News Photo by Julie Goldberg Thunder Bay Junior High School teacher Bob Thomson is seen on Monday with the Excellence in Education award he recently received from the Michigan Lottery.

ALPENA — Receiving the Excellence in Education award from the Michigan Lottery is about making a difference in students’ lives, Thunder Bay Junior High School teacher Bob Thomson said on Monday.

Thomson was honored in December with the award for providing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics opportunities for students.

“I was surprised,” Thomson said. “It’s super cool to get the recognition.”

Thomson said awards don’t define his career, and that the students have helped him get to where he is today.

“What I really appreciate is when I get a card from a kid who’s graduated and remembers, ‘Hey, I remember the adventures we went on,’ or I see a kid when I’m walking in Walmart and they come up to me and say, ‘Hey, thank you for taking the time,'” Thomson said. “I would trade all of these for those. Those are the best, when you can get a kid that can validate that what you’ve done has made a difference in their life. For me, that’s what it’s about.”

Thomson — who has been an Alpena Public Schools teacher for 20 years — was nominated for by Hinks Elementary School Principal Jean Kowalski. She wrote in the nomination that Thomson is always excited about what he’s doing and shows it through the activities and lessons he provides to his students.

“I really didn’t think much about it, because it’s a statewide program and, typically, the awards don’t usually come up this far north,” Thomson said. “She came into my room and she said, ‘Hey, did you see the email? You won.’ I was surprised.”

Winners of the Excellence in Education award receive a plaque, a $1,500 cash prize, and a $500 grant to their classroom, school, or school district.

Thomson will use the grant toward classroom supplies and building more project opportunities for students.

“If kids are happy and kids are producing good stuff, that only leads to more opportunities to get funding for other projects,” he said. “So, just taking it and reinvesting it back into the program and then hoping we can use those projects that those kids build to show evidence that what we’re doing is good.”

Thomson is involved with the Thunder Bay River Watershed Project, the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the Sprinkler Lake Outdoor Education Center, and Camp Green, an annual, weeklong camp that focuses on green energy and technology.

Thomson was featured in a news segment with the Lottery’s media partner stations that was on TV last week.

Visiting the TV studio was a fun experience for Thomson because he was able to bring his family and experience of that with them.

He said people at the station made an effort to make him and his family feel good while filming the news segment.

“It was cool to do that part of the process,” he said. “You can tell they had been doing it for a few years because it was really smooth.”

Julie Goldberg can be reached at 989-358-5688 or jgoldberg@thealpenanews.com. Follow her on Twitter @jkgoldberg12.