LEE COUNTY, Fla. - 31 Lee County teachers are celebrating an honor. They are the finalists for the 2009 Lee County Golden Apple Teacher Recognition Awards. The teachers represent elementary, middle and high schools all over Lee County and were surprised in their classrooms on Friday.

The Golden Apple is one of the top recognitions a teacher can receive. It is a community award given to the best and brightest teachers. Students, parents and other members of the community nominate the teachers, and then a committee of volunteers narrows down the list after looking at the teachers' qualifications and reading each teacher's essay.

From here, the 31 finalists will be interviewed and observed in their classrooms, and the final 6 Golden Apple Teachers will be picked. WINK-TV is a proud sponsor of the Golden Apple Program.

Lee County Golden Apple Finalists:

Allen Dyen-Shapiro - Island Coast High
April Ketron - River Hall Elementary
Carolyn Cofield - Dunbar Middle
Catherine Griffin - Dunbar High
Charles Pease - Cape Coral High
Chyrille McIntosh - East Lee County High
Deborah Suhrie - Trafalgar Elementary
Debra Graves - Tropic Isles Elementary
Debra Hornick - Tice Elementary
Eileen Cherbini - Lehigh Middle
Janet Sherlin - Cypress Lake Middle
Jennifer Einstein - Caloosa Elementary
Jennifer Tomlinson - Fort Myers High
Katie Donohue - Trafalgar Middle
Kristin Cohen - Allen Park Elementary
Leisha Roy - Gulf Middle
Mercedes Pichard - Cypress Lake High
Michelle Mell - Veterans Park Academy
Mirta Torres - Spring Creek Elementary
Morgan Kirk - Fort Myers High
Nancy Loughlin - Lehigh Senior High
Nancy Monyhan - Riverdale High
Patricia Schulz - River Hall Elementary
Phyllis Verrone - Skyline Elementary
Richard Dunmire - Lee County ALC Central Middle
Sandra Lantz - Edison Park Elementary
Sandra Villela - Diplomat Middle
Sara Gulnac - Lehigh Senior High
Shelly Wilson - Trafalgar Elementary
Susan Ives - Lexington Middle
Tilisa Skerczak - Sunshine Elementary