Videos   All Videos

Award Notification:  Courtney Matulka (NE '15)

Omaha Science Teacher Courtney Matulka Is Nebraska's 2015-16 Milken Educator

Courtney Matulka, a science teacher at Beadle Middle School, pushes her students to ask not just "Why?" but also "What if?" Her creative teaching methods include "excavating" chocolate chips from cookies to teach kids about mining and leading Pictionary games focused on types of energy matter. Matulka's creative teaching strategies have driven up her students' standardized test scores in science each year since 2011.

Matulka takes a holistic view of her role as an educator that goes beyond the classroom. "We know that all students will experience failure," she told KETV-7 after receiving the Nebraska 2015-16 Milken Educator Award from Governor Pete Ricketts and Dr. Jane Foley, Milken Educator Award Senior Vice President. "[Teaching] is giving them the skills on how to overcome those failures."