A Kent County educator known for creating engaging lessons for her students has been honored with an Excellence In Education award from the Michigan Lottery.

The award winner, Ashleigh Sutton, teaches Social Studies and Exploratory Geography at Kent City Middle School. The school is part of Kent City 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, WNEM-TV in Saginaw, and WWTV-TV in Traverse City. The news segment featuring Sutton will air this evening.

Sutton says her desire for a career that would allow her to make a difference led her to a career in education.

“I started a career in finance right out of high school but was unhappy and unfulfilled. I spent the next four years trying to figure out what I wanted to do the rest of my life. I knew I wanted to do something to help others and make a difference. After many years and many classes, I decided to pursue a career in education and left my career in finance to be a Social Studies teacher.”

Sutton says her favorite activities to do with students are historical simulations, geographic information system (GIS) labs, and Dungeons and Dragons club.

“My favorite activities in seventh grade are our historical simulations. We have been wealthy landowners along the Silk Road, solved the cold case mystery of Julius Ceasar’s death, and we have fought in phalanxes as Persians and Athenians.

“My favorite activities in sixth grade are our GIS labs. Students use the ArcGIS platform to map data layers. We use this information to find spatial patterns and connections to help us solve geographical problems. At the end of the year students create their own map stories about problems they would like to solve. I love seeing my students empower themselves to make a difference in the world.

“I host a middle school Dungeons and Dragons club after school which allows students to come into my classroom and be themselves. We pretend and make up characters and let our imaginations go crazy. When students feel safe to be themselves, they grow in the most amazing of ways.”

Sutton was nominated for the award by a colleague.

“Ashleigh has been going above and beyond this school year in more ways than one. She works hard to create engaging lessons for students that push their thinking and keep them hooked on the content. Ashleigh is the high school varsity cheer coach in the fall, and she also runs Dungeons and Dragons club for middle school students after school. Throughout the months of February and March, she has made it a point to create bulletin boards in her classroom and the hallway for students to learn and celebrate Black History Month and Women’s History Month. Additionally, Ashleigh set up a Women’s History Month poster scavenger hunt throughout the school for students to learn and earn prizes.

“Ashleigh is an amazing educator who has been putting in the work and effort to build long lasting relationships with her students and fellow staff members. Kent City Schools is lucky to have such an amazing teacher.”

Sutton earned a bachelor’s degree from Ferris State University and is currently attending Eastern Michigan University to earn her master’s degree in Reading and Teacher Education. She has been an educator for two years, both 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.