Michigan Lottery Connect

Acting Lottery Commissioner, Joe Froehlich, presents Angela Krueger with her Excellence in Education check.

A Calhoun County educator who loves to connect with others and help them achieve their goals and dreams has been honored with an Excellence In Education award from the Michigan Lottery.

The award winner, Angela Krueger, is a high school science teacher at Marshall High School. The school is part of the Marshall Public 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 and WILX in Lansing, WLUC in Marquette, WNEM-TV in Saginaw, and WWTV-TV in Traverse City. The news segment featuring Krueger will air this evening.

Krueger said that she decided to pursue her career because she loved school and always felt encouraged by amazing and dedicated educators growing up.

“I have had the most rewarding career because of the people who have surrounded me. I work in an amazing school with fantastic, hardworking students, extraordinary colleagues who inspire me and supportive administrators and parents. This is what truly keeps me going.

“I have dedicated my career to the same school for 27 years and I have found that focusing on positivity and human connections has maximized student engagement and learning outcomes. Students thrive when they know that you care about them, and my students understand my high expectations because they know I want the best for them and genuinely want to see them achieve their goals and dreams.”

Krueger was nominated for the award by one of her students.

“Angela Krueger should be nominated for the Michigan Lottery’s Excellence in Education award because she is an amazing teacher who truly cares about her students. She takes the time to get to know each of us, not just as students but as people, and that makes a big difference in how comfortable we feel in her class.

“She makes biology fun and interesting. Even when the topics are challenging, she finds ways to explain them so we understand and stay engaged. Her class is never boring, and she always encourages us to ask questions and be curious about what we are learning.

“What stands out the most is that she cares more about us actually learning than just getting a grade. She wants us to understand the material and feel confident, not just memorize things for a test. She supports us, pushes us to do our best, and celebrates our growth.

“Because of her, many of us enjoy science more and feel more confident in our abilities. She is the kind of teacher who makes a lasting impact, and she truly deserves to be recognized.”

Krueger earned a bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University and master’s degree from Michigan State University. She has been an educator for 27 years, all of them 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.