By Hub City Times staff

MARSHFIELD – Two dozen of the area’s top teachers were recognized June 24, for their contributions to education.

The Marshfield Chamber Foundation held its 17th annual Crystal Apple Awards banquet at Hotel Marshfield, with 24 educators honored as Teachers of Distinction, and four were given top honors as the 2020 Crystal Apple Award winners.

Crystal Apple recipients included Auburndale Ag Instructor Mark Cournoyer, the program’s second two-time winner of the award.

Cournoyer said his passion for teaching is renewed almost daily, recalling a time early in his career when his dream job was almost taken from him.

Cournoyer won his first Crystal Apple award back in 2011.

Marshfield High School math teacher Melissa Stockheimer won her first Crystal Apple award last night, after being nominated in each of the 17 years of the recognition program.

Stockheimer is in her 20th year of teaching in Marshfield, and was a finalist for the Crystal Apple award in 2010.

Meanwhile, both Pittsville teachers who were nominated for Crystal Apple awards this year won them, including elementary teacher Ty Natzke, who said he rarely teaches the same thing.

Natzke teaches sixth and seventh grade ELA and seventh and eighth grade technology.

The other Pittsville teacher earning a Crystal Apple award was high school English instructor Chauncey Jones – a Vermont native who thanked the new family she has found at Pittsville.

Jones taught in Phoenix, AZ, before moving to Pittsville two years ago.

Teachers of Distinction include: Auburndale Elementary, Loralei Berry; Columbus Catholic Middle/High, Patricia Silva; Columbus Catholic St. John’s/OLP, Beth Weiland; Granton District, Bethany Franklin; Greenwood Elementary, Michelle Erickson; Greenwood Middle/High, Jenny Hafermann; Immanuel Lutheran, Renee Hammond; Marshfield Grant, Rebecca Whitrock ; Marshfield Grant, Jacquelyn Winch; Marshfield High, Charles Treankler; Marshfield Lincoln, Brian Fravert; Marshfield Madison, Katelyn Vroman; Marshfield Middle, Kimberly Kolstad; Marshfield Middle, Becky Linzmeier; Marshfield Nasonville, Kelly Voss; Marshfield Washington, April Daul; Spencer Elementary, Whitney Eckes; Spencer High, Saydi Olson; St. Joseph – Stratford, Jenny Werner; and Trinity Lutheran, Michelle Korth.

The Marshfield chamber received 1,171 nominations for 310 different teachers. Qualifying nominees were placed on a ballot and teachers voted on their top candidate at each of the schools.

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