Great Lakes Wire

A fourth-grade teacher from West Bendle Elementary in Genesee County has received the Excellence in Education award from the Michigan Lottery. Gina Richards, who teaches at a school within Bendle Public Schools, was recognized for her efforts in helping students achieve their academic potential.

The Excellence in Education awards were established by the Michigan Lottery in 2014 to honor outstanding public-school educators across Michigan during the school year. Each weekly winner receives a $2,000 cash prize. At the end of the year, one of these winners will be selected as Educator of the Year and receive an additional $10,000 cash prize.

Winners are also featured on several local television stations throughout Michigan. The segment featuring Richards is scheduled to air this evening on 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.

Michigan Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli presented Richards with her award and commented: “Ms. Richards’ unconventional path to becoming an educator is a testament to her commitment and desire to help children succeed. Her dedication to her students, both inside and outside the classroom, makes her an exceptional educator.”

Richards explained her motivation for entering education: “As an elementary student, I struggled in school. I wanted to help children that struggle with academics. I found a career that will help me accomplish my goal of helping children that are academically challenged like I was. I started teaching later than most people do, so this drives me to excel in teaching my students. I love watching how students grow and develop in the course of a year and to see that I have a hand in helping them achieve this goal.”

She was nominated for the award by a family she worked closely with. The nomination noted: “Ms. Richards returned to college in her late 30’s to obtain her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan. She chose to teach elementary school to help children in the area achieve their potential. Bendle school district is a lower income district in need of teachers like her that truly care for the less fortunate students. Ms. Richards makes herself available to all her students and parents that may need help. She goes to students’ activities and even treats them to roller skating parties. She also will help the young girls with their hair in the morning to help them feel more secure with themselves. At Bendle they are streamlining special needs children. Ms. Richards works with a lot of special needs children, and her students have great test scores. She’s a positive influence on her students, parents, and faculty.”

Richards earned her bachelor’s degree from University of Michigan Flint and has been teaching for six years—four years at West Bendle Elementary.

Nominees for Excellence in Education are evaluated based on criteria including excellence (advancing student achievement), dedication (going beyond expectations), inspiration (motivating others), leadership (demonstrating clear leadership skills), and effectiveness (producing positive results for student advancement).