Schools

Mount Carmel Teacher Wins Golden Apple Award

Mount Carmel High School science teacher, Curt Ehrenstrom, won an Illinois Golden Apple.

Golden Apple, a leader in advancing the teaching profession in Illinois for 28 years, announced Curt Ehrenstrom, a science teacher at Mount Carmel High School, as a recipient of the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching. The 2013 Golden Apple honorees, all High School teachers, were selected from a pool of 510 nominees from throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. 

Curt Ehrenstrom, who teaches AP Physics, Honors Physics and coaches the football and water polo teams at Mount Carmel High School in Chicago, was surprised Wednesday in his classroom by CBS2’s Rob Johnson and Golden Apple CEO and President Dominic Belmonte. Ehrenstrom was presented with a Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching in front of 30 of his Advanced Placement physics students.  Ehrenstrom is a 1979 graduate of Mount Carmel High School and has been on the faculty for 29 years.   

Ehrenstrom, or "Coach E." as he is known at Mount Carmel, marries an old-fashioned Socratic approach to cutting edge technology derived from attending ICE (Illinois Computing Educators) and ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) conferences and participating in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) study sponsored by the Educational Development Center, that involves creating lessons that incorporate NASA videos to teach physics.

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After 30 years in teaching, he is resolute in staying current with new technologies and teaching strategies and has spearheaded the evolution of his school into a 21st century learning community by introducing classes in Forensic Science, Sports Medicine, Advanced Placement Environmental Science and a range of online summer school classes, while also insuring that all science and technology classes include a lab component. 

A Renaissance man, Curt came to teaching physics with a background in the Humanities. As a colleague described him, Curt “in teaching Physics, manages to seize the imagination of his students like a superior novel might, and like a symphony conductor, he teaches students to savor the harmonies of the principles of Physics. He exposes students to the conundrums of problems and problem-solving experiences like studying a new philosophy might pose. He is a humanist in a lab coat, and that’s why he succeeds.” 

“Mr. Ehrenstrom is extremely deserving of this honor,” noted Fr. Tony Mazurkiewicz, O.Carm., president of Mount Carmel.  “His selfless dedication to his students is evident in the time, creativity, and thought he puts into making the classroom experience an exciting and productive one for his students.”

“When you walk by his classroom you see an engaged group of young men eager to learn,” added John Stimler, principal of Mount Carmel. “[Ehrenstrom] brings great passion and energy to his teaching. His enthusiasm is contagious to his students.”

Golden Apple has recognized outstanding Chicago-area educators annually since 1986. Each Golden Apple Award recipient receives a tuition-free, spring quarter sabbatical to study at Northwestern University.  Each recipient also receives a $3,000 cash award.  Perhaps most importantly, Golden Apple teachers become Fellows of the Golden Apple Academy of Educators, providing a stronger voice and a larger stage from which to make an impact in education.

Fellows participate in ongoing professional development and engagement in education reform, as well as provide instruction and mentoring of future teachers through the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois program, which has prepared  1,400 college students to teach in schools of high need in Illinois for a minimum of five years. 

"We are thrilled to present these superb high school teachers from the Chicago area as emblematic of the thousands of devoted teachers bringing their students confidence and hope through their daily instruction,” said Dominic Belmonte, President and CEO of Golden Apple.  “We happily join these ten to the legion of the Golden Apple Academy previously recognized in pursuance of our mission to transform teachers and teaching.”

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Following the surprise in Ehrenstrom’s classroom, Mount Carmel held an all-school assembly in the Cacciatore Athletic Center to announce the award before the entire student body as well as faculty, staff, parents, and members of Ehrenstrom’s family.

The recipients of the 2013 Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching will be honored at a black-tie event on October 25th at WTTW/Channel 11 Studios in Chicago. WTTW will also broadcast the awards in a one-hour television program following the event.

-Submitted by Mount Carmel High School


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