Biloxi Teacher Wins Prestigious Nat’l Award & $25,000

Wednesday, one local teacher was recognized for her excellence as an educator. What would you do if you had $25,000 to spend any way you wanted?

Fourth grade teacher at North Bay Elementary, Cagney Weaver, is about to find out. Wednesday morning, Weaver was awarded a $25,000 check from the Milken Family Foundation, an educator award recognizing teachers from across the country who excel in the classroom. Weaver says, "It just definitely means that someone noticed what I do and that there’s people out there who recognize teachers and recognize the effort and the hard work that we put in."

The Milken Educator Award is meant to give these educators an incentive to stay in the profession, publicly recognize them, and inspire students to realize the important role teachers play in their lives. Dr. Jane Foley from the Milken Foundation says Weaver exemplifies everything they’re looking for in a candidate. Dr. Foley says, "She’s very innovative and engaging in the classroom. She has results where her students achieve higher than other district averages, state averages. She’s a leader in her profession, even though she’s so early in her career. She’s an unsung hero. She hasn’t been recognized."

This award goes to less than 1% of teachers every year nationwide. This year, Weaver is one of just about 40 teachers receiving recognition. Weaver has only been a teacher for five years and in such a short time has already impressed those at the Milken Family Foundation, but what does she plan to do with the $25,000? Weaver replies, "I’ll definitely do something special for my students, I’m sure buy school supplies. I have no idea yet."

What she does know is that she loves teaching at North Bay Elementary and looks forward to using education to impact young lives for years to come.