Gannon alum Ali Smith earns Golden Apple Award in first semester teaching

Published: 10/19/2023

Golden Apple Teacher winners receive $250 for their classroom from Big Ideas Learning.

Congratulations to recent English and Gannon University School of Education graduate, Ali Smith; she won the Golden Apple Award in her first semester of teaching and was featured here by YourErie.com. Read an excerpt below and visit the link to read the full article.

You don’t need to be a veteran teacher to make a huge impact on students. This week’s Golden Apple Award-winning teacher is in her first year of teaching.

Ali Smith is a first-year English language arts teacher at James S. Wilson Middle School in Millcreek Twp. She decided early in life she wanted to be a teacher, and then sealed the deal in high school.

“My 10th grade English teacher was amazing, so I was like I think this is what I want to do with my life,” said Ali Smith, Golden Apple teacher.

Ms. Smith is described by this week’s student nominator as kind and always helpful when struggling with things at home and in school. She cares about a student’s mental health.

Read the full article on YourErie.com here.