The Detroit Red Wings announced on April 28 that Alyssa Henneman, a special education teacher at Centreville Elementary School in Centreville, Michigan, has been named the Best in Class Teacher of the Year for the 2025-26 season. The recognition took place during Fan Appreciation Night at Little Caesars Arena.
The Best in Class program, presented by Coca-Cola and Meijer, is designed to thank Michigan teachers and educators who make a difference for children both inside and outside the classroom. During this campaign, 75 teachers were honored through the program. One finalist from each of three receptions competed for a $5,000 grant and a meet-and-greet with a Red Wings player.
Merideth Gokey, community impact manager for the Detroit Red Wings, said: “The Detroit Red Wings are proud to recognize Alyssa Henneman as our 2026 Best in Class Teacher of the Year. Alyssa’s commitment to innovation, inclusion and her students’ success makes her truly deserving of this recognition. We congratulate Alyssa and all the Best in Class finalists on being tremendous educators and being shining examples of the impact teachers have on students’ lives.”
Henneman received more than 14,000 votes to earn this honor. She said: “It feels great to know the support I had with this contest. There are people from the community who I don’t know personally who have reached out and told me they voted. I can’t go to the grocery store without having someone congratulate me. I am blessed to have such a large ‘small town’ community.”
As part of her award experience, Henneman attended Fan Appreciation Night with other finalists and participated in a private ceremony at Heritage Hall before watching Detroit host New Jersey Devils at Little Caesars Arena—where she was also recognized on arena videoboards after receiving her $5,000 check from former player Dan Cleary.
Reflecting on winning Teacher of the Year honors she said: “I was in shock when I found out I won… Once it set in, I went into planning mode on how to use this grant to best support my students. My husband had to remind me to enjoy the moment and plan later.” As part of her prize package she also met forward Marco Kasper; about him she said: “Marco was absolutely amazing… He took time to talk with us and even spoke with my son via video chat… He told him that endless hours on ice isn’t what matters—he needs fun too.”
Henneman holds degrees from Saint Mary’s College (elementary education), Western Michigan University (Master’s degree focused on autism), plus administrative certification for general/special education from WMU. She is now finishing her third year teaching at Centreville Elementary School.
“My favorite part about teaching is figuring out my students’ learning styles and designing instruction to match it,” Henneman said. “This helps them have those ‘light bulb’ moments… The students are what drives me…” She added: “Teaching is a hard job… Teachers are their students’ biggest advocates… Our students need us…”
Beyond her classroom duties Henneman established Centreville Elementary as a Special Olympics Unified Champion School—promoting inclusion through unified sports/initiatives—and helped many students reach milestones like greater independence or participation in team sports.
She reflected further: “Recognition like this is very meaningful for all teachers,” she said. “Players visiting classrooms; teacher nights at games; [and] this program…are all opportunities showing others…the wonderful teachers we have…”
The Detroit Red Wings represent Detroit as one of six original National Hockey League teams according to their official website. The franchise hosts its games downtown in Detroit where it has secured eleven Stanley Cup championships throughout its history. The team maintains its legacy as top-performing American NHL franchise according to its official site.
