Leigh Ann Hill, dance director at Wayland High Schoool, was honored with the 2024 K-12 Educator of the Year Award at the annual Michigan Youth Dance Festival.
Mrs. Hill has been teaching dance and directing the curricular program at Wayland for the last 18 years. Wayland Union Schools is one of few rural school districts in Michigan that offer dance as part of elective curriculum offerings.
The instructor said that while being passionate about the art, production and performance, her heart is most invested in the process.
“I am so filled with pride watching young people grow in such amazing ways. Through our dance program, students find resilience, strength, tenacity, passion, empathy, logic, expression and a voice they never knew they had. Our dance classes are incredibly impactful for students.”