WINNIE, Texas — The 12News Golden Apple Awards are back and for September we're headed to “Buccaneers” territory where Bailee Honeycutt is teaching our leaders of the future.
For Honeycut, who has been teaching for nine years, it’s never work when you love what you do.
"I always wanted to work with children and then I worked at a daycare out of high school and then I started subbing and then I just fell in love and knew this is what I was going to do forever, Honeycutt explains.
She's currently a first-grade teacher at East Chambers Primary School in Winnie.
"It’s wonderful. It’s great,” she explains. “The kids I had last year and previous years they still stop and talk to me in the mornings. It’s a wonderful feeling."
Honeycutt’s colleagues weren’t surprised to hear she had won the 12News Golden Apple Award.
"It makes me feel amazing just seeing the work that all our teachers do every day,” says Megan Leday who is the principal at East Chambers Primary. “I get to see it, but now someone else on the outside gets to see.”
Honeycutt says the award serves as a small reminder that she's doing the right thing.
"Thank you so much,” Honeycutt said. “Thank you for seeing me, believing in me, supporting in me and I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing."
PLAYLIST | Meet all our Golden Apple Award winners
You can nominate our next Golden Apple Award winner
Every school year we hear about teachers and other school staff who go above and beyond for their students and the 12News Daybreak team, with your help, is looking to recognize some of our Southeast Texas educators and school staff.
We first created the 12News Golden Apple Awards to honor them during National Teacher Appreciation Week, in May 2024 and now we're bringing it back and expanding it.
Now we're expanding it to be a monthly award to honor any educator or school staff member who makes a difference in student's lives and thus makes Southeast Texas shine! We'll announce each monthly winner on 12News Daybreak.
We're looking for anyone working in the school system who's making a direct impact and difference for students. This could be a teacher, aide, administrator, counselor, bus driver, custodian, cafeteria staffer, school police officer, tutor or anyone who works for a Southeast Texas school district.
We will even consider others such as a bible school teacher, piano or music teacher.