Here are the teachers who are honored for their classroom excellence with the 2012 Red Apple Awards sponsored by the United Way of Butler County.

The award is presented to an outstanding pre-kindergarten educator, a teacher in each of the seven school districts in Butler County, an instructor at the Butler County Vocational-Technical School, and professors at Butler County Community College and Slippery Rock University.

Nominations can be made by anyone. A panel of teacher representatives and community volunteers select the winners, who are picked for their work in the classroom, involvement in the schools, community volunteerism and leadership among their peers.

A sponsor donates $500 on behalf of the winning teachers to their schools.

Here are this year’s winners and the sponsors in the schools.

Pre-K educator - Kelly TennettKelly Tennett is a pre-kindergarten teacher at the Butler YMCA Child Care Center. She graduated from Edinboro University with a bachelor’s in early childhood education.Tennett tries to make everything a hands-on experience, from learning about words through building blocks to actually raising chickens in the classroom.Outside the classroom, she volunteers at her children’s schools, assists with the Girl Scouts and the Boy Scouts, volunteers in the Eau Claire Little League concession stand, and teaches Sunday school and Vacation Bible School. She and her husband also have been foster parents.A question Tennett always asks her students is, “What do you want to learn about,” then she makes those lessons come alive for her students.One parent said, “Miss Kelly makes my daughter want to bring her ideas to life. She inspires them to want to learn about new things. My daughter is so lucky to have someone like Miss Kelly.”The Red Apple Award for the pre-K educator is sponsored by the Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children.

Butler School District Correne Ann JonesCorrene Ann Jones is a sixth grade teacher at McQuistion Elementary School.She is extremely involved in the school, including but not limited to organizing and running a drop-in tutoring program every morning before the start of school for students who might benefit from extra help, but cannot necessarily afford a private tutor.She also helps in her community by assisting her church with events, such as the Fall Festival in Butler, the Strawberry Festival, and the Christmas pageant.One community member said Jones is “one of the most requested teachers at McQuistion School.”The Red Apple Award for the Butler district is sponsored by Butler Health System.

Karns City School District - Lauren ZanellaLauren Zanella teaches in the Family and Consumer Science department at Karns City High School. She completed her education degree at Grove City College.She is involved in her students’ education, often working long hours and over weekends to provide the best possible lessons for them. Zanella tutors any student who needs help, no matter the subject area.She also volunteers outside of school in roles such as a Girl Scout leader, a Cub Scout leader, PTO president and treasurer, and president of the cheerleading and diving teams. Additionally, she is in charge of her church’s Altar Guild and volunteers at Elliott Acres Therapeutic Riding Center.One of her students says that Zanella is “a great listener and always has advice that works.”The Red Apple Award for the Karns City district is sponsored by the Waltman Furniture Co.

Mars School District - Jennifer KennedyJennifer Kennedy is a fifth and sixth grade instrumental music teacher at the Mars Centennial School. She received her music education degree from Slippery Rock University in 2004.She is the sponsor of the Instrumental Club, the Running Club and the Spanish Club, and provides students the option of joining a sixth grade jazz band before school. She also heads and volunteers for the Academic Support program, which offers large group tutoring from four teachers volunteering to stay after school.Her personal mission statement is “to empower my students to reach their absolute potential, intellectually, socially, emotionally, and physically.”The Red Apple Award for the Mars district is sponsored by The Utz Agency/Kansas City Life Insurance.

Moniteau School District - Susan HefleySusan Hefley is the librarian at Dassa McKinney Elementary School.She graduated in 2005 with a bachelor’s in education from Clarion University and in 2008 with a master’s in library and information science from the University of Pittsburgh.She organizes the Scholastic Book Fair each year for Dassa McKinney and is in charge of the accelerated reading program.Hefley goes beyond the typical job description of librarian in helping with technology lessons, assignments, and projects for the students on a regular basis.Additionally, she organizes and runs a book club for the teachers at Dassa McKinney, featuring books from educational to purely enjoyable.A member of many professional organizations, she has been published in various periodicals and has written a book for children that is available for purchase on Amazon’s Kindle called “Heroes: September 11th, 2001.”The Red Apple Award for the Moniteau district is sponsored by Hunter Truck Sales & Service.

