Elite award for Gladstone teacher

Science teacher Kevin Zerzan nabs national award at a secret assembly last week

By Matthew Graham

The Clackamas Review, Nov 23, 2009, Updated Nov 25, 2009

matthew graham / clackamas Review

Students line up to hug science teacher Kevin Zerzan after he wins the national Milken Award.

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The entire Gladstone High School student body erupted in cheers and applause last week as beloved science teacher Kevin Zerzan was honored with a Milken Educator Award, joining an elite group of teachers and receiving $25,000 for his exceptional efforts.

“I’m just overwhelmed and the only thing I can think is how grateful I am to work in a community like Gladstone, with students like you,” Zerzan told the auditorium filled with students, the school board and dignitaries including Gladstone Mayor Wade Byers, state Sen. Martha Schrader and Oregon Schools Superintendent Susan Castillo. Students and teachers were told the assembly was about something else.

“We have the greatest kids in Gladstone, by far,” Zerzan said, “nobody has better students than Gladstone.”

Zerzan teaches basic science classes like biology at all four grades and has developed a number of specialized courses, such as anatomy, physiology and environmental science. He helped plan and develop the school's Applied Science and Technology Center, which opened last spring, and is a member of the leadership team for Gladstone’s Green School certification program.

Gladstone’s science scores in state testing were 14 percent higher than state averages for the 2008-2009 school year.

Zerzan also finds innovative ways to engage students in science, such as coupling lessons with novels being read in honors English courses.

Castillo lauded the district, saying that its No Child Left Behind test scores have risen 10 percent in recent years. The graduation rate is more than 95 percent and she said the district has excelled in less tangible areas.

“Your district is really leading the way on how you connect with the community,” she said.

Lowell Milken started giving the awards in 1987, because “I believe teachers and principals have the most important jobs in the country,” Milken said at the assembly last week.

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