Carmichaels teacher receives Crystal Apple Award
Katherine Mansfield
Katherine Mansfield
Abby Jacoby embraces fifth-grade teacher Brittney Bell after Bell was presented the Crystal Apple Award. Bell is one of three educators nationwide to be awarded the Crystal Apple, by School Specialty.
Katherine Mansfield
Students prepared speeches for their teacher, Brittney Bell, as part of the special Crystal Apple Award ceremony. Evan Hixenbaugh无毛视频檚 thoughtful words brought tears to his teacher无毛视频檚 eyes.
Katherine Mansfield
Katherine Mansfield
Brittney Bell, a fifth-grade English and Language Arts teacher at Carmichaels Area Elementary Center, was presented the Crystal Apple Award during a surprise ceremony. Bell is lauded by colleagues, her principal and superintendent as a creative and compassionate educator, and is a favorite among students.
Carmichael无毛视频檚 elementary principal Marc Berry opens a ceremony for fifth-grade teacher Brittney Bell, one of three educators nationwide to receive this year无毛视频檚 School Specialty Crystal Apple Award. 无毛视频淪he would be doing wonderful things without the recognition,无毛视频� Berry said. (Photo by Katherine Mansfield)
Katherine Mansfield
Joby Pratt reads a speech to his fifth-grade teacher, Brittney Bell, at a special awards ceremony. Pratt and several classmates presented Bell with an apple tree and delivered heartfelt words of congrats to their teacher.
Katherine Mansfield
Brittney Bell无毛视频檚 colleagues offered congratulations to the Crystal Apple Award-winner at a special assembly inside Carmichaels Area Elementary Center无毛视频檚 auditorium. 无毛视频淧art of our fantastic team is Miss Bell,无毛视频� said Kate Hillsman. 无毛视频淪he is now, just like all of you, my favorite teacher.无毛视频�
Katherine Mansfield
Katherine Mansfield
Brittney Bell, right, hoists her Crystal Apple Award in the air as her fifth-grade class and collagues applaud. Jackie Suchoza, from School Specialty, presented Bell the award and a $500 gift card. Principal Marc Berry also received a gift card from Suchoza.
Katherine Mansfield
Katherine Mansfield
Students celebrate their fifth-grade teacher无毛视频檚 recognition after a surprise Crystal Apple Award ceremony for Brittney Bell at Carmichaels Area Elementary Center.
Bentlee Rayle crowns her fifth-grade teacher Brittney Bell after Bell was awarded the Crystal Apple during a surprise assembly. Students like Bentlee and their families voted daily for Bell, who is one of three educators to be honored with School Specialty无毛视频檚 award. (Photo by Katherine Mansfield)
Sarah Bell, right, nominated her sister, fifth-grade teacher Brittney Bell, for the School Specialty Crystal Apple Award. Bell was selected as a top 10 finalist, and votes from her students and the Carmichaels community catapulted the educator to the national top three, for which she was presented the award. (Photo by Katherine Mansfield)
Brittney Bell, center, and School Specialty rep Jackie Suchoza pose with the Crystal Apple Award and Bell无毛视频檚 fifth-grade students after a surprise ceremony. Along with the award and a gift certificate, Bell received an apple tree and teary hugs from her students. (Photo by Katherine Mansfield)
It came down to the wire.
In the final voting hours for School Specialty无毛视频檚 national Crystal Apple Award, presented annually to three educators, Carmichaels Area Elementary Center fifth-grade teacher Brittney Bell was neck-and-neck with another nominee.
无毛视频淭he last day, a ton of people started voting (for another teacher). I was like, 无毛视频極h, no, I无毛视频檓 not going to win it,'无毛视频� Bell said, eyes wide as she recounted the close contest. 无毛视频淚 guess the kids just rallied. They were calling their distant relatives. They made it happen. I will say about the Carmichaels community: they无毛视频檙e very small, but we无毛视频檙e called the Mighty Mikes for a reason.无毛视频�
And Bell was presented the Crystal Apple Award for a myriad of reasons. Bell无毛视频檚 twin sister, Sarah, nominated her educator sibling for the award after submissions opened in March. Of the hundreds of nominees, Bell was selected to the top 10, and voting for three winners began April 15.
