Press Releases
Drumroll, Please: Lowell Milken Surprises Sulphur Band Director Kyle Cook with $25,000 Milken Educator Award
Maplewood Middle School masterful music man Kyle Cook joins national network of 3,000 pioneering professionals working to shape the future of education
December 5, 2024
Santa Monica, Calif. — A morning assembly led by the Maplewood Middle School Band quickly changed its tune when Milken Educator Awards Founder Lowell Milken announced its leader as the recipient of the prestigious national Award and $25,000 cash prize. State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley joined in the celebration of band director Kyle Cook, who accepted the honor before cheering students, proud colleagues, local dignitaries, and media.
"Kyle Cook nurtures his students with the multitude of gifts music brings to the mind and soul: instrumental talent, expression, communication, confidence, and a natural connection to core academics," said Lowell Milken. "Kyle deserves high praise for developing strong performers, lifelong learners, and well-rounded leaders whose talents will serve them well as they advance in learning and life."
Hailed as the "Oscars of Teaching," the Milken Educator Awards inspire educators, students and entire communities to "Celebrate, Elevate and Activate" the K-12 teaching profession and encourage young, capable people to pursue teaching as a career. By the end of this season, more than $75 million in individual financial prizes and more than $145 million will have been invested in the Milken Educator Award national network overall.
"Louisiana's teachers are the heart of our education system, embodying excellence and dedication to shaping the next generation," said State Superintendent Dr. Cade Brumley. "Kyle Cook uses his students' interest in music to help them grow academically in foundational subjects like math. His impact also extends beyond the bandroom through the leadership roles he takes on to mentor teachers and develop best practices shared across Calcasieu Parish schools."
Outstanding educators like Cook are not aware of their candidacy for the Award. Recipients 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.
Cook is the second Milken Educator to receive the honor in Louisiana for the 2024-25 school year and the 52nd recipient in the Pelican State. Ashley Davis of Central Intermediate School in the Central Community School System was recognized with the Award yesterday, Dec. 4.
More About Kyle Cook
A Magician in the Music Room: Kyle Cook champions the positive academic, social, and emotional experience Maplewood Middle School students receive every day. As director of bands, he ignites a love of music in new and advanced band students alike: Nearly half of the student body chooses to participate in band each year. His motivational personality and strong classroom management allow students to build their musical skills while connecting to core class curriculum — like learning how beat-counting, rhythmic patterns and time signature identification relate to fractions and patterns in math. Cook holds students to high expectations and promotes accountability through utilizing Student Learning Target assessment data on rhythm counting, music terminology and symbol identification. Incoming sixth graders partake in instrument "try-ons" with Cook, where they are matched with their future band instrument similarly to how wizards at Hogwarts are paired with their wands.
Staying Power: Cook's influence extends beyond the community through his membership in several professional music organizations such as: District V Band and Orchestra Association, Louisiana Music Educators Association, Louisiana Bandmasters Association, MusicMakers2U, and the National Association of Music Educators. His professional and instructional leadership is elevated through the district's partnership with the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching, where he has had the opportunity to leverage his talents and spread best practices through his role on the school's Instructional Leadership Team. He mentors new teachers, presents at state music education conferences, and hosts clinics for other area band directors. Cook contributes to district music curriculum through his role on the fine arts committee and has served on the discipline committee and multiple interview committees.
Spreading the Love of Music: Many of Cook's students go on to perform in district, all-city, and all-state bands. Cook initiated the All-City Jazz band, founded the Calcasieu British Brass Band, performs in the Lake Charles Community Band, directs Sulphur's All-City Middle School Jazz Band, and assists with Sulphur High School's marching band. Cook collaborates with other educators and local performing arts groups to organize an "Arts in the Park" event, where the Maplewood band proudly performs each year. He has also stayed connected to his alma-mater, McNeese University, by mentoring music program residents and allowing college students to observe and train in his first hour beginning band class.
Education: Cook earned his Bachelor of Music in music education from McNeese State University in 2016 with a concentration in instrumental education.
The Milken Educator Award Reaps Lifelong Benefits
- 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; and Activating Milken Educators promotes group collaboration in and across states to bring solutions to pressing educational needs.
- The honorees attend an all-expenses-paid Milken Educator Awards Forum in Los Angeles in April 2025, where they will network with their new colleagues as well as veteran Milken Educators and other education leaders about how to broaden their impact on K-12 education.
- Veteran Milken Educators demonstrate a wide range of leadership roles at state, national and international levels.
Follow the Milken Educator Awards tour and use the #MEA3K and #MilkenAward hashtags on: Facebook (MilkenEducatorAwards)| X (Milken)| YouTube (MilkenAward)| Instagram (MilkenFamilyFdn)| LinkedIn (MilkenFamilyFdn)| TikTok (MilkenAward).
Visit MilkenEducatorAwards.org or call the Milken Family Foundation at (310) 570-4772 for more information.
About the Milken Educator Awards: "The Future Belongs to the Educated"
The first Milken Educator Awards were presented by the Milken Family Foundation in 1987. Created by philanthropist and education visionary Lowell Milken, the Awards provide public recognition and individual financial rewards of $25,000 to K-12 teachers, principals, and specialists from around the country who are furthering excellence in education. Recipients are heralded in early- to mid-career for what they have achieved and for the promise of what they will accomplish. The Milken Family Foundation celebrates more than 40 years of elevating education in America and around the world. Learn more at MFF.org.