For Nicole Spicer, principal of Bronzeville Classical Academy, education has never been just a profession.
“It’s not a job, it’s not a career,” Spicer said after being surprised with the 2026 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Leadership during a school ceremony attended by students, teachers, family members, education leaders and community supporters at Bronzeville Classical Academy. “It really is my ministry, and I do this because I love it.”
Spicer was one of seven Illinois school leaders selected as finalists for the prestigious statewide honor presented by the Golden Apple Foundation. The award recognizes principals and school leaders who have demonstrated significant and lasting impact on student achievement, school culture and educational leadership at Bronzeville Classical Academy.
During the emotional ceremony at Bronzeville Classical, school officials and supporters praised Spicer for transforming the school into one of the top-performing elementary schools in Illinois while remaining deeply connected to the Bronzeville community where she grew up.
According to Golden Apple, Bronzeville Classical ranks eighth among Chicago Public Schools elementary schools and 34th among more than 3,400 elementary schools statewide. Under Spicer’s leadership, the school has reduced achievement gaps in all subjects by 50% through individualized learning plans aligned with rigorous academic standards.
Spicer, the school’s founding principal, said she initially believed staff members had gathered to console her because she thought she had not won the award.
“I truly thought that I was meeting with my boss to talk about the budget today,” she said. “Then I was coming here for an emergency, so you all truly surprised me.”
Family members said Spicer’s passion for education emerged long before she entered the profession.
“She’s always wanted to be a teacher,” said her sister during interviews following the ceremony. “Education was our escape in a lot of ways.”
Spicer said she realized she wanted to become an educator while attending Saint Ignatius College Prep, where she participated in a tutoring program serving students with behavioral and learning disabilities.
“At the time, I tutored a lot of Black boys who had behavior and learning disabilities,” Spicer said. “I didn’t see me represented on the staff there, and so I wanted to be a part of the solution.”
She later attended Western Illinois University and earned a degree in special education with a specialty in learning disabilities and behavior disorders.
Golden Apple officials noted that Spicer is the first former Golden Apple Scholar to later receive the organization’s leadership award, completing what one board member described as “20 years in the making.”
In addition to academic achievement, supporters highlighted Spicer’s emphasis on civic engagement and community service. Golden Apple officials said Bronzeville Classical students have organized projects advocating for safer walking paths and collected supplies for young mothers living in shelters.
Speakers at the event repeatedly emphasized the culture Spicer has built within the school.
“When you walk in this school, you feel like you are in a school of learning,” one supporter said during the ceremony. “But you do more than that. You reach out into the community and bring resources to expose our children to things they would never see.”
Students also praised Spicer’s leadership. One student speaker thanked her for “working long nights and breaking your back for this school,” adding that Bronzeville Classical “really feels like a family.”
Her husband, Maura Spicer II, said the recognition reflects years of sacrifice and commitment.
“This is what puts the stamp on all the hard work, all the sweat, blood and tears she’s put into this,” he said. “She really lives this work as an educator.”
He said Spicer often brought work home and had to learn to balance the demands of school leadership with family life.
“There was a point where I said, ‘You have to create some boundaries,’” he said with a laugh. “No laptop at the dinner table.”
As part of the award, Spicer received $10,000 — $5,000 personally and $5,000 for a school project — along with tuition-free classes at Northwestern University.
Although she may pursue a superintendent’s license in the future, Spicer said she is content in her current role.
“This is my dream job,” she said. “Every experience, every choice, every opportunity led me to the principalship. Right now, I am really happy right here.”
