Lottery Spokesman, Jake Harris, presents Shawn Flock with his Excellence in Education check.
A Newaygo County educator who is known for inspiring his students to succeed has been honored with an Excellence In Education award from the Michigan Lottery.
The award winner, Shawn Flock, is a math interventionist at Daisy Brook Elementary. The school is part of the Fremont Area 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 $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, WLUC in Marquette, WNEM-TV in Saginaw, and WWTV-TV in Traverse City. The news segment featuring Flock will air this evening.
Flock said that his love for sports and numbers was what inspired him to pursue a career in education.
“I never thought about a career in education before college. I was planning to be an accountant and quickly decided that I didn’t want to sit at a desk for 40 years. I started thinking about what I enjoyed in life and realized that I love sports, numbers, and working with kids as a camp counselor, so I changed my major to teaching which enabled me to work with kids in the classroom and through coaching sports.”
Flock was nominated for the award by the Fremont Elementary PTO.
“Shawn Flock is more than a math interventionist. He’s a motivator, mentor, traffic controller, and culture keeper. He is the kind of person every school dreams of having, and few are lucky enough to know.
Every morning and afternoon, in every kind of Michigan weather, Mr. Flock stands at one of the busiest intersections in our district, directing traffic between our two elementary schools. With arms outstretched and eyes always scanning, he keeps kids safe, cars moving, and spirits high. His animated, precise traffic signals recently went viral on a local community Facebook thread. He doesn’t just direct traffic, he sets the tone for the entire school day.
His real superpower is what happens after the morning bell. As a math interventionist, Mr. Flock works with students who are struggling and helps them believe they can succeed. In a county where academic gaps are real and resources are limited, his consistent, encouraging support is a gamechanger. He meets kids where they are, celebrates every win, and refuses to let anyone feel left behind. Whether he’s explaining multiplication strategies, cheering on small breakthroughs, or just listening when a student has a hard day, he makes kids feel seen and capable.
People like Mr. Flock, (humble, joyful, and deeply committed), are the ones who make public schools work. Fremont is better because of him and every student is safer, stronger, and more supported because he shows up.”
Flock earned a bachelor’s degree from Ferris State University. He has been an educator for 32 years, the last 16 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.