UW-Whitewater alumnus receives a 2009 Milken Educator Award

October 29, 2009

Thoughtful decision-making and concern for the needs of his students and faculty members at Elkhorn Area Middle School landed University of Wisconsin-Whitewater alumnus John Gendron a 2009 Milken Educator Award.

"The 2009 Milken Educator Award bestowed on John Gendron spotlights his past work as a teacher and most recently as a principal, but also points to his ongoing efforts to promote excellence in education," said Tom Ganser, UW-Whitewater's director of field experiences.

Started in 1985, the Milken Educator Award is the nation's largest teacher recognition program. The award is given to elementary and secondary teachers, principals and other education professionals who further excellence in education.

Recipients of the award receive $25,000 to spend any way they wish and an all-expenses-paid trip to Los Angeles, Calif., to participate in the Milken Educator Forum. Gendron is one of 50 educators from across the country to receive a 2009 Milken Educator Award.

Gendron, a 1993 UW-Whitewater graduate, is the 26th educator from Wisconsin to receive the award. He is a former eighth-grade math teacher and has been at Elkhorn Area Middle School, where he currently serves as principal, for 16 years.

His selection of a new instructional software program for his middle school caught the eye of the Wisconsin Milken blue-ribbon committee. Gendron's interest in interacting with teachers and students also made him a strong candidate.

"John's preparation as a teacher at UW-Whitewater not only equipped him with the knowledge, skills and disposition to be an effective teacher, but also supported him in developing the tools needed to rise to leadership in education over an entire career," Ganser said.

"The College of Education is proud to count John among its graduates not only for his accomplishments so far, but also for what are certain to be exciting contributions to the field of education in the future," Ganser said.

To see Gendron surprised at a school assembly with the news that he was chosen as a Milken Educator go to http://www.mff.org/mea/mea.taf?page=videos&vid=1050.