Excellence in Education recognizes the top-achieving high school seniors from Kalamazoo County’s public and non-public high schools. This year, 45 seniors were selected for the honor, which comes with a $1,500 scholarship.
The Excellence in Education program also awarded ten Educator Incentive Grants. The grants provide funding for teachers and administrators in Kalamazoo County schools to explore new ideas to enhance teaching styles, motivate and inspire their students.
“The Kalamazoo area has a long history of educational excellence and innovation, so it is fitting that we continue the tradition of honoring those practices through the Excellence in Education program,” said committee chair Keevin O’Neill, superintendent of Vicksburg Community Schools.
A collaborative effort among all Kalamazoo County public and non-public schools, local foundations, educational groups and the business community, Excellence in Education was designed in 1986 to focus community attention on the academic and professional excellence of graduating high school seniors and educators within Kalamazoo area schools.
The Excellence in Education program is supported by a permanent endowment established at the Kalamazoo Community Foundation. Funding for the endowment was raised through the leadership of the Monroe-Brown Foundation, with strong support from local foundations, businesses, organizations, and individuals.
The following is a list of student scholars and their significant educators, as well as the Educator Incentive Grant winners:
—Climax-Scotts High School
Ryan Pejakovich
Holly Talbert
—Comstock High School
Isabella Grimes
Kendyl Harris
—Galesburg-Augusta High School
Sam Shields
—Gull Lake High School
Aaron Adams
Isabella Carr
Dylan Piwko
Maxwell Uppal
—Hackett Catholic Prep
Erin Cook
—Kalamazoo Central High School
Kyla Clark
Anna Gleaton
Lucas Jude
Joshua Lent
Elijah Thompson
Brooke Winters
—Kalamazoo Christian High School
Norah Bray
—Loy Norrix High School
Lilla Baublis
MaryAnn Loncharte
Abigail Milliken
Isaac Patrick
Eliot Pavlik
Thomas Shockey
Connor Sloan
—Parchment High School
Shay Janssen
Eliana Wachowski
—Portage Central High School
Madeline Beck
Nolan Carpenter
Victoria Fong
Aanya Goel
Chloe Najar
Kamran Potluri
Janelle Yao
—Portage Northern High School
Ellie Liwen Alleman
Rachel Sara Anderson
Ningyi Chen
Leah Marie Kusisto
Oluwadabira Favour Mewomo
Claire Tong
—Schoolcraft High School
Alyssa McMillan
Celesta Weber
—Vicksburg High School
Rinzel Arroyo
Kayla Chisholm
Maya Grossman
Everett Radgens
• Excellence in Education Grants - 2026
— Comstock
Aisha Kapadia will enroll in the course “LS 5160 – Professional Symposium in Reading” for the 2026 summer semester at Western Michigan university. The course will strengthen her expertise in literacy development, reading diagnostics, and evidence-based instructional strategies that support early learners. The learnings from the course will directly enhance their work with young students by improving literacy instruction, early reading assessment, and targeted interventions.
Rebecca Raines will attend The Modern Band Summit, the premiere gathering for teachers passionate about culturally responsive music education. Attending the Modern Band Summit will provide them with the opportunity to collaborate, engage and share ideas with other music educators who take this culturally responsive approach to music education, thus enhancing their ability to guide students in composition and collaborative performance. This, coupled with exposure to new ideas for equitable access to instruments and technology, would result in deeper student voice and creative agency in the classroom.
—Kalamazoo Public Schools
Emeka Debyser plans to travel to Senegal for 11 days to participate in the “Senegal Teranga French Educator Immersion Experience” with the Vive l’Expérience program. They will engage in authentic cultural experiences with students, teachers, artists, and local families, in order to share the culture of Francophone Africa with high school French students. This will broaden students’ perspectives on where French is spoken, and inspire students and colleagues to respect other cultures by being life-long learners, studying languages, and traveling abroad. Specifically, they will infuse French lessons with cultural information about Senegal, and hope to begin a penpal writing project, allowing students in Kalamazoo to communicate in French about their interests, culture, and dreams with students in Senegal.
Jeanna Cervantes Hickman will complete her OAKE Kodály Music Education Certification — Levels I, II, and III — at The Kodály Institute of St. Thomas (St. Paul, MN), a nationally endorsed world-renowned teacher education program in music education pedagogy, and in the Kodály teaching model in particular. Upon earning her Kodály Certification, she will be able to assist her district in developing appropriate grade level scope and sequence curricula based on Kodály pedagogical research in cultural authenticity, and include Kodály-based activities and lessons in the curricula. Students will see improvements in their tonal and rhythmic music literacy, and be able to hear rhythmic and tonal patterns, dictate patterns by ear, and read iconic tonal representations.
