Erinn Maynard, English Village Elementary School

Our first Golden Apple Award of the school year comes courtesy of a little girl who wanted to surprise her Kindergarten teacher from last year.  We surprise Erinn Maynard at English Village Elementary School in Greece.

Erinn teaches a dual language Kindergarten class. She speaks in English and Spanish. She says "It's my dream job. I absolutely love it."

Erinn's Principal, Kathy Zodarecky, agrees she's perfect for the job. "She really is dedicated to looking for those connections between home and school. So she reaches out to families as well as students to bring them in and make them motivated to learn every single day."

First Grader Allison Bourgeois and her mom Tiffany nominated Mrs. Maynard.

She was Ali's teacher last year. Ali is a bright little girl who speaks English and Spanish. She says she misses Mrs. Maynard.

When we snuck into the classroom and surprised Mrs. Maynard she screamed "Wow!" Erinn says it's means a lot to be recognized by a former student. "Kindergarten is such a crucial year and they really are babies and I absolutely value and love the support of families and it's so wonderful to see families know what I'm doing and appreciate it. So it melts my heart."

Erinn Maynard is a News 8 Golden Apple Award winner. You can read the letter we got from the Bourgeois family below.

Dear Channel 8,

Erinn is a very special teacher to the children in her room. She not only has the challenge of teaching Kindergarten but it is also taught as a bilingual classroom. Just imagine switching from english to spanish with young children and teaching whole subjects in it. ie math. She was flawless at it.

She has the utmost patience and takes the time to know each child as an individual. I am thankful my daughter had the opportunity to be in her classroom. When I ask her what made Mrs Maynard special she said she was very nice.

Sincerely,

Allison and Tiffany Bourgeois