Salem's Bob Brodie Wins Michigan Lottery Excellence in Education Award

If you ask Salem High School teacher Bob Brodie about his many achievements over a half-century in education, he'll usually be quick to share praise with someone else. 

Whether it's spotlighting the many players who wore Salem blue and white for him over 37 years as a Hall of Fame basketball coach, or his colleagues in both the business and physical education departments, Brodie has always stressed the success of the team over the individual as a part of his daily life. 

That attitude led to another individual honor Brodie richly deserves recently when the Michigan Lottery named him a recipient of its Excellence in Education award. 

Brodie's selfless focus on helping his students and colleagues have seen him answer the bell for whatever role Salem has needed to fill over the last 48 years. In addition to coaching three sports during his tenure, he has taught numerous business education and physical education classes, and filled in as a counselor and as an administrator. 

Brodie knew education would be his life's work from a young age. “My parents were both in education, so from an early age I knew that is exactly what I wanted to do," he told the Lottery after receiving the award. "Being a teacher and coach allows me to help students learn to become responsible, productive, and accountable adults and to grow both inside the classroom and beyond. Helping students reach their potential and become successful adults is such a rewarding experience.”

The Lottery established the Excellence in Education awards in 2014 to recognize outstanding public-school educators across the state during the school year. Winners are chosen based on their work to consistently help students advance to higher levels of academic achievement, and who go above and beyond while inspiring colleagues and serving as an educational leader. Winners of the weekly award receive a $2,000 cash prize. At the end of the school year, one of the weekly award winners will be selected to receive the Lottery’s Educator of the Year award and will receive a $10,000 cash prize.

This is the second time this school year that Brodie has been recognized for his service to students. This past December, he was awarded $1,000 from Touchdown for Teachers.

True to form, Brodie used the grant to purchase seven portable pickleball courts for the PCEP Physical Education Department.