—Parchment
Renee Dobbin, a first year special education teacher, will use the award to pursue a Certified Inclusion Education Specialist endorsement via The National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET). Renee hopes to bolster connections between her students and general education peers through building her skill set and empowering others to make meaningful connections.
—KRESA
John Wagner will attend the 2026 Games for Change Festival in New York City, a professional development opportunity connected to his teaching of Creative Game Design through Education for the Arts. John believes the experience will strengthen his ability to align classroom instruction with current practices in game design and game-based learning. The knowledge gained will be implemented through updated curriculum, new instructional strategies, and shared resources for colleagues. Additionally, his students are participating in the festival’s student competition and attendance would allow him to represent the program.
—Vicksburg
Adam Brush will attend EdCon, the annual conference hosted by the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP) this June. Attending the conference will enable Adam to further align district priorities of improving student achievement, expanding rigorous learning opportunities, strengthening student engagement and belonging, and ensuring postsecondary readiness. EdCon is the premier professional learning event for principals and provides targeted leadership development connected to instructional improvement, school culture, and systemic change.
Kimberly Bond, Sami Buell, Erin Guerrero, Sarah Phillips
The team of teachers from Vicksburg will attend one of two Get Your Teach On Conferences in Orlando and Las Vegas. The conference focuses on providing research-based instructional strategies, classroom engagement systems, and collaborative learning opportunities for educators. The conference provides two days of hands-on workshops led by practicing educators focused on high-impact Tier 1 instruction, literacy development, mathematics instruction, and classroom management.
Kristina Spanding will attend a two-day institute called Yes We Can! An Unprecedented Opportunity to Improve Special Education Outcomes. Participants in the institute will focus on providing research-based instructional strategies, classroom engagement systems, and collaborative learning opportunities for educators. The conference provides two days of hands-on workshops led by practicing educators focused on high-impact Tier 1 instruction, literacy development, mathematics instruction, and classroom management.
A team of teachers from Vicksburg High School—Allie Lamers, Anna Lacey, Jessie DeKoning, Lindsey Chatel, Pat Dunham, Justin McDonald, and Kim Armitage—will attend the Advanced Placement (AP) conference in Las Vegas. The conference is hosted by the College Board and provides official training on curriculum, assessment, and scoring practices. A major focus for 2026 is the transition to fully digital AP exams using the Bluebook platform. Attending will ensure that instruction and assessment practices align with College Board expectations and district goals of increasing successful AP exam performance and participation.
For additional information, visit the Excellence in Education webpage at www.kresa.org/ex-in-ed.
The Excellence in Education program also awarded ten Educator Incentive Grants. The grants provide funding for teachers and administrators in Kalamazoo County schools to explore new ideas to enhance teaching styles, motivate and inspire their students.
“The Kalamazoo area has a long history of educational excellence and innovation, so it is fitting that we continue the tradition of honoring those practices through the Excellence in Education program,” said committee chair Keevin O’Neill, superintendent of Vicksburg Community Schools.
A collaborative effort among all Kalamazoo County public and non-public schools, local foundations, educational groups and the business community, Excellence in Education was designed in 1986 to focus community attention on the academic and professional excellence of graduating high school seniors and educators within Kalamazoo area schools.
The Excellence in Education program is supported by a permanent endowment established at the Kalamazoo Community Foundation. Funding for the endowment was raised through the leadership of the Monroe-Brown Foundation, with strong support from local foundations, businesses, organizations, and individuals.
The following is a list of student scholars and their significant educators, as well as the Educator Incentive Grant winners:
—Climax-Scotts High School
Ryan Pejakovich
Holly Talbert
—Comstock High School
Isabella Grimes
Kendyl Harris
—Galesburg-Augusta High School
Sam Shields
—Gull Lake High School
Aaron Adams
Isabella Carr
Dylan Piwko
Maxwell Uppal
—Hackett Catholic Prep
Erin Cook
—Kalamazoo Central High School
Kyla Clark
Anna Gleaton
Lucas Jude
Joshua Lent
Elijah Thompson
Brooke Winters
—Kalamazoo Christian High School
Norah Bray
—Loy Norrix High School
Lilla Baublis
MaryAnn Loncharte
Abigail Milliken
Isaac Patrick
Eliot Pavlik
Thomas Shockey
Connor Sloan
—Parchment High School
Shay Janssen
Eliana Wachowski
—Portage Central High School
Madeline Beck
Nolan Carpenter
Victoria Fong
Aanya Goel
Chloe Najar
Kamran Potluri
Janelle Yao
—Portage Northern High School
Ellie Liwen Alleman
Rachel Sara Anderson
Ningyi Chen
Leah Marie Kusisto
Oluwadabira Favour Mewomo
Claire Tong
—Schoolcraft High School
Alyssa McMillan
Celesta Weber
—Vicksburg High School
Rinzel Arroyo
Kayla Chisholm
Maya Grossman
Everett Radgens
• Excellence in Education Grants - 2026
— Comstock
Aisha Kapadia will enroll in the course “LS 5160 – Professional Symposium in Reading” for the 2026 summer semester at Western Michigan university. The course will strengthen her expertise in literacy development, reading diagnostics, and evidence-based instructional strategies that support early learners. The learnings from the course will directly enhance their work with young students by improving literacy instruction, early reading assessment, and targeted interventions.
