The A2Y Chamber and LaFontaine honor two of Dexter Community Schools’ best

Dexter Community Schools, LaFontaine, Teacher of the Year, Wylie Elementary School

For exemplifying what is best in their profession, two Dexter teachers were recently named by the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber as the LaFontaine 2024 Teacher of the Year winners.

Kalli Nowitzke, a Special Education Teacher at Dexter Community Schools and Jennifer Johnson, Third-Grade Teacher at DCS’s Wylie Elementary were named Teacher of the Year winners along with Rhoshawda Miller, English as a Second Language Teacher at Ypsilanti Community Schools.

In the A2Y Chamber announcement, Dave Norton, Chair of Teacher of the Year Committee and Branch Manager, Bank of Ann Arbor, said, “As the Chair of the A2Y Chamber Teacher of the Year committee, it is such an honor to recognize the great educators that we have in our community. It never ceases to amaze me the amount of care, hard work, and support that these teachers provide to the children in our county, the children that will be our future leaders. This year, we had a record number of nominations in our community, and we have truly picked the best of the best. Thank you to all educators, nominators and to our A2Y Chamber Teacher of the Year committee for their hard work this year. A special thank you to the Lafontaine Automotive family for their continued support and sponsorship of our award recipients. I look forward to another record year of nominations in 2025.”

As part of the honor, Nowitzke will receive a 2-year lease vehicle while Johnson will receive a $1,000 cash award toward classroom expenses. Miller will receive a $500 cash award toward classroom expenses.

The A2Y Chamber Presents the 2024 LaFontaine Teacher of the Year winner Kalli Nowitzke, Special Education Teacher at Dexter Community Schools. photo courtesy of the A2Y Chamber

All of the nominations were reviewed against the following criteria:

The 2024 LaFontaine Teacher of the Year Award in Washtenaw County must meet the nomination criteria:
• Is an exceptionally dedicated, knowledgeable, and skilled educator in a Washtenaw County public school, pre-kindergarten through grade 12 and alternative education
• Inspires students of all backgrounds and abilities to learn
• Has the respect and admiration of students, parents, and colleagues
• Serves an active role in the school district, as well as in the community

According to the A2Y Chamber webpage, “the Teacher of the Year Program recognizes the great contribution teachers make in Washtenaw County and to the learning community. This award recognizes and honors teacher excellence. It does not attempt to select the “best” teacher; rather, to identify, from among many outstanding teachers, one teacher to serve as a visible and vocal representative of what is best in the profession. The LaFontaine Family wishes to honor the amazing teachers within Washtenaw County and recognize them for their hard work and efforts they put in every single school year.”

The A2Y Chamber Presents the 2024 LaFontaine Distinguished Teacher of the Year winner Jennifer Johnson, Third Grade Teacher at Dexter Community Schools. photo courtesy of the A2Y Chamber

The A2Y Chamber, it’s board, staff and the Teacher of the Year Planning committee said they “would like to thank all of the nominators, principles, parents, fellow teachers and students for their dedication to so many worthy teachers in Washtenaw County.”

All three teachers will be recognized at the May 15 Early Edition Breakfast at Weber’s. Details can be found on the A2Y Chamber website at a2ychamber.org.