The Milken Family Foundation doesn’t go halfway in its celebration of teachers, staging a surprise announcement at the school where a teacher is awarded the Milken Educator Award and a $25,000 prize.
They did that celebration at Westwood Elementary School on Thursday, where an alumnus of nearby Grand Canyon University became the eighth graduate in five years to win the prestigious national award, labeled the “Oscars of Teaching.”
During the ceremony at a school assembly, Milken captures on video the reactions – and even phone calls to mom.
So when Angelica Garcia (bachelor of elementary education in 2017, master’s in curriculum and instruction in 2020) called her mom, a high-pitched cry came out of the mobile phone on speaker, followed by a mom question:
“What are you going to do with the money?”
“Celebra …” Garcia started to say.
“Go back to school!” mom interrupted.
Garcia chuckled.
“She really wants me to get my doctorate,” Garcia said as the crowd listened in on the call, which included Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne and Milken officials.
Garcia was praised for her calm, steady confidence, finding solutions to elevate those around her as the Westwood Elementary academic coach.
“Angelica Garcia is a dedicated leader and trusted mentor who gets results,” said Dr. Joshua Barnett, CEO of the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching and a Milken representative at the ceremony. “She understands that education is a ‘multi-contact’ sport that involves talented teachers and administrators, clear expectations and communication, data-informed decisions and a culture of continuous improvement.”
Garcia, a Yuma native, said she was inspired by teachers there before coming to GCU, where she found a practicum in the neighboring Alhambra School District that includes Westwood, and “it has changed my life.”
“It has opened me up to a different lens to view instruction and how to push our students forward,” she said.
Happy students cheered the educator, who is known for transforming data into meaningful action, guiding teachers in analyzing student performance and using that information to drive instruction, the organization said.
She also led growth in English language development and helped on the district’s adoption of the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching’s Learning Standards as the foundation of student-centered coaching.
Garcia is Arizona’s sole winner and one of 30 nationwide honored this academic year. She is the state’s 46th recipient since 1998, when Arizona joined The Milken Educator Awards program, which has awarded $76 million to teachers since 1987 to encourage education careers.
Grand Canyon University senior writer Mike Kilen can be reached at [email protected]
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