Michigan Lottery Connect

An Oakland County educator known for investing in her students has been honored with an Excellence In Education award from the Michigan Lottery.

The award winner, Rachel Engel, is a first-grade teacher at Schoolcraft Elementary. The school is part of the Waterford School District.

The Michigan Lottery established the Excellence In Education awards in 2014 to recognize outstanding public-school educators across the state during the school year.

Winners of the weekly award receive a $2,000 cash prize. At the end of the school year, one of the weekly award winners will be selected to receive the Lottery’s Educator of the Year award and will receive a $10,000 cash prize.

Each winner also is featured in a news segment on the Lottery’s media partner stations: WXYZ-TV in Detroit, FOX 17 in Grand Rapids, FOX 47 in Lansing, WLUC in Marquette, WNEM-TV in Saginaw, and WWTV-TV in Traverse City. The news segment featuring Engel will air this evening.

Engel said her desire to have a positive impact on young learners inspired her to pursue a career in education.

“Growing up, I had many amazing teachers who believed in me and inspired my love of learning. When I decided to work in the field of education, I wanted to have the same type of impact among young learners. My goal as a teacher is to create an empowering environment for students to harvest a love of learning and reach their full potential.”

Engel was nominated for the award by the parent of former students.

“Mrs. Engel has had three of my four children in her classroom and has done a phenomenal job with all of them. She provides an environment for her students that feels both physically and emotionally safe, allowing them to feel comfortable and be successful. She cares about her students and invests in them. She takes the time to get to know her students and meet them where they are at. She encourages them and gives them the space they need to learn and grow in every way, while still keeping them accountable at an appropriate level. She teaches them more than math, spelling and reading. She teaches them how to be good, collaborative members of their school community. She teaches them social skills and how to communicate their emotions in ways that are effective. She cares about each and every one of her students individually and it shows.”

Engel earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Michigan State University. She has been an educator for 10 years, the last 9 in her current position.

Excellence in Education award nominees are evaluated on the following criteria:

• Excellence – Their work consistently helps students and/or their schools or school districts advance to higher levels of academic achievement.
• Dedication – They consistently go above and beyond expectations to help students succeed.
• Inspiration – Their work inspires others around them to exceed expectations either academically or professionally.
• Leadership – They demonstrate clear leadership skills in their positions with their school or school districts.
• Effectiveness – The nominee’s work has clear and positive results on the educational advancement of students within the school or school district.