A Macomb County educator who is known for helping students overcome challenges has been honored with an Excellence In Education award from the Michigan Lottery.
The award winner, Lisa Prestininzi, is a fourth-grade teacher at Dresden Elementary School. The school is part of the Utica Community 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 Prestininzi will air this evening.
Prestininzi said her family inspired her to pursue a career in education.
“My parents always taught my brothers and me the importance of education, and the joy of learning and helping others. My dad had been a teacher, guidance counselor, coach, and the Director of Pupil Services for my school district. He was my hero and loved his job. I am glad I was able to follow in his footsteps in my career as an educator and my love for learning, teaching, and children. It is very rewarding to hear or read that I have had a positive impact on a student. I continue to find joy in hugs and smiles from former and current students, and I love seeing the excitement on students’ faces when they understand things after struggling with them.”
Prestininzi was nominated for the award by the parent of a student.
“Ms. Prestininzi is an amazing teacher. My daughter started school during COVID and had anxiety before COVID started. Once the kids were able to go back to school, her anxiety was so much worse. Ms. Prestininzi has been a huge part of getting her through her anxiety and wanting to come to school. Ms. Prestininzi has always made her feel so special and helped boost her confidence at school. My daughter blossomed with Ms. Prestininzi because she knew she didn’t have to worry that she would be called out in front of the class or put on the spot. Ms. Prestininzi respected her anxiety and worked with her daily. Ms. Prestininzi also was there for me during this time and would give me updates on how my daughter was doing or would come out in the morning to get her if she was having a morning that I could not get her in the school. Ms. Prestininzi is so observant with her students. She observes how her students are with tests and other things and makes sure they get the most out of everything. Ms. Prestininzi is such a special teacher and any student that is lucky enough to get her is going to remember her forever.”
Prestininzi earned a bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University and a master’s degree from Saginaw Valley State University. She has been an educator for 35 years, the last 10 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.
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