FENTON, Mich. —Alanna Prieditis of Fenton, Michigan was named the 2024 Online Teacher of the Year – an award given to a Michigan Virtual online instructor who has demonstrated excellence in the classroom and positively impacted students.
Prieditis began her teaching career in 2006 teaching junior and senior high school Spanish and English in the Mt. Morris school district. She joined Michigan Virtual as a part-time instructor in 2012, moving to full-time in the summer of 2013. Alanna became one of the lead World Language instructors in January 2018. According to Alanna, “The notion of learning and helping students realize potential in themselves while discovering, connecting, and thinking bigger and beyond what they thought they could be” is what keeps her teaching and learning.
“Online learning is not stagnant; it’s always evolving, improving, and adjusting. Students need different levels of support in their learning; maybe just a text, maybe a phone call, maybe a non-urgent email, and sometimes a video call to screen share their work: it all works how they need it with online learning,” said Prieditis.
Prieditis was nominated by educators she supports in Michigan school districts based on her strong record of success for students and support for other educators.
“Alanna has been amazing at accommodating our students. She has gone above and beyond to make sure they have every opportunity to be successful. She responds promptly with genuine care and concern for the student.,” said Brian Sackett of Holland High School. “I can’t thank her enough for her patience and generosity.”
“Helping students is what drives Alanna to provide exceptional service,” said Jamey Fitzpatrick, President and CEO of Michigan Virtual. “We’ve got a special person here who just goes above and beyond. Alanna is an innovative and supportive leader, and we are thrilled to honor her with this award!”
Since the inception of the awards in 2009, Michigan Virtual has honored 18 teachers with the distinction of Michigan Virtual Online Teacher of the Year. To be selected for the Teacher of the Year distinction, key criteria include a positive impact on students, continuous improvement of practice, and a vision for the future of online education. This distinguished award was created to set a bar for excellence and recognize the incredible teachers in the digital learning community.
