Margy Barile (right) poses for a photo with Michigan Lottery public relations director, Jeff Holyfield, after accepting her Excellence in Education Award.
An Ingham County educator known for her dedication to improving education through the innovative use of technology for teachers and students across her district has been honored with an Excellence in Education award from the Michigan Lottery.
The award winner, Margy Barile, is an instructional technology specialist for the Haslett 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 plaque, a $1,500 cash prize, and a $500 grant to their classroom, school or school district. One of the weekly winners will be selected as the Educator of the Year 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, and WNEM-TV in Saginaw. The news segment featuring Barile will air this evening in Grand Rapids and Lansing, on Thursday in Saginaw and Detroit.
Barile said she was attracted to a career in education because “I love children and can’t think of a better profession to work in. I love working with amazing students and staff in an outstanding school district!
“I am very lucky to have a job that I love and find very rewarding. It’s so rewarding to positively impact a student’s life in any way and to work each day to provide all children with a quality education. I am just one of so many hard-working, excellent teachers who strive every day to provide their students with the best education they can,” she said. “It’s an honor and a pleasure to work with so many excellent educational professionals.”
The Excellence in Education award nomination for Barile described as “a true leader” whose initiatives and accomplishments reflect her dedication to students and the Haslett Public Schools.
“Margy Barile has implemented a successful district-wide blended learning program that has benefited nearly every teacher in the district. Since 2016, more than 140 teachers have participated in this professional development program and have received personalized, curriculum-specific training and coaching on the integration of technology in the classroom,” the nomination said.
“Some examples of what teachers have learned include using Google Expeditions for virtual field trips and Seesaw for student portfolios, how to create a YouTube channel for math instructional videos, and how to use literacy apps for speech development in students with autism.”
Margy Barile is interviewed after being presented with an Excellence in Education award from the Michigan Lottery.
Barile also implemented “an online summer school program for high school and middle school students,” the nomination said. “This highly successful program had 35 course enrollments the first year and more than 60 enrollments the second year. Ms. Barile also played an integral part in the development of Haslett Virtual Academy, and developed a Curriculum Release Day program for teachers to collaborate and enrich their curriculum with digital tools and resources.
“She serves an important role for the special education department as well, making recommendations on the use of assistive technology for students. She has trained teachers and students on a variety of assistive technology programs to improve program consistency for students with learning disabilities,” the nomination said.
“Ms. Barile has demonstrated vision by encouraging the district to participate in the Future Ready Schools program and introducing the concept of free, ‘open education resources’ through the Michigan Department of Education’s #GoOpen initiative. She recruited teachers and coordinated the district’s participation in the National Board Certification program, the most respected professional certification program.
“The district also has benefited from Ms. Barile’s outreach efforts. She helped secure the donation of a 3D printer for the elementary STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts, math) program from the Meridian Economic Development Corp. and her involvement with the Kiwanis Club of Haslett-Okemos led to the donation of 30 Chromebooks and a charging cart for the Haslett Middle School.
“This year, Ms. Barile convinced the Foundation for Haslett Schools to team up with the Kiwanis Club to provide free Chromebooks to 51 students.”
Barile earned a bachelor of arts degree in education and English from Michigan State University, a master of science degree in library and information science from Wayne State University, and a master of arts degree in educational technology from Michigan State University. She has been an educator for 25 years, the past 16 with the Haslett Public Schools.
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.
