MERIDIAN – St. Patrick School kindergarten teacher Lauren Walker, right, accepts the Golden Apple Award for January from Susan Ross, general manager and sales manager for the Meridian Family of Stations, and Michael Harvey, manager of Mississippi Power Company’s Northern Division, during a ceremony on Wednesday, January 15. Walker will receive a laptop and desktop computer as well as a Teacher of the Month Certificate, $300 cash award, a $1,000 continuing education voucher for MSU-Meridian and $1,250 in school supplies. The Golden Apple Award honors outstanding educators in East Mississippi and West Alabama. (Photo by Celeste Saucier)