A suspense-filled school assembly at New Iberia Senior High ended with gifted English and fine arts teacher Stephanie Judice honored for her excellence in teaching. To her surprise, Judice was announced as winner of the $25,000 Milken Educator Award.

State Department of Education Superintendent Paul Pastorek played his part in maintaining the mystery as he welcomed the students and faculty during an impromptu mid-afternoon school assembly by praising the school and teachers. After being introduced by Iberia Parish School Superintendent Dale Henderson, Pastorek congratulated the NISH girls volleyball team for its ongoing success this season before revealing the real reason for the afternoon event to the assembled students and faculty.

Superior teachers should be recognized more often, Pastorek said, just as athletes are honored at the Olympics and entertainers by their various professional fields.

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“You thought we were doing one thing, but we’re doing something else,” Pastorek said before announcing the award. “I’ve got some news, some exciting news.”

Once Judice’s name was revealed, the Iberia Parish gifted and talented teacher who divides her time teaching grades nine through 12 at NISH and Westgate High School made her way to the stage, tears in her eyes and visibly overwhelmed with the news of the cash award, funds which come without stipulation, to be spent as the winner sees fit.

“It was one of those doors that opened and accepted me,” Judice said, speaking of her career teaching in Iberia Parish. “This couldn’t have come at a better time. We’re all struggling. The recession has hurt a lot of people. Somebody up there loves me.”

Judice said she had no immediate plans for the unexpected income, but said she will certainly sit down and carefully plan how it will be spent.

The total number of teachers chosen for this year’s Milken Educator’s Award in Louisiana is unknown because of the secrecy surrounding the award, Pastorek said. There is no formal application process.

Nominees are submitted by their peers to the Milken Foundation committee, which then determines the winners. Pastorek said that while no others have yet been announced, there have been at least three winners from Louisiana for each of the past two years. Judice is the first 2009 winner in Louisiana.

“This is great for the state,” Pastorek said. “And great for the city of New Iberia, the students and the schools.”

Having taught for 13 years, Judice has a bachelor’s degree in English from Louisiana State University and a master’s degree in gifted education from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

She said two years after college she found herself missing academia and that’s when she began her career with the Iberia Parish school system.

“I applied for the job here,” Judice said, “and I got the job that same day.”

The prestigious award is intentionally fraught with suspense, as the Milken Foundation withholds the identity of the winner until only moments before they are notified while attending the presentation ceremony. Only a handful of school system officials and family members knew Judice had won before the formal announcement, including her husband, Michael Judice, son of Iberia Parish Assistant School Superintendent C. Michael Judice.

He found out through his father almost a week before to Wednesday’s ceremony and was sworn to secrecy.

“It was very hard, keeping it a secret,” he said. “We tell each other everything, and for five days I couldn’t say a word.”

In addition to the $25,000, Judice also will receive an all-expenses paid trip to Los Angeles in the spring 2010 for the Milken Education Forum for an award ceremony and to participate in educational exchanges with other award winners, both present and past.