‘OSCARS OF TEACHING’: Gainesville native honored with national teaching award - and $25,000

Although Gainesville native Dallas DeWeese doesn’t have a shiny golden Oscar statuette to show off, he shares something far more meaningful with those who do: national recognition for his passion, dedication and impact of his career. 

That acclaim - and the spotlight that came with it - was granted to Dallas after he was chosen as a 2024 recipient of the prestigious Milken Educator Award, a recognition dubbed the “Oscars of Teaching.” 

The award, which came with a $25,000 cash prize, was presented to Dallas at Hollister Middle School a few days before school was released for winter break. 

The presentation was as a total surprise to Dallas - and almost everyone else present, who had gathered for a special assembly that they believed was in a celebration of the school’s charitable accomplishments in the community - and that was how the assembly opened. But it ended with Milken Educator Awards Vice President Stephanie Bishop announcing the sole Missouri Milken Educator Award recipient for the 2024-25 school year was... Dallas DeWeese! Everyone in the gym was absolutely shocked - Dallas, most of all.

In front of a crowd of cheering students, colleagues and dignitaries, DeWeese slowly rose from his chair - an astonished look on his face, to join the Milken Vice President at the front of the gym.

“Dallas DeWeese has woven himself into the fabric of this school and community, leaving a permanent impact on the hearts and lives of every student he has had the opportunity to teach, coach or mentor,” Bishop said, herself a Milken Educator from Virginia in 2001. “His enthusiasm for education and his passion to see his students succeed are evident in everything he does, and I am pleased to present him with the Milken Educator Award today.”

Missouri Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger (also an Ozark County resident who lives in the Wasola area), was present and congratulated Dallas on the achievement. “We are thrilled to have the Milken Family Foundation recognize one of Missouri’s many exceptional teachers with this award,” Eslinger said. “The work that Dallas does every day to care for and educate his students makes a difference not just in that student’s life, but the lives of their families and the community as a whole.”

Overtaken by shock and emotion, Dallas wiped away a few tears as he thanked the students, faculty, school district and others who have allowed him to pursue his passion for teaching in such a meaningful way. 

After the big announcement was made and Dallas was finished with his heartfelt speech, a Milken Foundation representative asked him if he wanted to call anyone to share the good news. He dialed the number for his mom back in Ozark County.

“I told her I was recognized for the Milken Educator Award and received the monetary award, and she asked me if I was lying. I had to tell her repeatedly that I wasn’t pulling her leg,” Dallas said. 

Very familiar with her son’s constant humor, she was not completely convinced that the call wasn’t a joke of some sort. 

“My wife, Montana, and Commissioner Eslinger had to reassure her that I was telling the truth,” he told the Times, laughing. “I brought it on myself because I usually am pulling her leg about something - but she’ll believe anything Montana tells her.”

An Ozark County beginning

The son of Frontier Baptist Church pastor Bruce DeWeese and longtime school counselor Melanie DeWeese, Dallas grew up in the Gainesville area and was known for his lighthearted humor and easy-going nature that made him natural friends with a wide range of classmates. He now brings that same energy into the classroom and gym, finding ways to engage students beyond the usual textbooks and assignments. 

A 2013 graduate of Gainesville High School, Dallas credits his teachers and coaches with inspiring his love of learning and his approach to teaching. 

“I enjoyed all my teachers in school. They made it fun and engaging... they took the time to get to know me and my peers,” he told the Times in a recent interview. 

When asked if any specific teachers at Gainesville High School made a lasting impact on his life, Dallas said Jack Harris, Joe Walrath and Miranda Donley were teachers he’d never forget, along with his coaches.

“Coach Harris and Coach Walrath made social studies come to life for me. I loved hearing about things that happened in the past,” he said. “Mrs. Donley was the first teacher to get me to read a whole series of books. She took the time to hear my interests and made recommendations that fit my interests. All my baseball coaches pushed me to be the best I could be.”

Starting a path toward education

Dallas said that it was his mother who first nudged him toward the idea of pursuing a career in education. 

Serving as a Gainesville school employee for decades in a variety of roles and now employed as a school counselor at Mountain Home (Ark.) Christian Academy, Melanie found her own calling through educating and guiding youth toward their futures. Knowing the type of heart it took to be successful in that type of role, she saw the potential in her son early on and knew that he could also touch lives through education. 

“I wanted to be a baseball coach, and history always came quickly. She told me I had a natural talent for relating with students and was good at history, geography and government... I enrolled at College of the Ozarks as a history education major but switched to physical education for kindergarten through twelfth-grade students. To make myself more marketable, I got my middle school endorsement for social studies, which allowed me to teach social studies in grades 5 through 9,” he explained.

Dallas earned a Bachelor of Science in physical education from College of the Ozarks in 2018. He later earned a Master of Education in curriculum and instruction leadership from Evangel University in 2021.

He completed his student teaching at Kirbyville Middle School, where he spent his time split between the gym and the social studies classroom. It was during his early days student teaching that he began to hone in on where he could make the greatest impact. 

“The longer I was in the classroom, the more I enjoyed it because I got to know the students on a deeper level than a PE teacher,” he said. 

Finding a home at Hollister Middle School

He was hired for a full-time faculty position at Hollister Middle School in 2018, and he’s been there ever since. 

