A Genesee County educator known for going above and beyond for her students and her love of teaching has been honored with an Excellence in Education award from the Michigan Lottery.
The award winner, Sarah DuCap, is a first-grade teacher at Pinehurst Early Elementary, which is part of Mt. Morris Consolidated 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 DuCap will air this evening in Grand Rapids and Lansing, and then on Thursday in Saginaw and Detroit.
DuCap said helping kids learn to love learning attracted her to a career in education.
“I love watching my students learn and grow every day,” DuCap said. “Knowing I play a role in helping them achieve their goals is very rewarding.”
DuCap was nominated for the award by the parent of a former student. The nomination cited her love of teaching and her willingness to provide help during a tough situation for the family.
“My son had Mrs. DuCap last year for first grade. He was recently diagnosed with stage four cancer. She went out of her way all summer to check in on him, bring care packages all the way to Mott Children’s Hospital, and to make sure we as parents were ok. Her love and teaching go above and beyond the classroom.
“Even though our son is not in her class, or even her school this year, Mrs. Ducap offered to be our son’s homebound teacher while fighting cancer! She is a true angel. Our family truly believes Mrs. Ducap deserves the world.”
DuCap earned a bachelor’s degree from U of M Flint and a master’s degree in the art of teaching from Marygrove College. She has been an educator for 11 years, 10 with Mt. Morris Consolidated Schools.
Outstanding public-school educators may be nominated for an Excellence in Education award at http://bit.ly/ExcellenceInEducation or through the websites of the Lottery’s media partner stations.
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.
