Evanston Kindergarten Teacher Meghan Rice Wins Golden Apple Award

EVANSTON, IL — Meghan Rice, a kindergarten teacher at Willard Elementary School, has been named a winner of the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Rice, of Highland Park, started her career in Chicago Public Schools before moving north and joining the Evanston/Skokie School District 65 staff four years ago.

In addition to teaching her kindergarten class, Rice also serves on the board of Childcare Network of Evanston and Youth Chorus of the North Shore and is an independent recording artist.

Rice was selected as one of 10 winners for the prestigious statewide award, which this year was open to teachers at the pre-kindergarten to third grade levels.

“These outstanding teachers transform the lives of students, schools, and communities over the course of their careers. Their resilience and perseverance in this past year–and their career — has been nothing short of amazing,” said Golden Apple President Alan Mather.

“Our 2021 award recipients will now join us in our mission to impact the lives of even more students by supporting the next generation of highly effective teachers through our two teacher preparation programs — the Golden Apple Scholars and Accelerators programs."

Winners this year were selected from among more than 700 nominees, a record for the organization, which has been recognizing outstanding teachers in the Chicago area since 1986. It has since expanded to encompass the entire state and include awards for administrators.

READ MORE: Evanston Kindergarten Teacher Named Golden Apple Finalist

"To know that they selected me, like they said, out of 708 people, it was really humbling," Rice told Patch after being named a finalist in March. "My first year of teaching I was very insecure as a practitioner. I didn't feel confident, and I think I cried every day for about six months, because I just felt — even though I had a master's degree — I didn't feel as secure as I wanted to. So one of my professional goals my first year, but also a silent prayer, was that one day I would be a leader in my field. I prayed all the time: one day I don't want to feel this insecure."

Rice will receive a $5,000 cash award from the Golden Apple Foundation, a complimentary spring sabbatical at Northwestern University, and a lifetime membership in the Fellows of the Golden Apple Academy of Educators.

The academy assists the foundation in preparing the next generation of Illinois teachers through its scholarship program and its accelerator program, which recruits college seniors who commit to living and teaching in targeted districts in southern, central and western Illinois for four years after obtaining a teaching license.

As a member of the academy, Rice will have the opportunity to be a leader for the next generation of teachers beyond Evanston.

"I want to figure out how to create systems and routines so that I can replicate it and share it and share best practices," she said in March. "So to be where I am now, and to feel like I have this opportunity in my district prior to the nomination to serve as an educational leader, to serve as a mentor in some capacities, and then to have this type of recognition — it means a lot in very deep and personal ways, because I know what my journey has been, and it is not been a cakewalk. It's been hard and arduous, and long, so I'm grateful because there's been a lot of hard work and tears that have gone into this right now. So to have external validation is encouraging."

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