Crystal Apple award winners announced for 2016

Mid-Columbia school officials note that almost no one goes into education with the intent of getting attention.

And that’s why the annual Tri-City Crystal Apple Awards, now in their 18th year, mean so much to the teachers who receive them.

“Most teachers are very humble and nobody does that job to get an award,” Pasco Superintendent Saundra Hill told the Herald. “They’re just very touched that someone’s noticed.”

Ten teachers from seven school districts in and around the Tri-Cities will receive the awards during a March 10 ceremony in the Gjerde Center at Columbia Basin College’s Pasco campus. The recipients cover the range of K-12 education, from math and reading teachers in elementary schools, to those working with special needs or bilingual students or in career and technical education.

“Our community is a better place to live because of them,” said Kennewick district spokeswoman Robyn Chastain of her district’s two winners.

The three Tri-City districts along with Columbia, Finley, Kiona-Benton City and North Franklin work with Educational Service District 123 to provide the awards each year. At least one winner is announced from each district, with three at-large awards also presented. All were announced Wednesday, though a Special Achievement Award winner won’t be named until the ceremony next week.

Columbia Superintendent Lou Gates, who sat on the selection committee this year, said the bar is set high for award winners with input from other teachers, administrators, parents and even students.

“All the districts put forth quality candidates,” he said.

Along with a crystal apple award, winners receive $1,000 and other prizes such as gift baskets and gift certificates.

There was plenty of praise to go around for this year’s winners.

Chastain said Kennewick’s recipients, Crystal Ramos of Eastgate Elementary School and Dustin Smith of Highlands Middle School, are exemplary teachers who put their heart into their work.

“They continually rise to challenges and are the first to step forward when extra help is needed,” she said in a statement.

Siliva Rivera, a special education teacher at Virgie Robinson Elementary School in Pasco, showed Hill around when Hill started working in the district, the Pasco superintendent said, adding that Rivera is “one of those absolutely dedicated people.”

The district’s other winner this year, Pasco High School science teacher Judy Dietzen, also has done a lot to excite students about science, Hill said. “You don’t want to leave her classroom,” she said.

Administrators said they also appreciate how the awards come about, as it’s the community support and contributions to the annual event that make it possible and give it that much more meaning.

“This is just one opportunity to recognize excellent teachers in our region,” Gates said.

The awards ceremony will be at 4:30 p.m. and is open to the public.

Here’s the full list of this year’s winners:

Columbia School District

▪  Wanda Parks, fourth-grade reading teacher, Columbia Elementary School

▪  Quinn Donlon, third-grade science teacher, Columbia Elementary School

Finley School District

▪  Andy Clayton, teacher in science, AVID, leadership and physical education, Finley Middle School

Kennewick School District

▪  Crystal Ramos, fourth-grade bilingual teacher, Eastgate Elementary School

▪  Dustin Smith, science applications teacher, Highlands Middle School

Kiona-Benton City School District

▪  Lisa Schmidt, resource room teacher for pre-kindergarten to second grade, Kiona-Benton City Primary School

North Franklin School District

▪  Karol Hockaday, second-grade teacher, Connell Elementary School

Pasco School District

▪  Judy Dietzen, science teacher, Pasco High School

▪  Silvia Rivera, special education teacher, Virgie Robinson Elementary School

Richland School District

▪  Edward Ufford, woodshop and computer-aided drafting and design teacher, Hanford High School

This story was originally published March 2, 2016 at 8:41 AM with the headline "Crystal Apple award winners announced for 2016."