Teachers & K-12 Certified Educators

By Brenda Ortega and Heather Palo MEA Staff Matt Hamilton started the Shoe Club in 2008 to build students’ empathy, self‑confidence, and leadership skills. It was mid-August, the dog days of last summer, and MEA member Matt Hamilton looked like a mayor on parade walking down Main Street in East Jordan, a small town along the Jordan River in northern…

Nicki Strach A veteran paraeducator in Reed City and vice president of her local union, Nicki Strach has worked to implement innovative literacy programs while making sure everyone — regardless of behavioral or academic challenges — feels understood, valued and nurtured. For the last five years, Strach’s primary focus has been on emerging students at G.T. Norman Elementary School, helping…

Kaitie Paynich Spanish teacher Kaitie Paynich has helped students at Portage Northern High School feel safe and nurtured through her efforts to strengthen the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) club and create a gender-affirming closet and free store open to all. Paynich was chosen to lead the program when it re-started in 2016. “It was super-heartwarming to see our students advocate…

Brenda Massie A 40-year educator, Brenda Massie has worked for 20 years in Ludington schools where she teaches fifth and sixth grade, supervises the Safety Patrol program, and leads after-school math programs — all in addition to serving as the local union’s chief negotiator and grievance chair since 2010. “My first job is to teach and develop the students sitting…

Jamie Hitt A mid-career math teacher at Lakeview High School in St. Clair Shores, Jamie Hitt co-created and leads the school’s peer-to-peer program — an elective course that brings together general education students and students with special needs to build leadership, empathy and collaboration. Winning a statewide award of excellence brought out many feelings, she said in her acceptance speech…

By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor MEA member Kelley Cusmano, who teaches English and student leadership in Rochester, is the 2024-25 Michigan Teacher of the Year. The next MTOY will be announced in May. Kelley Cusmano is the 2024-25 Michigan Teacher of the Year. In February, the Michigan Department of Education announced the 10 Regional Teachers of the Year who…

MEA member Lindsey Wilson holds a position in Lowell Area Schools that rarely existed in Michigan school districts just five years ago. Wilson is a behavior coach, assigned to address needs of students exhibiting the most challenging classroom behaviors. She doesn’t work directly with children most of the time. Like an instructional coach, she brings an expert perspective to help…

In her three decades as an educator, Hayes Elementary art teacher Christine Lakatos never considered herself an environmentalist. Yet Lakatos and her students at the Westland school for years created art using egg cartons, paper towel tubes and other household items that otherwise get tossed. Under Lakatos’ leadership, Hayes Elementary, part of Livonia Public Schools, achieved Michigan Green School status…

By William Renner Hastings Area Schools William Renner teaches a one‑week summer manufacturing camp that delivers big payoffs for students at Hastings Middle School. We all know one of the greatest joys of teaching is when a light bulb goes on for a student who grasps a new concept for the first time. That’s what I loved about hosting a…

MEA member Kossi Komlassan, a math teacher in Gladwin County’s Beaverton schools, was promoted from captain to major in the Michigan National Guard in a ceremony before the sophomores he teaches. MEA member Kossi Komlassan has led soldiers in combat and teenagers in math class. Both of those identities recently came together in one room at Beaverton Junior/Senior High School…