Acting Lottery Commissioner, Joe Froehlich, presents Joe Matulis with his Excellence in Education check.

A Clinton County educator known for developing a student-driven outdoor ice rink project that integrates Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) learning across grade levels has been honored with an Excellence In Education award from the Michigan Lottery.

The award winner, Joseph Matulis, is a physical education teacher at Riley and Eureka Elementary Schools. The schools are a part of the St. Johns Public School 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 and WILX in Lansing, WLUC in Marquette, WNEM-TV in Saginaw, and WWTV-TV in Traverse City. The news segment featuring Matulis will air this evening.

Matulis said that having an older brother expose him to all kinds of physical activities is what led him to a career in education.

“Growing up, I was lucky to have an older brother who exposed me to all kinds of activities. He went out of his way to teach me how to ski, swim and sail, along with traditional sports like basketball, baseball and football. At the time, he wasn’t a physical education teacher, he was simply my older brother taking the time to teach me and including me in the things he enjoyed.

“A student might learn to catch a ball, ride a bike, ice skate or try an outdoor activity for the first time and that skill itself is important, but what really drives me is the confidence that comes with it. I want students to learn that it’s okay not to be good at something the first time. You practice, keep trying and you improve. When a child realizes, ‘I couldn’t do this before, but now I can,’ that’s what keeps me excited about teaching.

“One of the biggest things I try to do is expose students to a wide variety of ways to be active. Not every child is going to connect with a traditional team sport, so I want students to experience enough different activities so that they have a chance to find something they enjoy. That means looking beyond the walls of the gym whenever we can. We’ve created an ice-skating rink at school, and we’ve taken students outdoors for experiences such as paddleboarding and fishing. I also like finding creative ways to use technology, games and challenges to make students excited about moving and learning.”

Matulis was nominated for the award by his region’s MiSTEM director.

“Joe Matulis is a Physical Education teacher but includes so much more in his lessons for elementary students, like math, science, and physics.

“At our school, we have developed a student-driven outdoor ice rink project that integrates STEM learning across grade levels. Students survey the site, analyze slope and drainage, estimate ice volume, monitor weather and temperature, and evaluate design improvements year to year. The project intentionally connects physical education, science, math, and engineering through hands-on, place-based learning.

“We have also already partnered with community and higher-education organizations to expand student learning and career exposure, including MSU Figure Skating, MSU Women’s Hockey, and Disney on Ice. These partnerships allow students to explore real-world applications of physics, biomechanics, engineering, design, and performance, making the project both diverse and well-rounded.”

Matulis earned a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and has been an educator for 18 years, all 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.