HARRISBURG, IL — With nearly 2,000 unfilled teaching positions in Illinois and 3,400 schools-of-need in the state (according to goldenappple.org), The Golden Apple Foundation, a not-for-profit organization based in Chicago, invests in future teachers to staunch the shortage.

Kesa Thurman Stovall, Chief Program Officer of Golden Apple and a former Golden Apple Scholar herself says their nonprofit committed to preparing, supporting, and mentoring aspiring teachers, is committed to making a material difference in resolving this crisis.

Reagan Lees of Marion is one of this year’s recipients of the highly competitive Golden Apple Scholar Award and will receive up to $5,000 per year to attend a university as an education major. Additionally, she will receive extensive classroom teaching experience, academic and social-emotional support, job placement assistance, and mentoring from Golden Apple award-winning teaching faculty.

Lees graduated with honors from Southeastern Illinois College May 14 and will enter Southern Illinois University Carbondale this fall to pursue a career in early childhood education. She hopes to teach first grade. At SIC, she was the vice president of Phi Theta Kappa, vice president of Circle K (collegiate Kiwanis), president of student government, and a student worker for the enrollment services department. She was also named to the Phi Theta Kappa All-Illinois Academic Team this year.

Superintendent of Mt. Vernon Township High School Melanie Andrews worked with the ROE when these programs first came to the area in 2020. She says the Accelerators program complements Golden Apple’s long established Scholars program.

To learn more about or apply for either program, interested parties can visit goldenapple.org.