“To be honored with a nomination says a lot about the school, including the students and the other teachers,” said Mr. Daniel Winkler, a science teacher and Golden Apple nominee at Notre Dame Academy.

This is Winkler’s second straight nomination for the Golden Apple award. The Golden Apple, according to the Greater Green Bay Chamber, is an award that recognizes “high standards of professionalism, leadership and innovation in teaching.”

Winkler credits the nomination to not only his teaching, but the staff and students at NDA.

“To be honored with a nomination says a lot about the school including the students and the other teachers.  Students here definitely value a high quality education, and they are willing to put forth the effort to achieve their goals,” Winkler explained.

Winkler originally did not plan to become a teacher.

“After taking research jobs in New York and Tennessee after college, I realized that I needed something more permanent.  While in between research jobs, I did some substitute teaching which led me to pursue a teaching certificate from St. Norbert.”

Winkler acknowledges his becoming a teacher stems from his family and teachers that taught him in school.

“In particular, my 5th-grade teacher, Mr. Menting, was a tremendous teacher and instilled my passion for the natural sciences.  He also had butterflies, snakes and rodents in his classroom and took us outside quite often, which I thought was cool,” said Winkler.

His favorite part of teaching is the changing factors on a day-to-day basis. From the content he teaches to the dynamic of the classroom, Winkler loves the challenge to keep his classes interesting and fun.

While teaching is a passion, there are still highs and lows. One of the hardest part, according to the science teacher, is “anticipating the hours of work that it takes to grade the Internal Assessments for IB ESS.  I enjoy reading about the experiments that were conducted, and it’s easy to get into a groove once I sit down to read them, but it’s difficult getting to that place.”

Winkler repeatedly emphasized how special it is to teach at NDA.

“There is a lot of support here at NDA, and there are certainly many others who should receive recognition as well.  Without a stellar and supportive science department, I certainly would not receive this honor,” Winkler said.