The Yakima School District is proud to join together with the Yakima Schools Foundation, Crystal Apple Committee, and community partners to bring the Excellence in Education Awards! It’s important we honor and show our gratitude to our teachers, staff, and community members for their commitment to education and impacting the lives of our future leaders. We applaud each and every person who works to strengthen public education, create equity, and empower our students to achieve academic and personal success.

This award honors the certified educator profession by awarding certificated individuals who positively impact the lives and futures of their students. Crystal Apple Awards are given by the business community in Yakima, not the district. The chairpersons of the Crystal Apple Awards this year are Carmela Solarzano and Drew Harris. The goals of the Crystal Apple Awards are to...

Reward excellence in education in the Yakima Public Schools
Encourage creative and quality instruction
Encourage the development of a positive learning environment
Encourage excellent educators to remain in education as a career
Provide an incentive for individual initiative on the part of educators
Contribute in a substantive way to the improvement of education in the Yakima School District.