National Heritage Academies Teacher and Administrator Announced as Finalists for Annual Charter School Educator Awards

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., April 9, 2021 — Last week, MAPSA, a Michigan-based charter school association dedicated to ensuring that every Michigan student has equal access to quality education, announced its Annual MI Charter School Awards Teacher and Administrator of the Year Finalists.
 
National Heritage Academies (NHA) is proud to have both a teacher and an administrator in the final running to be recognized as the 2021 Michigan Charter School Teacher and Administrator of the Year. Jordan Dischinger-Smedes, AP environmental science and human anatomy teacher at Grand River Preparatory High School, was named a 2021 MI Charter Teacher of the Year Finalist, and Kelly Osterhout, principal at Quest Charter Academy, was named a 2021 MI Charter Administrator of the Year Finalist.
 
Every year, MAPSA’s Charter School Awards provide a platform to highlight outstanding educators in Michigan's charter schools. Michigan houses more than 10,000 charter school teachers and over 1,500 charter administrators. This year, the organization received more than 700 nominations from parents, teachers, school leaders, and students for this honor.
 
“This has been one of the most challenging years for all educators, and we’ve been blown away by the many ways in which Michigan’s charter school teachers and administrators have exceeded all expectations,” said MAPSA President, Dan Quisenberry. “These Finalists represent the best that Michigan has to offer when it comes to exceptional educators. These are some of the most talented, hard-working, and innovative educators you’ll find anywhere in the country, and we couldn’t be more proud to have them in the MI charter family.”
 
In early March, an additional teacher from NHA was also recognized. Carrie Street, first-grade teacher at Canton Charter Academy, was named a 2021 MI Charter School Teacher of the Year Award Semifinalist.
 
The top five Teacher of the Year and Administrator of the Year Finalists each will receive a $500 cash prize and earn a platform to share their best practices throughout the year.
   
About National Heritage Academies:
National Heritage Academies is a network of 90 tuition-free, public charter schools across nine states, serving more than 60,000 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.