Milken Educators: Where Are They Now? (Part 1)

Madeline Hanington (MD '11) 

Then:

Known for turning troubled students into model learners, Madeline (Maddy) Hanington won the Milken Educator Award in 2011 for her work as the Language Arts Resource Teacher at Gaithersburg Middle School in Gaithersburg, Maryland. There, Maddy has helped students  write scripts and produce videos around the history of Montgomery County Public Schools and has been recognized by the Gaithersburg mayor and city council for her ongoing commitment to her students.

Now:

Maddy continues her classroom teaching at Gaithersburg as a Language Arts Content Specialist. She will be teaching sixth-grade English and a reading intervention class this upcoming school year. 

She was invited to become a 2014 Lowell Milken Center Fellow for her innovative teaching methods and student mentorship. Maddy worked with students to research and uncover the incredible story of an unsung hero, Sylvia Mendez—a girl who, at only age 8, played an instrumental role in a 1946 landmark desegregation case that challenged racial segregation in Orange County, California schools. 

In her own words: 

“I believe that as a teacher it is my duty to engage my students every day and make sure they become lifelong learners. I also believe that as a mentor, teacher and department head, it is my job to be a role model for teachers ensuring that all students have the opportunities they need to grow and learn. I have been asked to go into administration, but I love teaching too much!  My students know that when they enter my classroom they are safe, they can take risks, they can laugh, they can ask questions and most importantly, they can learn!

“Winning this award has opened many doors for me.  I was asked to be part of the Governor’s Task Force for a post-Labor Day start of the school year, which was a yearlong obligation and involved meeting with congressmen, senators, union representatives, community members and businessmen. I was also invited to be a part in the State Superintendent’s Teacher Task Force to discuss education policy and initiatives.   

“As a member of the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes Advisory Board, I attend many events, such as Maryland’s Teacher of the Year banquet, the governor’s town hall meetings and the Milken Scholars banquet.  As a Lowell Milken Center Fellow, I learned all about researching an ‘unsung hero’ using project-based learning. I led my students in researching civil rights activist Sylvia Mendez, which culminated in a play they wrote about her life, “The Story of a Brown Skin Girl.”It was performed in front of family, friends, teachers and community members.”