Proctor Journal

A teacher at Bay View Elementary School was surprised when television and newspapers reporters entered her classroom to present her with the Golden Apple award on Wed., Dec. 17.

Kristina Hill received the award from Northland NewsCenter’s Dave Anderson and Duluth Teachers Credit Union’s Brian Thompson, a Bay View Elementary alum, during a brief ceremony in front of her students, other teachers and Principal Jon Larson.

Ms. Hill was nominated for her golden apple by student Chris Stark, 7. Chris’ mother says her son’s teacher is kind and patient and the young boy is learning a lot; just not quite the same way as other students.

“He has been in school since he was 3, and until now has never loved going to school. Kristina has been very kind, patient, and such a wonderful teacher and role model for my son; it just warms all of our hearts,” she wrote.

“Because she puts [in] a lot of effort and time Christopher is doing better in school now than he ever has. He wants to learn, he loves going to school, and he loves Kristina,” she continued. “I wanted it known that she is a great teacher, and she and her classroom assistants go above and beyond for their students. Her classroom is by far the best he has been in.”

“I like smaller class sizes [and] working with students individually,” Hill said. Most of Kristina’s students have autism. She works to let people know the condition is not a hindrance to a normal life. “The most important thing I want my students to know is how special they are and how capable they are of doing everything everybody else does. They just do it a bit differently.”

Ms. Hill said she has wanted to be a teacher for “quite a while” adding that her mother and grandmother were also teachers. She is the fourth Proctor Public Schools teacher to receive the Golden Apple Award.

Other recipients were: Kara Graves, a Pike Lake third grade teacher who won the award in October 2007; Terri Thell, a Jedlicka Middle School special education teacher who received the award in March 2007; and Pamela Fritch-Hieb, a second grade teacher at Caribou Lake Elementary who was the recipient of the award for the month of April, 2006.

“We are so grateful for the dedicated teachers in our region,” said Brian Thompson, DTCU marketing coordinator. “We know that many of them are spending their own money on supplies due to shrinking budgets. This grant program is designed to help ease that burden for at a least a few teachers each year.”

DTCU, while maintaining its commitment to serve the financial needs of area educators, has expanded to a community charter and now serves anyone who lives, works, worships or attends school in Duluth, Hermantown and Proctor.