(BATON ROUGE, LA ) - An exceptional Louisiana educator received the surprise of a lifetime today with an unrestricted $25,000 Milken Educator Award. Milken Educator Awards Founder Lowell Milken, joined by Louisiana Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley, presented the surprise recognition to Lafayette Parish third-grade teacher Corrie Campbell.
Hailed as the “Oscars of Teaching,” Milken Educator Awards inspire and uplift with the unique stories of educators making a profound difference for students, colleagues and communities. The specific states and schools on this season’s winners’ list remain a closely guarded secret until each Award is announced. Recipients are heralded while early to mid-career for what they have achieved — and for the promise of what they will accomplish given the resources and opportunities inherent in the Award.
Corrie Campbell | Green T. Lindon Elementary | Lafayette Parish School System
For full bio, photos and video, visit:
https://www.milkeneducatorawards.org/educators/view/corrie-campbell
Corrie Campbell’s third graders become independent thinkers in her classroom thanks to her high expectations and masterful facilitation. Campbell teaches ELA and social studies at Green T. Lindon Elementary in Louisiana’s Lafayette Parish, where her students spend their days investigating, observing and searching for answers, working in small groups and using rubrics to offer suggestions to others. Social studies lessons include project-based learning, such as one unit where students decorate cereal boxes to illustrate their research on local and state festivals. When she taught science, projects about human characteristics, animal traits, magnetic forces and the environment included hands-on activities like designing and building bridges to prevent flooding. Campbell used a Tools for Schools grant to add lab safety equipment to her science classroom, where students created models to describe interactions of the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere. At her previous school in New Iberia Parish, Campbell created a fourth grade writing challenge based on the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Students examined characters’ reactions when their rights were threatened, then shared their work with peers for feedback. The writing unit served as an extended lead-up to the Newberry Award writing contest in fifth grade.
“Outstanding educators like Corrie Campbell create rich, tangible learning experiences that we remember for the rest of our lives,” said Lowell Milken. “Through her inventive instruction, Corrie sparks imagination and inquiry while developing a firm foundation to think critically and globally. I congratulate Corrie on being both a leader and learner, and thank her for making education her chosen career.”
“Corrie Campbell has a hands-on approach to teaching that’s resulted in remarkable student growth and achievement,” said Dr. Brumley. “Not only does she focus on reaching every child, but she also serves as a mentor to her colleagues.”
Campbell is the third recipient in Louisiana this 2022-23 school year. She joins Elise Frederic of Prairieville’s Lakeside Primary and Dereka Duncan of Cohn Elementary in Port Allen, who were each awarded at assemblies yesterday. They are among up to 40 elementary educators nationwide to be recognized this season.
Since 1987, more than $140 million in funding, including more than $73 million in individual Awards, has been devoted to the overall Milken Awards initiative, which includes powerful professional development opportunities throughout recipients’ careers.
For more information, visit MilkenEducatorAwards.org or call the Milken Family Foundation at (310) 570-4772.
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