BUTLER TWP — The United Way of Butler County on Wednesday announced the Red Apple Award winners for 2011 at its annual breakfast.

The awards go to one outstanding teacher from each public school district in Butler County as well as one teacher from the Butler County Vocational-Technical School, Butler County Community College and Slippery Rock University.

The teachers, whose nominations are evaluated by an awards committee, demonstrate dedication to their students and their communities and leadership among their peers.

For the first time, $500 in cash from a sponsor will go to the teacher's school for use there in honor of this award this year.

Here are the winners:

• Cortney Christoforetti teaches music at the Northwest and Connoquenessing elementary schools in the Butler School District. She inspires her students by encouraging them to sing, dance and play percussion instruments, and she incorporates children's literature and folk songs into her lessons.

Christoforetti is a member of many professional organizations and a community volunteer at St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Saxonburg, in the Leechburg School District and with the SRU Musicians' Concert Band.

Christoforetti's award was sponsored by Kaplan Professional.

• Marsha Steiner Fox is an honors English teacher at Karns City High School in the Karns City School District.

After 20 years in government and industry, Fox began teaching. She helped design and implement the honors English curriculum, writes and monitors education plans for gifted high school students and coaches for academic competitions. Fox also taught catechism for 12 years at her church, and edited the church newsletter.

Her award was sponsored by the Waltman Furniture Co.

• Pam Best is a physical education and health teacher at Mars Elementary in the Mars School District.

Best considers her biggest contribution to her students, her school and her community to be her jump rope program. With more than 130 student sign-ups, the district raised more than $16,000 for charity.

In 2009, she received the American Heart Association's Heart Award after serving as a volunteer for more than 20 years. Best stays involved in her church, singing in the choir, playing the flute or doing mission work with the Pittsburgh Project.

Best's award was sponsored by the Utz Agency, Kansas City Life.

• Jamie Tinstman, a fourth grade teacher at Dassa McKinney Elementary in the Moniteau School District, has taught elementary school for nine years with an emphasis on science.

In addition, Tinstman tutors children after school and helps curb bullying through the Starfish program. She serves as a student council adviser and co-founded a weekly fitness program for her school's fourth grade. Her students write letters to soldiers and hold a Veterans Day breakfast for military families.

Tinstman organized a Christmas tree decorating contest to raise money for Heifer International, a charity that buys farm animals for needy families worldwide.

Her award was sponsored by Hunter Truck Sales.

• Jan Liesinger Maharg is a kindergarten teacher at Connoquenessing Valley Elementary in the Seneca Valley School District. At orientation, Maharg tells parents, “Now you are part of the Maharg family; your children are now Maharg Kids and I will never leave you.”

Her curriculum includes lessons about the environment, world travel, cultural awareness and American history.

Maharg is active in her church, involved with the Committee Woman for Zelienople 2 and has worked on the Drug and Alcohol team at Seneca Valley and at the Crisis Pregnancy Center in Wexford.

Citizens Bank sponsored Maharg's award.

• Kathryn Denholm is a kindergarten teacher at Slippery Rock Elementary in the Slippery Rock School District.

She developed her “K-Team” and “Pop-Pop Butter” word methods that help expedite her students' ability to read. She creates skill-specific word and sentence packages for each student to learn at their own pace.

She leads the elementary tutoring program and developed multiple programs to ease students' transition from preschool to kindergarten. Denholm volunteers for Family Literacy Nights.

In her community, Denholm supervises an afternoon study club where students are tutored by Westminster College students, and she assists with an Evening of Arts talent program for families. She is a Sunday school teacher and a vacation Bible school leader.

Diehl Accounting & Financial Services PC sponsored Denholm's award.

• Susan Hall is a sixth grade science teacher at Knoch Middle School in the South Butler School District.

“All children have a unique gift,” said Hall, “and it's my job to support these students and assist in their learning.” In addition to her teaching duties, Hall assists in the annual fifth-grade track meet, helps coordinate science fairs and plans field trips.

To stress the importance of caring, she organized a “friendship chain” where all sixth-grade students made links with positive messages for two sick students and their families and she volunteered her time to work at a dinner to benefit a family.

Citizens Bank sponsored Hall's award.

• Tonya Blank is a health assistant instructor at the Butler Vocational-Technical School who creates hands-on activities for her students. To practice clinical activities, she takes her students to nursing homes. Blank's “Elementary Days” program took her students to four schools to present health lessons.

Blank offers her students job-shadowing opportunities at Butler Memorial Hospital, the Butler Health Clinic and the Saxony Health Center. In her spare time, Blank volunteers at Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

Blank's award was sponsored by the UAW Local Union 3303.

• Chris Calhoun has been a park and recreation management professor at Butler County Community College for 27 years, while working 22 years as a wildlife conservation educator. Calhoun developed new courses and revised and updated programs, acquiring funding for them.

In the community, Calhoun leads water rescue courses for the state Fish and Boat Commission and worked as an environmental interpreter for McConnells Mill State Park.

The BC3 Foundation sponsored Calhoun's award.

• Kimberly Smith is an exercise science professor at SRU. Smith has many professional certifications and memberships and advises nearly 85 SRU students. Smith collaborated on more than 20 research projects, gave numerous professional presentations and published 15 peer-reviewed articles and abstracts. She received a 2011 President's Award for Excellence in Teaching from SRU.

In the community, Smith worked with the UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh's wellness programs She volunteered at Healthy Kids Day in Grove City and at health festivals in Slippery Rock. She also is involved with “Therapy Dog International.”

Diehl Accounting & Financial Services PC sponsored Smith's award.