HARRISBURG (WSIL) -- Harrisburg East Side Intermediate School Principal, Natalie Fry, wins this year's Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Leadership. News 3 This Morning got a chance to surprise her with the news.
Golden Apple's mission is to inspire, develop, and support teacher and school leadership excellence in Illinois, especially in schools of need.
Fry has been the principal of East Side Intermediate for five years and Harrisburg Unit #3 Superintendent Mike Gauch says she takes risks. She's also responsible for the third and fourth-grade reading room, hiring an intervention specialist, and implementing academic vocabulary at each grade level, among many other things.
"Her energy, her passion. She has totally changed the culture of this District", says Gauch. "I was looking for an exit strategy if we didn't hire her because I knew we were going to be fighting an uphill battle that I couldn't win. She has come in and saved Harrisburg Unit 3 in my opinion."
WSIL TV, News 3, met with Fry, Tuesday, May 12 for a live interview at 6:30 a.m. to discuss e-learning. She was unaware she had won the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Leadership. She learned she had been chosen out of 6 finalists while answering a question on the air.
"I received the call on March 1, that she had won, but I was asked to keep it a secrete because on March 27 they were going to come to the school and do a big surprise presentation. Then COVID-19 happened," adds Gauch.
Fry will receive a cash reward of $10,000 to be split, with $5,000 for herself and $5,000 to the school for a project of her choosing.
"Natalie is a leader who empowers students, teachers, parents, and staff alike to pursue excellence on a daily basis. We are so proud to recognize her as a Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Leadership award recipient. Congratulations Natalie," says Golden Apple President Alan Mather to Natalie.
Natalie says she hopes to celebrate with her students and the rest of the school staff after the pandemic is over.
"I really needed this right now. This is uplifting with everything going on. I really wished I could have shared this moment with our students because I miss them and the teachers miss them," says Natalie. "This is a validation of what I've done all of my career."
To learn more about Golden Apple click .
