Mason County first-grade teacher receives $2,000 Michigan Lottery education award

A first-grade teacher at Ludington Elementary in Mason County has received a $2,000 Excellence in Education award from the Michigan Lottery. The Lottery announced the educator’s selection on September 29, 2026, recognizing her work in a classroom where students are included, supported and celebrated.

Ludington Elementary is part of Ludington Area Public Schools. The award recipient has worked as an educator for 18 years, including 13 years in her current position at the school. Her experience in the classroom was part of the background accompanying the Michigan Lottery’s announcement.

A parent of one of the teacher’s students nominated her for the award. The nomination described a classroom built around making students feel included and celebrated. It also identified several activities used in the classroom, including games, dance parties, a student reward store and a rotating VIP table.

Those activities were presented as part of the teacher’s effort to create a positive classroom environment. The nomination highlighted the way students are recognized and encouraged through classroom routines and events, rather than describing the award solely in terms of teaching experience.

The teacher said her class celebrates milestones reached by students. She also said the class cheers for students as they work toward individual goals. Those celebrations and individual encouragement were among the details connected to the parent’s nomination.

The Excellence in Education award carries a $2,000 cash prize for each weekly recipient. The Michigan Lottery created the awards in 2014 to recognize educators who work in public schools. The Ludington Elementary teacher is one of the educators recognized through that program.

The recipient earned a bachelor’s degree from Salisbury University and a master’s degree from Marygrove College. Before or during her career in education, she also served in Afghanistan with the Army National Guard. Those educational and service experiences were included in the information about her professional background.

The Michigan Lottery said a television segment featuring the teacher was scheduled to air on the evening of September 29, the same date the award announcement was made. The Lottery also identified the person who presented the teacher with her award check, although the announcement date does not establish a separate date for that presentation.

The recognition program also includes a year-end award. At the end of the school year, one of the weekly Excellence in Education recipients will be selected to receive a $10,000 Educator of the Year prize.

For the Ludington Area Public Schools community, the award places attention on the daily classroom practices described in the nomination: celebrating milestones, supporting individual goals and creating activities in which students can take part. The immediate award is the $2,000 weekly prize, while the school-year selection for Educator of the Year remains ahead.