KHS grad receives $25,000 Milken Educator Award, the ‘Oscars of Teaching’
Dr. Robyn Killebrew, a Durant native who has been at the helm of Pass Christian High School since 2014, knew something was up when she learned state Superintendent of Education Dr. Carey Wright was coming to give her school an award.
She assumed it was related to the school receiving A ratings for several years in a row.
What she did not know, however, was that she herself would be the recipient of the Milken Educator Award — which comes with an unrestricted cash prize of $25,000 — which would be presented at a school wide assembly by Wright and Milken Educator Awards Senior Vice President Dr. Jane Foley.
Killebrew grew up in Durant, the daughter of Jackie and Doralyn, who was a teacher at Kosciusko High School for many years, retiring in 2008.
Killebrew herself graduated from KHS in 1998 and explored other career options before following in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother as an educator.
“I tried to run from it for awhile, but seeing the lives my mother touched through the years... she became my role model,” Killebrew told The Star-Herald in a telephone interview.
She earned a bachelor's degree in physical education from William Carey University in 2003. She also holds a master's in sports administration (2005) and a Ph.D in educational leadership and administration (2016) from the University of Southern Mississippi.
Killebrew said her parents, who were also invited to the event but kept in the dark regarding the details, were very surprised, but proud.
“They were very teary-eyed,” she said of her parents. “They understand the hours we put in as educators.”
Killebrew is the only winner from Mississippi this year, and is among the 44 honorees for 2017-18. The awards, sometimes referred to as the "Oscars of Teaching" not only aims to reward great teachers, but also to celebrate, elevate and activate classroom.
Asked what types of innovations she has implemented to bring about the kind of change her school has seen, Killebrew highlights the work of her teachers within a couple of key efforts.
“I think the biggest thing is relationship building with our students. We have a few strategies in that area,” she said. “SOS – Save Our Students – is a program in which teachers sort of ‘adopt’ kids and work directly with those students individually. We also have Safe Harbor, where from 9:30 to 9:55 every morning, every kid has an advocate to help them.”
If the advocate is not a specialist in the subject matter the student needs help with, the advocate helps the student find appropriate help elsewhere.
The Milken Educator Awards also notes that Killebrew began a Freshman Academy, designed to help smooth the transition from middle school to ninth grade, in which she herself meets with the incoming freshmen, encouraging them to become part of the Pass Christian family by participating in extracurricular activities during their high school years. Since the program launched, Pass Christian's graduation rate has risen to over 90%.
"Dr. Robyn Killebrew is an administrator who understands that educators must teach and reach the whole child in order to get the best results for her students, staff and community," said Foley. "By taking a personal interest in students' lives and needs, she sets them up to succeed academically, vocationally and personally and thereby create a pathway to the brighter futures they all deserve. She is also known for her extraordinary support and connection to students, staff, community, and other administrators."
Wright said Killebrew represents the best of educational leaders in Mississippi.
"Dr. Robyn Killebrew is a demonstrated leader in the school and the community," said Wright. "Her spirit and enthusiasm are evident by her unwavering support of students and teachers in words and actions. I congratulate her on this national award, and I thank her for representing Mississippi's outstanding educators so admirably."
Killebrew said she hasn’t yet given much thought to how she will spend the cash award
“I haven’t had an opportunity to even think about that yet,” she said. “There are a few projects around the house I may get done and maybe I’ll travel a little.”
Even days after receiving the award, she seemed surprised, and noted that when they first announced that the award was being presented at her school, she thought it was going to be given to one of her teachers.
“I just feel humbled and honored to receive something of this magnitude. I looked around the room at all the phenomenal teachers in the building,” she said. “I thought it would be one of them. I hate it that it wasn’t one of them.”
