An Eaton County educator known for creating a positive culture for students, staff, and families in his school and community has been honored with an Excellence in Education award from the Michigan Lottery.

The award winner, Ryan Guimont, is the principal at Charlotte Middle School. The school is part of Charlotte Public Schools.

The Michigan Lottery established the Excellence in Education awards in 2014 to recognize outstanding public-school educators across the state during the school year.

Winners of the weekly award receive a $2,000 cash prize. At the end of the school year, one of the weekly award winners will be selected to receive the Lottery’s Educator of the Year award and will receive a $10,000 cash prize.

Each winner also is featured in a news segment on the Lottery’s media partner stations: WXYZ-TV in Detroit, FOX 17 in Grand Rapids, FOX 47 in Lansing, WNEM-TV in Saginaw, and WWTV-TV in Traverse City. The news segment featuring Guimont will air this evening.

“Mr. Guimont’s investment in his community and drive to build relationships with students and staff is a true asset to the Charlotte Community Schools,” said Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli. “His genuine care and comion for his students and his team are commendable and make him an excellent educator.”

Guimont’s sister inspired him to pursue a career in education.

“As a child, I grew up with a sister with special needs, which led to me being involved in classrooms while in school. As a teenager I was involved in various camps for children with special needs and continued to be involved in these camps into young adulthood and early on in my education career. These experiences sparked a love of working with children and helping them learn to become the best versions of themselves.”

Guimont was nominated for the award by a colleague.

“Ryan Guimont first started in Charlotte as a Special Education teacher, and he made a huge difference in the lives of many in that role from his teaching, coaching and work ing the community and their needs. Since he has moved to the Middle School as the principal, he has done an excellent job creating a positive culture for students, staff and families. He is always there in the morning to greet students and build those relationships. He attends sporting events, choir concerts, community events, and more in of the students and families. Mr. Guimont is often seen in the hallways talking to students between classes about their day, their lives and really showing how much he cares about all of the students and helping them feel valued, safe and cared for. He is very ive of the staff and is very willing to listen when there are concerns and try to problem solve. He also has been instrumental in doing some collaboration of activities between the Middle School and the High School as Charlotte is working to build a strong community/partnership between the schools.”

Guimont earned a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and a master’s degree from Notre Dame of Maryland University. He has been an educator for 16 years, the last four in his current position.

Excellence in Education award nominees are 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.