year the selection committee has a challenge in selecting the winner from the highly deserving pool of candidates,” said Daniel Breen, Superintendent of Catholic Schools and Secretary for Education for the Diocese. “These educators are the standard-bearers for the selfless dedication, professionalism, and achievement of all the faculty and staff in the 35 Catholic schools in our Diocese.”
The 2023 Golden Apple recipients for the Diocese of Harrisburg are:
- Jodi Reagan, Principal, Saint Catherine Laboure Catholic School, Harrisburg
- Jill Euclide, English teacher, York Catholic High School, York
- Trinity Kane, First grade teacher, Saint Patrick Catholic School, Carlisle
- Kelly Mastrogiovanni, Kindergarten teacher, Saint Leo the Great Catholic School, Lancaster
- Joanne Reider, Science teacher, Trinity High School, Camp Hill
- David Sharp, Math teacher, Lancaster Catholic High School, Lancaster
- Mary Spaeder, Fourth grade teacher, Saint Joan of Arc Catholic School, Hummelstown
Each Golden Apple recipient receives a certificate of achievement, a $5,000 cash award, a golden apple plated in 24-carat gold and an individual photo with Bishop Gainer.
In the Diocese of Harrisburg, nearly 10,000 students are enrolled at 35 schools. High School students in the Diocese typically have a graduation rate over 98% and annually are offered more than $40 million in scholarship funds.
The Golden Apple Awards Program was established through the generosity of the Donahue Family Foundation, Inc., located in Pittsburgh, Pa. Jack and Rhodora Donahue are parents of 13 children; all were educated in Catholic schools. The Donahues were eager to express their deep appreciation to Catholic school teachers for providing quality academic and faith-filled education for their children. They established the awards program in Pittsburgh in 1992. To learn more about the Golden Apple Awards or Catholic Education visit www.GoCatholicSchools.org.
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The Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg was established on March 3, 1868. It covers 15 counties in south and central Pennsylvania, is home to 89 parishes and 35 Catholic schools, and has just over 200,000 Catholics.
