With so many amazing teachers at Aliso students get the opportunity to nominate a teacher who has really gone above and beyond to help in their academic career. Through the Crystal Apple Awards students can nominate one of their teachers to win this award to recognize staff who have had an impact on their lives.
The award is awarded through the Laguna Niguel Stake, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The nominating window closed on March 20, 2026 and the ceremony will be held on April 26, 2026 at 22851 Aliso Creek Road in Aliso Viejo.
The award ceremony is a free event where people from the community can honor teachers in Aliso Niguel, Laguna Beach and Laguna Hills.
The organizers have been planning to make this year’s awards the best yet. They will have the NBC4 News Anchor Chuck Henry hosting the event, Handel’s ice cream will be served and the whole community is invited and encouraged to wear school spirit gear.
Once nominations are submitted, selected recipients are honored for their contribution. Selected students for each educator will provide meaningful words about the staff member to honor their efforts in making the school better.
The students of Aliso are eager to witness some of their favorite teachers get recognized for all the hard work that they do.
Ansh Sharma (12), a senior at Aliso says, “Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to take part in this democratic process of our school and our larger community. As I was unaware of the impending deadline that was required in order to complete this task. However, had I known about this deadline beforehand and had the opportunity to vote, I believe that the most qualified candidate to receive the Crystal Apple Award would be Ms. Monica Bhaskar, the AP biology teacher.”
While some students were not able to voice their opinions they still look forward to seeing which teachers from Aliso will take home the crystal apples.
Nishka Harish (10) says, “I would have voted for Mr. Chen, the orchestra teacher, because he works so hard to have great opportunities for us.”
There are so many amazing teachers at Aliso ranging from teachers in STEM classes to teachers in music and art classes. These teachers get recognized in all that they do for their students.
Sharma adds, “Ms. Bhaskar is very educated and very talented, she really makes learning biology much more fun and much more tolerable. She helps even students who struggle with biology as a concept, she even helps them to get a good grade in the class.”
Aliso is home to many skilled teachers who help students who have a hard time understanding certain topics, making them clear and easy to learn.
Some students simply feel more connected with certain teachers as Sharma adds about Ms. Bhaskar, “She’s really supportive, she writes really good letters of recommendation and she’s Indian and I’m Indian.”
Students create close bonds with teachers for a variety of different reasons which stick with the students as they continue to navigate through life. Previous teachers who have received the Crystal Apple Award are Ms. Terhardt, a history teacher at Aliso and Mrs. Anderson, an English teacher at Aliso.
The ceremony is an incredible opportunity for students to take a lead in school activities. Taking the time to write a nomination not only honors a teacher or staff member, but it also shows the importance of gratitude within the school community.
In addition to individual achievements, the awards help strengthen the sense of community and encourage students and families to express gratitude for staff members. Aliso students and staff anxiously await to see the revealing of the winners of the 13 annual Crystal Apple Awards.
