Kingston Elementary School teacher wins Golden Apple Award, credited for being ‘the best of the best’

KINGSTON – To everyone at Kingston Elementary School, Maddi Bodine winning a prestigious teaching award came as no surprise.

It was a surprise to Bodine, however. An early childhood special education teacher at the school, Ms. Bodine, as her students call her, expected to head outside on a rainy Thursday morning to exercise with her students on the playground as part of the school’s ABC countdown. Thursday’s letter was E for exercise. Instead, Bodine was greeted by a crowd of her family and friends, and the 320 students of Kingston Elementary School and presented with a Golden Apple.

Bodine said that her students are “why she does what she does.”

“Knowing I have made an impact, that I am why students love school, that means so much to me,” she said. “Growing up, I loved school. I want my students, and all children, to love school and learning as much as I do. That’s why I teach. Even if I didn’t win any awards, teaching is an incredibly rewarding profession.”

A visibly surprised Bodine walked outside to the crowd, all holding signs and cheering for her.

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Maddi Bodine, an early childhood special education teacher at Kingston Elementary School, was surprised by all of the school’s students, faculty and staff, as well as her family, when she received the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching Thursday morning. (Katrina Milton)

Bodine’s family was also in attendance, including her parents, Larry and Angie Euhus, her husband Jay, her 1-year-old son Baylor and her aunt Marna Rojas. Her sister Baleigh Euhus flew in from New York City.

Following a highly competitive process, the 2021 teaching award recipients were selected from a record-setting 708 nominations of Pre-K-3rd grade teachers. Bodine is one of 10 teacher award recipients in Illinois.

Each award recipient receives $5,000 cash and a spring sabbatical provided by Northwestern University at no cost. Award recipients also become Fellows of the Golden Apple Academy of Educators, a community of educators who play an important role in preparing the next generation of teachers in the Golden Apple Scholars and Accelerators programs.

The Golden Apple Award honors outstanding teachers for having lasting, positive effects on students’ lives and school communities. Finalists demonstrate, in their teaching and results, significant, positive impact on their students’ growth and learning. Golden Apple’s mission is to inspire, develop and support teacher and school leader excellence in Illinois, especially in schools-of-need.

Alan Mather, the president of the Golden Apple Foundation, said that the award is a way to recognize teachers throughout the state.

“Oftentimes, teachers don’t get recognized for all that they do,” he said. “There are great teachers everywhere making a difference in the lives of their students, and the award helps celebrate that.”

Bodine said she had “absolutely no clue” that she had won the award and that she “was not expecting it at all.”

Bodine’s husband Jay, who is a special education teacher at Kaneland High School, said that it was “fun and difficult trying to keep the award a surprise.”

“She thought she didn’t win because she hadn’t heard back,” he said. “But to me, her winning doesn’t come as a surprise. She’s the most loving person I’ve ever met and the most selfless. She has the biggest heart, and she deserves this award.”

[ Video: Kingston Elementary teacher Maddi Bodine surprised with Golden Apple award for excellence in teaching ]

‘Not a surprise to anyone that knows her’

Stefanie Hill, Kingston Elementary School’s principal, described Bodine’s teaching method as “going above and beyond for her students, especially during this extremely difficult school year with the pandemic.”

“She’s the best of the best, and anyone would want her for their teacher,” she said. “Her winning the award is not a surprise to anyone that knows her. … If you saw how much her students loved her, you’d know how well-deserved this award is.”

Amy McNeely, the mother of 5-year-old Hunter, said that she has seen “exceptional growth” in her son since he started attending Bodine’s class a few months ago.

“It’s amazing how much he has excelled in her class,” McNeely said. “[Bodine] is different from other teachers. She’s more patient and she’s always there for the kids. She’s all about them, and she really cares.”

Bodine and Karen Simmons, the director of student services at the Genoa-Kingston School District, first met when Bodine was a student teacher at Northern Illinois University. Bodine received her undergraduate degree in special education from Illinois State University and a master’s in literacy education with a focus on bilingual and English as a Second Language from NIU.

“She has never been satisfied with the status quo, she wants to know more and do more,” Simmons said. “She wants to everything she can to make her classroom and her students better. She truly deserves the award because she is a gifted educator.”

Life-long educator

Bodine said that as long as she can remember, she wanted to be a teacher.

Angie Euhus, her mom, remembers how 2-year-old Bodine read to her younger sister Baleigh.

“All she wanted was to play school, and all she ever wanted to do was teach,” she said. “After her first job working at a YMCA summer camp, she knew that special education was her calling.”

Bodine credits her DeKalb School District teachers for making school so much fun.

“They made me want to teach,” she said. “I wanted to teach every grade I finished. When I finished kindergarten, I wanted to teach kindergarten. When I finished first grade, I wanted to teach first grade. My teachers inspired me to be like them, and I only hope I can inspire in the my students a life-long love of learning.”