An area teacher has been honored for his dedication to the profession.

Nick Peruski is a business and technology teacher at Lakeland High School in the Huron Valley School District. In that capacity, he helps to prepare students for career opportunities and expand their horizons. But it was his horizon that was expanded Friday morning at a surprise school assembly where he was presented with a Milken Educator Award by Michigan Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Michael F. Rice. Peruski also received a $25,000 cash prize. He is the only Milken Educator Award winner from Michigan this year, and is among up to 40 honorees for 2019-20.

Hailed by Teacher Magazxine as the “Oscars of Teaching,” the Milken Educator Awards aims to not only reward great teachers, but to celebrate, elevate and activate those innovators in the classroom who are guiding America's next generation of leaders. As the coordinator of the career and technical education department at Lakeland High School, Peruski is a strong advocate for non-college alternatives. Students in his project-based classroom write and present business plans through Virtual Enterprises International, an educational nonprofit that offers business courses for students. (JK)

Photos courtesy of Milken Family Foundation

Top Pic: Huron Valley Schools Teacher Nick Peruski

Bottom Pic: Flanked by Huron Valley Schools District Superintendent Dr. Paul Salah (left) and Milken Family Foundation Senior Program Director Greg Gallagher (right), Nick Peruski listens to the long ovation from students, colleagues and guests at his surprise Milken Educator Award notification.