The Detroit Goodfellows announced today the winner of the sixth annual Goodfellow Teacher of the Year contest — Tracey Diebel, a fifth grade math teacher at Detroit International Academy for Young Women, in Detroit!
Detroit Goodfellows board members surprised Diebel at a school assembly with the news and presented her with a $200 gift card to buy classroom supplies. Additionally, she will be acknowledged at the Detroit Goodfellows Annual Tribute Breakfast this fall.
The Goodfellows Board of Directors selected the winning teacher from nominations by Detroit Public School students in grades 3 through 8 who designated their favorite teachers by answering the question: “Why is your teacher so special?” in 50 words or less.
The winning nomination was submitted by Malijah Strong, a 9-year-old, fourth-grade student at Detroit International Academy for Young Women. Her entry says: “Ms. Diebel has fashion sense and style. She is very gentle. She is my teacher because she wants me to learn. She’s very tall. She thinks of others not her self. She’s very lovable. She’s a teacher diva! She is a Hello Kitty. She is also very sweet. The most important thing is she’s very very respectful.”
Diebel has been a teacher for 24 years and at the Detroit International Academy for Young Women for five years. The fifth grade math teacher is a resident of Harrison Township.
The Detroit Goodfellows sponsors the Goodfellow Teacher of the Year contest to show its sincere appreciation and gratitude to Detroit Public School administrators, teachers and support staff who, each year, work so diligently to identify students in need of its holiday gift packages. The 101-year-old charity’s mission is to ensure that there is “No Kiddie Without a Christmas.”
Founded in 1914, the Detroit Goodfellows is the original and oldest Goodfellow organization and is not affiliated with any other Goodfellow group. It also sponsors an emergency dental program for children, awards scholarships through Wayne State University, provides free shoes to children in need and helps send hundreds of needy children to camp each summer.
For more information about the Goodfellow Teacher of the Year contest or the Detroit Goodfellow organization, please contact Sari Klok-Schneider at (586) 775-6139 or via email at sarigoodfellows@gmail.com. For more information, visit www.detroitgoodfellows.org.
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