Golden Opportunity

Tommie Barfield Elementary (TBE) third-grade teacher Kelsey Matthiesen is no stranger to competition. The 2008 St. John Neumann High School graduate excelled in multiple sports. Those competitive instincts may serve her well as Matthiesen recently learned she has been selected as a Teacher of Distinction—the first step in the Golden Apple Award educator recognition program.

“Yes, I love competition,” Matthiesen said. “I played golf, basketball, track and tennis in high school. I made it to states in basketball, golf and track.”

But the Golden Apple experience isn’t just about competition for Matthiesen.

“Of course you want to win,” she said, “but I think just to be able to be recognized at the school level is huge. And to go through the process is going to make me grow as a teacher too and just help me develop even more. You think, ‘Oh, you’ve been teaching 15 years,’ but everything’s constantly changing. Kids are changing, curriculums are changing. So I think it’s just going to help me grow in other ways.”

Growing as a teacher is a lifelong endeavor for Matthiesen, who sees teaching as a calling, something she has wanted to do as long as she can remember.

“Since day one,” she said. “My aunt and my mom were teachers. My mom was my fourth grade teacher. I liked playing school as a child, having my school set up. My daughter’s the same way. She already is sitting there with her pointer. That was me 100 percent. Actually, at her preschool last year, they asked, ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’ She wrote not just a teacher, but she said a teacher at Tommie Barfield Elementary. I come home and I’m excited about my job and she sees that.  I think it means a lot that she’s like, I want that, I want that exact same thing.”

Matthiesen first found out she was named a teacher of distinction last week.

“They surprised me in the bus loop with a balloon,” she said. “And then all the kids came running and they had the music playing, and they told me that I was going to be a Teacher of Distinction this year. It was a surprise. It was special because it was nominated by the community.”

Golden Apple is an educator recognition program implemented by Champions For Learning. This year they returned to community nominations, allowing students, parents, and members of the community to nominate a Collier County Public Schools educator for the Golden Apple Award. Over 5,700 submissions for nearly 1,500 educators in 2026. Based on the nominations, 58 teachers from 58 Collier County schools were selected as Teachers of Distinction. The Champions For Learning committee will identify six educators to receive the prestigious Golden Apple Award this year. The Golden Apple Celebration of Teachers will be held on April 9, 2027.

Matthiesen said the children were thrilled when they found out she was named a Teacher of Distinction.

“It was so exciting to see their joy and excitement because that’s how I feel about them every single day,” Matthiesen said when the kids ran to the bus loop with the news. “It was really cool for them to see that joy and that excitement for their teacher to win an award because that doesn’t happen often.”

She said her colleagues at TBE are there for her, too.

“Oh my goodness,” she said. “So supportive. We have the best third grade team. And even past team members have been extremely supportive. Previous Teacher of Distinction teachers have reached out and have offered to meet with me and to help me and to just be there to support me. Which says a lot about the TBE community. My daughter will start here next year in kindergarten and we’re excited. You know, I’m like, ‘Where are we going to send her?’ It wasn’t even up for debate. I think TBE is the best.”