A Lapeer County educator who is known for creating a welcoming environment for students has been honored with an Excellence In Education award from the Michigan Lottery.
The award winner, Heather LaMarra, is an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher at Weston Elementary. The school is part of Imlay City Schools. LaMarra said the excitement and challenge of being an ESL teacher inspired her to pursue a career in education. She had previously worked as a social worker and delinquency worker, with her experience with students whose second language was English prompting her career switch.
LaMarra was nominated for the award by a family member.
LaMarra earned a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and master’s degrees from Nova Southeastern University and the University of Phoenix. She has been an educator for 22 years, the last 10 in her current position.
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 in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Saginaw and Traverse City. The news segment featuring LaMarra will air Tuesday evening.
