Tom Trudeau (center) poses for a photo with his wife and Michigan State University Basketball coach Tom Izzo after accepting his Excellence in Education Award from the Michigan Lottery.
A Macomb County educator known for his knowledge of science, commitment to the environment and passion for teaching has been honored with an Excellence of Education award from the Michigan Lottery.
The award winner, Tom Trudeau, is a fourth-grade teacher at Eisenhower Elementary in the Fraser Public Schools district.
The Michigan Lottery recently established the Excellence in Education awards to recognize outstanding public school educators across the state during the school year.
Winners of the weekly award will receive a plaque, a $500 cash prize, and a $500 grant to their classroom, school or school district. One of the weekly winners will be selected as the Educator of the Year and will receive a $10,000 cash prize.
Each winner also will be featured in a news segment on the Lottery’s media partner stations: WXYZ-TV in Detroit, FOX 17 in Grand Rapids, and FOX 47 in Lansing. The news segment featuring Trudeau will air this evening in Grand Rapids and Lansing and Thursday evening in Detroit.
Tom Trudeau (right) talks with Michigan State University basketball coach Tom Izzo prior to accepting his Excellence in Education Award from the Michigan Lottery.
For the Excellence in Education awards program, the Lottery has teamed up with Michigan State University basketball coach Tom Izzo. Izzo met recently with Trudeau at the Breslin Center and presented him with his award.
Trudeau said that his favorite part of being an educator is interacting with the students.
“When I am with the students, I feel animated. I really become focused, alive, and start to enjoy the kids. The feedback is great,” he said, adding that he’s motivated by “the responsibility the parents place in me, preparing the students for their lives. I really like my job.”
Trudeau has been an educator for 13 years, all with the Fraser Public Schools, and said his experience as a parent with the district attracted him to a career in education. “My own children got such a wonderful public education in Fraser, I was bold enough to think I could be a teacher.”
Trudeau was nominated by the parent of a former student and a current student. The nomination noted that “his passion to make the environment a better place is evident through his teachings. Mr. Trudeau leads the school’s recycling efforts by heading up the school’s environmental club, the school recycling program, and the garden area. He makes learning fun because of his passion. Everything he does is a creative outsource of knowledge that the students in his class absorb because of his teaching style.”
Trudeau earned a bachelor of arts degree in education and a master of arts degree in education from Oakland University.
Outstanding public school educators may be nominated for an Excellence in Education award at http://bit.ly/ExcellenceInEducation or through the websites of the Lottery’s media partner stations.
Excellence in Education award nominees will be evaluated on the following criteria:
- Excellence – Their work consistently helps students and/or their schools or school districts advance to higher levels of academic achievement.
- Dedication – They consistently go above and beyond expectations to help students succeed.
- Inspiration – Their work inspires others around them to exceed expectations either academically or professionally.
- Leadership – They demonstrate clear leadership skills in their positions with their school or school districts
- Effectiveness – The nominee’s work has clear and positive results on the educational advancement of students within the school or school district.
