For the second year in a row, a Foss High School teacher has been selected for a KCTS 9 Golden Apple Award. This year, Foss math department chair and teacher Robert Yuong, is one of eight educators and two programs that will receive a 2008 Golden Apple Award from a field of more than 200 nominations.
KCTS 9, PEMCO Insurance and the School Employees Credit Union of Washington sponsored the 17th annual Golden Apple Awards for eight individuals and two programs that are making a difference in Washington state education in grades pre-K–12. The winners will be honored at a ceremony in January 2009 in Seattle, which will be recorded for broadcast on public television statewide.
“Every one of us can look back to a favorite teacher and trace a direct path to how that person made us who we are today,” said Bill Mohler, KCTS Television president and CEO. “The teachers that we honor with this award are those teachers, setting the course of our state’s future by the efforts they put forth today.”
Foss Principal Thu Ament said, “Yuong is a unique person who brings a wealth of energy and dedication to teaching. His life experiences have enriched Foss for many years. He has a deep appreciation for and understanding of multicultural issues and uses that in his teaching. He has a tremendous heart for helping students achieve. In all his endeavors, the most striking attributes are his dedication, work ethic and leadership skills.”
His nomination said Yuong uses tutoring and math club as opportunities for his students to develop leadership skills; more advanced students help struggling students who often respond better to one-on-one help. His math team consistently wins regional contests and places in the top three at the state level. He also has taken on the responsibility of continually updating the school’s math curriculum in line with state standards.
Yuong is remarkable for another reason: he was only 10 years old when the Khmer Rouge seized power in his home country of Cambodia in 1975. He narrowly escaped death walking through mine fields to a refugee camp. He later arrived in Tacoma virtually alone and not speaking English. Yuong credits the teachers at his Tacoma high school with helping him overcome hardships and succeeding—and they continue to inspire him now.
“I have no magic to offer but my experience of what honest hard work, care, commitment and dedication will do,” said Yuong, who has developed strong, positive and compassionate characteristics that make him a wonderful teacher. Every year, he shares his story of survival with students who are moved and motivated to triumph over their own obstacles and setbacks.
Colleague Caroline Merryweather wrote in the nomination, “Robert is passionate about his chosen career. Perhaps he has an extra pound of love because of the torture that he witnessed during his years in the Killing Fields. He knows, better than many, that life is not fair, that kids are the most innocent of people and that everyone deserves a chance.”
Each winner will receive a “Golden Apple” statuette. Individual honorees will receive $250 and programs $500. In addition, PEMCO Insurance will award each Golden Apple recipient a $1,500 grant to support their classroom, school or educational program.
The Golden Apple Awards were established in 1992 in support of KCTS 9’s value of lifelong learning, localism and public service. Each spring, KCTS 9 invites students, parents, teachers and community members to nominate individuals and programs epitomizing excellence in education in public and private schools across the state.
The 2008 winners were selected from more than 200 nominees by a panel including representatives from Association of Washington School Principals, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Washington Education Association, Washington State Parent Teacher Association, former Golden Apple Award winners and local educators.