Rebecca Raines will attend The Modern Band Summit, the premiere gathering for teachers passionate about culturally responsive music education. Attending the Modern Band Summit will provide them with the opportunity to collaborate, engage and share ideas with other music educators who take this culturally responsive approach to music education, thus enhancing their ability to guide students in composition and collaborative performance. This, coupled with exposure to new ideas for equitable access to instruments and technology, would result in deeper student voice and creative agency in the classroom.
—Kalamazoo Public Schools
Emeka Debyser plans to travel to Senegal for 11 days to participate in the “Senegal Teranga French Educator Immersion Experience” with the Vive l’Expérience program. They will engage in authentic cultural experiences with students, teachers, artists, and local families, in order to share the culture of Francophone Africa with high school French students. This will broaden students’ perspectives on where French is spoken, and inspire students and colleagues to respect other cultures by being life-long learners, studying languages, and traveling abroad. Specifically, they will infuse French lessons with cultural information about Senegal, and hope to begin a penpal writing project, allowing students in Kalamazoo to communicate in French about their interests, culture, and dreams with students in Senegal.
Jeanna Cervantes Hickman will complete her OAKE Kodály Music Education Certification — Levels I, II, and III — at The Kodály Institute of St. Thomas (St. Paul, MN), a nationally endorsed world-renowned teacher education program in music education pedagogy, and in the Kodály teaching model in particular. Upon earning her Kodály Certification, she will be able to assist her district in developing appropriate grade level scope and sequence curricula based on Kodály pedagogical research in cultural authenticity, and include Kodály-based activities and lessons in the curricula. Students will see improvements in their tonal and rhythmic music literacy, and be able to hear rhythmic and tonal patterns, dictate patterns by ear, and read iconic tonal representations.
—Parchment
Renee Dobbin, a first year special education teacher, will use the award to pursue a Certified Inclusion Education Specialist endorsement via The National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET). Renee hopes to bolster connections between her students and general education peers through building her skill set and empowering others to make meaningful connections.
—KRESA
John Wagner will attend the 2026 Games for Change Festival in New York City, a professional development opportunity connected to his teaching of Creative Game Design through Education for the Arts. John believes the experience will strengthen his ability to align classroom instruction with current practices in game design and game-based learning. The knowledge gained will be implemented through updated curriculum, new instructional strategies, and shared resources for colleagues. Additionally, his students are participating in the festival’s student competition and attendance would allow him to represent the program.
—Vicksburg
Adam Brush will attend EdCon, the annual conference hosted by the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP) this June. Attending the conference will enable Adam to further align district priorities of improving student achievement, expanding rigorous learning opportunities, strengthening student engagement and belonging, and ensuring postsecondary readiness. EdCon is the premier professional learning event for principals and provides targeted leadership development connected to instructional improvement, school culture, and systemic change.
Kimberly Bond, Sami Buell, Erin Guerrero, Sarah Phillips
The team of teachers from Vicksburg will attend one of two Get Your Teach On Conferences in Orlando and Las Vegas. The conference focuses on providing research-based instructional strategies, classroom engagement systems, and collaborative learning opportunities for educators. The conference provides two days of hands-on workshops led by practicing educators focused on high-impact Tier 1 instruction, literacy development, mathematics instruction, and classroom management.
Kristina Spanding will attend a two-day institute called Yes We Can! An Unprecedented Opportunity to Improve Special Education Outcomes. Participants in the institute will focus on providing research-based instructional strategies, classroom engagement systems, and collaborative learning opportunities for educators. The conference provides two days of hands-on workshops led by practicing educators focused on high-impact Tier 1 instruction, literacy development, mathematics instruction, and classroom management.
A team of teachers from Vicksburg High School—Allie Lamers, Anna Lacey, Jessie DeKoning, Lindsey Chatel, Pat Dunham, Justin McDonald, and Kim Armitage—will attend the Advanced Placement (AP) conference in Las Vegas. The conference is hosted by the College Board and provides official training on curriculum, assessment, and scoring practices. A major focus for 2026 is the transition to fully digital AP exams using the Bluebook platform. Attending will ensure that instruction and assessment practices align with College Board expectations and district goals of increasing successful AP exam performance and participation.
For additional information, visit the Excellence in Education webpage at www.kresa.org/ex-in-ed.
