MONA SHIELD PAYNE / HENDERSON HOME NEWS
C.T. Sewell Elementary Principal Carrie Larson accepts the National Educator Award — and $25,000 — Friday morning. Larson did not know she was in the running for the prize.
Saturday, Dec. 20, 2008 | 2 a.m.
C.T. Sewell Elementary School Principal Carrie Larson had never seen a check this size — a 25 with three zeros behind it.
Principal Wins $25,000 Award
C.T. Sewell Principal Carrie Larson was surprised by the Milken Family Foundation with a $25,000 award for her work as an educator.
Sun Archives
- Milken surprises teachers with awards (10-21-2004)
- Class act: High school teacher wins Milken award and $25,000 (10-17-2003)
- Third grade teacher wins $25,000 Milken award (10-31-2008)
Beyond the Sun
When she was handed the check on Friday during an assembly at the Henderson school, her mouth dropped and her eyes welled up with tears.
Larson, 37, received this year’s Milken National Educator Award, which brings with it a $25,000 prize, no strings attached.
It’s like being crowned Miss Nevada or winning an Olympic gold medal, former recipients say — with one key difference. As with the Nobel Prize or the MacArthur Fellowship — known as the genius award — winners never know they are in the running. There is no nomination process.
Frank Lamping, who won the award in 1993, called it “an educator’s dream come true.” He now has a school named after him.
Early next year there will be an Academy Awards-style ceremony, and Larson will be there with as many as 80 other winners.
So what makes a $25,000 educator?
Energy, dedication and, in Larson’s case, results, said Michael Milken, the philanthropist who came to an assembly at the school Friday as the mysterious “Mr. Taylor” to present the award.
At Sewell, under Larson’s three-year tenure, scores on standardized test scores have gone up 20 percent and the school has earned empowerment status, which provides additional funding and gives Larson more discretion in how it is used.
She often works early mornings and late evenings, and always reiterates her love for her students, even on the hard days.
Recipients are chosen by a secret committee that looks into candidates’ backgrounds for more than a year.
“We have to make sure we choose the right person,” Milken said. “It has to be someone that others look at and say, ‘If it wasn’t me, at least it was them.’ ”
What does a top-notch educator do with $25,000?
Start a college fund for her two sons, 8 and 15 years old, she said.
And, she said, “Golly, it’s Christmastime!”
A version of this story will appear in the Home News on Thursday.
Frances Vanderploeg can be reached at 990-2660 or at frances
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