The 10 Golden Apple Award-winning teachers for this school year in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington were honored at a May 21 awards dinner at The Hotel at the University of Maryland in College Park.
The teachers each received a golden apple and a monetary award of $5,000 from the Donahue Family Foundation, which sponsors the annual award for teaching excellence and dedication to Catholic education.
Jack and Rhodora Donahue, founders of the Pittsburgh-based foundation, sent their 13 children to Catholic schools. Eager to express their deep appreciation to Catholic school teachers for providing a quality academic and faith-filled education for their children, the Donahues through their foundation have established this award in several dioceses around the country.
At the Archdiocese of Washington’s 18th annual Golden Apple Awards Dinner, Cardinal Robert W. McElroy offered thanks and congratulations to the Catholic school teachers, saying their work “is a commitment of heart and soul. It is that excellence that distinguishes each of you who are being awarded the Golden Apple Award tonight.”
Here are the 10 Golden Apple Award winning teachers for 2026 from Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Washington:
- Shannon Armsworthy, a fourth grade teacher at Father Andrew White, S.J. School in Leonardtown, Maryland;
- Mary Beth Conte, a Spanish and social studies teacher at the Cardinal Hickey Academy in Owings, Maryland;
- Nicci Falcone, a second grade teacher at Holy Cross School in Garrett Park, Maryland;
- Amanda Handy, a middle school English language arts teacher and a religion and social studies teacher at St. Michael’s School in Ridge, Maryland;
- Amber Kinnally, a third grade teacher at St. John’s School in Hollywood, Maryland;
- Sister Emmanuella Ladipo, a member of the Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus religious order who serves as the director of religious education and a religion teacher at St. Augustine Catholic School in Washington, D.C.;
- Heather Little, a kindergarten teacher at Little Flower School in Great Mills;
- Sonja LoVecchio, a kindergarten teacher at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Elementary School in Clinton, Maryland;
- Rachele Plá, a middle school religion teacher at St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic School in Upper Marlboro, Maryland
- Julie Stinger, a sixth grade homeroom, religion and art teacher and librarian at St. Martin of Tours School in Gaithersburg, Maryland
The cardinal in his remarks noted how Catholic school teachers help students learn and live the virtues of Christ including compassion, integrity, courage, faith, hope, love, forgiveness, mercy and understanding. Through their teaching, they instill those virtues in their students, “so Christ’s presence in them is magnified and enriched for the whole of their lives, and for that I thank you,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of her fellow Golden Apple Award honorees, Sister Emmanuella Ladipo also praised Catholic school teachers for the impact that they have on students.
“You believe in God, and you make these students believe in themselves,” she said.
The woman religious emphasized the importance of teaching children to pray the rosary, and she noted how her students make rosaries with beads of different colors representing the different continents. The rosaries made by St. Augustine students are distributed to homebound parishioners and residents of apartments for the elderly.
“The rosary, we pray that every day. We teach the children that the world needs that today,” she said.
Summarizing the work of Catholic school teachers, Sister Emmanuella said, “We teach them that God loves them, and we love them.”
Link to online series of profiles of 2026 Golden Apple Award-winning teachers in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington:
https://www.cathstan.org/series/2026-golden-apple-teachers-in-archdiocese-of-washington
