EAST JORDAN — East Jordan Middle/High School teacher Matt Hamilton was named the winner of the nation’s most prestigious educational award on Friday night in Washington, D.C.
Hamilton won the 2025 NEA Member Benefits Award for Teaching Excellence during the Salute to Excellence in Education gala, bringing home a $25,000 award.
The NEA Foundation had already previously honored Hamilton by naming him one of five recipients of the Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence. He is the first teacher from Michigan to ever receive the recognition.
Matt Hamilton was named the winner of the 2025 NEA Member Benefits Award for Teaching Excellence on Feb. 14, 2025.
More: East Jordan teacher Matt Hamilton heads to D.C. for Horace Mann Award gala
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Hamilton, who teaches social studies and video production, also founded and runs the school’s Shoe Club. The club is used as a tool to inspire students to put in the work necessary to achieve their goals and learn what it means to “walk a mile in each other’s shoes.” The club also has a Shoe Museum, with a collection of shoes from famous athletes, musicians, politicians and more who have shown perseverance and grit in following their own dreams.
The Shoe Club works together on large community projects as well, including the installation of solar panels, creating a school garden and collaborating with local veterans to write a book sharing their stories.
Hamilton previously told the News-Review that he was nominated for the Horace Mann Award after receiving the MEA Teaching Excellence Award. He said that he had to submit a paper talking about his teaching philosophy along with a resume to be considered for the award. He taught a lesson to the panel selecting the winner in Washington, D.C. as well, he said.
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Matt Hamilton was named the winner of the 2025 NEA Member Benefits Award for Teaching Excellence on Feb. 14, 2025.
While at the conference, Hamilton was asked to give a presentation to the NEA conference and have a dinner with all the top teachers in the nation before everyone joined for the gala, where they announced the winner of the award.
All five Horace Mann awardees had short documentaries made about them, which debuted during the gala. The videos are available on the NEA Foundation’s YouTube channel.
“Matthew exemplifies a true commitment to making a difference in his community through education and the connections he forms with students every day,” President and CEO of the NEA Foundation Sara A. Sneed said in a press release. “His teaching practice serves as an inspiration and a reminder that each one of us has the power to make a positive impact on our communities.”
— Contact reporter Karly Graham at [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @KarlyGrahamJrn.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: East Jordan teacher Matt Hamilton earns nation’s top educational award at 2025 D.C. gala
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