Winners were announced May 3 无毛视频� Teacher Appreciation Day 无毛视频� but near the end of the month, Bell had not received her Crystal Apple.
无毛视频淚 was like, when am I getting this award?无毛视频� Bell laughed. 无毛视频�(Principal Marc Berry) was like, you无毛视频檙e going to get it.无毛视频�
Bell imagined she无毛视频檇 be presented the award by her elementary principal during a regular school day. But before school let out this year, Berry and Carmichaels Superintendent Fred Morecraft hosted a surprise award ceremony for the Waynesburg University graduate known for her creativity in the classroom and frequent attendance at students无毛视频� sporting events and extracurriculars.
Unbeknownst to Bell, Berry and other teachers dressed the elementary auditorium in blue and gold balloons. Powder-blue chairs, for students, faced a royal-blue awards table decorated with an apple tree sapling 无毛视频� a gift to Bell from her class 无毛视频� and the glossy Crystal Apple.
无毛视频淭his award is a wonderful way of recognizing a wonderful human being. Her classroom is magical. What she does for these kids is absolutely pure magic,无毛视频� said Berry, as he waited for students to file into the auditorium. 无毛视频淪he creates a culture of true learning and appreciation and love for ELA (English and Language Arts).无毛视频�
Bell is famous at Carmichaels for transporting students to other worlds. Once, she transformed her classroom into a construction site, to illustrate deconstructing parts of speech. She无毛视频檚 had students dress like surgeons and perform parts of speech surgery, and recently hosted a mock trial to teach persuasive writing.
无毛视频淓verything that she does in the classroom is very purposeful,无毛视频� Berry said. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 super engaging because it无毛视频檚 non-traditional. It pulls in elements of collaboration, creativity. It无毛视频檚 done in a way that the kids just feel like it无毛视频檚 a fun activity.无毛视频�
Fifth graders had fun surprising Bell at the awards ceremony, where several students read prepared speeches that brought tears to their teacher无毛视频檚 eyes.
Bell无毛视频檚 team 无毛视频� Dave Bates, history; Kate Hillsman, math; Crystal Pratt, science; and Tymme Freeman, learning support 无毛视频� got teary-eyed, too, when Joby Pratt said, 无毛视频淭hey say a good teacher is impossible to replace. Miss Bell, you are impossible to replace.无毛视频�
The team applauded Bell无毛视频檚 creativity with emotional congratulations, and Jackie Suchoza, strategic account representative for School Specialty, presented the fifth-grade teacher her Crystal Apple Award and a $500 gift certificate.
无毛视频淭hese guys talk up a storm about her, about how wonderful she is and the things she does for her students. I couldn无毛视频檛 be happier to give (the Crystal Apple) to somebody that gets so much recognition,无毛视频� said Suchoza, of Washington.
Bell plans to spend her award money on something her entire team of teachers can use 无毛视频� 无毛视频淭hey无毛视频檙e so important to me and they make me a better teacher,无毛视频� she said 无毛视频� and will plant the apple tree in her yard, per students无毛视频� request.
After the ceremony, attended by Bell无毛视频檚 sister, mother and grandmother, students smothered Bell in hugs and told the educator she will be missed when students enter sixth grade. One student, Bentlee Rayle, disappeared, returning moments later with her Junior Dance of the Year tiara.
Bell choked back tears as Bentlee placed the sparkly gold crown atop her teacher无毛视频檚 head.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 really surprised. I can无毛视频檛 believe the kids had things prepared and how much planning went into this,无毛视频� Bell said. 无毛视频淲hen the door is closed and you无毛视频檙e in front of a classroom of kids and they just are so excited to learn, that无毛视频檚 an amazing feeling. People think of school as this boring thing, but it doesn无毛视频檛 have to be. They get excited and they want to learn. You 无毛视频� just have to interest them in some way. Seeing their excitement about things, it makes everything, everything worth it.无毛视频