BATON ROUGE - A third grade math and science teacher at Crestworth Elementary won a 2023 Milken Educator Award, which comes with a cash prize of $25,000.

Milken Educator Awards Founder Lowell Milken joined State Superintendent Dr. Cade Brumley to present the award to teacher Derrick Winn during a school assembly full of cheering students, proud colleagues and dignitaries. However, not many people actually knew this event was taking place. It happened during a surprise assembly.

This prestigious award was created by Lowell Milken in 1987. Since then, the foundation has surprised nearly 3,000 educators around the country and will have given $75 million by the end of this year.

In Louisiana, 49 teachers have won the award and more than a million dollars have been received.

"We're looking for strong instructional leaders. We're looking for mentors to other teachers and we're looking for individuals who are invested in their community," Lowell Milken said.

Winn checked all of these boxes.

He's a leader of Crestworth's Student Government Association. He serves on the art and Black history committees and co-sponsors the Boy Scouts club.

"I just come in and try to be a positive influence on the kids and just hope that my creativity and excitement for learning rubs off on them and I think it has when you see kids asking for a book or asking to do an extra lesson. It makes you feel like you're doing your job," Derrick Winn said.

For more information on the Milken Family Foundation, click here.