Michigan Lottery Connect

Lottery Commissioner, Suzanna Shkreli, presents Nicole Shipley with her Excellence in Education check.

A Barry County educator who is known for her dedication to her students has been honored with an Excellence In Education award from the Michigan Lottery.

The award winner, Nicole Shipley, is an elementary special education teacher at Page Elementary. The school is part of the Thornapple Kellogg 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 Shipley will air this evening.

“Ms. Shipley embodies the heart of teaching: selfless, compassionate, and devoted to the success of every student,” said Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli. “She goes beyond the classroom, tailoring learning to each child’s needs and investing her own time, creativity, and care to ensure they thrive. Her commitment to building lasting relationships with her students and families makes her an inspiration.”

Shipley said she wanted to pursue a career in education for as long as she can remember.

“For as long as I can remember, I was going to become a teacher. I always loved helping others, especially children. There was never really a different path. I became passionate about special education while I was in college. I was working at the local after school programs for their students with special needs, mostly cognitively impaired. I loved witnessing wins that went beyond reading and math. I was able to support students as they developed friendships, gained more independence and improved their communication with teachers, peers and even their families. I became close with some of the families and even provided respite care. We would share in the joy of even the smallest wins and that was a feeling that I never wanted to lose. To put it simply, being a teacher, a special education teacher, is who I am.”

Shipley was nominated for the award by the family of a former student.

“What really stands out about Ms. Shipley is her dedication to each of her students as if they were the only student she had. She spends countless hours outside of the classroom on curriculum that fits each individual student. This goes beyond the traditional class work, but she also noticeably puts effort into knowing what incentives motivate each student. As a parent, that gives me great confidence knowing my child’s best interests are on her mind. Ms. Shipley is selfless and puts her students’ needs first. She puts thought into finding specific items the kids need to be most successful (clothing, hygiene supplies, items for their personal bins, holiday and special occasion gifts, and more.), often tailored to be special for an individual student. We have exchanged e-mails with her on nights and weekends and she is always responsive to help us help our child. She offered to meet outside of normal working hours to explain various options our child has in future grades, a meeting which put us at ease and helped us understand his options for the future. Not only is Ms. Shipley dedicated and selfless in pursuit of success for her students, she gives up her time and finances with a cheerful attitude. As a parent, she is a joy to talk to and interact with. Ms. Shipley is a true advocate for all students and dedicated to their success in being the best version of themselves they can be. This includes even students in other classrooms; if she sees a student struggling, she offers help at that moment but also helping the other teacher come up with a plan specific for their student so they can be less stressed and succeed.”

Shipley earned a bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University and a master’s degree from Michigan State University. She has been an educator for 13 years, the last 12 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.