Elementary teacher and MSU alumna Rebecca Sandee has a bar she hopes to reach for her students: Can she create a “peak moment” for them? Can she energize them with exciting, important, rich learning experiences? Can she embed nature into learning, getting out into the world and exploring what the local community and state has to offer?

Sandee recently had a peak moment herself: She was named the 2022 Elementary Teacher of the Year by the Michigan Science Teachers Association.

“I was in pure shock to find out that I had won the award. To be honest, I still am,” Sandee said in an article by the "White Lake Beacon".

She teaches first and second graders in one classroom in Central Elementary School, part of the Reeths-Puffer School District in Michigan. The setup of the classroom is unique—in fact, it’s the only multigrade classroom in the district—but Sandee likes it that way: she learns a lot from her students, and they learn a lot from each other.

To read more about Sandee, visit education.msu.edu