Logan County honors 14 educators and staff at Crystal Apple Awards

In Sterling, the Crystal Apple Awards put the county’s daily school workers front and center, honoring 14 local educators and support staff at First Presbyterian Church just before Teacher Appreciation Week, May 4-8. The 10th annual event, presented by the Journal-Advocate and South Platte Sentinel, turned a familiar school tradition into a public thank-you for the people who keep Logan County classrooms, hallways, offices, cafeterias and buses moving.

The recognition reached beyond the teachers most people see in front of a classroom. It also lifted up paraprofessionals, custodians, food-service workers, office staff and other employees whose work helps students learn in a stable environment each day. In a rural school district, those roles can be the difference between a smooth morning and a difficult one, from the first bus pickup to lunch service and the final bell.

One of the honorees profiled ahead of the banquet was Kylee Blecha, who has spent nearly two decades in RE-1 Valley School District. The profile described her as someone who has helped mold young minds while also serving as a steady source of support for her colleagues. That kind of consistency matters in a district where staff often build relationships with students and families over many years.

The setting also underscored the community connection behind the awards. The event was held at First Presbyterian Church, 130 S. 4th Street, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m., dinner at 6 p.m. and tickets priced at $25 each. For families and supporters across Logan County, the banquet offered a chance to celebrate school employees not as names on a roster, but as the familiar adults who make the day run.

Colorado Department of Education SchoolView describes Valley RE-1 as a rural district on Colorado’s northeastern plains along the Platte River, in a small community where the population has fluctuated in recent years. The district served 1,913 students in six schools in the 2024-25 school year. In a system that size, every adult in the building carries outsized weight, and the Crystal Apple Awards reflected that reality by honoring the people who help hold school life together.