LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Beth Millerschin was nominated by her colleague, Marla Karas.

Mrs. Millerschin has completed 30 years in education and will be retiring in June 2021. For 30 years, she has been a distinguished educator and administrator. She and her entire staff have created a warm and welcoming educational environment at Reid Elementary School in Goodrich, Michigan.  

Mrs. Millerschin was not only raised in Goodrich - she and her husband decided to return to the same community to raise their three children. She began her career at Goodrich Area Schools in 1991, when she was hired as a first-grade classroom teacher.  From there, she became a kindergarten teacher and continued her professional learning in Reading Recovery, gaining this special certification and signifying her passion for early literacy and meeting the needs of all students. She was a respected leader among her peers. She taught for 23 years before answering the call to lead the building she had served so well from the classroom.

During her tenure as principal, Mrs. Millerschin led the implementation of  “The Leader In Me” whole child approach to learning, which coordinates with the district vision of “Preparing People for Life." There have been budget constraints and limited district funds to contribute to the initiative, but that didn't stop her! She sought out the support of the community. Through fundraising, she was able to make the dream of becoming a Leader In Me school a reality for the staff, students, and families of Reid Elementary.

She involved her staff from the beginning stages of this decision by leading a Leader In Me book study.  From there, she offered opportunities for the staff to visit Leader In Me schools.  These opportunities allowed for ownership to grow among the staff, with 100% of the staff voting to move forward with the Leader in Me implementation at Reid Elementary. Mrs. Millerschin ensured the staff received continuous professional development in Covey’s Seven Habits over the first three years of implementation. This led to a celebration in 2019, when Reid Elementary obtained “Lighthouse School” status from the Covey Institute.  At that time, Reid Elementary was one of 18 schools in Michigan to receive this distinction and the only K-2 Lighthouse School.  

Mrs. Millerschin has always been highly respected as a teacher and administrator. She is considered “a rock” to her staff.  She is an active listener who makes herself available to anyone who works in the building, as well as the students and families she works with. Mrs. Millerschin shows empathy and respect and has gained the trust of the entire school community. She makes it a priority to reach out to the community to create collaborative partnerships, not only seeking financial support through various fundraisers, but also to ask, “What can we do to give back to you?”

Mrs. Millerschin, her staff, and her students have given back to the community through initiatives such as Dimes for Diapers, Lions Club Food Drives, and Toys for Tots.  Reid Elementary also hosts an event each year called Day of Difference.  Community organizations come to present to the students and staff about ways that they can help give back to the community.  Then, the kindergarten and first-grade students set out to work on various hands-on projects for the community.  Examples include: painting birdhouses for Habitat for Humanity, making dog toys for the Humane Society, designing placements for Meals on Wheels, and stuffing toy animals for children that enter the hospital.

COVID-19 has brought about many, many challenges for everyone. However, it did not stop Mrs. Millerschin from coming up with creative ways to support students, families, and staff.  She created fun trivia games and virtual scavenger hunts for staff meetings, figured out a way to still have the Day of Difference this year, participated in the assessment administration process, and even recorded virtual lessons for first graders!

Mrs. Millerschin takes pride in her civic duties and community participation. In addition to serving as principal at Reid Elementary, she is also the director of Goodrich Community Education.  In this role, she oversees preschool, childcare, and summer ball programming. She also coordinates events and outings for the Silver Fox senior citizen group. Leading these programs helps to support a strong link back to the community, which Mrs. Millerschin sets as a priority. Her civic and community participation does not stop when the school day is over.  She is often participating at sporting and fine arts events across the district. She is actively involved in events at the Goodrich United Methodist Church and the Goodrich Lions Club.  Mrs. Millerschin even follows up with students to mentor them and offer them support when needed, even when they have moved onto upper-grade levels. 

In order to connect with students outside of the school day, Mrs. Millerschin has done activities such as reading stories to students via Facebook Live.  She shares Millerschin’s Moments, pre-recorded talks to students about different topics, often an extension of the PBIS topics that her teachers share in their classrooms.  She has also led the implementation of Family Time, where the staff mixes up and divides students in Developmental Kindergarten through first grade to meet in small groups focused on building relationships with mentoring adults. Reid has also embraced the Peer-to-Peer model with their young learners.  

An article from Edutopia entitled, “11 Habits of an Effective Teacher” describes Mrs. Millerschin. She possesses all of the qualities mentioned in the article. She enjoys teaching, makes a difference, spreads positivity, gets personal, gives 100%, stays organized, is open-minded, has standards, finds inspiration, embraces change, and creates reflections.

The hallways and classrooms of Reid Elementary show the earliest learners engaged in a culture and climate that allows for all students to find their voice and reach their full potential.  Students deserve to learn in a safe, supportive, challenging environment.  They also deserve to have relationships that make them feel like a part of a larger community.  The same is true for the staff. Mrs. Millerschin's leadership, advocacy for her students, passion for preparing them for life, dedication to the educational process, and the Leader in Me program have all been instrumental to the positive climate and culture that has been created at Reid.

"Beth has dedicated many, many hours and made carefully thought-out decisions, always keeping the best interest of the students in mind," said Karas. "She will be missed at Reid Elementary, yet the impact she has had on students and staff will last for many years to come."