The award winner, Katie Stebelton, is a math and science teacher at Davis Middle School. The school is part of the Hillsdale Community Schools 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 in Lansing, WNEM-TV in Saginaw, and WWTV-TV in Traverse City. The news segment featuring Stebelton will air this evening.
Stebelton says her kindergarten teacher inspired her to become an educator.
“My kindergarten teacher, Mrs. LaValley, inspired me to be a teacher. I had other teachers during my K-12 education at Cass City Schools who continued my drive to be a teacher. The students continue to drive me to love my career. Even on the worst day, you have a kid who will say something funny, have an “aha moment,” or remind you that you are amazing. I keep a binder in my desk with every letter I have received as a teacher. On the really tough days, I read through them.”
Stebelton says having her students write letters to be delivered on graduation day is her favorite activity to do with students.
“When I was in sixth grade my teacher had us write letters to ourselves. These were delivered on graduation day. I do the same for my students. This is by far my favorite activity. The students get to see how far they have come in six years. Students write about their wishes, goals, and dreams for after high school to their now graduated self.”
Stebelton was nominated for the award by a friend.
“Katie is an overachiever. She is a teacher at Hillsdale Community School. She is also the middle school sideline cheer coach, middle school competitive cheer coach, and former girls’ varsity soccer coach. She also is union President, an afternoon tutor, and has been a mentor to multiple teachers, among many, many other things. Katie is a wonderful friend and colleague of mine. She is an amazing teacher and leader with high quality leadership skills.”
Stebelton earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Saginaw Valley State University. She has been an educator for 12 years, the last seven 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.