Driving success! Utica Community Schools Teacher of the Year honored for commitment to students

A 40-year veteran educator was named the Utica Community Schools Teacher of the Year and recipient of a vehicle lease of her choice from The Suburban Collection

Havel Elementary fifth-grade teacher Zita Burton will have the opportunity to choose her vehicle from Suburban Ford of Sterling Heights after being named Teacher of Year by Superintendent Dr. Christine Johns at a special celebration March 20.

“Mrs. Burton has impacted literally generations of students through her commitment to excellence, enthusiasm, deep roots in our community, and continued dedication to children and their success,” Dr. Johns said.

As the 2017 Teacher of the Year, Burton will select either a brand-new Ford Edge, Escape, Explorer, F150, Fiesta, Flex, Focus, Fusion, or Mustang. Depending on her choice, she will receive either a two or three-year lease compliments of The Suburban Collection.

“Our program of rewarding outstanding teachers is our way of showing our gratitude to the dedicated individuals who contribute so much to the development of our children,” said David Fischer, Jr., General Manager of The Suburban Collection. “We feel very fortunate that our organization has been able to provide a special thank you for the past fifteen years for the exemplary efforts of teachers in the communities in which we do business,” added Fischer, Jr.

In addition to Sterling Heights/Utica, The Suburban Collection will award vehicle leases to 2017 ‘Teacher of the Year Award’ winners from the Birmingham, Clarkston, Farmington/Farmington Hills, Ferndale, Novi, Troy and Waterford school districts.

Burton has taught upper elementary grades at Havel Elementary since 1977. She was recently named the 2016 Elementary Economics Educator of the year by the Michigan Council on Economic Education.

In addition to a 40-year teaching career, Burton attended Utica Community Schools as a student, graduating from Stevenson High School.

In addition to Teacher of the Year, Burton was also named the UCS Elementary Teacher of the Year. Other teachers honored this year include Nicole West, an English/Language Arts Teacher at Jeannette Junior High School as Junior High Teacher of the Year, and Scott Spry, a mechatronics teacher at the Utica Center for Science and Industry, as the High School Teacher of the Year.

About the Suburban Collection

The Suburban Collection based in Troy, MI, offers an array of automotive solutions to retail and industry customers throughout Michigan, Florida and California. The company's 65+ year commitment to customer service excellence is backed by a comprehensive selection of brand names, spanning 48 convenient locations, AAA-approved auto repair and ten Suburban Collision Center locations.

The Suburban Collection also operates three GM-Authorized accessory distributors and installers; Accessories of Michigan, Accessories of Florida and Accessories of Chicago. The company's Competitive Vehicle Services (CVS) division ensures that the latest vehicle models are always within reach of businesses that design and test the vehicle safety of the automobiles of tomorrow. The Suburban Collection also manages the fleet of historical General Motors vehicles as Global Logistics Services.

For more information visit: www.SuburbanCollection.com

About Utica Community Schools

Utica Community Schools, Michigan’s second largest school district, is recognized nationally in education. Student achievement levels in the district continue to outpace local, state and national levels and the district’s graduation rate of 92.4 percent. The district prepares students for success in a global economy through a focus of four key strategies: providing academic excellence, preparing positive digital citizens, promoting student innovation and ensuring accountability. For more information, visit www.uticak12.org or follow on Twitter @uticaschools.

Source: Utica Community Schools

Dr. Christine Johns, Superintendent of Schools

http://www.uticak12.org