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Cagney Weaver First Biloxi Public Schools, Mississippi, Recipient of $25,000 Milken Educator Award

Fourth-Grade Teacher Wins “Oscar of Teaching” for Innovative Instruction
and Extraordinary Dedication to Students and Peers

January 14, 2015

SANTA MONICA, CA—Cagney Weaver, a fourth-grade teacher at North Bay Elementary School in Biloxi Public Schools, Mississippi, was surprised with an unrestricted $25,000 Milken Educator Award during a schoolwide assembly today. Weaver is the first Biloxi Public Schools teacher to earn this prestigious award and is one of up to 40 recipients across the country this school year who will receive the honor.

The Milken Educator Award recognizes exemplary elementary and secondary school teachers, principals and specialists who are furthering excellence in education. Along with the recognition typically bestowed to recipients, Weaver now belongs to a network of more than 2,600 K–12 teachers, principals and specialists from around the country.

Introducing the Awards presentation was Dr. Carey Wright, state superintendent of education, and Dr. Jane Foley, senior vice president of the Milken Educator Awards and a 1994 Milken Educator recipient from Indiana.

“Cagney Weaver has a gift for bringing educational lessons to life,” Foley said. “Her creativity, high expectations and dedication have motivated her students to succeed above school, district and state averages.  I warmly welcome Mrs. Weaver to the Milken Educator Network, and look forward to following her exciting journey.”

In Weaver’s fourth-grade classroom at North Bay Elementary, students at every level of learning are engaged, from inclusion students to the most gifted.

Weaver has immersed herself in training to teach the Common Core State Standards. She aligns her instructional practices to the rigorous benchmarks, creating relevant, meaningful lessons that support student success. She involves parents in their child’s academic growth as well; for example, presenting a workshop on “A Child’s Eye View of Common Core” in math and English Language Arts. With few exceptions, her students score Proficient or Advanced in Language Arts and Math on the state MCT2 assessments, and they routinely outperform their peers in the district and state. She deliberately structures class time to allow for individual attention whenever needed so that every student learns to his or her potential.

Multi-sensory activities including music, lyrics and body movement are an important tool in Weaver’s classroom to help motivate students beyond the textbook. While studying colonial America, students churned butter and made wax candles; in math, students graphed large-scale coordinate planes on clear shower curtain liners. Utilizing interesting activities in support of the curriculum helps students to have fun learning, and encourages them to want to learn more. Projects are displayed in and out of the classroom throughout the year, and the standards to which they correspond are clearly explained.

Often the first person to arrive at school, Weaver even came to campus while on maternity leave to visit with her students. She recently completed National Board Certification, has participated in the Live Oak Writing Project, is on the school leadership team and supervises student teachers. A lifelong learner herself, Weaver models that essential trait for her students and peers, making the future brighter every day for Mississippi students.

“Mrs. Weaver’s selection as a Milken Educator makes the entire state of Mississippi proud,” State Superintendent Wright said. “She is just one example of the thousands of Mississippi teachers who are using their talents to help students reach their highest potential.”

For photos and video of Weaver receiving her Milken Educator Award, visit http://www.milkeneducatorawards.org/educators/view/cagney-weaver.  

The Milken Family Foundation first presented the Milken Educator Awards in 1987. Since that time, it has become the nation’s preeminent teacher recognition program and was dubbed the “Oscars of Teaching” by Teacher magazine. Recipients can use their $25,000 award in any way they choose. More than $137 million in funding, including over $65 million in individual $25,000 awards, has been devoted to the overall program, which includes powerful professional development opportunities throughout recipients’ careers. 

In Mississippi, 69 recipients have been presented with the Milken Educator Award since the program began there in 1991.

Alternating yearly between elementary and secondary educators, the Awards are sourced through each participating state department of education, which appoints an independent blue ribbon committee to confidentially review candidates for recommendation to MFF. Past recipients have used their Awards to finance their children’s education or their own continuing education. Others have financed dream field trips, established scholarships and even funded the adoption of children.

To receive regular updates on notifications, follow the #TeachForTheStars and #MilkenAward hashtags on Twitter and Instagram.

For information about the Milken Educator Awards, visit http://www.milkeneducatorawards.org/newsroom/media-kit or call MFF at (310) 570-4775. Like the Awards at www.facebook.com/milkeneducatorawards, follow us at www.twitter.com/milken, watch the reaction videos at www.youtube.com/milkenaward and find us on http://instagram.com/milkenfamilyfdn.  

The Milken Educator Awards program, created by the Milken Family Foundation, was launched in 1987. 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.

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