PRESS RELEASE:

Six of Utah's top teachers and two outstanding volunteers have been selected to receive the 2008 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Education, presented by the Utah PTA and KUED Public Television.
The Utah PTA Golden Apple Awards, now in its 18th year, premieres on KUED-Channel 7 Wednesday, May 28, at 8 p.m. and repeats Sunday, June 1, at 6 p.m. This special program features the awards ceremony, in combination with on-site footage shot in the recipients' schools.

The 2008 teacher honorees include Ross Durrant, a Shelley Elementary teacher in the Alpine School District; Denise Jones, a third-grade teacher at Enterprise Elementary in the Washington County School District; Amber Mann, a third-grade teacher at Amelia Earhart Elementary in the Provo School District; Andrew McIntyre, a math teacher at Olympus Junior High in the Granite School District; Lynda Mullins, a first-grade teacher at Jennie P. Stewart Elementary in the Davis School District; and Eli Douglas (Doug) Paneé, a science teacher at Oak Canyon Junior High in the Alpine School District. The 2008 Outstanding Volunteer Awards will be presented to Michele Blakeslee from North Ogden and Carol Theurer from Lindon.

Each Golden Apple Award recipient receives a $1,000 cash award and is honored at an awards ceremony and dinner on Tuesday, May 20, at KUED. State Superintendent Patti Harrington and Christine Kearl, the Governor's Deputy for Education, will be on hand to congratulate the winners. Volunteer award presenters will be Marilyn Simister, Utah PTA president, and Kim Campbell, Utah Education Association president.

The Golden Apple Awards are funded in part by the Emma Eccles Jones Foundation, Utah Education Network, Educators Mutual Insurance Association and the Utah Education Association.

The Utah PTA Golden Apple Awards 2008 premieres on KUED-Channel 7 Wednesday, May 28, at 8 p.m., repeating Sunday, June 1, at 6 p.m. Video clips and interviews with each award recipient can be seen on the KUED web site: http://www.kued.org/goldenapples