"I guess I have a belief system that we all have a purpose here and my purpose is to teach," says Tammy Johnston, a teacher at Wilson Memorial High School in Fishersville.

Johnston discovered her purpose in junior high while volunteering with special needs teachers. Jean Ann Bartley nominated Johnston as January’s Golden Apple Award Winner.

Bartley says, "She takes the time to see what the needs are of all of her students and makes sure they are met."

That quality also extends beyond Johnston’s classroom. She is credited with starting up a day program for more than a dozen high-needs students in Augusta County designed to help those students transition into life after high school.

The 21-year teaching veteran also gives regular Wilson students the chance to discover her passion by opening her classroom to anyone who wants to be a peer, but it doesn't stop there. Johnston is also a member of the Community Services Board and a volunteer for Special Olympics.

"It was just a small way for me and to let everybody else know what an extraordinary teacher that she is," says Bartley.

"I was very surprised, and I'm just flattered that the parents of one of my students have such a high opinion of me,” says Johnston.