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Lander Educator Surprised with $25,000 Milken Educator Award for Transformative Leadership and Community Impact

Gannett Peak Elementary Assistant Principal Megan Park honored during coast-to-coast tour recognizing excellence and innovation in education

March 12, 2024

Lander, Wyo. (March 12, 2024) — A Lander assistant principal received the surprise of a lifetime today when she was presented with the Milken Educator Award, a prestigious national honor recognizing exceptional educators for outstanding dedication to excellence in education. At a schoolwide assembly in front of cheering students, colleagues, dignitaries and media, Milken Educator Awards Vice President Stephanie Bishop, joined by Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder, announced Megan Park as Wyoming's newest Milken Educator Award recipient. Bestowed by the Milken Family Foundation, the Award includes an unrestricted $25,000 cash prize that recipients may use however they choose.       

"Today we honor Megan Park, whose unwavering leadership and innovative spirit have not only contributed to the positive culture at Gannett Peak Elementary, but have also left an indelible mark on students, colleagues and the broader community," said Bishop, a 2001 Virginia Milken Educator herself. "Megan's ability to unify everyone around high expectations for academic and personal growth reflects the high-caliber educator she is – intentional, compassionate and committed to results. Congratulations and welcome to the Milken Educator Network!"    

Hailed as the "Oscars of Teaching," the Awards will honor up to 75 recipients across the country in 2023-24 as part of the Milken Family Foundation's Journey to the 3,000^th Milken Educator. 2023-24 will reach $75 million in individual financial prizes spanning the length of the initiative and more than $144 million invested in the Milken Educator Award national network overall, empowering recipients to "Celebrate, Elevate, and Activate" the K-12 profession and inspiring young, capable people to pursue teaching as a career.     

"Exceptional leadership empowers everyone it touches," said Superintendent Degenfelder. "Assistant Principal Park's commitment to community, academic success and the emotional health of her staff and students is reflected in the positive outcomes at Gannett Peak Elementary. Congratulations on receiving this very special award and representing the quality of education leaders in our state."  

More About Megan Park  

A Positive Impact: Assistant Principal Megan Park's leadership has contributed to a positive climate and culture at Gannett Peak Elementary School. Park is highly visible in the school community, greeting staff and students in hallways and classrooms with contagious enthusiasm, conducting regular classroom walk-throughs, and adeptly addressing instructional needs throughout the school day. Her passion for fostering professional, academic and personal growth is evident in everything she does, from helping lead professional development and building individual relationships with colleagues, students and families to participating in sporting events and recitals. 

A former classroom and special education teacher, Park is largely credited for helping to ensure requisite structures and supports for meeting student needs. She works regularly with the school Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) coordinator on strengthening reading and math interventions and administering diagnostic tests to provide high-quality, tailored instruction. Park has also helped to increase positive student behavior. She has provided teachers with tools through implementation of a social and emotional learning program as well as organized a book study on school discipline. Her efforts have contributed to a notable decrease in students needing tier 2 and 3 interventions as well as strengthened communication and support through community circles. 

Data-Driven Leadership: Park brings her data-driven mindset to the school professional learning community (PLC), where faculty uses student work to enhance teaching practices, inform decision-making and create a learning environment of high expectations with opportunities for everyone to excel. She is active on the school's leadership team and school improvement team, and committees on curriculum alignment. Park has mentored student teachers, motivates colleagues, and engages with the Parents Interested in Education (PIE) group on campus. 

Cultivating Connections: Always one to make education memorable, Park can be found dressed up on assessment days to promote positivity and confidence around achievement. At the state level, Park participates in the Wyoming Department of Education Level Up Leadership Group dedicated to enhancing the capabilities of education professionals through targeted leadership development that builds impactful leaders in the field. As she continues to broaden her reach, Park remains focused on her individual impact on students: The ceiling in her office showcases tiles to represent each class she has served.  

Education: Park earned her Bachelor of Science in special education in 2010 from Montana State University and her Master of Arts in 2020 from Western Governors University.   

More about the Milken Educator Award Journey: "The Future Belongs to the Educated"  

• The honorees attend an all-expenses-paid Milken Educator Awards Forum in Los Angeles this June, where they will network with their new colleagues as well as veteran Milken Educators and other education leaders about how to broaden their impact on K-12 education.  
• Honorees receive powerful mentorship opportunities for expanded leadership roles that strengthen education practice and policy. Milken Friends Forever (MFF) pairs a new recipient with a veteran Milken Educator mentor; the Expanding MFF Resource and Explorer Program fosters individual veteran Milken Educator partnerships around a specific topic area; and Activating Milken Educators (AME) promotes group collaboration in and across states to tackle pressing educational needs. 
• Veteran Milken Educators demonstrate a wide range of leadership roles at state, national and international levels.  
• The $25,000 cash Award is unrestricted. Recipients have used the money in diverse ways. Some recipients have spent the funds on their children's or their own continuing education, financing dream field trips, establishing scholarships, and even adopting children.       

Follow the Milken Educator Awards tour and use the #MEA3K and #MilkenAward hashtags on: Facebook (MilkenEducatorAwards) | X (Milken) | YouTube (MilkenAward) | Instagram (MilkenFamilyFdn) | LinkedIn (MilkenFamilyFdn) | TikTok (MilkenAward).         

Visit MilkenEducatorAwards.org or call the Milken Family Foundation at (310) 570-4772 for more information.      

About the Milken Educator Awards     
The first Milken Educator Awards were presented by the Milken Family Foundation in 1987. Created by Lowell Milken, 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 Milken Family Foundation celebrates more than 40 years of elevating education in America and around the world. Learn more at MFF.org.     

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