- Lake County News reports
- Posted On
Michelle Mackey named Lake County Teacher of the Year
From left to right, Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg, Minnie Cannon Elementary School Principal Brandy Fischer, Lake County Teacher of the Year 2021 Michelle Mackey, Middletown Unified School District Superintendent Michael Cox and Middletown Unified School District School Board President Misha Grothe. Photo courtesy of the Lake County Office of Education.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Michelle Mackey, sixth grade teacher at Minnie Cannon Elementary School in Middletown, has been named Lake County Teacher of the Year 2021.
“Michelle Mackey is a spectacular teacher that only gets better every year,” said Brandy Fischer, Minnie Cannon Elementary School principal.
Mackey received notification of the honor on Thursday, May 6, at an outdoor assembly at Minnie Cannon Elementary School.
Her students, administration, school board president and family members looked on as Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg presented a surprised Mackey with a plaque and flowers.
Mackey was chosen as the Middletown Unified School District Teacher of the Year in March.
In April, Mackey participated in an application process and interview at the Lake County Office of Education. There she was chosen from a group of four other Lake County District Teachers of the Year to represent Lake County at the California Teacher of the Year competition this summer.
The other district teachers of the year for 2021 include Jim Wenckus, Kelseyville Unified School District; Andrea Pullman, Konocti Unified School District; Jodi Mansell, Lakeport Unified School District; Stella Winkler, Lucerne Elementary School District; and Angel Hayenga, Upper Lake Unified School District.
“Each year, I feel privileged to attend these interviews. I was impressed by each and every teacher represented,” said Falkenberg. “They are all winners.”
Mackey began her teaching career after volunteering in the classroom when her children were young. She was inspired by her children’s preschool teacher, Brandy Fischer, who is now principal at Minnie Cannon.
Mackey then went on to earn her bachelor’s degree, teaching credential in both multiple subject and special education, and a master’s degree in autism spectrum disorder.
Besides making advances in her own education, Mackey also believes in helping others achieve their education goals. She currently mentors four beginning teachers, and two student teachers joined her in the classroom this year.
But it is Mackey’s connection to her students that makes her stand out.
“She is iconic in Middletown. She is known as the teacher who can meet each student at their individual level and get them to where they need to be,” said Middletown Unified School District Superintendent Michael Cox.
Mackey will spend this summer preparing her application for the California Teacher of the Year Program, where she will be competing with teachers from some of the biggest school districts in the state.
The California Department of Education will announce five California Teachers of the Year in October 2021. Mackey hopes to be one of those five.
Lake County has had three California Teachers of the Year in the last 16 years.
Erica Boomer from Upper Lake Unified School District was named a California Teacher of the Year 2019.
Jennifer Kelly from the Middletown Unified School District received the honor in 2011 and Alan Siegel from Konocti Unified School District received the honor in 2005.
Falkenberg acknowledges the high success rate Lake County teachers have had in the California Teacher of the Year program.
“Our Lake County students are being served well by some of the best teachers in our state. That’s a very impressive thing,” he said.
The Lake County Teacher of the Year is a program administered through the Lake County Office of Education and the California Department of Education.
For more information about Michelle Mackey and the Lake County District Teachers of the Year, visit www.lakecoe.org/TOY.