Thursday (Feb. 13, 2025) was a standard schoolwide assembly for Roncalli Middle/Senior High School teacher Dan Gallagher and his middle school students until things took a surprising turn. South Dakota Secretary of Education Dr. Joseph Graves invited a new guest to take the stage: Milken Educator Awards Vice President Jennifer Fuller. Fuller surprised the entire school when she announced Gallagher as having received the prestigious Milken Educator Award along with a check for $25,000! Gallagher accepted the honor in front of a gymnasium full of cheering students, faculty, dignitaries and members of the media.
“Dan Gallagher’s commitment to this community is evident from his leadership in the classroom to the basketball court,” said Fuller, a Texas 2017 Miken Educator herself. “Educators receive this distinction for their creative approach to education, their service to their school and students, and long-range impact on the greater community. We are thrilled to welcome Dan into our national network today!”
Gallagher joins over 3,000 Milken Educators spanning the Awards’ nearly 40-year history as the nation’s preeminent teacher-recognition program. Hailed as the “Oscars of Teaching,” the Milken Educator Awards inspire educators, students and communities to “Celebrate, Elevate and Activate” the K-12 teaching profession and encourage young, capable people to pursue teaching as a career. More than $75 million in individual financial prizes and more than $145 million have been invested in the Milken Educator Award national network overall.
“Dan Gallagher is a living example of what excellence in teaching looks like,” said Secretary Graves. “He has a reputation as a teacher who inspires students to put forth their best efforts in all they do; he cheers their successes and holds students accountable in all areas. He sets the bar high, and his students rise to meet his expectations. Dan is a credit to the Aberdeen Catholic School System and to the teaching profession in South Dakota.”
Outstanding educators like Gallagher 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.
Sixth through eighth grade teacher Dan Gallagher, you are the recipient of the sole 2024-25 South Dakota Milken Educator Award and $25,000!
Photo courtesy of the Milken Family Foundation.
From left: Roncalli Middle/Senior High School President Tim Weisz; South Dakota Department of Education MEAC Allison Englund; South Dakota Secretary of Education Dr. Joseph Graves; recipient Dan Gallagher (SD ’24); Milken Educator Awards Vice President Jennifer Fuller; and Roncalli Middle/Senior High School Principal Edward Mitzel.
Photo courtesy of the Milken Family Foundation.
Veteran Milken Educators welcome Dan Gallagher to the Milken Network.
From left: Nichole Bowman (SD ‘21); Carla Diede (SD ‘17); Milken Educator Awards Vice President Jennifer Fuller (TX ’17); Sherri Becker (SD ‘03); recipient Dan Gallagher (SD ’24); Dr. Camrin Vaux (SD ‘21); Abby Turbak (SD ‘22); LeeAnna Rabine (SD ‘14); and R. Jon Frey (SD ’02).
Photo courtesy of the Milken Family Foundation.
More About Dan Gallagher
True Servant Leader at School: Dan Gallagher consistently demonstrates excellence as a teacher and leader at Roncalli Middle/Senior High School, his own alma mater. Instilling the same values in others that he nurtured as a student, Gallagher’s versatility, enthusiasm and servant leadership have made him a solid presence on campus. Before teaching science, he taught math, social studies and ELA, serving his students and school community wherever he was needed most. Gallagher’s generous spirit shines through in his relationships with students, fellow teachers, families and the broader community.
Committed to Lifetime of Curiosity and Community Service: Gallagher maintains high expectations for himself and his students to reach their potential, whether inspiring curiosity through project-based learning, encouraging selflessness through community service projects in Aberdeen, or teaching a service-oriented mindset by asking his basketball players to clean the gym after each game, regardless of the outcome. Some of his science activities include building catapults, designing a model of the digestive system, making ice cream to learn about thermal energy transfer, and creating a rollercoaster to learn about physics.
High Expectations Yields Excellence for Students, Self: When Gallagher began teaching sixth grade ELA, he organized meetings with the seventh grade ELA teachers to discuss how to best prepare his students for their next stage of learning. As the school’s head basketball coach and assistant football coach, Gallagher’s standards of excellence transfer to his players. He implemented a study table in the mornings before school for students needing academic assistance, and devotes time during the school year to writing students handwritten notes about specific ways they can continue to grow. His engagement and leadership in the classroom have led to impressive student achievement gains, building confidence and an appreciation for lifelong learning. Joining educators at other elementary and high schools, Gallagher helped plan Catholic Schools Week, an annual event filled with exciting activities for the community. He is also regularly selected to use his voice to elevate education issues, presenting to staff about what it means to be a Catholic educator and speaking at the South Dakota Football Coaches Association.
Education: In 2018, Gallagher received dual bachelor’s degrees in elementary education and history from Northern State University.
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, 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.
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Visit MilkenEducatorAwards.org or call the Milken Family Foundation at (310) 570-4772 for more information.
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