Michigan Lottery Connect

Lottery Spokesman, Jake Harris, presents Michael Domagalski with his Excellence in Education check.

A St. Clair County educator who is known as a leader and a positive influence for students and staff has been honored with an Excellence In Education award from the Michigan Lottery.

The award winner, Michael Domagalski, is a principal at Palms Elementary School and East China Virtual Academy. Both schools are part of the East China 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 Domagalski will air this evening.

Domagalski said his desire to have a positive influence on others attracted him to a career in education.

“I wanted to be an educator due to my strong desire to positively influence teachers, children, and the community. I continually strive to help them grow academically, socially, emotionally as well as be engaged in their school. Ultimately, as it pertains to children or students, seeing them gain confidence or understand something new can be incredibly rewarding and knowing that I made an impact on them to become successful citizens of society is the ultimate reward.”

Domagalski was nominated for the award by the parent of a student.

“Mike Domagalski, known to the students of Palms Elementary as Mr. D, is an amazing principal. He welcomes each student at the front door and says goodbye to them every afternoon. Mr. D is present throughout the school in so many ways. He is seen assisting the teachers as needed and engaging with every student that goes past him with a friendly wave, a high five, or with words of encouragement.

Mr. D is very active with the PTO. He helps with assemblies and fundraising, even letting the kids silly string him and duct tape him to the wall when goals are reached! Mr. D additionally participates in PTO events by running in the Palms Color Run and helping with the setup and tear down of the Mother Son Event and the Daddy Daughter Dance. Donuts with Grown Ups is an all-school event that Mr. D helps arrange, set up, and is present throughout, engaging with students and their loved ones.

On days that my daughter needs someone to talk to or has difficulty with another student the person she seeks to talk to is Mr. D. She tells me he always has some good ideas and talking to him makes her feel better.

If you are present at school functions, Mr. D will start the event with ‘ALL SET?’ All the students will respond with ‘YOU BET!’ The function will end with a classic Mr. D pep talk with the conclusion of ‘Don’t have a great day, make it a great day!’ Mr. D deserves this award. He is an educator students look up to and a leader his teachers and staff can rely on!”

Domagalski earned a bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University and a master’s degree from Saginaw Valley State University. He has been an educator for 22 years, the last 13 years as an elementary and secondary school principal.

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.

Lottery Spokesman, Jake Harris, presents Shawn Flock with his Excellence in Education check.

A Newaygo County educator who is known for inspiring his students to succeed has been honored with an Excellence In Education award from the Michigan Lottery.

The award winner, Shawn Flock, is a math interventionist at Daisy Brook Elementary. The school is part of the Fremont Area Public Schools.

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 Flock will air this evening.

Flock said that his love for sports and numbers was what inspired him to pursue a career in education.

“I never thought about a career in education before college. I was planning to be an accountant and quickly decided that I didn’t want to sit at a desk for 40 years. I started thinking about what I enjoyed in life and realized that I love sports, numbers, and working with kids as a camp counselor, so I changed my major to teaching which enabled me to work with kids in the classroom and through coaching sports.”

Flock was nominated for the award by the Fremont Elementary PTO.

“Shawn Flock is more than a math interventionist. He’s a motivator, mentor, traffic controller, and culture keeper. He is the kind of person every school dreams of having, and few are lucky enough to know.

Every morning and afternoon, in every kind of Michigan weather, Mr. Flock stands at one of the busiest intersections in our district, directing traffic between our two elementary schools. With arms outstretched and eyes always scanning, he keeps kids safe, cars moving, and spirits high. His animated, precise traffic signals recently went viral on a local community Facebook thread. He doesn’t just direct traffic, he sets the tone for the entire school day.

His real superpower is what happens after the morning bell. As a math interventionist, Mr. Flock works with students who are struggling and helps them believe they can succeed. In a county where academic gaps are real and resources are limited, his consistent, encouraging support is a gamechanger. He meets kids where they are, celebrates every win, and refuses to let anyone feel left behind. Whether he’s explaining multiplication strategies, cheering on small breakthroughs, or just listening when a student has a hard day, he makes kids feel seen and capable.

People like Mr. Flock, (humble, joyful, and deeply committed), are the ones who make public schools work. Fremont is better because of him and every student is safer, stronger, and more supported because he shows up.”

Flock earned a bachelor’s degree from Ferris State University.  He has been an educator for 32 years, the last 16 in his 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.