Red Rock Elementary teacher Reinalyn Ong wins Golden Apple award

A campsite-themed classroom closeout at Red Rock Elementary captured what colleagues say makes Reinalyn Ong stand out: hands-on teaching that keeps students engaged and learning right through the end of the school year. That daily work earned Ong the 2026 Golden Apple Foundation of New Mexico Excellence in Teaching Award, an honor Gallup-McKinley County Schools announced May 15.

Ong is listed by Red Rock Elementary School as a teacher, and school leaders said the recognition reflects more than one strong year in the classroom. District leaders said her impact reaches students, colleagues, families and the broader school community. For McKinley County families, the award puts a local special education teacher in the spotlight at a time when strong, consistent classroom support can shape student progress across a wide range of needs.

Eva Prieto, the district’s director of instruction and a former colleague, said Ong brings “expertise, compassion, innovation, and unwavering dedication” to her classroom. Red Rock Elementary Principal Lindsey Mingus called Ong a phenomenal special education teacher who “pours her heart” into creating a meaningful educational experience for her students. GMCS also congratulated Ong on its live feed and said the award reflects the excellence she brings to education every day.

The Golden Apple Foundation of New Mexico said its Excellence in Teaching Award has been part of its work since 1994, when the Albuquerque-based nonprofit began recognizing outstanding teachers across the state. Its first class of Fellows was selected in 1996. The foundation said the award rotates among elementary, middle and high school teachers in a three-year cycle, and five teachers are named each year.

Finalists go through a full-day evaluation visit that includes interviews with representatives of the school community. Recipients receive a professional development stipend, a cash award, a televised KRQE interview and an official trophy. They also become part of the Golden Apple Academy of Educators, linking the recognition to continued growth and mentoring beyond the award itself.

At Red Rock Elementary, the honor also points back to the classroom practice that made Ong visible in the first place. A school live-feed post showed her class ending the year with a campsite-themed activity, a reminder that the best teaching often shows up in the ordinary details of the school day. For Gallup, Red Rock and the wider district, the award is a public recognition of work that families rely on long before trophies and television interviews enter the picture.