KALAMAZOO – Educators from Southwest Michigan were recognized last week with Catalyst Education Awards during Catalyst University, a daylong leadership event hosted by the regional economic development organization Southwest Michigan First at Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo.

The Catalyst Education Awards received applications from teachers, principals and entire schools from across Southwest Michigan, competing in each of the three categories—school, principal and teacher— to be recognized for innovations and achievements in K-12 education. The 2018 winning educators recognized were:

  • SCHOOL—Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency, Kalamazoo, MI
  • PRINCIPAL—Mike Barwegen, Principal, Tobey Elementary School, Vicksburg, MI
  • TEACHER—Amy Cummings, Dowagiac Middle School, Dowagiac, MI

Regional economic development organization Southwest Michigan First founded the Catalyst Education Awards with the mission of making Southwest Michigan recognized globally for its success in preparing young people to thrive in education and employment. According to Ron Kitchens, the organization’s chief executive officer, “Everyone can point to a single life-changing moment in their past that set them on their current path. And for many, this occurred in a classroom. We would like to celebrate the fact that across the region, these moments happen in our schools every day.”

“The Michigan Lottery is proud to sponsor the Catalyst Education Awards as part of its mission to provide support for public education. Since it began in 1972, the Lottery has provided more than $21 billion to support schools in our state. That includes a record $924.1 million last year, the third year in a row for record Lottery contributions to education. The Lottery team shares every educator’s commitment to providing each child in our state with a quality education. On behalf of the Lottery, I’d like to offer my congratulations to this year’s Catalyst Education Award winners and thank them for their efforts to help prepare young people in Southwest Michigan for a bright future,” said Aric Nesbitt, Michigan Lottery Commissioner.

You can learn more about each of the winners in the February/March 2018 issue of 269 MAGAZINE at www.269mag.com/recognition/.