TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Angela Hicks, known affectionately around the Traverse City community as “Moma Tank,” has just made district history. On April 14, during the TCAPS Board of Education meeting, she became the first “substitute” teacher ever to receive the TCAPS Compass Award – an honor typically reserved for permanent staff but one she earned through tireless leadership, heart, and vision.
The Compass Award, according to TCAPS, is an all-district employee recognition program that “aims to recognize the contributions individual staff members are making toward the implementation of the District’s Strategic Plan in their daily work.”
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Moma Tank is no stranger to being a trailblazer. The Air Force veteran served 25.5 years in active duty, rising to the rank of Master Sergeant and working in intelligence during major global conflicts. Now in her second act as a full-time building guest teacher she’s bringing the same energy, leadership, and compassion to Traverse City classrooms that once powered high-stakes missions in the Department of Defense.
Moma Tank inspires connection, confidence, and change in every classroom.
“Moma Tank embodies the spirit of our strategic plan,” said award-nominator and TCAPS Instructional Coach Ali Sullivan. “She puts students first. She includes everyone and she works to make sure everyone is successful.” Sullivan, who has worked closely with Moma Tank at the East Middle School in Traverse City, emphasized that even without a teaching certificate, Moma Tank commands a classroom with competence and connection that rival any veteran educator.
Sullivan added, “She’s competent, intelligent, and a positive force,” and pointed out how Moma Tank initiated countless improvements in the school – revamping the guest teacher binders, launching a debate club, and motivating high school students through ‘Motivational Mondays.’”
Moma Tank has been a building guest teacher at East Middle School for the past three years. A building guest teacher at TCAPS is a substitute teacher assigned to a specific school building on a regular or long-term basis. Unlike day-to-day substitutes who may work in various schools, building guest teachers provide consistent coverage within one school, fostering stronger relationships with students and staff.
A conversation with Moma Tank.
Michigan News Source reached out to Moma Tank about her award and service in the TCAPS system. She said that she has taught in nearly every school in the TCAPS district since 2001, including core subjects, electives, and even science – filling in wherever there’s a need. She explained that the ongoing teacher shortage, worsened by what she described as recent federal education cuts and high housing costs, have made long-term substitute positions more common. “We were short already,” Moma Tank said, adding that TCAPS has approved teacher-only housing funds in hopes of attracting more permanent educators.
Moma Tank says she’s working with the district to launch a new working group aimed at strengthening the substitute teaching program and providing better support to full-time staff. “We need to invest more in structure, training, incentives, and surveys,” she said, noting that hundreds of subs are hired at the start of the school year but many don’t return. Moma Tank also hosts a weekly YouTube show called “Get Motivated With Moma Tank” on TrojanTV Live that plays on the live morning announcements. She also hinted she may apply for a vacant school board seat to further contribute to solutions. “Now that I got this award, I’m fresh on everybody’s mind,” she said. “If I step on the board, then I could be a part of all of that.”
Military mindset meets education mission.
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Giving a short speech at the award ceremony, Moma Tank drew parallels between her military service and her current role as a guest teacher. She said, “When I found out that I was getting this award, it made me think about the parallelism of the active duty force and the reserve force in the Department of Defense, in comparison to our permanent teacher force and our guest teacher force.”
Reflecting on her time as an intelligence analyst, Moma Tank told the audience about being stationed in Miami in the early 2000s, tracking hostages in Colombia with limited technology. She explained how she trusted the dedication of her reserve counterparts, saying, “I could leave a target deck (a pre-approved list of targets that a military units cleared to engage during a mission or campaign) for our reservists and come in on Monday and know that it was done,” she said adding, “I feel like right now, the state of the Department of Education is at that crisis mode, where it is time for our reservists, if you will, our guest teacher force, to step in and give you guys the support that you need. So I’m looking forward to ‘tomorrow’ and maybe partnering up with how we can just make that happen.”
Leadership rooted in family, faith and service.
Moma Tank’s mother, Doris Hicks, wasn’t surprised by her daughter’s recognition and is proud of the fact her daughter is being recognized for some of her achievements that she’s been doing for years.
“She’s always been a leader,” Doris said, adding, “She’s a person that always thinks about others and always wants to make a difference in people’s lives.”
Moma Tank says that her mantra is to “make people glad to see you come and sad to see you leave. Whatever you touch, leave it better than how you found it, even a small act.”
A graduate of Detroit’s prestigious Renaissance High School, Moma Tank went from cheerleader to Air Force service member, eventually commanding troops and working in support of Navy SEALs. In many units, she was the first – and often only – Black woman. Although her parents were hesitant at first about her decision to go into the military – concerned about the potential hardships and discrimination she might face as both a woman and a person of color – they eventually recognized that the Air Force was a strong and meaningful career path for her.
Moma Tank becomes a pillar of the TC community.
After retiring, Moma Tank moved to Traverse City to help care for her father before his passing in 2020. Since then, she’s become a fixture in the community – not just in schools, but also as a coach and mentor, and even Honor Guard commander at the annual TC Patriot Game. She got the nickname “Moma Tank” because her son, who was a Traverse City Central football player, is nicknamed “Tank.” Even Doris is affectionately known as “Granny Tank.”
Moma Tank’s legacy already taking root.
Students and parents alike are taking note of Moma Tank and her dedication to her students. “I met a UPS driver who saw her car and asked if I was Moma Tank,” Doris recalled with a smile. “He said, ‘My daughter comes home every day talking about how Moma Tank makes her feel seen and supported.’”
That reputation for care isn’t just word of mouth. It’s rooted in service. Moma Tank was known for handing out snacks and spending her own money to make sure kids had what they needed after football practice. And in the classroom, she’s gone beyond the call of duty, even stepping in twice fo fill a permanent teacher position for over a month – one time getting a call the night before the first day of school to teach STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and currently to teach a 6th grade science class due to a permanent vacancy of a teacher.
“She never complains,” Doris said, pointing to the fact that her daughter just steps up and does what needs to be done.
“I’m living the dream,” Moma Tank shouts out as she walks away.
With her eyes on the future and a heart rooted in service, Moma Tank isn’t just shaping young lives, she’s redefining what it means to lead.
