Surprise! Local educator gets national award State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster (left) announces Nicolet Elementary School Principal Tammy VanDyke as the Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award winner Thursday (photo by H. Marc Larson). Nicolet Elementary principal Tammy VanDyke will receive a check for $25,000 By Michelle Kennedy News-Chronicle The tension in the Nicolet Elementary School gymnasium was palpable Thursday as members of the Green Bay School Board, Green Bay school superintendent Dan Nerad and even State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster gathered for an assembly. But it was a good tension. The only catch was, no one knew why they were all assembling. Principal Tammy VanDyke thought the visit by Burmaster was just one of the visits she makes to schools every week, but VanDyke could not have been further from the truth. With the students and teachers whispering about what might be going on, Burmaster and Nerad listened to the students sing the national anthem and their school song. Then, without warning, came the surprise: VanDyke had been selected as a Milken National Educator Award recipient, one of only 100 across the country. VanDyke receives an all-expense paid trip to Los Angeles to attend the annual Milken National Educational Conference and a $25,000 cash award to use as she wants. Teachers and students rose to their feet in praise of VanDyke, who came to Nicolet Elementary just over three years ago. More than one tear was wiped away. Nicolet Elementary has been considered an at-risk school in the past, because of a poverty rate that makes 90 percent of the school population eligible for free or reduced-price school lunch. Almost 75 percent of the students are of color. But far from being intimidated by such statistics, VanDyke has thrived at Nicolet, preferring to call her at-risk students "at-promise." VanDyke brings such enthusiasm for learning to her students that she and the rest of the staff were dressed up in their green alien-wear - green T-shirts sporting the logo "Bring me to your reader" and alien headbands. And her lighthearted tactics work. In the first and second grades, 90 percent of the students are proficient in reading, and at the fifth-grade level, 90 percent of the students are proficient on the district's writing assessment. "I am so pleased to see Tammy win this award," said Jim Coates, a University of Wisconsin-Green Bay education professor. "It is nice to know we are being recognized here in Green Bay on a national level. And at UWGB, it gives a sense of pride and security that we will be sending teachers out into such a well-respected, first class district." Burmaster said Wisconsin could be proud of every student and educator at Nicolet. Van Dyke has developed programs over the last three years that not only build up the staff, but encourage parental involvement. She has taken a faltering neighborhood resource center and attracted both parents and community members to the school. She has a picnic for families before school starts and has monthly events to make the school a family-friendly place. By providing a nurturing and friendly environment, Van Dyke has helped reluctant students take on new challenges and lead other students. The Milken Family Foundation's Awards are the largest teacher recognition awards in the United States and were created to help attract, retain and reward high-quality K-12 educators. Wisconsin joined the awards program in 1999. Sixteen have become recipients since then, and now three have been from Green Bay. Marcie Levine and Terry Fondow are the two previous award recipients. "I had no idea," Van Dyke said. "One of the things I need to say is that this is not just for me. It is for all of us. As a staff for the last three years and two months, all of you have approached your work with a whatever-it-takes attitude. "Together, we have made a difference in the lives of the children in this room."