Education alumnus receives prestigious award

Northwest Nazarene University alumnus Brad Breuer was recently honored with the Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award. This prestigious award is granted to early- to mid-career educators both to honor what has been achieved, and to give encouragement for continued success throughout their careers. Since 1987, the Milken Family Foundation has honored over 2,500 teachers and awarded more than $60 million.

Breuer graduated from NNU in 2001 with a degree in elementary education. Since then he has taught in Oregon and Arizona, and received a master’s degree from Northern Arizona University. Breuer currently teaches fourth grade at Pedro Guerrero Elementary School in Mesa, Ariz. Pedro Guerrero is a title-one school where there is a very large Hispanic population and 95 percent of students qualify for reduced or free lunches. Yet, Breuer has shown that these issues do not have to stand in the way of a student’s success. In 2010, 95 percent of his students either met or exceeded reading proficiency levels, compared with a 51 percent school average. And, his good work with the students does not end when class time is over; Breuer has also formed a school band and started an after school football program. Passion for his work and his students can be seen in how he spends his time and his achievements since graduation.

In reference to the award, Breuer remarked, “Since graduating from NNU, I have grown by leaps and bounds as a professional educator, but this definitely would not have happened if it wasn’t for NNU helping me build my educational cornerstone.”

To watch a short video of the award presentation at Pedro Guerrero Elementary, please visithttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRlS-EtINjI.