Editor’s note: This is a profile on one of the six 2011 Golden Apple winners in Collier County.
Kimberly Sweat
Teaches: Grades 3 to 5 at New Beginnings in East Naples
Teaching experience: 13 years
What does the Golden Apple mean to you? “It means New Beginnings is recognized. What happens here is so special. It is a second chance for these students. And it is a team effort.”
It is easy to see Kim Sweat is passionate about what she does. When talking about her Golden Apple, she said she is thrilled that the award will bring notice to the New Beginnings program, an alternative school geared toward students deemed disruptive in traditional school settings.
“I love to see these kids turn their lives around,” said Sweat, who teaches third, fourth and fifth grade students in her classroom. “These are kids no one thought would make it. But they are here and they are successful and they will go back to their schools. They have a second chance.”
Sweat said she loves to see her students’ innate gifts bloom.
“I love to find something that my students are interested in and tie that or use it to spark an interest in another area,” she said.
Fourth-grader Kensley Anternor, 12, said Sweat is a “nice” teacher.
“She doesn’t freak out like the other teachers,” he said. “She always gives us a second chance.”
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