The Crystal Apple Award in Nebo School District (Utah) is an annual honor presented to outstanding educators, teachers, and staff members for their leadership, innovation, and positive impact on students and schools. This year it is awarded to Tamara Willis.
This is a letter presented to Tamara at the faculty meeting on Tuesday, November 11, 2026.
I have been impressed with Tamara over the past few years. I was especially impressed when we did the Central Utah Writing Project together at BYU this summer. She does such a great job getting her students writing and talking about math. Tamara has a great sense of humor and is incredibly artistic in addition to being an innovative math teacher.
Tamara is very supportive of and kind to her students. She is willing to rework her lessons to make them accessible to all.
Tamara Willis is a teacher who puts student learning first! She engages students with her caring personality and her drive to use best practices in the classroom. In 2026, she dedicated three weeks of her summer to the CUWP Summer Institute, sharing with and learning from other teachers who understand how literacy spans across all disciplines. As part of the school’s Leadership Team, Ms.Willis offers valuable feedback and speaks to ways we can increase rigor because she believes in all students’ abilities to learn. Whether she is working with students one-on-one, teaching an entire class, or playing her guitar as she supervises in the cafeteria, Ms. Willis always brings smiles and joy. Thank you, Tamara, for being a ray of sunshine at Salem Junior High!
Tamara is the coolest person ever. She’s a wonderful teacher and a great friend. One thing I admire about her is her drive to continually improve and push herself as an educator. Whenever you look in her classroom, besides seeing really cool decorations like plants and paper dragons, you’ll see students actively engaged in learning: writing in notebooks, doing math on group whiteboards, and having conversations with each other. She has been part of peer coaching, the Vision Team, and Central Utah Writing Project. She thinks critically about how her practices are influencing and supporting students, and I’ve been inspired by the things she tries out. She is awesome!!
Tamara is a solid teacher that is always trying to do what is best for students. She is very reflective and continually trying to improve and use best practice with students. Also, her green car is amazing and we can always see when she is at school with just a quick glance in the parking lot!
