Breaking News: Bellevue West Teacher Jacob Eitzen Honored with National Milken Educator Award

It’s been over 20 years since the Milken Educator Award presentation team has made it to Bellevue Public Schools. On Thursday, Milken Award Representatives stopped by Bellevue West High School for an assembly to honor Math Instructor Jacob Eitzen, just the second teacher in BPS to receive the distinguished national award since the Nebraska Department of Education joined the awards program in 1996. Eitzen is also the National Honor Society sponsor and Fellowship of Christian Athletes sponsor at West.

In 2002, Central Elementary School 6th grade teacher Mary Reding became the first teacher in Bellevue to receive the award. Reding has continued to teach 6th grade at Central in the years since then. This school year marks her 34th year in Bellevue Public Schools, also teaching 6th grade at LeMay Elementary School.

The prestigious honor, created by Lowell Milken and often described as the “Oscars of Teaching,” has recognized outstanding teachers for more than three decades. The idea for the Milken Educator Awards started in the early 1980s when Lowell, the chairman and co-founder of the Milken Family Foundation (MFF), began exploring strategies for strengthening the education profession. The initiative not only aims to reward great teachers but also to “Celebrate, Elevate and Activate” those innovators who are guiding America’s next generation of leaders.

The Milken Educator Award, established by the Milken Family Foundation in 1987, seeks to recognize and celebrate outstanding K-12 educators across the United States. Unlike other teaching awards, the Milken Educator Award comes as a complete surprise to the recipients, who are selected based on their exemplary work in the classroom, dedication to their students, and innovative teaching methods.

The Milken Educator Awards is the nation’s preeminent teacher recognition program. Educators cannot apply and are unaware of their candidacy due to a confidential selection process. 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. Educators are celebrated at all-school assemblies. Recipients gain access to powerful mentorship opportunities among the growing nationwide Milken Educator Network.

Much more to come…..