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Surprise! Washington teacher wins national award — and $25,000

Milken Educator Award recipient Jessica Wentz shares the spotlight with a group of her first-grade students at Lincoln Grade School in Washington.
Steve Stein
/
WCBU
Milken Educator Award recipient Jessica Wentz shares the spotlight with a group of her first-grade students at Lincoln Grade School in Washington.

Jessica Wentz is $25,000 richer. But her first-grade students at Lincoln Grade School in Washington are even richer for having her as a teacher.

Wentz was presented a prestigious Milken Educator Award and its $25,000 prize Friday during an all-school assembly in the gym of the K-4 school.

This is Wentz's seventh year as a faculty member at Lincoln, all as a first-grade teacher. She's teaching in the same classroom where she was a first-grade student.

Her son Crew is a first-grader at Lincoln, but not in her classroom.

The award announcement was a surprise, not just for Wentz, but many others in the packed gym.

District 52 Superintendent Pat Minasian didn't know. Neither did Lincoln Principal Heather Bowman. Neither did Lincoln students, faculty and staff, who filled the gym bleachers and floor.

Neither did members of the District 52 School Board and representatives from the Mason-Tazewell-Woodford Regional Office of Education who were in attendance.

Neither did Washington Mayor Gary Manier and Police Chief Mike McCoy, who were there representing the city.

But State Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders knew about the award. A panel appointed by the state's education department reviews award nominees' credentials before foundation officials select the recipients.

Sanders began speaking to the crowd in the Lincoln gym about the great teachers, staff and students at the school, then he quickly changed gears to the real purpose of the assembly.

Lincoln Grade School students and teachers wait patiently in the gym bleachers for the start of an all-school assembly that had a surprise ending.
Steve Stein
/
WCBU
Lincoln Grade School students and teachers wait patiently in the gym bleachers for the start of an all-school assembly that had a surprise ending.

He introduced Jennifer Fuller, Milken Educator Awards vice president, who made the announcement about the award for Wentz.

Fuller came to Lincoln from California, where the Milken Family Foundation, the award's creator and benefactor, is based.

"I didn't know what to say or do when I heard my name," Wentz said. "I was so humbled and honored. There are so many great teachers here at Lincoln. I thought this was going to be an assembly about our school's improvement in reading fluency."

With TV news cameras surrounding her, Wentz took a call on speaker phone from her husband Nate following the assembly. The word was already out about her award.

"Gary (Manier) just called me and told me about your award," Nate said to his wife." That's great. Congratulations."

Wentz is the lone Milken Educator Award recipient from Illinois during the 2024-25 school year, the first ever from District 52, and the 113th from Illinois since the state joined the awards program in 1988. Nearly $3 million has been distributed to Illinois award winners through the years.

Up to 45 Milken Educator Award recipients from across the country are honored each school year.

Among this school year's recipients is the 3,000th award winner since the program began in 1987. More than $75 million in financial prizes has been distributed nation-wide through the years.

In addition to her $25,000 prize, which Wentz can use for anything she wants, she won an all-expense paid trip to Los Angeles in April to attend the Milken Educator Awards Forum, which the foundation affectionately calls the "Oscars of teaching."

The award has some unique features.

There is no nomination or application process.

"You don't find us. We find you," Fuller said.

The award is not meant for lifetime achievement. Those selected are early or midway through their teaching career.

That's because former award recipients become mentors for new recipients. Several former award recipients were at the assembly at Lincoln including Steven Isoye, Illinois School Board chair, and Fuller.

"I would not have any other job," Wentz said. "Teaching is my passion. It's who I am. It's a labor of love."

What's the biggest reward teaching first-graders?

"They love to learn," Wentz said.

And the biggest challenge?

"They have a short attention span," she said with a laugh.

Wentz's creative strategies to bring learning to life for her first-grade students include the "Adjective Runway," a fashion show during which students dress up and walk the classroom's red carpet while their peers use adjectives to describe their classmates' clothes.

Last school year, her students' reading proficiency improved from 45% in the fall to 94% by the end of the school year.

Minasian said Wentz has served on many Lincoln and district-wide committees, is the first-grade lead teacher at Lincoln, mentors new Lincoln teachers and staff members, and has played a key role in several Lincoln curriculum initiatives.

A Washington Middle School and 2007 Washington Community High School graduate, Wentz regularly attends Lincoln school functions and communicates frequently with her students' families.

"Jessica is a truly outstanding educator," Minasian said. "She excels not only in building meaningful relationships with her students, but also in fostering strong connections with their families.

"Her dedication to ensuring that all of her students thrive is evident in every interaction. Her unwavering commitment to excellence made her a perfect candidate for the award."

Wentz earned a bachelor's degree in education from Illinois State University in 2011 and a master's degree in curriculum and instruction from Concordia University in 2015.

Steve Stein is an award-winning news and sports writer and editor. Most recently, he covered Tazewell County communities for the Peoria Journal Star for 18 years.