The students and teachers gathered at Albert Einstein Middle School’s gymnasium yesterday morning thought they were in store for a typical assembly. But then they got a surprise.

"May I have the envelope please?"

Lowell Milken of the Milken Family Foundation – which awards cash prizes to teachers around the country - announced that one unsuspecting teacher would be $25,000 richer.

"It gives me great pleasure to present the Milken Educator Award to a truly outstanding teacher and that teacher is: Suzanne Scotten."

Scotten is an 8th grade language arts teacher and yearbook advisor.

"Yikes. I don’t know why I got this I feel very honored and blessed and it’s amazing."

Scotten says her colleagues at the school are just as deserving.  

"There’s so many people that deserve this kind of award. I think I’m just one that represents a whole lot of people doing a lot of hard work."

Scotten – who has only been teaching for six years – says she’ll use some of the prize money to buy new cameras for the school’s yearbook staff.

Criteria for the Milken Educator Award includes student learning results.