“You make me a great teacher.”

That’s what Denny International Middle School teacher Leticia Clausen told students who gathered Wednesday to help celebrate her Golden Apple Award. Family and friends were there too, along with reps from KCTS 9, which has presented the Golden Apples for more than a quarter-century. Here’s our video of what happened at the classroom gathering:

She teaches dual-language immersion at Denny, whose principal Jeff Clark recalled working with her to create the program on relatively short notice, years ago. The Golden Apple honors included a $500 check presented during the classroom ceremony; the beaming winner said first thing she wanted to use it for was sopas for her students.

P.S. As part of the Golden Apple celebration, Ms. Clausen has been profiled by KCTS – see the video on the station’s website.