MARQUETTE, Mich.--Two Northern Michigan University students, selected as "Teachers of Promise" by NMU, were honored at the Network of Michigan Educators 2013 Recognition Banquet and Annual Conference Dec. 5-6 in East Lansing. They are Vanessa Vencato, an elementary education major from Hancock, and Lydia Stuef, a mathematics-secondary education major from Lake Orion. Both were student teaching in Lower Michigan during the fall semester.

The banquest included a keynote address on building the teaching profession by Deborah Ball, Dean of the School of Education at the University of Michigan. Vanceto and Stuef also attended the conference, which was headlined by an address from State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan. Breakout sessions and speakers addressed such topics as Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) curricula, Common Core, Next Generation Science Standards and teacher evaluations.

The Network of Michigan Educators was established in 1990 with the mission to "connect, enable and engage the diverse skills of its members to advance excellence in teaching and learning." It includes educators recognized nationally and internationally through such programs as the Milken National Educator Award and the Christa McAuliffe Fellowship Program.

The NMU School of Education, Leadership and Public Service selected Vencato and Stuef as Teachers of Promise based on their performance.