GENEVIEVE A. SUZUKI / GSUZUKI@ STARBULLETIN.COM Leonard Villanueva, a teacher at Honowai Elementary, was flanked by his students yesterday when he was awarded $25,000 as one of the Milken Foundation's Teachers of the Year.

Isle teachers win
national honor

Milken awards go to Leonard
Villanueva and Lynne Johnson

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By Genevieve A. Suzuki
gsuzuki@starbulletin.com

Two public school teachers on Oahu are the latest to receive $25,000 checks for their achievements and contributions to teaching.

Lynne Aki Johnson and Leonard Villanueva were given checks yesterday at their respective schools' assemblies as part of the Milken Family Foundation National Educator Awards.

"I'm still figuring out what happened," said Johnson, a third-grade teacher at Aikahi Elementary School in Kailua. "I had no idea. People kept secrets really well, even my husband."

At Honowai Elementary School in Waipahu, fourth-grade teacher Villanueva accepted his award amid loud claps and youthful cheers.

"I was shocked," said Villanueva, 39. "Tears came because I was so nervous. It's such a great feeling and such an honor. I was almost embarrassed because the list of adjectives that they were using to describe the winner could have been any of these teachers.

"I was embarrassed because the students started pointing at me and I said, 'Put your hands down,'" he said with a smile.

GENEVIEVE A. SUZUKI / GSUZUKI@ STARBULLETIN.COM Aikahi Elementary teacher Lynne Johnson was another Milken honoree.

Johnson also credited her fellow teachers for her success.

"That's one of the things we value the most: the friendships that we build among the teachers and the faculty," Johnson said.

Johnson has been a teacher for nine years. In 1999, she received a Distinguished Teacher Award from the National Council for Geographic Education.

"Lynne possesses a rare blend of confidence, expertise, and humility and is a role model for both students and colleagues," said Complex Area Superintendent Louise Wolcott in a news release yesterday.

"For me in teaching, everything has to come from the children," said Johnson, 39. "It's important to me when children go through my class they love learning."

Villanueva has been teaching for 15 years and is known as "Mr. Standards" at his school for his commitment to state and national standards.

"One thing I've learned about Mr. V is he always tells me that there's room for improvement, that he always wants to learn." said Curtis Young, the principal of Honowai Elementary. His passion for this kids, it's hard to describe because he has so much aloha for them. He talks about teaching, he talks about learning, he always talks in context of the kids."

Johnson and Villanueva will be honored at a workshop and luncheon Dec. 7 and at the National Educator Awards ceremony and conference in Los Angeles next year.

Since Hawaii joined the Milken program in 1990, 58 educators have received awards totaling $1.45 million.