MONROE — At the end of August, Sarah (Jacobson) Warren was named this year’s recipient of the Allan B. Holtshopple Crystal Apple Award.
This award is a prestigious honor within the district and has been given out for at least 25 years.
“The award recognizes Allan B. Holtshopple who worked in the district. He passed away in 1997; he did a lot of good work in the district and held a lot of roles, but his last role was the director of audio and visual services and public relations,” Superintendent Joe Monroe said. “He was just widely recognized as a great person and a tireless worker who always did all he could to support the school district and our students. He’s known as an eternal optimist — the guy who looked for the good in everything — and tried to lead by example. So in his memory, the district created the Allan B. Holtshopple Award.”
To honor Holtshopple, the award highlights those who show outstanding professionalism, teamwork, leadership, and a dedication to the community.
Receiving the award was not something Warren expected, and she felt honored to be the recipient this year.
“I almost don’t even have the words to explain how much it meant to me. It was such a huge honor. I remember watching — since my first year in the district — teachers go up and be recognized,” she said. “Some amazing educators have gone up before me and I aspired to hopefully someday make that kind of a difference, so it meant so much that I was recognized this year. And I was completely shocked.”
She has been teaching for 20 years at Northside, 22 years in total, and what she enjoys most is being able to help make a difference in the lives of these students.
“I enjoy the relationships I’ve formed with the kids and watching them grow and learn,” she said.
Every school year has its “goods and bads.” Something she looks forward to each year is getting to work with a new team and focusing on the continued growth and support of the students she teaches.
“Every year I switch grade-level teams because I follow groups of kids, so I really enjoy working with each team. Last year I was in third grade; now I’m in fourth grade,” Warren said. “I also really enjoy being able to follow the same group of kids because we can start where we left off, and we have some plans already in place and can move forward. So that’s really nice — having those relationships with them and their parents.”
She truly values those who help her so she is able to do the job that she enjoys.
“I really appreciate the support. I work with an amazing team of special ed teachers, regular ed teachers, administrators, and school psychologists. It just takes such a team for me to be able to do the job that I do, so I know that I wouldn’t have been able to earn this award or be recognized without having great team members around me. I appreciate them very much,” she said.
The recipient of the Allan B. Holtshopple Crystal Apple Award is chosen based on attributes the award highlights, and who amongst a pool of individuals fits that best.
“[The Staff Excellence Award] is a monthly award where people are nominated by their colleagues in the school and then voted on by the administrative team,” Monroe said. “The recipient is chosen from that pool.”
Warren was chosen as the recipient of the award this year because of her leadership, teamwork, and her ability to continue working with students during their most challenging moments.
“She is very deserving of this award. She’s been in our district for a long time, and she’s one of those educators who is a leader in so many ways. Part of that leadership is because of the way she is an advocate for kids and she works so well with her colleagues. She just has a lot of experiences that give kids an opportunity to succeed,” said Director of Pupil Services, Amy Timmerman. “One thing I appreciate most about her is that she has really high expectations, but she also meets kids where they are to guide them to the next step. She’s invaluable to our district.”
Both Monroe and Timmerman have seen how important her work is within the district, with Monroe having a personal perspective as well. His daughter went through special education, and Warren positively impacted her academic success.
“My daughter has cerebral palsy and she had a tough go at school to start and Warren was really the one who had high expectations for her and forced her to work hard, all within a very loving and caring environment. She got her to the point where she was an incredibly successful student. And that would not have happened without Sarah Warren,” he said.
She has many strengths that make her incredibly important to the district, but one of the best is that she can push her students to be great while still being understanding with them.
“One of Warren’s greatest strengths is her ability to set firm boundaries while remaining calm, supportive, and encouraging. She holds students to high expectations while giving them the support they need to overcome challenges,” Timmerman said. “Special education teachers have a very difficult job and it seems to be more challenging each year. She has become an invaluable asset to Northside and the district. As a district, we are so grateful for her dedication over the years.”
