Kelley Cusmano isn’t just teaching English literature to public high school students in Metro Detroit—she’s helping develop future leaders.
In between lessons on classic literature, Cusmano—who was Michigan’s Teacher of the Year in 2024-25—serves as the staff advisor for her school’s student council and teaches a student leadership class. During this class, Cusmano’s students work together to organize events across the school and community, from prom to charity events with local non-profit organizations.
“These kids are doing such great things, and we get to enact so many more programs and events because I see them every day,” said Cusmano. Recently, during one class period, students worked together to organize a pasta lunch for teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week, and are currently fine-tuning details for the school’s Career Alumni Day at the end of May.
“If I saw students once a week after school, there’s no way we would be able to facilitate that. It’s a well-oiled machine,” said Cusmano, adding that this class has helped her to connect with students on a deeper level as she works with them throughout all four years of high school. She also says that the leadership class has allowed students from all backgrounds, including those who aren’t able to attend after-school programming, to become involved in their school’s community.
“I think what’s neat about leadership is that anybody can be a leader. I feel like high school students, even middle school students to an extent, are pretty siloed. They’re only going to be involved with their universe and their people. So in [this class], we get to kind of unify everybody and have all sorts of different kinds of kids in one place,” said Cusmano.
Cusmano’s impact as a teacher has extended far beyond her classroom. Which, after receiving several nominations from her students and fellow teachers, is why she was named Michigan Teacher of the Year for the 2024-25 school year.
“It was an incredible experience,” she said, remembering the disbelief she felt as she watched blue confetti fly through the air over a crowd of 1,600 cheering students, coworkers, and family members who’d assembled for the announcement.
“She has poured her heart and soul into student council, and I’m so glad I got to be a part of it,” said Cece Crandall, a student council member, after the announcement. “She deserves [the award] for everything she’s done for all of us.”
Sponsored by the Meemic Foundation, the Michigan Teacher of the Year award has highlighted outstanding Michigan teachers annually since its inception in 1952. In addition to the title, teachers who receive the award have opportunities throughout the year to work directly with the Michigan Department of Education and other state educational stakeholders to address issues facing the state’s education system, ensuring teacher voices are present in critical discussions. Selected teachers, like Cusmano, also become non-voting members of the State Board of Education and are part of the Governor’s Educator Advisory Council.
Since being named Michigan Teacher of the Year, Cusmano has worked with other educators across the Great Lakes State to strategize ways to increase retention rates among teachers in Michigan, where teacher turnover has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. Cusmano has also advocated for better training for school administrators and raising teacher salaries, which have been shown to improve student outcomes.
Cusmano said that her favorite part of her reign as Michigan Teacher of the Year was talking about how much she loves being a teacher and how, at the end of the day, it’s all about improving the education and lives of her students.
“I loved that I was able to talk about my district to a wider audience,” she said.
“I’m so proud of where I work, my students, and my staff members.”
Related: Pine River Middle School English teacher wins the ‘Oscar of Teaching’ award
