Andie Balenger | Daily Press Nanette Hanson, Michigan Teacher of the Year, enjoys a reception in her honor in the Lemmer Elementary School Library. Shown, from left, are Dr. Michael Rice, state school superintendent, Nanette Hanson, Paulette Wickham, Lemmer Elementary principal, and Coby Fletcher, Escanaba school superintendent.

ESCANABA — A Lemmer Elementary School teacher has been honored as the Michigan Teacher of the Year for the 2022-2023 school year.

In addition to the statewide honor, Nanette Hanson, a first grade teacher at Lemmer, was also given the Regional Teacher of the Year award for the Upper Peninsula. She was presented with the awards by State Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice during a visit to the school Wednesday.

The award presentation blended perfectly with Lemmer Elementary’s celebration of Staff Appreciation week, which began on Monday. After presenting Hanson with the regional award, Dr. Rice surprised her and those in attendance with the Michigan Teacher of the Year honor.

“It was very emotional,” Hanson said. “This is a huge opportunity for me to be the voice for kids and teachers in Michigan. I am taking this as an opportunity to broaden my horizons and become a better teacher.”

Hanson has been a teacher for 25 plus years, her positions varying from an alternative high school teacher all the way down to first grade. Her last 16 years have been in the Escanaba Area Public Schools system as a first grade teacher.

“I am happy, excited, and grateful for every opportunity that I have been given to become a teacher,” Hanson said. “I had special teachers in my life that saw something deep in me that I didn’t even see. They unlocked that. They believed in me and I thought ‘Wow, I am going to do that.'”

The Michigan Teacher of the Year award began in 1952, with intentions to not only celebrate incredible teachers within the state, but to also give them an influential voice in Lansing. Hanson is the third Upper Peninsula teacher to be given this honor, with Sharon L. Green and Sue Szczepanski of Marquette Public Schools holding the title from 1994-1996 and 1996-1997, respectively.

“There are more than 100,000 teachers in the state, so this award is a tremendous honor,” said Rice. “I just think that any time we can honor teachers is a big deal.”

The selection process for the award began in January, with over 200 teachers from across the state being nominated by their colleagues. These nominations were then delivered to the state level for processing, where the competitive selection was whittled down twice before officials announced Michigan’s 10 Regional Teachers of the Year.

Once given the regional honor, the 10 teachers competed against each other in a day-long series of paneled interviews and written questionnaires. Hanson’s admirable commitment to the local community and her students allowed her to rise above all other nominees.

“It is incredibly exciting,” Coby Fletcher, Escanaba school superintendent, said. “To have one of our own, who we all knew was an excellent teacher already, recognized as the Teacher of the Year out of all those people is just an incredible honor.”

Hanson’s award goes well-beyond that of a title. Not only does Hanson hold a seat on the 2022-2023 Michigan Teacher Leadership Advisory Committee, but she will also occupy a non-voting position at the State Board of Education along with being a participatory member of the Governor’s Educator Advisory Council. These positions will allow her to be directly involved in discussions regarding issues within state schools, where her experience and opinions will be factored into statewide problem-solving measures.

“It is an important job, and I think that it is really important that educators have a voice at the table,” Hanson said. “I will do what’s best for kids and advocate for them, especially with equity in schools. I will be voice for equity amongst populations that are underprivileged. I will be their voice.”

Hanson’s receiving of the award not only makes her the first Upper Peninsula teacher to be recognized in the past 25 years, but she is also the first teacher within the Escanaba School System to do so.

“Not only is this award honoring one of our own, but it is reflective of the overall quality of teaching that we have here as well,” Fletcher said. “We bring in good teachers and we give them the freedom to teach. This is just one more thing that demonstrates the high quality instruction that we have in our district.”

Lemmer Elementary hosted a reception for Hanson within the school’s library, with a selection of cakes and cookies for faculty and staff to enjoy.

“I want to thank, of course, my friends and family for supporting me in everything I have done,” Hanson said. “But I really want to thank past educators of mine from Gladstone schools, specifically Cindy Blahnik, my French teacher, and the late Gary Bruckart, who was my music teacher. They were amazing.”