The recipient of the latest Michigan Lottery Excellence in Education Award is a respected teacher and administrator who has made a significant impact on the lives of students in Kent County. Veronica VanWagoner, a teacher of history in the seventh grade at Caledonia Community Schools, has emerged as the winner.
As a teacher, VanWagoner enjoys fostering connections with her pupils. After learning she had been selected, she said that she had been inspired to pursue the education field by a second-grade teacher.
A relative of VanWagoner presented VanWagoner’s submission. The reason for the nomination was her commitment to assisting students in acquiring books after the closure of his previous school library.
VanWagoner’s relative, who remains anonymous, revealed that due to her former school’s lack of a library, she decided to take matters into her own hands. Utilizing her personal finances and a grant from the school’s Educational Foundation, VanWagoner managed to curate a library of almost 2,000 books for her students.
Furthermore, she implemented regular field trips to the Kent District Library, where her students were given library cards to encourage independent learning.
Before she started teaching them, several parents struggled to get their children to study. They all commended her for the positive impact she has made. Her teaching approach involves sparking children’s interest in reading using book trailers, book discussions, and personalized book selections, and she believes that matching books to individual interests is key to getting children engaged.
VanWagoner, a teacher for the past 17 years, employs a technique of debate to inspire the pupils to express themselves in public and grasp the concepts of social studies, enabling them to defend their points of view. By discussing contemporary affairs, she establishes a correlation with the past to enhance comprehension of ancient history.
Excellence in Education Award
The Michigan Lottery conceived the Excellence in Education Award with the intention of identifying and honoring exceptional public school teachers throughout the school year in various parts of the state.
The recipients of the weekly award take home a $1,500 cash prize, along with a plaque and a $500 grant that can be used to benefit their classroom, school, or school district.
The Teacher of the Year accolade will also be presented to one winner, and this individual will be bestowed with a cash prize worth $10,000. The Lottery partner media outlets, such as WXYZ-TV in Detroit, FOX 17 in Grand Rapids, and WNEM-TV in Saginaw, provide coverage of all the winners.
