Golden Apple Award honors Mary Beth Conte’s faith-filled teaching at Cardinal Hickey Academy
Students at Cardinal Hickey Academy in Owings, Maryland, were called into an assembly during the school day on April 14, expecting something routine.
Instead, representatives from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington’s Catholic Schools Office arrived with a surprise announcement.
Mary Beth Conte, a longtime Spanish and social studies teacher, had been named a 2026 Golden Apple Award winner, one of 10 educators recognized across the archdiocese for excellence in Catholic education. At a May 21 dinner, the 10 Golden Apple Award-winning teachers will be presented with a golden apple, and each will receive a $5,000 check from the Donahue Family Foundation, which sponsors the awards.
“This isn’t just a career. It’s a calling,” said principal Dawn Nazzaro. “Everything we do here is about Jesus Christ, and she lives that out every day.”