Hancock Creek Elementary teacher Danielle Hopkins has the golden touch
Hancock Creek Elementary’s Danielle Hopkins is one of six teachers who received the Golden Apple Teacher Recognition Award earlier this month.
“I was overwhelmed and overjoyed,” Hopkins said about being named a Golden Apple recipient. “Happy tears were flowing, and my heart was full.”
The other 2025 Golden Apple Teacher recipients were Janet Bernard from Harns Marsh Middle School, Paul Chilson from Pinewoods Elementary School, Brittany Owen from Trafalgar Elementary School, Jamie Miller from Harns Marsh Middle School and Kelsey Olsen from Edison Park Creative & Expressive Arts School.
Being named a recipient means her community supports and believes in the importance of art education, Hopkins said.
She began teaching 13 years ago at Hancock Creek where she teaches art for kindergarten through fifth grade students.
“I am the proudest when I see my students learning a new art-making process, or technique and being excited about what we are doing,” she said. “When I hear them talking about their artwork outside of the room or telling me they replicated a project outside of school, I know I’ve done a great job.”
Hopkins keeps her students’ attention by creating videos of her lessons and she also gets her students up and moving.
“Everything is hands on. I try to make sure they are trying something new each time they come to art class,” she said.
Hopkins said she is proud to represent all the amazing art teachers in the district, as there are talented teachers in every school who deserve recognition for their hard work.
“One of the most important attributes in defining the quality and success of any community is the education delivered in its public schools. The cornerstone of an economically strong community is a quality public education system. Teachers are the backbone of our school district and deserve the respect and admiration from our business community and the community at large. These six Golden Apple recipients are representative of all our great educators. Please join us in celebrating all that they do for our community’s greatest asset, our students!” The Foundation for Lee County Public Schools President and CEO Marshall Bower said in a prepared statement.
These six recipients went through an extensive selection process, which began in August when the community nominated a teacher. The finalist were selected after completing a three-step process, which included a blind comprehensive application, classroom observation for their teaching style and skill and personal interviews with the Golden Apple Selection Committee.
The recipients will be honored at a black-tie affair at the Caloosa Sound Convention Center at the Luminary Hotel Friday April 25. Tickets are $200 per person and can be purchased by contacting the foundation’s office at 239-337-0433.
The banquet will be broadcast on May 3 at 8 p.m. on Gulf Coast NBC.
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