Alexandria PTAC Presents Fourth Annual Golden Apple Awards

Golden Apple 2025-ACPS Express

Recipients of the 4th Annual Alexandria PTA Council (PTAC) Golden Apple Awards. The following are the Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) educators and staff who have been recognized with this honor for the 2024-25 school year:

2025 PTAC Golden Apple Awards recipients are:

• ACPS Hero: Taneika Taylor Tukan, executive director, Office of Community Partnerships and Engagement
• ACPS Staff: Jodi Bobbitt, nurse, William Ramsay Elementary School (WRES)
• ACPS Elementary Teachers: Jorge Gonzalez-Perez, John Adams Elementary School (John Adams) and Ashley Shelton, Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy  (LCTA)
• ACPS Middle School Teachers: Elizabeth Dere, George Washington Middle School (GW) and Jennifer Wilson, Francis C. Hammond Middle School (Hammond)
• ACPS High School: Ana Bonilla, family engagement social worker, Alexandria City High School  (ACHS)

2025 Golden Apple Honorable Mentions:

• Kim Bronson: Cora Kelly School for Math, Science and Technology, teacher
• Caitlin Haney: Jefferson Houston PreK-8 IB School, teacher
• Wesley Brooks-Jones: Patrick Henry K-8 School, teacher
• Mark Tierney: James K. Polk Elementary School, library media specialist
• Katy Pattarini: George Washington Middle School (GW), technology specialist
• Sarah Benko: GW, teacher (student submitted!)
• Allison Akanni: Alexandria City High School, teacher 

The Golden Apple Awards were presented by PTA unit presidents and principals during Teacher Appreciation Week, May 5-9, 2025. This award honors educators and staff who help further family engagement through partnership with the PTAs.

“It was wonderful and heartwarming to read all the ways our ACPS teachers and staff are partnering with our PTA units while also doing all the other parts of their jobs to help create supportive, engaged schools,” said Catie Brownback, president of PTAC. 

Some of the kind words shared about our honorees by the community members who nominated them:

Ms. Taylor-Tukan-”Taneika is a family engagement superstar. She is always thinking about how she can help support PTAs engage more families and is infinitely patient with the many (MANY) questions she receives.”

Ms. Bobbitt-”She is a member of the PTA, volunteers at big events like Trunk or Treat, presents at meetings on the importance of staying healthy and more.”

Mr. Gonzalez-Perez-”Mr. Gonzalez is so humble about what he does; he does not think it is extraordinary. But he is noticed. The engagement he provides to families makes them feel confident in their children's education, comfortable with the JAES facility, and valued by ACPS.”

Ms. Shelton-”She is always engaged with our PTA and provides updates on art-related community events for us to share with our community at large. She was one of two teachers to reach out to us to kindly donate her time, energy and efforts to our PTA annual fundraiser school auction to help raise money for our PTA.”

Ms. Dere- “Ms. Dere has served as the teacher representative on the PTA Executive Board for the past two years. She led a session on organization and independence for GW families and has offered to do so again in the fall. It was a great way for families to hear from Ms. Dere how various tweaks can make all the difference for a student.”

Ms. Wilson-”Ms. Wilson has been instrumental in Hammond's successful first middle school sports year. She has held important and well attended interest meetings for each sport. She (and the PE team at Hammond) have worked with the students sections at games to teach them how to be appropriate and engaged fans. She has made presentations at PTA meetings and has invited PTA leadership to Hammond staff meetings. She was also the first Hammond staff to become a PTA member in 2025.”

Ms. Bonilla- “She has worked tirelessly for our ACHS families and students. She built a program to address students of most need and directly improve graduation rates. She supports these families overall with monthly workshops, 24/7 access and continually making connections within the high school and with ACPS partners to access essential programs. She is involved with PTSA and supporting their efforts to engage more of our families, initiating a needs assessment for our largest population at ACHS. “