The teaching staff at Cathedral Prep is without a doubt one of the best and brightest in the area. They are a dedicated group of educators. Their main goal is to make a difference in the lives of their students. One Prep teacher has especially stood out this year. Mr. Thomas Deau, the video  production teacher at Prep, was recently awarded the Golden Apple Award by JET-TV and Edinboro University.
The Golden Apple Award is given to educators in the Erie area who have made a positive impact on the youths of our community. The recipients of this award are an elite group of educators who deserve recognition. Mr. Deau is now part of this prestigious group, and he went through a lot to get there.
Mr. Deau didn’t start his career as a teacher until many years after college. He attended Penn State Behrend and majored in communications with a mechanical engineering background. His first experience in broadcasting was with WPSE, Penn State Behrend’s radio station. He also worked as a DJ on Classy 100. While in college, he managed to score an internship with WJET, and after graduation, he was hired by WJET.
Mr. Deau has always strived to be the best within his profession, which can be seen in his teaching as well as in his movement up the ladder in broadcasting. After his time at WJET was over, Mr. Deau moved to Rochester to work for WROC-CBS. Next, he moved on to Pittsburgh to work at WPXI, an NBC affiliate channel. His last stop in news and broadcasting was in Cleveland working at WEWS – ABC Channel 5. Each time he moved to a new job it was a step up in market size.
It was in Cleveland that Mr. Deau first got into teaching. While working at WEWS, he taught classes in video production at the Ohio Center of Broadcasting. After working for 12 years in Cleveland, Mr. Deau moved back to Erie where his teaching career really took off. It was then that Mr. Deau was hired by Cathedral Prep to be the video production and broadcasting teacher.
When asked if he was surprised at receiving the Golden Apple Award, he said that it completely came out of left field. He was surprised when Mr. Murnock walked into his class with a television crew. When asked what receiving this award meant to him, he said, “It is a heck of an honor. So many great teachers have won this award in the past. It has been a very humbling experience.”
Mr. Deau wishes to give a special thanks to Prep senior Nate Kapsar for nominating him. Nate is a student of Mr. Deau’s and he worked with Mr. Deau at JET over the summer as an intern. “Nate is a great student who always goes above and beyond.”
Other current Prep teachers who have won the Golden Apple award at Cathedral Prep in the past are as follows: Mr. Markley (2013), Mr. Flanagan (2012), Mr. Scharrer (2001). Two other Prep teachers, Mrs. Kim (2012) and Mrs. Grove (2000), also won the award while teaching at other schools in the area. Congratulations to Mr. Deau for joining this list of past winners.