Known as a relentless advocate for students and their learning, Penny Callendar Letts has devoted a professional life that has spanned some 35 years to teaching the beauty and complexity of mathematics to generations of students in the small, rural eastern Michigan community of Harbor Beach. Ms. Letts teaches at Harbor Beach Middle School, where her passion for students and subject matter and her commitment to excellence have made her a leading figure at her school district and in her community.

A Harbor Beach teacher since 1969, Ms. Letts distinguished herself early both by her love of mathematics and the high standards she set for her students. They remain hallmarks of her career to this day. A caring and compassionate educator, she demands high achievement and hard work from all of her students. She also has amassed a long record of teacher leadership. She was instrumental in developing the teaching team concept now in place at Harbor Beach Middle School, and remains the program’s team leader. She served on the Michigan Department of Education’s Teacher Standards Committee, co-chaired the North Central Association Accreditation team, and for eight years was president of the Harbor Beach Education Association. Her leadership of the teaching teams led to her school receiving the Michigan Association of Middle School Educators’ State Teaching Team of the Year Award.

A loyal Spartan, Ms. Letts served as vice president of the MSU Alumni Association of Huron County. She earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics and education in 1967.