When Mountain Vista Community School learned that one of its teachers was the recipient of nationwide recognition and a $25,000 cash prize during a morning assembly, the teacher in question seemed among the least enthused by the news on Thursday.

While her students and colleagues erupted in cheers around her in the packed gymnasium, the soft-spoken, sixth-grade math teacher, Shana Engel, froze as the spotlight suddenly landed on her.

“I think it took a while to register that my name was called,” she said. “I felt kind of nervous, but very thankful at the same time.”

Unknown to almost the entire school, the surprise assembly was to announce Engel as the sole Colorado teacher to receive the Milken Educator Award, which includes the financial reward and a paid trip to Washington, D.C.

Touted as the “Oscars of Teaching,” the initiative has no formal application or nomination process. Rather, exceptional K-12 educators who are early or in the middle of their careers are sought out by the Milken Family Foundation every year.

Milken Educator Awards Senior Vice President Jane Foley told the assembly crowd that the award also gives people the chance to celebrate educators for their past and future achievements, similar to how professional athletes, entertainers and scientists are often celebrated.

“But our educators, who have this most important job of all, they’re teaching people who go get all the other awards, they’re teaching all of you, they haven’t had that kind of celebration,” she said. “And that’s just wrong.”

Engel is the 96^th recipient from Colorado since the state joined the Milken Educator Awards program in 1989.

Following a few brief words from Mountain Vista Principal Nicole Paxton, Colorado Commissioner of Education Susana Córdova, Foley and a video message from Colorado Governor Jared Polis, a media frenzy ensued.

Steadicams, photographers and TV cameras from local news outlets, along with an entourage of past recipients and distinguished representatives, followed her throughout the school for interviews, photo and video opportunities, and other moments to capture content celebrating her work and the work of educators across the country.

“I don’t know what to do,” she said, back in her classroom when asked to demonstrate an everyday lesson to all her guests.

Moments later, the nerves subsided as she was soon back to engaging with her students about reciprocals, before being whisked away by foundation representatives.

Leading one of the top-performing classes in all of Harrison D-2, Engel was recognized for implementing project-based learning and data-driven instruction into her classes while upholding high student participation expectations. Additionally, her student interventions and differentiated instruction were highlighted by the foundation as examples of deep content knowledge and understanding.

Raised in Colorado Springs, Engel matriculated through Widefield D-3, graduating at Mesa Ridge High School, before earning a bachelor’s degree in history with an elementary education endorsement from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs in 2012.

She said her passion for learning is what led her to pursue teaching.

“And I think that having that passion for learning makes it easier to be a teacher and teach other students to kind of find their own passion and to help build them up and want to be more successful,” she said.

Outside the classroom, Engel was also praised for her involvement in her school’s math committee, multitiered support system and mentoring through the D-2’s new staff institute. She has also completed advanced mentoring training and coursework and has worked with student teachers at UCCS.

She also supports her colleagues through modeling lessons and leading professional development on topics such as student engagement strategies and math reasoning.

Surrounded by cameras and hot microphones, Engel and her two daughters were asked to call dad to break the news and put him on speaker phone.

While he was expecting the news as much as everyone else that day, his takeaway was less one of shock, since he knew she how much deserved it.

“Well, heck yeah,” he said of the pleasant surprise of the assembly. “(It’s) an awesome one.”