An alumnus of St. Mary’s School in Alma recently received the prestigious Milken Educator Award.  

Luke Kanine. Courtesy photo.   Luke Kanine, a Spanish and physical education teacher as well as a behavior interventionist at E.F. Rittmueller Middle School in Frankenmuth, was surprised with the award on Jan. 24 during a school-wide assembly with Michigan State Superintendent Dr. Michael F. Rice and Milken Family Foundation Senior Program Director Greg Gallagher. 

"Luke Kanine's whole-child approach illustrates his care and commitment for everyone he encounters at E.F. Rittmueller and within the community," said Gallagher in a press release. "Whether building Spanish language skills, helping people lead healthy lives, mentoring colleagues, or strengthening school culture, Luke loves this community, and it shows. We are proud to welcome him into the Milken Educator Network today." 

Only 45 educators nationwide received this prestigious award, and Mr. Kanine is the only Michigan educator to receive it this year.  

“I'm just extremely blessed from the situation and extremely humbled,” Mr. Kanine said. "There are just so many people that come to mind who have helped me to be in this position that I am today and allowing me to do the things that I do with my students, staff, community and district. It's just a huge honor.”  

Mr. Kanine also received a $25,000 check and membership in the National Milken Educator Network, which includes a group of teachers, principals and specialists with the shared goal of improving education.  

In an interview immediately following the award, Mr. Kanine named two teachers at St. Mary’s, Trink Fetzner and Sally Johnston (now retired), who inspired him to become an educator. 

He recalled Mrs. Fetzner challenging him to new heights in fourth grade.  

“I really appreciated her holding us to higher standards—and that’s how it was at St. Mary’s,” he said. “She was a great educator. And then Mrs. Johnson was my sixth grade teacher, and she was just fun and made the whole learning process fun. ... She just genuinely looked like she enjoyed her job, and she enjoyed being there with us.” 

These qualities—holding students to higher standards while still making learning fun and engaging—carried over into the type of teacher Mr. Kanine strives to be, he said.  

“They both had a tremendous impact on the things I do in my classroom today,” he said. 

“It’s great to see our alumni still following Christ and ... now, as adults, trying to use their gifts and talents to continue to form other children,” said Lisa Seeley, principal of St. Mary's School.   

Mrs. Seeley noted that Mr. Kanine displays key values tuaght at St. Mary’s, such as love and service.  

“You can tell he’s a person who wants to help. He feels teaching is his calling because he’s there to help kids,” she said. "He always is looking to make every student feel comfortable and included. ... He's not just there to teach the class... he’s there to make a difference.” 

A Bridgeport resident who attends Blessed Trinity Parish in Frankenmuth, Mr. Kanine combines his love of the Spanish language and passion for being healthy and active. But even more so, he channels a firm belief in the dignity and goodness of the students entrusted to his care.  

“I pride myself with seeing the kids who don’t get seen,” he said. “I think every life has value; every life has the potential to do really, really good things. Unfortunately, not all of those kids believe that or believe in themselves. Teaching gives me that opportunity every day to do in and say, ‘I see you, and look at the potential that you have!’ It’s extremely rewarding when they do see that, and they start doing some pretty cool things on their own that they never thought they could do.” 

One moment in particular stands out.  

A new student arrived in his Spanish class in April. As she had never taken a Spanish class, and it was very late in the year, catching up was nearly impossible. Mr. Kanine tried to build a connection. ‘Have you ever done anything with languages?’ he asked. The student shared she liked anime and was trying to learn Japanese on Duolingo, an app. Mr. Kanine offered that as long as he could see her work on Duolingo, he would count it towards the foreign language class.  

“After that conversation, she didn’t miss an assignment for me in Spanish. I think she actually learned a lot,” he said. The student moved on from eighth grade to high school. 

But that wasn’t the end of the story.  

Down the road, he received an email saying his class was her favorite because she felt valued as a person and thanking him for helping her feel seen.  

"Showing that you cared every day, kept a hopeful attitude and saying to take care after class, you've actually really helped me in a hard time of my life,” he recalled the email said. “You gave me enough hope to be here today, just by being you." 

And that, Mr. Kanine said, is how he knows he is right where he’s supposed to be.  

“Thanks to God for guiding me,” he said. “I am very, very humbled and blessed to receive the honor and all the recognition that comes with [the Milken Educator Award.]” 

The Milken Educator Awards, created by Lowell Milken in 1987, have rewarded and inspired excellence in the world of education by honoring top educators around the country with $25,000 unrestricted awards. ... The Milken Educator Award targets early-to-mid career education professionals for their already impressive achievements and, more significantly, for the promise of what they will accomplish in the future.  -- Milken Educator Awards website 

 Learn more about Luke Kanine and the Milken Educator Award.