Westglades instructor Debra Golding and her daughter. {Photo Courtesy Debra Golding}
Westglades Middle School art teacher Debra Golding has been named a grand prize winner in the Norwegian Cruise Lines Giving Joy program for her “unwavering commitment to giving joy” in her classroom and community, organizers said.
Golding was one of five grand prize winners, along with 20 additional U.S. and Canadian educators, to be honored with the cruise line’s annual 2024 awards. As part of her prize, she will receive an invitation to a two-day event in Boston, Massachusetts, aboard the brand-new Norwegian Aqua ship.
According to Norweigan, the veteran teacher will also be invited to the ship’s three-night christening voyage from Miami.
Golding has been an art teacher for 24 years and has taught at Westglades Middle School in Parkland since 2006, according to the cruise line.
Program organizers said she inspired her colleagues and students by continuing to teach with dedication and passion in 2024 despite the sudden death of her 49-year-old husband earlier this year.
A single mother raising a 14-year-old daughter, Golding “rarely missed any work and comes [to school] each day ready to be inspired with her students,” Norweigan said in a written announcement.
“She has a true passion for teaching art as she loves how students can express themselves.”
Golding, who lost former students in the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, helped organize a tribute in which the artist Robert Wyland worked with parents and students to create a mural at Westglades Middle School in honor of the victims, according to Norweigan.
“Creating art helps Debra cope with the loss of her husband and former students,” the announcement states. “Winning this cruise [brings] so much joy to her daughter and herself. She is most deserving.”
The other grand prize winner from Broward County is Nancy Altimore of Pembroke Pines Charter High School. Educators in the field of 20 other prize winners include Deborah Pennachio of Deerfield Beach Elementary and Adam Cristo of Cypress Bay High School in Weston.
For a complete list of winners, click here.
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