Math teacher Jacob Eitzen received the Milken Educator award in an all-school assembly on Nov. 16.
The Milken Family Foundation focuses on empowering and honoring educators. They present teachers who represent the top one percent of their profession with nationally recognized awards. The award includes a trip to Los Angeles to attend a conference with other Milken winners, and a cash prize of $25,000.
“I’m super thankful, this blows me away that this happened,” Eitzen said to the crowd after receiving the award. “So thank you for all the students that I currently have, all the students that I’ve had in the past. It is truly a pleasure to be a part of your educational journey.”
Whether it was wondering if Taylor Swift would show up at Bellevue West, or if the district was switching to four day weeks, rumors of a school wide secret assembly had students in a speculative whirlwind all week.
Superintendent Dr. Jeff Rippe got a call from the Nebraska Department of Education informing him about Eitzen winning the award.
“So we knew who it was and what the event was going to be,” Rippe said. “But it was tough keeping the secret as we tried to get everything organized.”
Stephanie Bishop, the vice president of the Milken Educator Awards at the Milken Family Foundation, presented the award to Eitzen, with the help of students.
A handful of students were called up, and held up signs to announce that the teacher who was to win the award would be given $25,000 dollars.
Senior Amy Oltman, who was one of the students that helped to hold up the signs with the amount of money, said that Eitzen is her teacher for AP Calculus BC.
“I think he really cares about each student individually, not just like, what the class gets on the test, but he definitely cares about each student and how they’re doing in life as well as what they’re going to do in the future, especially for all of us seniors,” Oltman said.
Senior Jayla Kempe is another one of Eitzen’s students that was selected to participate in the assembly.
“He deserves it, he’s an amazing teacher,” Kempe said. “I know he’s helped so many students in the past and will continue to help, and I’m really happy for him.”
