‘Love the children’: Warren Twp. Golden Apple winner shares educational wisdom

Golden Apple | Warren Township teacher nominated by nearly 50 students

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — WISH-TV celebrates extraordinary teachers in central Indiana with the WISH-TV Golden Apple Award.

The award comes with a $2,000 cash prize from Western Governor’s University (WGU), a trophy, a school supply shopping spree to Teachers’ Treasures, and a surprise visit from the News 8 team with help from WGU Indiana.

December’s Golden Apple Award winner is Mrs. Angela Grace, a teacher from Creston Intermediate Middle School in Warren Township.

Creston is the home of the Cyclones, where there’s a sea of students and a flood of nominators for Grace to win the WISH-TV Golden Apple Award. She received almost 50 nominations.

Grace, better known as “Coco” by friends, colleagues, and students, started off as just a parent whose four kids attended school in the district. Now, she teaches STEM for seventh and eighth graders at the same school her children attend.

Three of her eighth graders shared with WISH-TV how Grace winning made them feel. Overall consensus? Happy.

“I kind of had a feeling she was going to win it, though,” Maurice Martinez said. “Because everybody in school liked her.”

Ryann Norris agreed, saying for “what we put her through, like, she most definitely needs this.”

“I just think that’s so amazing for her and she deserves it,” Shaniah Coleman said.

Principal Todd Nailon says Grace has quickly become a school favorite. In fact, most students drop formalities and just call her “Coco.”

“I said ‘Well, who’s Miss Coco?’ And they would say Mrs. Grace,” Nailon said. “With that point of connection to them, it’s kind of opened the door for her to be more than just a teacher to the kids.”

Grace is a mom of four. After becoming a Warren Township parent, she then became a substitute teacher.

However, her ability to connect with kids made the school see her potential.

“We noticed that she has some characteristics of what great teachers do in the classroom. I went and had a conversation with her and asked her if she ever thought about going into teaching. She told me she thought about it more than once,” Nailon said.

For the past three years, Grace has been going to school and is in the Transition to Teaching program in Warren Township. She’s set to graduate the program in August 2025.

“She definitely does have a lot of passion,” Nailon said. “The care that she has for our kids is just unmatched. We’ve got a lot of teachers like that, and she’s just one of those teachers. She loves her kids. She loves what she she’s doing. It extends beyond the classroom for her.”

Grace also cares for kids at her church by serving as youth director. At school, she helps run the robotics club and science Olympiad, and is helping start up the drone program.

Students say her class is always active. From dissecting sheep brains, to building houses with popsicle sticks, she keeps students on their toes.

Fellow teacher Ron Peckham says students love being in her class for this reason and more.

“She does do a lot of fun-type projects, and she does support them. She does things to allow them to fix grades if they need to go back and fix stuff that was missing,” he said.

Hannah Henegar is an eighth grade language arts teacher and works frequently with Grace. She describes her as real and raw with her students.

“These kids have to be socially and emotionally safe before they can ever be academically successful. And she does a great job of that,” she said. “Mrs. Grace is someone who anytime you’re around her, it doesn’t matter what she’s going through. She feels so safe and like it’s emotional that she feels so like safe and welcoming.”

Grace’s passion and security is why Henegar was one of nearly 50 fellow teachers and students to nominate her for the WISH-TV Golden Apple Award.

“When I think of a Golden Apple – who is the perfect teacher – she just exemplifies that in so many ways,” Henegar said.

Along with Grace’s mom, WGU and the News 8 team went to surprise her in her classroom. After receiving the $2,000 check, she immediately burst into tears. “I guess my students love me,” were her first words. Through tears of joy, Grace watched the video message from her students and fellow staff.

When asked where the name Coco came from, she said it’s been a lifelong moniker. “My middle name is Nicole, my paternal grandmother gave me the nickname when I was a little girl. It has always been Miss Coco. Even at church, my pastor calls me Coco.”

Grace says her journey from active school parent during the pandemic to STEM teacher was not part of her plan.

“This was not my plan, but this was God’s plan. And I have been here since 2021,” she said.

She hopes other people can learn from her story.

“Love the children. You have to build a relationship with the children,” she said. “Some of these kids they don’t have that relationship bond at home, and once you build that relationship they lock in instantly and the love you and I love them. If everyone builds a relationship and gives these kids a safe space, it will all work out.”

Being a safe space for students lets them flourish. Building bonds and relationships – that is the foundation of education.

To watch other Golden Apple Award recipients, click here.

To nominate a deserving teacher for next month’s Golden Apple Award, submit a detailed nomination here.