Hermon Science Teacher Gets High Honors; Wins $25K And Named Top Educator

A fourth-grade science teacher at Patricia A. Duran School in Hermon received quite the award this week. Sarah Collins was named a Milken Educator Award by the Milken Family Foundation and was given an award of $25,000 at a big school assembly Tuesday.

Maine Education Commissioner Pender Makin says the entire community of Hermon is benefitting from the work Collins is doing.

"Sarah brings her passion for science and learning to her students each and every day by providing them with engaging, immersive, project-based experiences. Her interdisciplinary approach connects science and technology across content areas and allows her students to apply the deep inquiry, critical thinking, and research and design, and other foundational skills they learn in her classes to other parts of their life."

"She is a true innovator and a lifelong learner in every sense of the word, constantly seeking opportunities to strengthen her practice, support her colleagues, and build connections with her community. "

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According to Milken's website, Collins is rocking her role as an educator at the Duran School in a rural community, to the point that the work she's been doing with her students is being used around the world.

"Dedicated, empathetic, and determined to reach every student, Collins uses multiple methods of assessment to encourage children to express their scientific reasoning and understanding. She worked with Duran’s media specialist to develop a 3D computer design club and has presented at the Maine Science Teachers Association’s annual conference on the use of student notebooks in the science classroom. The project-based learning module on habitats Collins developed for the Maine Department of Education’s MOOSE (Maine Online Opportunities for Sustained Education) platform has been used by students across Maine, around the U.S., and internationally."

We're told that 40 elementary educators, from across the U.S. will receive this award for the 2022-2023 school year. The Milken Family Foundation has been around for decades and has handed out, to date, $73 million in individual awards. It also provides the recipients with the opportunity for career development throughout their time as educators.