Player Relations Manager, Jake Harris (left), presenting Mark Salzer (right) with his Excellence in Education check

A Wayne County educator who is known for his outstanding service to his students, staff, and entire school community has been honored with an Excellence In Education award from the Michigan Lottery.

The award winner, Mark Salzer, is the Executive Director of Integrated Technology Systems with the Plymouth-Canton 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 Salzer will air this evening.

“In this day and age where technology is a huge component of everyday life, especially in our schools, it is important to have leaders in the field like Mark Salzer,” said Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli. “Mark is devoted to being a service to his students, their families, and his colleagues, and is always finding innovative ways to incorporate technology for an improved learning experience.”

Salzer says the idea that children are our future and the challenge of creating a nurturing learning environment led him to pursue a career as an educator.

“I became interested in working in education because I believe our children are our future. They represent promise and hope, and I want to facilitate their dreaming and growth into curious and participatory community members. I was also drawn to teaching because many educators I knew were caring and team oriented, so the challenge of creating a nurturing learning environment would be one I’d share with other like-minded individuals.”

Salzer was nominated for the award by a colleague.

“Mark Salzer is certainly worthy of the Michigan Lottery Excellence in Education award for his outstanding service to the students, educational staff, and the Plymouth-Canton Community. He was recently honored with the Mary Beth Carroll Extra Miler award for going above and beyond for the educational community in Plymouth-Canton Community Schools. Mark has worked in the PCCS school district for over 10 years. He is self-motivated and works around the clock to provide the best service he can to students and families when it comes to the PCCS student 1:1 Chromebook program, staff computers, trouble-shooting computer and technology issues, and creating ways to connect to families and collaborate on new and innovative ideas for teaching staff and families with the Digital Learning Hub. Mark was described as a ‘humble steward’ when awarded the Mary Beth Carroll Extra Miler award, and he truly is! As a former science teacher, he understands the importance of technology in the classroom and the district. He is intelligent, self-motivated, kind, and a tireless leader who always thinks about what is best for the students and staff and frequently responds to emails, even in the middle of the night. Mark Salzer’s work ethic and vision to provide the best technology experience to all students, staff, and the Plymouth Canton Community is unmatched and deserving of this award.”

Salzer earned a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and a master’s degree from Harvard Graduate School of Education. He has been an educator for 29 years, the last seven in his 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.