Since 1996, The Golden Apple Foundation of New Mexico has recognized 74 outstanding teachers. The first class of five Golden Apple Award-winning Fellows was announced in 1996, and included teachers from across northern New Mexico. In 1999, Golden Apple and the UNM College of Education formed a winning partnership that is collaboratively addressing some of New Mexico’s most critical educational needs, including continued professional development for teachers (Golden Apple Academy) and teacher preparation and retention (Golden Apple Scholars Program). An important milestone achieved in 1999 was the expansion of Golden Apple to a statewide foundation and naming Golden Apple Award winners from Cimarron, Clovis, Farmington, Albuquerque and Las Cruces. The 2008 Golden Apple Awards mark our thirteenth anniversary of recognizing and rewarding excellence in teaching in New Mexico.
The Golden Apple Foundation of New Mexico is modeled after the highly successful Golden Apple Foundation of Illinois, founded in 1985 by Martin J. Koldyke. In 1993, Mr. Koldyke, a part-time resident of New Mexico, described his Illinois program to members of the Santa Fe Community Foundation and urged our state to develop a similar effort.
Local leaders responded, the first meeting of the Golden Apple Foundation of New Mexico was held, and in 1994 the IRS granted the newly organized foundation a 501(c)3 status. From May 1994 through May 1995, financial support was established, partnerships were formed with three institutions of higher education to donate sabbatical scholarships, and KNME TV was contacted to contribute the production of the annual awards ceremony for the Golden Apple Awards. In 1996, five high school teachers became the first class of Golden Apple Fellows, the start of a now well-established tradition of recognizing New Mexico’s finest teachers.
