MIA’s Golden Apple Contender Makes Math Fun

Marco Island Academy math chair Zachary Wolfe is perhaps an outlier in his field: he’s a creative math teacher. Maybe that’s why he was recognized as the school’s Teacher of Distinction, the first step in the Golden Apple Award educator recognition program.

Golden Apple is an educator recognition program implemented by Champions For Learning. There were 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.

“I try to really break down the walls,” Wolfe said of his teaching style. “The misconception that math is hard. By the time they leave my room, my goal is to make sure they have a strong work ethic as well as feeling comfortable with the material we’re learning. I try to always break down the very, very complex things we learn.”

Wolfe believes in student-centered teaching methods.

“I’m big with project-based learning,” he said. “Every year we do the annual Statistics Olympics. Then last school year we started doing an annual trip to the mini golf course on Marco Island. We are able to use that data to analyze statistical trends and calculations that we’ve learned throughout the semester. We have the kids put those concepts and techniques into place. We do one project for the first quarter and the other project for quarter two. I just feel like our students are tested so much. Let’s offer a unique way for them to master the material. What better way than to get involved in the community doing mini golf and having them create a minute to win it style of game for the Statistics Olympics. It’s awesome to see what the kids have done with these events. The kids create a minute to win it style game that can be done in under a minute. We had a really cool one this semester where the kids created a container of M&Ms, and then they had to take tweezers and pluck out the M&Ms into different colored containers. Then, after like 30 seconds, we counted up the M&Ms.”

His approach seems to be working. Last school year, 41 of 42 of Wolfe’s students passed the Florida BEST Algebra 1 end-of-course examination, a test all students have to pass to graduate. That number is substantially above the county and state pass rates.

“Zach is an exceptional teacher because he is extremely unique in his approach to math,” said Melissa Scott, principal at MIA. “His approach to the fundamental concepts of math are taught in a way that helps every type of student learn and grow. From there, he is able to turn these traditional concepts into unique, creative projects to explore hands-on learning, which enriches the students’ knowledge and overall life experiences.”

When it comes to a strong work ethic, Wolfe knows whereof he speaks. He achieved all A’s in grades one through 12. As a senior, he was recognized as his school’s Outstanding Senior Boy, a competition that evaluates senior students through a multi-step selection process including GPA, teacher recommendations, and extracurricular involvement. Wolfe feels that experience will serve him well in competing for the Golden Apple.

“When I was a senior in high school in 2015 at Massillon Washington High School, in Ohio, I was chosen as the winner of the Outstanding Senior Boy competition, where they pick one guy to represent the school. We had to compete and be chosen and then have a competition for it. The Golden Apple is another competition where we’re going up against many other teachers in this school district. I’m competitive by nature. My hometown is really known for their football (25 state championships) and being competitive in sports. I feel like that parallels the Golden Apple.

Wolfe has coached tennis at MIA and serves as the advisor for National Honor Society. He also enjoys supporting his students outside of the classroom.

“I’m always going to activities and events,” he said. “My spouse and I try to pretty much go to everything we can, especially volleyball. We’re big volleyball fans. It’s been great to see their success the last couple of years. We also have been getting into boys soccer. That’s been kind of fun to follow because I’ve never followed soccer before. And we go to the school plays, homecomings, proms, all that fun stuff.”

“Zach is enthusiastic in his approach to the extracurricular activities he devotes his time to outside of the classroom,” Scott said. 

Wolfe started his Collier County teaching career under the tutelage of principal Ronna Smith, who now serves as Chief Program Officer for Champions for Learning.

“I’m just really appreciative of CCPS,” Wolfe said. “They were the ones that showed me and had me use the McGraw Hill ALEKS in the classroom. Without them, I wouldn’t have had any knowledge of ALEKS.”

ALEKS is a research-based online learning program that offers course products for math, chemistry, statistics, and more.

“I also went through their Professional Development Certification Program (PDCP) to get fully certified as a Florida teacher,” Wolfe said. “I’m really thankful that I had that opportunity. A big shoutout to Mrs. Ronna Smith, a super awesome principal, who was very supportive in my first couple years of teaching. I just really appreciated her guidance and support through that process as well.”

Wolfe appreciates the student-teacher ratio at Marco Island Academy.

“I think MIA does a really good job of keeping our class sizes on the smaller side,” he said. “I come from schools that didn’t have small class sizes, and I really do think that’s why we get such good pass rates with the algebra 1 end of course exams. And it’s nice to have an honors class of 20. That’s so much better than having a class of 35. It really allows you to do more projects and it makes outside of school projects more manageable.”

While Wolfe appreciates what MIA does for him as a teacher, it appears the feelings are mutual.

“MIA isn’t just proud,” Scott said. “We are also lucky to have Zach represent us every day, and especially as our Teacher of Distinction.”

The Golden Apple Celebration of Teachers will be held on April 9, 2027.