A Fulton County middle school teacher is the winner of what is often called the “Oscar of Teaching” – the Milken Educator Award. The prestigious honor also comes with a nice gift: a $25,000 cash prize.

Greg Ott, a seventh-grade teacher at Northwestern Middle School, was surprised with the announcement today by members of The Milken Family Foundation, State Superintendent Kathy Cox, Fulton Superintendent Cindy Loe and other special guests.

Ott, a language arts teacher, is one of 55 educators nationwide to receive the 2009 Milken Educator Award. The announcement came as a complete surprise, kept tightly under wraps by the Milken Family Foundation, an organization known nationwide for honoring teachers who often go unnoticed but make an impactful difference in the classroom.  

Announced before a packed gymnasium of students and teachers, Dr. Jane Foley of the Milken Family Foundation and State Superintendent Kathy Cox praised Ott, saying: “Great learning doesn’t happen without great teachers and one of the most talented teachers in the nation is here at your school.” After receiving the news and the $25,000 award he may spend any way he wishes, Ott, who was overwhelmed by the announcement, said, “Many people in my team are deserving of this. I am humbled.” He then quickly added – “Kids, no homework tonight!”

The Milken Family Foundation National Educator Awards provide recognition and unrestricted financial awards of $25,000 to exceptional teachers and principals. This year alone, more than $1 million in Milken Awards will be presented to up to 55 of America’s finest educators.

New Milken Educators, such as Ott, also receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Los Angeles to participate in the Milken National Education Conference, which focuses on solutions to America’s pressing challenges in education. Potential nominees for the award are gathered by the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) and presented to a blue ribbon panel of judges that includes GaDOE members, the education community and other stakeholders. The finalists were sent to the Milken Family Foundation, which chose the winner.

The last Fulton County teacher to win the Milken Educator Award was former Northview High School math teacher, Wendy McCarron, who earned the honor in 2007.