One of Starkville’s very own elementary school teachers won $25,000 in a recent competition. Lisa Anderson, a graduate of Mississippi State University, teaches second grade at Starkville’s Sudduth Elementary. Anderson is one of two teachers in Mississippi to receive the Milken Family Foundation Educator Award this year.
Anderson has been teaching for 11 years and received her bachelor’s and master’s in elementary education at MSU. She received National Board Certification in 1997 and in 1999 was named the Starkville Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year.
The presentation of the award by the Milken Foundation is a very secret process and prestigious ordeal.
“The whole thing is a big secret and nobody knew what was going on,” Anderson said.
About 300 second-grade students, along with the teachers and other faculty, made their way to the auditorium to hear the principal and his guest speaker. Flowers and balloons were brought in.
The first four rows had been left empty, and after about 30 minutes, many people, including the mayor, came and filled those seats. Soon afterwards, Jane Foley, from the Milken Foundation talked to the children about Milken Award. She spoke with the children about the four day trip to Los Angeles and the money and continued until “they were ready to tell the secret.”
“All my kids who were sitting there with me had their hands in the air with their fingers crossed,” Anderson recalled.
After being announced as the winner, Anderson said she was completely surprised. “I was completely shocked. This is not something I had applied for. I’ll never know who nominated me or how I even won the award,” she said.
The Milken Foundation presented Anderson with her $25,000 check and Dr. Larry Box, the superintendent, presented her with roses. A surprise reception followed the presentation. Anderson commented that the principal of the school did not even know of the award until the day before the presentation.
“I am just very honored to have been selected for this award. It means a lot for our school and our district,” Anderson said.
“Our teachers work very hard together to impact our students learning. It’s not just for me. It’s for our whole district and our school,” Anderson said. “We meet at least three times a week to talk about our teaching and our student’s learning.”
Anderson has not yet decided what she will do with her prize money, but is considering purchasing a new car. She has plenty of time to decide how it will best be spent, since she will not get the money until April.
The Milken Foundation was established in 1982 to encourage new, creative ways of helping individuals lead productive and fulfilling lives. The Milken Educator Award program originated in 1985 and serves to reward outstanding teachers by increasing opportunity for professional growth.
The Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award is the largest teacher recognition program in the United States. Its purpose is to reward the best kindergarten through grade 12 teachers to education.
Each year the award alternates between elementary and secondary educators, except in states where the program is new. Those states select one teacher from both the elementary and secondary levels of education.
This year there is a total of 100 new Milken Educator Awards given in 46 states. The program has given over $44 million away since its creation.
Each winner of the award receives an all-expense paid trip to Los Angeles to take part in the annual Milken National Education conference to be held in April. The teachers receive national recognition and an unrestricted $25,000 financial prize, which they may use however they choose.
Teachers must meet certain criteria in order to receive consideration for the award.
They must demonstrate outstanding educational talent, have outstanding accomplishments and show strong long-range potential for leadership in policy and profession, and possess an inspiring presence that encourages and influences students, co-workers, and the community.