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Micah Depper Is Maine's Newest $25,000 Milken Educator Award Recipient

The spotlight shines on Bath Middle School's Micah Depper, the first-ever Milken Award recipient in Regional School Unit 1 history

February 05, 2025

Santa Monica, Calif. — In the Bath Middle School (BMS) gym this morning, a crowd of students, colleagues, dignitaries and media witnessed the surprise of a lifetime for one extraordinary educator. What began as an assembly with Maine Department of Education officials quickly shifted gears once Milken Family Foundation Senior Program Director Greg Gallagher joined to reveal the secret reason for the school visit: the Milken Educator Award goes to … Micah Depper! 

Depper, a seventh grade science teacher, was shocked to hear his name called as applause erupted from the crowd. Excitement in the gym grew as he was handed his unrestricted, oversized $25,000 check. Depper is Maine's sole 2024-25 Milken Educator Award recipient, and the first in Regional School Unit 1 (RSU 1) history. Depper is Maine’s 77^th recipient overall since the state joined the program in 1990. 

"Micah Depper's influence on education knows no bounds," said Gallagher. "From leading exciting science lessons and inspiring new musicians to guiding a districtwide eco-action plan, Micah is making a positive difference on the lives of students and colleagues alike. I am excited to see him continue to grow professionally within the national Milken Educator Network. Congratulations, Micah!" 

Today, Depper joins over 3,000 Milken Educators spanning the Awards' nearly 40-year history as the nation's preeminent teacher-recognition program. Hailed as the "Oscars of Teaching," the Milken Educator Awards inspire educators, students and entire communities to "Celebrate, Elevate and Activate" the K-12 teaching profession and encourage young, capable people to pursue teaching as a career. More than $75 million in individual financial prizes and more than $145 million have been invested in the Milken Educator Award national network overall. 

"Day in and day out, extraordinary educators in classrooms all around Maine dedicate themselves to a role that is essential to our society: teaching the next generation of thoughtful and innovative leaders," Maine Department of Education Commissioner Pender Makin said, who is herself a 2001 Maine Milken Educator. "Oftentimes, this selfless and demanding work goes unrecognized. For that reason, the Maine Department of Education is proud to join the Milken Family Foundation in celebrating the outstanding educators across our country. Congratulations to Micah Depper of Bath Middle School on this well-deserved honor." 

Outstanding educators like Depper are not aware of their candidacy for the Award. Recipients are sought out while early- to mid-career for what they have achieved — and for the promise of what they will accomplish given the resources and opportunities afforded by the Award. 

More About Micah Depper 

Contagious Enthusiasm: Middle school science teacher Micah Depper's enthusiasm for teaching is contagious throughout the halls of Bath Middle School (BMS). It is also evident in everything he does, from establishing a student union gathering space to forging student connections with a local youth center. Depper promotes learning through an inquiry-based, scientific lens. Using his own collegiate experiences with biology and environmental studies, he makes learning come to life in biological evolution, metabolism, contact forces, bacterial resistance, genetics, ecosystems and invasive species units. 

Student-First Approach: Outside of his science classroom, Depper offers electronic music production for students to explore their passion for music. Well-known on campus was Depper's "BMS Rock Band," an 8-week music club that invited students with little to no musical experience to learn how to play an instrument and perform at school assemblies and the school play. The band became a safe, nurturing, creative outlet for these budding musicians that they appreciate to this day, providing them with a strong sense of belonging and the motivation to excel academically and personally. Other ways Depper impacts students are working with them one-on-one to enhance their field trip journals and coordinating field experiences with local industries. 

Wide-Spanning Leadership: Depper's influence extends beyond students to his peer educators and school community. As a former instructional coach at BMS, he supported fellow teachers, building strong relationships and collaborating with them on effective instructional strategies. Depper helped implement a pilot under Maine's Rethinking Responsive Education Ventures (RREV) grant program, creating innovative solutions (such as BMS Connections Classes) to increase a feeling of connectedness to school. For the district, Depper drew from his environmental studies degree to chair the climate resilience committee, where he is taking the lead in developing an eco-action plan that will advance energy efficiency for all RSU 1 schools during the coming years. He was also instrumental in the leadership and design team. 

Education: Depper earned a Bachelor of Arts in biology from Lewis & Clark College in 2010 and a Master of Science in environmental studies at Antioch University in 2013. 

The Milken Educator Award Reaps Lifelong Benefits 

• 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.
• 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 specific topic areas; and Activating Milken Educators promotes group collaboration in and across states to bring solutions to pressing educational needs.
• The honorees attend an all-expenses-paid Milken Educator Awards Forum in Los Angeles in April, 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.
• Veteran Milken Educators demonstrate a wide range of leadership roles at state, national and international levels. 

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 Future Belongs to the Educated"
The first Milken Educator Awards were presented by the Milken Family Foundation in 1987. Created by philanthropist and education visionary Lowell Milken, the Awards provide public recognition and individual financial rewards of $25,000 to K-12 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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