Midlands teacher honored with $25,000 Milken Educator Award

IRMO, S.C. (WIS) - An Irmo teacher received a big surprise Wednesday morning when she was rewarded with a $25,000 Milken Educator Award.

Lesley Snyder, an eighth-grade English teacher at Dutch Fork Middle School, was surprised with a $25,000 Milken Educator Award for her work with student-led learning through “passion projects”, according to officials.

Milken Educator Award officials described the honor:

Hailed as the “Oscars of Teaching,” the Milken Educator Awards celebrate, elevate and activate the American teaching profession and inspire young, capable people to join it.

Milken Educator Awards Vice President Stephanie Bishop and State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearmen honored Snyder in front of her cheering students and colleagues.

She is among more than 60 educators nationwide to receive the award and the only SC recipient.

“Lesley Snyder is a fabulous educator who pours her heart into her students each day at Dutch Fork Middle School,” said Superintendent Spearman. “She is truly deserving of this honor and will stand as a shining example for educators across South Carolina. Thank you to the Milken Family Foundation for recognizing Lesley with this prestigious award.”

You can read more about what Snyder does by clicking here.

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