Teacher Wins $5K Award After 25 Years of Service in Maryland

Julie Stinger thought she was attending a routine assembly at St. Martin of Tours School in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Instead, confetti blasted overhead as hundreds of students cheered to celebrate her winning a 2026 Golden Apple Award for teaching excellence.

The biggest surprise came when she spotted three of her five adopted children waiting for her on stage. Stinger reacted with pure joy, embracing her adult children who had traveled to honor their mom.

For 25 years, Stinger has worn nearly every hat imaginable at St. Martin of Tours School. She teaches art to students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, religion to sixth and seventh graders, serves as the school librarian, and leads a sixth grade homeroom.

Principal Stephen Lamont describes her passion as unmatched. "There is no aspect of this school that she doesn't understand or care for or believe in," he said at the April 17 ceremony.

Stinger's impact extends beyond the classroom. She leads the school's Green Team, which planted 100 bushes this spring and maintains vegetable and native plant gardens. She also organizes the yearbook club and mentors younger teachers.

Father David Wells, the parish pastor, calls Stinger "a bedrock" of the school. "She steps up wherever she is needed," he wrote in his nomination letter, noting how she serves as a unifying force for the entire community.

Through tears, Stinger addressed the crowd with simple words. "I've loved St. Martin's since the day I walked through the door. I have loved every student who has come through."

Sunny's Take

Her children say the love she shows students mirrors the love she gave them at home. One daughter explained that "no" isn't in her vocabulary because she leads with her heart. That same generosity transformed not just five children through adoption, but thousands of students over two and a half decades.

Stinger will receive her golden apple trophy and a $5,000 award from the Donahue Family Foundation at a May 21 dinner honoring the ten Golden Apple winners across the Archdiocese of Washington.