Golden Apple Award Winner

By Kelly O'Connell Reporter
News 3 On Your Side
September 26 2007 | text size: small medium large
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It's Wednesday and that means it's time to honor another great teacher with the MEA Golden Apple award.

This week's winner is Lynn Hand from Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School in Columbus.

Mrs. Hand taught for 24 years and then decided to retire.

But her love for kids brought her back to her students.

Mrs. Hand is back in action.

Just last year, she retired.

But her love of her students couldn't keep her away from the classroom.

And that's why she's this week's winner of the golden apple.

“And it has been a total blessing, I get to teach my former 1st graders, that class I had last year when I retired, and then I get to go home and do my gardening and scrap booking,” says Mrs. Hand.

She has all that free time because she only teaches for half a day.

And she says the opportunity to teach her old students brought her back.

“Watching their faces, watching them get excited about new material, recalling old material, I've just been having fun,” says Mrs. Hand.

Not only is this exciting because it's her second time around.

It's also her second golden apple.

“I was totally surprised because I didn't know you could get more than one, so I guess hard work pays off,” says Mrs. Hand.
Her students couldn't agree more.

“She's a very good teacher and she deserves her award for the second time,” says a second grader.

“I wish that she would get it all the time.”

Students are so happy she's back and they wanted her to know that.

“Total surprise, but it is such an honor, I'm not even sure I have words adequate to tell you, it just makes my heart sing, I’m just so happy,” says Mrs. Hand.
Mrs. Hands' husband is a math teacher at Hardaway High School and he's retiring after this year.

So, how long will Mrs. Hand be at her school?

She says she's not sure.

We'll have to wait and see.

If you have a teacher to nominate, go back to our homepage and click on the golden apple.
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