Science teacher Courtney Matulka is stunned as she realizes that Gov. Pete Ricketts has just called her name as Nebraska's 2015-16 Milken Educator Award winner.
Eighth-grade Millard science teacher Courtney Matulka was “completely shocked” Wednesday
to receive a 2015-16 Milken Educator Award.
The Milken Family Foundation presents the awards to outstanding teachers nationwide. The awards come with a $25,000 check, which winners can use as they please.
Matulka, 30, is in her seventh year at George Beadle Middle School. She received the award during an all-school morning assembly. Teachers were told that the assembly would be held to discuss education, a ruse to keep the award secret until the winner was revealed.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERALD Beadle Middle School students show off the size of the prize, $25,000 given along
with the Milken Educator Award that was eventually presented to science teacher, Courtney Matulka
As camera crews and dignitaries filed into the gym, it was clear that something was up.
The honor of making the announcement fell to Gov. Pete Ricketts. When he called Matulka’s name, she appeared stunned, slowly stepping out of the gymnasium bleachers and onto the floor.
“When I heard my name, I thought, ‘Why am I the one being called?’ ” she said. “When they were talking about the attributes and what made an award-winning teacher, all these teachers were running through my mind who contribute so much to our school who are thanked so little.”
Milken winners are selected for their effective instructional practices, student-learning results, educational accomplishments beyond the classroom and unheralded education work. The award goes to early- to mid-career educators who offer strong long-range potential for professional and policy leadership and for their engaging and inspiring presence.
Unlike some other education awards, Milken Awards have no nominations or applications.
The Milken Family Foundation of Santa Monica, California, has awarded more than $66 million to more than 2,600 recipients since 1987. The foundation goal is to strengthen the teaching profession.
Jane Foley, the foundation’s senior vice president, attended the Millard assembly and helped whip up excitement for the announcement. She enlisted the help of some eighth-grade students, who held up placards to reveal the size of the cash award. The kids started by displaying a meager $25, but the amount on the placards grew to $25,000 as the kids added zeros.
Matulka is the only Nebraska teacher to receive a Milken Award this year. Through the years, 40 Nebraska teachers have been recognized. Ten former winners attended the assembly.
Also attending were Deputy Nebraska Commissioner of Education Deb Frison, Superintendent Jim Sutfin, several Millard school board members, State Sen. Rick Kolowski and a full gymnasium of 1,100 students.
Kolowski was principal at Millard West High School when Matulka attended that school. She grew up in Millard, attending Ackerman Elementary School, Russell Middle School and Millard West.
She graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2008 with a bachelor of science degree in education. She obtained her master’s degree from UNO in 2010.
Matulka is the daughter of Brenda and Doug Sandberg.
She and her husband, Mark, are expecting their first child Dec. 9.
Matulka said she always had a passion for teaching. When she was little, she would line up all her baby dolls and play school, she said.
“I love kids. I love making relationships with kids. I love middle-schoolers because I think they’re still impressionable. They want to get to know you. They’re not too cool for you,” she said.
She loves science, she said, because it’s ever-changing, with new developments all the time.
In her classroom, she tries to adapt her techniques to the lesson, putting kids in small groups some days and other days “flipping” the classroom, an approach where kids watch a video as homework and then do labs and activities in class. She said she’s integrating more technology and engineering into her lessons. She also tries to connect science to real life.
Ricketts, who has a bachelor’s degree in biology, told the crowd that the community is fortunate that people like Matulka decide to teach.
He said she “goes beyond just asking why, getting students to ask ‘What if?’ ” She teaches science in a way that’s innovative and really engages students, he said.
The governor told the kids that science is more than learning formulas.
“Science is about how we solve problems, how we learn about the world and come up with solutions that we’re surrounded by today,” he said.
In accepting the award, Matulka said, “This award isn’t for me; it’s for every teacher here at Beadle Middle School.”
She said she has learned about her craft from her colleagues, everything from how to relate to students to how to integrate technology into the classroom.
Matulka also thanked the students, saying, “We come here every day because we love you guys. You’re the best part of our day, each and every day.”
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