Kelsey Cooper, an eighth-grade math teacher at Discovery Middle School and Athens resident, was one of 60 teachers in the nation to receive the National Milken Educator Award. In July, the Alabama State Board of Education recognized Cooper in Montgomery for her achievement.

“I’m still so humbled by all the recognition I’ve received and everything, it’s just very overwhelming. I keep telling people over and over I couldn’t do it without my team. This is not a one-man show. There’s no way that the things that we do here at Discovery can be done by one person,” said Cooper.

The award is recognition for their teaching excellence during the 2021-22 school year and the honor comes with a $25,000 check.

“You don’t see the benefits and impact of teaching immediately, but to receive an award like this is incredibly validating,” Cooper told The News Courier after receiving the award in March.

Cooper, in her eighth year of teaching, says despite the negative attention the education system receives she hopes to be a positive voice.

“There’s a lot of negative that you see about education on the TV, anything you hear about teaching is negative right now. So, I hope that I can drown that out and just focus on the kids and their needs and make sure that they know that they have a safe spot with me and that we’re going to get through this year together,” said Cooper.

She reflects on how COVID-19 expanded opportunities to continue to connect with her students and keep them on track even during an extended leave of absence.

“When COVID hit we learned how to utilize technology in a way that helps kids, not just in the classroom, but when they’re not physically in the classroom. So being able to now use technology to support those kids who are out sick or have issues or family issues and are gone for extended periods of time, if they’re diligent about it, they can come back and be on the exact same page that they were when they left,” said Cooper.