Jackie Weerda: Golden Apple finalist
Jackie teaches kindergarten at Ledgewood School in Roscoe, Illinois.
Five of the 20 teachers who are finalists in the 2025 Golden Apple Award for Academic Excellence teach at schools in far northern Winnebago County.
Jackie Weerda has taught kindergarten for 20 years, 18 of them at Ledgewood Elementary School in the Kinnikinnik School District in Roscoe.
Before coming to Ledgewood, she taught first grade, Early Childhood Special Education.
"Teaching has always been a safe haven for me," she says. "Every single child deserves a loving teacher. I get a special bonus. I get to be the first one teaching them."
“They can always count on me. They know that whatever they do, I will love them.”
Jackie said she has always had a commitment to becoming a teacher. “I have had some personal losses the last couple of years. The kids and their families have made me stronger.”
Jackie is involved in raising funds for the Jack Bauman Memorial Foundation. The foundation provides pre-kindergarten scholarships in area communities.
Jackie is originally from Cherry Valley, Illinois. She and her family now live in the Roscoe area. Jackie and her husband Gregg are parents of three children: Audrey, Luke and Eliza.
