(FRANKFORT, Ky.) -- Diane MacKenzie, a Spanish teacher at Atherton High School in the Jefferson County school district, is Kentucky's newest recipient of the Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award, which includes a financial reward of $25,000.
MacKenzie was notified of her award today, when Education Commissioner Gene Wilhoit and representatives from the Milken Family Foundation visited her school.
MacKenzie has been a teacher for 16 years and is chair of the Atherton High World Language Department. She was a Fulbright Scholarship recipient in 1988, has received the Superintendent's Distinguished Service Award and is a mentor and supervisor for new teachers. She earned bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Louisville and holds a teaching certificate from Universidad Rafael Landivar in Guatemala.
She was nominated for the award by Atherton Principal John Hudson, who said that MacKenzie " … captured the imagination and interest of her students with her engaging personality and mastery of the Spanish language. Ms. MacKenzie's passion for teaching is evident in everything she does."
At the Milken Family Foundation National Education Conference in Los Angeles next May, MacKenzie will receive a check for $25,000. There are no restrictions on the use of the award -- the winners may use the money in any way they choose.
The award provides public recognition and a cash reward to elementary and secondary school teachers, principals and other education professionals. The foundation was established in 1985, and the first awards given in 1987. Kentucky has participated since 1993, with 46 recipients since then. This year, up to 100 educators from 48 states and the District of Columbia were selected as winners.
The Milken Educator Network is a voluntary association of nearly 2,000
Milken Educators and other exemplary educators and business leaders from across
the country who are dedicated to improving teacher quality and utilizing research and
expertise to shape education policy at state and local levels.
The Milken Family Foundation was established in 1982 to discover and
advance inventive and effective ways of helping people help themselves and those
around them lead productive and satisfying lives. The Santa Monica, California-based
foundation advances this mission primarily through its work in education and medical
research.
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