Courtesy Photo Desiree Leckrone, left, receives her prize for being named teacher of the month from Kingsli Kraft, marketing specialist at Alpena Alcona Area Credit Union. Leckrone, a kindergarten teacher at Ella White Elementary, was awarded a $100 Visa gift card and a gift and a credit union swag bag.

Alpena, MI–Alpena Alcona Area Credit Union (AAACU) announced their new Teacher of the Month recognition program earlier this fall. Each month members of the community can nominate a teacher that has had a positive impact on their students to be rewarded with a $100 Visa gift card and a gift of

credit union swag. The winning teacher is randomly selected from the pool of nominations submitted during the qualifying month. At the end of the month, nominations are reset, so if a teacher you nominated was not the winner that month, community members will need to resubmit their nomination for it to be considered again.

During the first two months of the new program, AAACU received 121 nominations total–85 in September and 36 in October. The winning teacher for the month of October 2025 was Desiree Leckrone, a kindergarten teacher at Ella White Elementary School. Ms. Leckrone was recognized for her unwavering dedication to her students, her kindness, and her

passion for teaching. She creates a welcoming, supportive classroom where students feel valued and inspired, consistently going above and beyond to meet their needs. Her positivity, strength, and genuine care for others make her a beloved teacher whose impact extends far beyond her classroom.

Community members are invited to continue to nominate teachers each month as the pool of nominees resets each month. Teachers are eligible for nomination if they teach in Alpena, Alcona, Cheboygan, Emmet, Iosco, Montmorency or Presque Isle counties. For more information and to submit a nomination, visit https://www.aaacu.com/learn/teacher-of-the-month.