To teach is to touch lives--forever! That's why every month WEEK-TV recognizes an area teacher who inspires greatness in students.

And this month, we salute a teacher who gives special needs students the tools necessary to become independent, productive members of society.

As you're about to see, it's a task some might consider tough.

It's graduation practice for Woodruff High School.

We drop by to wish them well...

Congratulations class of 2007!

...and to surprise their class sponsor Rachel Getz with the Golden Apple Award.

Congratulations!

Among her peers, Getz is called a real pro...a teacher wise beyond her years.

Karen Kenny nominated her fellow teacher for the award and that is high praise for a teacher who admits her students will not likely go on to a four-year college. In fact, it might take many of them more than four years to graduate from high school.

You see Rachel Getz is a life skills teacher...working with kids who have special needs.

Hers is not the typical classroom...with rows of desks and chalkboards filled with charts...

Actually, her classroom is often outdoors, in a store or on the road where her students learn how to live independently from their parents and become thrifty with their money.

She's special...

She certainly could have used this car when she chauffered her students to prom.

Nevertheless, Getz gets to drive this Chrysler 300 as this month's Golden Apple winner...and she's already using it as a teaching tool.

By the way, the keys to the car come courtesy of Uftring Chrysler.

She gets to drive it for a month.

Bank Plus also gives her 500-dollars as May's Golden Apple winner.