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Hermon Teacher Honored with Prestigious Milken Educator Award and $25,000

Fourth grade teacher Sarah Collins selected as one of nation's top teachers

November 01, 2022

HERMON, Maine — A Hermon elementary teacher was surprised today as one of America's top teachers. In front of a vibrant schoolwide assembly of cheering students, appreciative colleagues, local dignitaries and media, Sarah Collins, a fourth grade science teacher at Patricia A. Duran School, received the $25,000 Milken Educator Award from the Milken Family Foundation. Collins is the first teacher to receive the Award in the Hermon Public School District since the initiative began in Maine in 1990. The cash prize is unrestricted. 

The Awards will recognize up to 40 elementary educators in the 2022-23 school year. Over the past 35 years, more than $140 million in funding, including more than $73 million in individual Awards, has been devoted to the overall Milken Awards initiative, which includes powerful professional development opportunities throughout recipients’ careers.  

Milken Educator Awards Vice President Stephanie Bishop was joined by Maine Commissioner of Education Pender Makin in presenting Collins with the Award and welcoming her into the national Milken Educator Network. Both Bishop and Makin are members of the 2001 Milken Educator Award class. 

"Sarah has found ways to create a 'living classroom' for her students, creatively combining innovative technology practices with outdoor experiences that teach young learners about our world," said Stephanie Bishop, vice president of the Milken Educator Awards and a 2001 Virginia Milken Educator. "Through virtual meetups with international scientists and online field trips around the globe, Sarah has inspired her students to connect to science in real and meaningful ways, and for that, we honor her as Maine’s newest Milken Educator." 

Hailed as the "Oscars of Teaching," Milken Educator Awards inspire and uplift with the unique stories of educators making a profound difference for students, colleagues and communities. The specific states and schools on this year's winners' list remain a closely guarded secret until each Award is announced. 

"Sarah brings her passion for science and learning to her students each and every day by providing them with engaging, immersive, project-based experiences. Her interdisciplinary approach connects science and technology across content areas and allows her students to apply the deep inquiry, critical thinking, and research and design, and other foundational skills they learn in her classes to other parts of their life. She is a true innovator and a lifelong learner in every sense of the word, constantly seeking opportunities to strengthen her practice, support her colleagues, and build connections with her community. The Maine Department of Education is so proud to join the Milken Family Foundation and the entire Hermon community in honoring Sarah with this well-deserved recognition," said Maine Education Commissioner Pender Makin. 

More About Sarah Collins 

Using Technology and Ecology to Teach Science: Collins secured a Maine Environmental Education Grant to develop an outdoor classroom and garden "lab" where children learn about soil quality and plant growth. Students found fallen trees that became raised beds, and Collins solicited donations of soil and seeds from the community. Growing vegetables helps cement students' understanding of where their food comes from, and produce from the garden ends up on the menu in the school cafeteria. Because Duran is in a rural area near Bangor, Collins uses technology to expand students' experiences beyond the classroom, arranging virtual meetings with scientists in a multitude of locations and occupations. Her young scientists have learned from a wildlife ecologist studying coyote behavior in South Carolina, a Hawaiian volcanologist, and a scientist from a local university as she performed experiments in Antarctica. 

Multi-pronged Approach to Learning: Dedicated, empathetic and determined to reach every student, Collins uses multiple methods of assessment to encourage children to express their scientific reasoning and understanding. Students write focus questions, record and discuss observations, make drawings, analyze data, and perform self-assessments using notebook entries and checklists. Collins works with the University of Maine's Research in STEM Education (RiSE) Center, bringing research-based, hands-on learning experiences back to Duran. She worked with Duran's media specialist to develop a 3D computer design club and has presented at the Maine Science Teachers Association's annual conference on the use of student notebooks in the science classroom. The project-based learning module on habitats Collins developed for the Maine Department of Education's MOOSE (Maine Online Opportunities for Sustained Education) platform has been used by students across Maine, around the U.S. and internationally. 

Meaningful Partnerships with Parents: Collins partners with parents to keep families involved in their children's learning. During the pandemic, she researched avenues to get resources into students' hands, led frequent virtual field trips and found accessible, hands-on science lessons students could execute at home. 

Education: A graduate of the University of Maine Orono, Collins earned a bachelor's in elementary education in 2008 and a master's in literacy education in 2014.

More About the Milken Educator Awards: "The future belongs to the educated."

Along with the financial prize, recipients join the national Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 2,900 top teachers, principals and specialists. The network serves as a rich resource for fellow educators, legislators, school boards and others dedicated to excellence in education. 

• The honorees will also attend an all-expenses-paid Milken Educator Awards Forum in Los Angeles, where they will network with their new colleagues as well as veteran Milken Educators and other education leaders about how to increase their impact on K-12 education. 
• In addition, they will learn about how to become involved in the Milken Friends Forever (MFF) mentoring program, in which new Milken Educators receive personalized coaching and support from a Milken Educator veteran on ways to elevate their instructional practice and take an active role in educational leadership, policy and practice. 
• Veteran Milken Educators demonstrate a wide range of leadership roles at state, national and international levels. 
• "We find you. You don't find us!" Unlike most teacher recognition programs, the Milken Educator Awards initiative has no formal nomination or application process. Candidates are sourced through a confidential selection process and then reviewed by blue ribbon panels in each state. The most exceptional candidates are recommended for the Award, with final selection made by the Milken Family Foundation. 
• The $25,000 cash Award is unrestricted. Recipients have used the money in diverse ways. For instance, some have spent the funds on their children's or their own continuing education, financing dream field trips, establishing scholarships, and even adopting children.  

To receive regular updates on the surprise Milken Educator Award events or to watch the Award events unfold, follow and use the #MilkenAward hashtag on Facebook (@MilkenEducatorAwards), Twitter (@Milken), YouTube (/MilkenAward), Instagram (MilkenFamilyFdn), and TikTok (@MilkenAward). 

For more information, visit MilkenEducatorAwards.org or call the Milken Family Foundation at (310) 570-4772. 

About the Milken Educator Awards
The first Milken Educator Awards were presented by the Milken Family Foundation in 1987. The Awards provide public recognition and individual financial rewards of $25,000 to elementary and secondary school teachers, principals and specialists from around the country who are furthering excellence in education. Recipients are heralded in early to mid-career for what they have achieved and for the promise of what they will accomplish. The initiative was created by the Milken Family Foundation, which celebrates 40 years of elevating education in America and around the world. Learn more at MFF.org 

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