Second Louisiana Teacher Katie Guidry Surprised with $25k Award

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (press release) – This morning, Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley recognized Denham Springs High School staff and students for their strong efforts to increase student achievement and create an environment for everyone to thrive.

After the recognition, Milken Educator Awards Vice President Jennifer Fuller surprised Katie Guidry, an english language arts (ELA), Bible as Literature and Educators Rising teacher, with an unrestricted, oversized $25,000 check as part of the Milken Educator Award.

Guidry is Louisiana’s 56th recipient since Louisiana joined the Milken Educator Awards program in 2001, and the second and final 2026-27 Louisiana recipient. Allison Smith was surprised with the award yesterday morning at A.E. Phillips Laboratory School in Ruston.

“Katie Guidry works tirelessly to provide her students with the resources, support and mentorship that serve as the foundation for their post-graduate careers,” said Fuller, herself a 2017 Texas Milken Educator. “I’m thrilled her students got to see Katie recognized today – something I can only hope inspires them to join the adventure of teaching. Congratulations, Katie!”

Along with the financial award, Guidry will join the Milken Educator Network, comprised of more than 3,000 professionals spanning coast-to-coast. The Milken Educator Awards, celebrating “40 Years of Elevating Educators,” have no formal applications or nominations. Outstanding K-12 educators are sought out while early to mid-career for what they have achieved–and for the promise of what they will accomplish given the resources and opportunities afforded by the Award.

“Katie Guidry helps students find their path while building the next generation of Louisiana teachers,” said Dr. Brumley. “She reaches beyond her own campus to develop partnerships that give students college credit and a head start on a career before they graduate.”

The Milken Educator Awards 40th Anniversary Tour will honor up to 30 recipients this school year. Since the Awards’ first presentation in 1987, more than $76 million in individual cash prizes and over $147 million has been invested in the Milken Educator Award national network overall, empowering recipients to broaden their impact and encouraging young, capable people to consider a career in education.

More About Katie Guidry

Katie Guidry, from Milken Family Foundation

An Advocate for Education: Katie Guidry doesn’t just preach teamwork–she creates it. Her work as a 10th-grade ELA, ninth-through-12th-grade Bible as Literature elective and upper-grade Educators Rising instructor at Denham Springs High School (DSHS) fosters a collaborative atmosphere across Livingston Parish Public Schools. Guidry was instrumental in launching the Educators Rising pathway program at DSHS for students interested in pursuing a career in education after graduation. Not only was Guidry the first trained Educators Rising instructor at DSHS, but she was also one of the first in the parish, helping to promote and expand the program far beyond her classroom walls. These Aspiring Educators classes—the Foundations of Education and Multi-Cultural Learning Communities—offer opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience through peer mentoring, classroom observations and shadow teaching, all recognized by the Louisiana Department of Education. Thanks to a partnership Guidry secured with Southeastern Louisiana University, students can now earn college credit through the program.

Creating Valuable Opportunities: Guidry’s mentorship of educators across the parish knows no bounds, a virtue rooted in DSHS’ partnership with the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET). She shares best practices from her own ELA classroom, such as thematic research writing assignments, exploring different perspectives with VR goggles and drawing text samples as they are read aloud for comprehension. She is a member of DSHS’ English II professional learning community and schoolwide instructional leadership team, and serves as an english curriculum writing team member for the parish. Whether designing professional development for teachers, attending Educators Rising conferences or presenting at the parish’s Aspiring Educators gala, Guidry’s leadership and support are felt far and wide.

Uplifting All Students: Guidry founded and sponsors the REACH Club at DSHS, standing for “Respect Everyone And Create Harmony.” The club encourages relationship-building and peer support between special and general education students through events like schoolwide trick-or-treat. She also sponsors DSHS’ Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter and offers the Bible as Literature elective course.

Education: Guidry earned a Bachelor of Arts in English education from Northwestern State University in 2015.

More About the Milken Educator Award

• The $25,000 cash award is unrestricted. Recipients have used the money in diverse ways. Some recipients have spent the funds on their children’s or their own continuing education, financing dream field trips, establishing scholarships and even adopting children.
  Honorees receive powerful mentorship opportunities for expanded leadership roles that strengthen education practice and policy. Milken Friends Forever (MFF) pairs a new recipient with a veteran Milken Educator mentor; the Expanding MFF Resource and Explorer Program fosters individual veteran Milken Educator partnerships around specific topic areas; Activating Milken Educators (AME) promotes group collaboration in and across states to bring solutions to pressing educational needs and the Milken Educator Collective connects recipients with shared content areas, grade levels, or professional roles. Milken MeetUps abound across the nation to deepen learning and connection and expand innovation in education.
  The honorees will attend an all-expenses-paid Milken Educator Awards Forum from June 4-6, 2027, in Washington, D.C., where they will network with their new colleagues, as well as veteran Milken Educators and other leaders, about how to amplify their voices as beacons of excellence in the profession.
  Veteran Milken Educators demonstrate a wide range of leadership roles at state, national and international levels.