OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. — An Oakland County teacher has won the 2020 Educator of the Year award and a $10,000 prize from the Michigan Lottery’s Excellence in Education program.
Megan Sidge teaches students with Autism Spectrum Disorder at Hickory Woods Elementary, which is part of the Walled Lake Consolidated Schools.
She fell in love with the profession while volunteering in her mother’s classroom when she was young. Sidge uses a compassionate and structured approach to help her students grow inside and outside of the classroom.
“Megan is so deserving of this honor,” Hickory Woods Elementary Principal Patricia Chinn said. “She does this with a constant positive outlook and desire to grow. Serving students as individuals is at the heart of everything she does.”
The Excellence in Education awards program started in 2014 as a way to recognize outstanding public school educators. The lottery gives winners of the weekly award a plaque, a $1,500 cash prize and a $500 grant to their classroom, school or school district. Every year, one of the weekly winners gets chosen for the $10,000 prize.
The Michigan Lottery recently presented Sidge with the award during a surprise Zoom call and the announcement was made last month.
“I am so honored to be selected as the Michigan Lottery’s Educator of the Year,” Sidge said. “This would not be possible without the help and support of my Hickory Woods family. I am truly thankful for being part of such as wonderful team.”
See more: When Sidge won her Excellence in Education Award
See more: Excellence in Education winners
See more: Excellence in Education videos
