VIDEO: UCS Teacher of the Year Gets Well-Oiled Reward

It was a big day Thursday for Davis Junior High School Teacher Yvette Snopkowski.

She was honored as the Utica Community Schools' Teacher of the Year and won a free one-year car lease, courtesy of Suburban Ford of Sterling Heights.

"I am shocked, overwhelmed and emotionally a wreck right now—but in a good way," Snopkowski told Patch.

Davis Middle School Principal Steven Bernier nominated Snopkowski, who teaches Advanced Placement U.S. history and AP world history, for her empathy, fairness and dedication to her students.

UCS honored three teachers as recipients of the coveted award during a special breakfast at Stevenson High School: Ryan Rivard from Jack Harvey Elementary, Snopkowski from the middle school and social studies teacher Todd Koehn.

"They're all outstanding and this was a very difficult decision, but one teacher has stood above the others," said UCS Superintendent Dr. Christine Johns before announcing the grand prize to Snopkowski.

Snopkowski and her family were escorted by limo to Suburban Ford, where she picked out a shiny new Ford Edge.