Excellence In Education Awards 2026!
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.
For more information, please visit the Excellence in Education webpage. On the following pages, you’ll find 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
Oluwadunsin Peace Mewomo
Claire Tong
SCHOOLCRAFT HIGH SCHOOL
Alyssa McMillan
Celesta Weber
VICKSBURG HIGH SCHOOL
Rinzel Arroyo
Kayla Chisholm
Maya Grossman
Everett Radgens
Three Kalamazoo RESA staff members were also recognized at the event by students:
Joseph Lukowski - Early/Middle College Career Coach
Dawon Sharp - Early/Middle College Career Coach
Brian Brusach - Criminal Justice & Public Safety Instructor
Congratulations to every student and instructor who were recognized at this year's Excellence in Education Awards!