Maryland Teacher Wins $5K Award for 'Whole Child' Approach

When the yellow butcher paper came down at Father Andrew White School's Earth Day assembly, fourth grade teacher Shannon Armsworthy discovered she'd won one of the archdiocese's highest honors. The Golden Apple Award comes with a $5,000 check and recognition for the kind of teaching that changes lives.

Armsworthy has been shaping young minds in Southern Maryland Catholic schools since 2005. She joined Father Andrew White School in Leonardtown in 2022, bringing what she calls a "whole child approach" that puts Christ at the center of both academics and personal growth.

Her students notice the difference. Fourth grader Mary Buzzell says when she's stuck on a problem, Armsworthy "doesn't give me the answer—she just gives me hints." Classmate Paxton Hayden appreciates how she takes time to explain things when students don't understand.

That patient guidance extends far beyond lesson plans. Principal Janet Szoch recalls Armsworthy giving her own lunch to a hungry student and arranging a special Baltimore Orioles game outing for a child on the autism spectrum.

As team leader for intermediate grades, Armsworthy helps fellow teachers support students with learning challenges. She works closely with families to secure additional services their children need, making sure no student falls through the cracks.

Each morning in her classroom starts the same way: prayer, followed by students repeating together, "I am smart. I am loved. I am a child of God." It's a simple ritual that reminds them they're valued beyond test scores.

Sunny's Take

Armsworthy's approach shows what happens when a teacher sees their work as a calling rather than just a career. She wrote in her nomination essay that "teaching is as natural as breathing" and there's "no place else I'd rather be than living out my vocation in the front of a Catholic school classroom."

Her students feel it every single day. "She's amazing, loving, and respectful," says fourth grader Jonah Weaver, echoing the sentiment of classmates who describe feeling supported to grow into their best selves.

Armsworthy will be honored alongside nine other Golden Apple winners at a May 21 dinner, celebrating educators who prove that genuine care and high expectations aren't opposites—they're partners.