Marion County Public Schools and the Public Education Foundation of Marion County hosted the 35th Annual Golden Apple Gala at the Riley Arts Center to honor outstanding teachers across the district, culminating in the selection of Sarah Jacobs of Westport High School as the district’s 2025 Teacher of the Year.

The Golden Apple recognition program, produced by the Public Education Foundation of Marion County, spotlights school-based teachers of the year, rookie teachers and a district Teacher of the Year who advances to the Florida Department of Education’s state competition. Megan Magamore, executive director of the Public Education Foundation, described the Golden Apple Academy as “a cadre of positive, involved innovators who encourage ideas” and said the program is unique to Marion County.

Superintendent Diane Gullett thanked finalists and described the nominees’ classroom work and personal stories that led to their nominations. “As you heard from the very words of those we honor, their stories are remarkable,” Gullett said, calling teaching “one special night of the year we all look forward to.” Jennifer Brown, Marion County’s 2024 Teacher of the Year, also addressed the audience and said the year of recognition left her feeling “gratitude.”

The selection process for the Golden Apple awards was completed before the gala: finalists were chosen on combined scores from written portfolios, interviews and classroom observations, and the evening’s speeches were not part of the scoring. Magamore confirmed the portfolio, interview and observations “are how our Golden Apple finalists and teacher of the year have already been selected.” Because of a tied top score this year, the foundation named six Teacher of the Year finalists instead of the usual five.

The gala recognized dozens of school-based teachers and rookies of the year from across Marion County; the program’s officials read an extended list of school-level winners during the event. The foundation also highlighted the organization’s recent support for classrooms: the Tools for Teacher program distributed more than $590,000 in supplies last year; Grants for Great Ideas, the foundation said, supported 8,839 students and 521 teachers; and the Take Stock in Children program supported 220 low-income, at-risk students.

Courtney Morris, named the 2025 Rookie Teacher of the Year from Stanton Weresdale Elementary School, told the audience she had long “known my calling was education” and said she was honored to represent Marion County. In accepting the district Teacher of the Year award, Sarah Jacobs spoke about the power of language and telling students “Our words matter,” a theme she said she uses daily in her English classroom.

Several presenters and sponsors joined the program. Mel Poole, president of the foundation’s board of directors, quoted Nelson Mandela and credited local donors and volunteers with the foundation’s work. Jenkins Auto Group announced that the district Teacher of the Year will receive a three-year lease on a new Acura Integra. The foundation named other sponsors publicly at the gala, including Ocala Family Dentistry, Duke Energy, Guest House Ocala, Cox Communications, Radiology Associates of Ocala, Marion Education Association and Florida Credit Union.

The gala program also included video profiles from classroom visits, speeches from multiple Golden Apple recipients and musical performances by students. Organizers emphasized the evening’s purpose as recognition rather than competition: Magamore told finalists, “Teachers, you can take a deep breath because tonight’s a celebration. It is not a competition.”

Looking ahead, the district Teacher of the Year advances to the Florida Department of Education’s statewide Teacher of the Year program. The foundation and district officials thanked volunteers, donors and school staff for supporting the recognition program and said they will continue Golden Apple activities and the Golden Apple Academy throughout the year.