KIMT News 3 awarded the KIMT Golden Apple Teacher of the Year on Thursday during the annual Scholastic All Stars Luncheon at Music Man Square in Mason City. Six area teachers were nominated from over 20 weekly Golden Apple Award winners as nominated by their students.

This year’s finalists include Tamara Johnson, a business teacher at John Adams Middle School in Mason City; Alissa Sauer, an art teacher at Southwest Middle School in Albert Lea; Laci Hoogestraat, an elementary school teacher at North Butler Elementary in Allison, Iowa; Amy Mitchell, a paraprofessional at Lincoln Elementary School in Osage; Kyle Rosedahl, a math teacher at LeRoy-Ostrander High School in LeRoy; and Melinda Masters, an elementary school teacher at Lincoln Elementary School in Charles City, Iowa.

Mitchell was named the 2018 KIMT Golden Apple Teacher of the Year. Mitchell has gone above and beyond for her students, including learning American Sign Language to help a deaf girl succeed in her classroom. Her student is now reading, writing and talking.

The KIMT News 3 Golden Apple Awards are given out weekly during the school year to teachers who are nominated by their students. The Golden Apple Award is sponsored by NIACC and Window World.