A Tuscola County educator known for going above and beyond for her school and community has been honored with an Excellence in Education award from the Michigan Lottery.

The award winner, Taylor Dantinne, is a high school art teacher at Millington High School. The school is part of the Millington Community 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 Dantinne will air this evening.

“In today’s society, it is so important for children to have adults in their lives who create a safe space and foster an inclusive environment,” said Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli. “Taylor does this and more by sharing her free time with her students and community.”

Dantinne said her love of children attracted her to a career in education.

“I love my students and being involved in all of their school activities. Kids need to know that adults are there for them and so I make it my goal to show up for them every day in the classroom and beyond. My daughter was once asked what I do for a living, and she replied: ‘She goes to work and teaches her friends.’ I can’t think of a better way to describe what I do.”

Dantinne was nominated for the award by her superintendent.

“In addition to teaching art at Millington High School, Mrs. Dantinne goes above and beyond to volunteer at school and community events. She coordinates the Annual Macho Volleyball Tournament, a fundraiser that s local families in need. She also does a lot for our football and other sports programs, including deg posters and playoff t-shirts, creating yard signs, and organizing fundraisers. She also coordinates Adopt-A-Senior, an event where community select a senior each year and give them gifts. She also teaches Cardinal Pride, a class where students volunteer their time at school and in the community. We have a wonderful, positive school climate and much of the reason for this is the fact that Mrs. Dantinne puts in so much extra time to make things nice for the staff and students!”

Dantinne earned a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from the University of Michigan Flint. She has been an educator for 16 years, all in her 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.