Congratulations to Makayla McDaniels and Jason Croucher, the 2025 Flint Firebirds Foundation Teachers of the Year

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OHL Flint Firebirds

Congratulations to Makayla McDaniels and Jason Croucher, the 2025 Flint Firebirds Foundation Teachers of the Year

March 19, 2025 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


FLINT - The Flint Firebirds announced on Wednesday that Makayla McDaniels of Dillon Elementary and Jason Croucher of Chesaning Middle School have been named winners of the Flint Firebirds Foundation 2025 Teacher of the Year awards.

McDaniels was named the winner in the Elementary category while Croucher won for the Secondary Education category. The Firebirds welcomed the top three vote getters from each category the Education Appreciation Night, sponsored by Sovita Credit Union and the Michigan Education Association, on Saturday night, and honored each of the educators in a pregame ceremony.

"I am deeply moved and overwhelmed to be named Flint Firebirds Teacher of the Year," McDaniels said. "This recognition means more to me than words can express. Teaching has always been my passion but it's the connection with my students, moments of grown and shared challenges that make this journey meaningful. In truth, I am just one piece of a much bigger puzzle. I couldn't do this without the support of my amazing colleagues, the trust of the families and the hard work of every student I have the privilege of teaching. This award is a reflection of all of us."

Over 7,300 votes were cast during the initial voting period, which ran from February 20-27 and included a total of 107 teachers across the two categories. There was a final round of voting for the top 10 vote getters from the initial period that ran from March 3-10, and over 5,500 votes were cast to decide the winners.

"I would like to thank the Flint Firebirds, Sovita Credit Union and the MEA for putting on the Teacher of the Year event," Croucher said. "It has been an honor and a blessing to go through the entire process from nomination to the award presentation. The amount of support and recognition from the community has been amazing and unbelievable at the same time and I will never forget it. It is truly an honor to accept the award and bring it back to the district I grew up in. I feel the award is a testament of those around me, which includes my students, my fellow colleagues and the community. I could not come to work every day and do what I love without all of those around me. This has been an honor, a privilege and a dream come true and I'd like to again thank everyone who put on the event and had the confidence in me to give me their vote."

McDaniels earned the most votes in the Elementary category, while Samantha Persinger of West Shore Elementary was the first runner up and Jena Cook of Flushing Early Childhood Center was the second runner-up. Croucher tallied the most votes for the Secondary Education category while Krista Carceau of Lake Fenton High School was the runner-up and Brianne Byrski from Flushing High School was the second runner-up.

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