We announced our first winner of our Live In The D "Our Teachers Rock" contest: Nicole McDonald, kindergarten teacher at Paul A. Schalm Elementary, in Clawson. 
She has won a $500 gift card to Somerset Collection, in Troy, along with a bouquet of flowers and a crystal award with her name on it. McDonald says that she feels honored to receive this award and is surrounded by an amazing team, community and parents. She couldn't do her job without their support.
We received many nominations of amazing teachers who are making a difference in the lives of students in schools across the D, and we narrowed them down to 15 nominees and received over 20,000 votes. Bianca Hill, principal of Schalm Elementary, holds a place in her heart for McDonald. Hill says that McDonald has dedicated the last 18 years as a teacher at Schalm Elementary and does a great deal for the community, students and the staff. She also said that McDonald goes above and beyond every single day making everyone around her feel special and valued. 
We also had the chance to speak with the people who nominated McDonald, Catherine Crottie and Amy Windgaston. Crottie shared that McDonald "teaches her students to respect one another and celebrate each other's differences. She has a special gift to see the good every child has to offer and is always willing to incorporate new strategies and interventions for all her kids. Every student enters her room feeling safe and loved. She creates a sense of unity and family within the classroom where many children can leave their everyday problems behind and open their little minds to learn." McDonald also helped Windgaston and her son back in 2015, when her husband was deployed to the United Arab Emirates. McDonald used the technology of the school and did a FaceTime call with Windgaston's husband during a class, and it meant the world to her family to share that moment.
Nicole McDonald is the first winner of the Live In The D "Our Teachers Rock!" contest. We have four more to go! We will be surprising winners all week long. Join us at 10 a.m. on Local 4 or streaming on ClickonDetroit.com.