LANSING, Mich. -- A teacher at Lakeside Elementary in East Grand Rapids is being recognized for her efforts and was awarded the Excellence in Education Award from the Michigan Lottery.
The award winner, Kaitlin Merpi, teaches fourth grade at Lakeside Elementary, which is part of the East Grand Rapids Public Schools. Merpi attended Lakeside Elementary as a child and was nominated for the Excellence in Education award by a colleague who was teaching at the school when she was a student.
“I’ve wanted to be a teacher since the first grade. My first grade teacher made me excited to come to school every day and I wanted to be that person for my students.”
She said her favorite part of being a teacher is “spending every day with kids! I love inspiring kids to love learning and showing them that it can be fun.”
