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Plymouth English Teacher Is First in Plymouth Public Schools to Be Honored With $25,000 Milken Educator Award

Michelle Terry surprised with prestigious Award during nationwide tour recognizing educators for excellence and innovation

October 20, 2023

PLYMOUTH, Mass. — A Plymouth North High School teacher received the surprise of a lifetime today when she was presented with the prestigious Milken Educator Award at a schoolwide assembly In front of cheering students, colleagues, dignitaries and media. Michelle "Shelley" Terry was bestowed the Award by the Milken Family Foundation, which includes an unrestricted $25,000 cash prize, and honors exceptional educators across the country for their excellence and innovation in the field. 

Milken Educator Awards Senior Vice President Dr. Jane Foley was joined by Massachusetts Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley to present the Award to Terry, the first-ever recipient in Plymouth Public Schools. 

"Many Plymouth North High graduates can trace their success in English-related careers right back to Shelley Terry’s classroom. That is because in every endeavor she pursues, Shelley makes her message abundantly clear: Language is not only a passion, but also a way of life," said Dr. Foley, a 1994 Milken Educator herself from Indiana. "Beyond the classroom, Shelley pours the same enthusiasm into leadership at the school and district levels and through mentoring other teachers. I am pleased to welcome her into our vast Milken Educator Network, where she will have a platform to broaden her impact." 

Hailed as the "Oscars of Teaching," the Awards will honor up to 75 recipients across the country this school year as part of the Milken Family Foundation's Journey to the 3,000^th Milken Educator. This season 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. 

"It was great seeing students' excitement as Ms. Terry was being recognized," Commissioner Riley said. "Her inspiring teaching and mentoring has made her an important member of Plymouth North’s school community."   

Terry is the second and final Massachusetts Milken Educator to be honored for the 2023-24 school year. She joins Principal Andrew Rebello of Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School in Fall River, who was honored earlier today. 

The Milken Educator Award is not a lifetime achievement honor. 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 Michelle Terry 

A Creative Approach: Terry fosters a love of language, literature and learning within her students at Plymouth North High School, where she teaches 9-12 grade English and language arts. This is reflected in her many students who, after gaining exposure from her innovative Plymouth North News course, go on to become television journalists, producers, editors and reporters. Her course materials and instructional techniques are memorable and creatively implemented. She transformed her classroom into a restaurant with Socratic discussions at each table, invented "broadcast carpool karaoke" and staged an April Fools' Day broadcast with the superintendent. These creative approaches make her courses some of the most requested at the school, where her efforts have made academic gains for students at all levels. Her AP language students consistently outperform the state and students needing improvement receive specialized plans for academic growth and achievement.  

Inclusive Leadership: Terry's dedication to excellence extends beyond her classroom as she has led the ELA department for 10 years and advises the school newspaper and National Honor Society (NHS). Her leadership positively affects the community at large through the NHS students' tutoring sessions for middle and elementary school students, the creation of after-school engagement programs, and ongoing philanthropic efforts that help those less fortunate within the community. A leader for her students and colleagues, Terry runs summer professional development workshops to help motivate teachers, spearheaded a revision of the school's core values to incorporate transition goals, and propelled schoolwide professional development for special education; English Learners; and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) strategies. She has mentored dozens of teachers throughout her career and regularly meets with other department leaders to identify and sustain best practices.    

Education: Terry received a Bachelor of Arts in English teaching and justice studies from the University of New Hampshire in 2006 and a Master of Arts in Teaching in English from Bridgewater State College in 2011.  

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 in June 2024, 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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