Seneca Valley School District - Tim CammisaTim Cammisa is a sixth grade social studies and science teacher at Haine Middle School.He is involved with school functions, including helping with activities such as class plays, mathematics tournaments, enrichment activities based on students’ interests, implementing technology beneficial for academic growth, and filming fun class videos to be posted on the class website.He is also a leader in the professional community. He is the committee chairman for the Council on Instruction and Professional Development in the Seneca Valley Education Association and is a member of the state Instruction and Professional Development Committee in the Pennsylvania State Education Association.The Red Apple Award for the Seneca Valley district is sponsored by the BASF.

Slippery Rock School District - Jessica SchroeffelJessica Schroeffel teaches seventh and eighth grade science at Slippery Rock Middle School.She has been involved in many school functions and fundraisers.She leads the student council and is a cross country and distance track coach.Additionally, Schroeffel organized a summer running program, organized a canned goods drive for Feed My Sheep, helped student council members sell angels for the Caring Angels and organized a filled shoebox drive for the victims of Hurricane Sandy.A parent said, “She is an over the top A+ teacher.”The Red Apple Award for the Slippery Rock district is sponsored by Diehl Accounting and Financial Services PC.

South Butler County School District - Kaitlin RemenskyKaitlin Remensky is a ninth through 12th grade history teacher at Knoch High School.In 2002, she received her bachelor’s in history from Westminster College. She received her master’s in history from Slippery Rock University in 2008.She has done many different things in her school, such as sponsoring multiple clubs and activities for the high school students.Remensky is secretary of the South Butler County Education Association.Through her volunteerism, she has opened the eyes of many students to putting the needs of someone else in front of their own.The Red Apple Award for the South Butler district is sponsored by XTO Energy.

Butler County Vocational-Technical School - Frank RaypushFrank Raypush is a building construction teacher at the vo-tech.He is involved with his students’ education and volunteers many additional hours to work on projects, such as the school built house, to make sure they get done on time. He is also a Skills USA adviser at the school.Outside of school, Raypush has been a volunteer firefighter for the past 20 years at the Herman Volunteer Fire Company, where he has served as assistant chief, captain, and director.One student said, “Mr. Raypush has inspired me and shown me that with patience, perseverance, and a hard work ethic, anything is possible.”The Red Apple Award for the vo-tech is sponsored by UAW Local 3303.

Butler County Community College - Sherri Mack Sherri Mack is an associate professor of computer information systems.She has an associate’s in applied science in computer programming, a bachelor’s in information technology and a master’s in information technology with a dual concentration in database administration and systems design.She has been the BC3 Faculty Organization president for the past four years and also has conducted trainings for the staff on Microsoft Office topics.She serves on various college committees and was co-adviser of the Butler Information Technology Society student club.From 2002 to 2010, Mack was the coordinator for BC3’s Kids on Campus summer program, which teaches children computer skills. She continues to teach in the program today.Her philosophy is that no one is too young or too old to learn how to use a computer.One student said, “I think Ms. Mack is one of the best teachers I have had on campus. She has helped me with questions in this class, as well as others. I have recommended her to other students that will be taking this class.”The Red Apple Award for BC3 is sponsored by the Butler County Community College Education Foundation.

Slippery Rock University - Jason KushJason Kush is a music professor at Slippery Rock University.He received a bachelor’s from Slippery Rock University in 2004, a master’s from Frost School of Music at the University of Miami in 2006, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from Frost School of Music at the University of Miami in 2009.He serves on numerous special committees in the SRU music department and at the university.Kush performs in the Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania regions as well as with the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Balcony Big Band and numerous other groups. He has organized events such as the Jazz Festivals and Jazz Academy.A colleague states, “Dr. Kush is a real gift to the music department.”The Red Apple Award for SRU is sponsored by Diehl Accounting and Financial Services PC.