Parents, students, school staff members, and others are encour- aged to nominate outstanding public-school educators for the Michigan Lottery’s 2025-26 Excellence In Education awards.
All public-school employees may be nominated for the Excellence In Education awards, which recognize educators who go “above and beyond” to make a difference in the lives of children. To nominate a public- school educator, go to https://www.michiganlottery.com/excellence-in-education.
“The Excellence in Education awards are our way of honoring the phenomenal work being done by educators in communities throughout Michigan,” said Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli. “These dedicated professionals do so much more than teach; they are a constant, supportive presence who instill lifelong skills and inspire students to believe in themselves.”
The Michigan Lottery estab- lished the Excellence in Education awards in 2014 to recognize outstanding public-school educators across the state during the school year.
One outstanding educator will be selected each week and will receive a $2,000 cash prize. At the end of the school year, one of theseweeklyawardwinnerswill be selected to receive the Lottery’s Educator of the Year award and will receive a $10,000 cash prize.
Winners of the weekly award are 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, Now HiriNg WWTV-TV in Traverse City, and WLUC-TV in Marquette.
The winner of the 2025 Educator of the Year award was Kelly Herberholz, a science teacher and administrative intern with Dakota High School in Macomb.
Hundreds of educators were nominated during the 2024-25 school year, which was the 11th year of the Excellence in Education awards program. Thirty-four of these nominees, including Herberholz, were selected to win a weekly award.
Previous winners of the Educator of the Year award:
2024 – Samantha TwoCrow, the director of the Indigenous Education Program for Suttons Bay Public Schools in Suttons Bay.
2023 – Kathryn Kluzak, a kindergarten teacher with Robert L. Green Elementary in East Lansing.
2022 – Spencer Vanderheide, a high school teacher with Kenowa Hills High School in Grand Rapids.
2021–JaniceSmith,aschool social worker at Fisher Magnet Lower Academy in Detroit.
2020 – Megan Sidge, an Autism Spectrum Disorder teacher at Hickory Woods Elementary in Walled Lake.
2019 – Stewart Kieliszewski, an Earth science, biology, mechatronics, and media teacher for eighth through 12 graders at the Ubly Community Schools.
2018 – Kerri Moccio, a first- grade literacy intervention specialist at Bedford Elementary School in Dearborn Heights.
2017 – Linda Holzwarth, a social studies teacher at Portage West Middle School in Portage.
2016 – Daniel Carr, a Spanish and sports marketing teacher at Waverly High School in Lansing.
2015 – Michael Craig, a special education teacher at the Charles Drew Transition Center in Detroit.
Excellence In Education award nominees should demonstrate the following qualities:
- Excellence–Their workc onsistently helps students and/or their schools or school districts advance to higher levels of academic achievement.
Dedication – They consistently go above and beyond expecta- tions 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.