“Hollister isn’t like other southwest or south-central communities. It has around 1,400 students in the district. We have a high free- and reduced-lunch student population and a transient community. At the same time, we have a lot of students coming from affluent families. On one side of the road, you can see a lake house community; on the other, you can see rundown homes,” Dallas said. “You would think this would create division in the schools, but realistically, the students get along with each other.”

He said HMS also has a high Hispanic, Latino and Latina population. “Some can speak very little English, while others are fluent. It’s fun to see at the end of the year how far they have come in their English-speaking skills,” he said.

Like his student teaching days, he splits his time between the gym and the classroom. He currently teaches three periods of physical education to sixth- through eighth-grade boys, and he spends another three periods as the seventh-grade social studies teacher. 

He approaches teaching with the mindset that the work he assigns in the classroom should naturally encourage students to want to learn and participate. 

“I aim to make my classroom an engaging and active learning environment. A common misconception is that giving students tasks means they’re learning the material. I’ve shifted my focus to the learning process instead of task completion. Many students complete the assignments with 50 percent effort because they want to be done with them,” he said. 

“While working on my doctorate, I read about the Cognitive Load Theory. Kids have more access to information than ever, but they struggle to process the vital information. I’ve been implementing shared cognitive load strategies that lighten the load of a task while still receiving crucial information.”

Student Council

In addition to his time in the gym and classroom, Dallas also has a period reserved for leading the school’s student council - an organization that has flourished since he took the reigns. School officials say the number of students participating in student council has quadrupled thanks to its new leader. Dallas says he’s really enjoyed the class.

“It’s been a real success this year. I’ve tried to implement work skills that students need once they graduate high school. My experience at the College of the Ozarks improved my work skills, and I want to replicate those same job skills: time management, communication, flexibility and problem-solving,” he said. “For instance, our student services department adopted three students for the district’s holiday-assistance program. We discussed their budget for the items needed or wanted and developed a shopping plan. We arrived at Wal-Mart at 2:10 p.m., and we were finished, paid and loaded by 2:50 p.m.. It was a huge accomplishment and great to see their servants’ hearts.” 

Students in the class also develop their own student government and civilization and participate in real-world learning activities like the creation of a business plan, complete with a comprehensive proposal, budget and operations strategy. Dallas has also created the Tiger Coffee Shop, giving his students valuable skills in customer relations and leadership.

Coaching

Dallas offers his guidance on the court and on the field, currently serving as softball coach and boys basketball coach for the middle-schoolers. 

In the past, he’s coached middle school girls basketball and middle school boys baseball, as well as serving as assistant coach for high school boys basketball under the direction of head coach Mike Plante. He also serves as one of the school’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) sponsors.

“The most rewarding part of my job is seeing students succeed. Whether in academics or athletics, it is fun to see them master a new concept or skill. I also enjoy getting to know them and their lives, what they want to achieve and what interests them. One of the most rewarding moments was when I took over the girls’ softball coaching position. At the time, not many girls were interested in softball. I wanted to change that because girls deserve the same opportunities to feel successful, and I knew the girls could be,” Dallas said. 

And successful they were - under Dallas’s leadership, the softball team went from a one-game-win team to a team that finished .500 for the first time in a very long time.

“We beat some big schools in the first year including Logan-Rogersville and Springfield Catholic. To see them believe in themselves was one of the most rewarding things I have encountered,” he said. 

The importance of education

While teaching has its rewards, Dallas said that there are also challenges - the biggest of which is helping parents and students see the incredible importance of education both at the elementary and secondary levels as well as in higher education.

“Going to a four-year college isn’t for every student, but there are so many programs students can enroll in that allow them to start a career in nine months,” he said. “Before a student can enroll in a certification program, associate degree or bachelor’s degree, they must work hard in high school. We have a lot of students who have the opportunity to break generational poverty and helping students and parents understand that is crucial for success. Many school districts are providing job training programs that students can enroll in and will jump-start their careers.”

Gratitude to God and his loved ones

Dallas said he’s still getting used to the idea of being recognized in such a big way. As for the plans for the $25,000, Dallas and his wife are choosing to save the money - for a while at least. 

“Eventually, we would like to find a home in the Branson or Hollister area. We love the school district where we work and want to settle down. We are not in a big hurry to spend the money immediately. We trust God’s timing and his plans for us.”

Dallas finds strength and gratitude in his faith. “I wouldn’t be in my position without God. He truly works in mysterious ways, and his timing is always perfect. I want to thank my wife, Montana, for always being there and supporting me. To my parents, thank you for always believing that I can achieve anything if I put my mind to it, To my sister, Cheyenne, thank you for being my built-in best friend and being there when I needed you,” he said. 

He also extends his gratitude back home to these rolling hills that he grew up in. 

“Thank you to everyone who believed in me. Ozark County will always have a special place in my heart.”

The Miken Foundation

With the recognition, Dallas joins a national network of over 3,000 Milken Educators spanning the awards’ nearly 40-year history. More than $75 million in individual financial prizes and more than $145 million have been invested in the Milken Educator Award national network overall.

The organization says that outstanding educators like Dallas are not aware of their candidacy for the award. Recipients are sought out in early- to mid-career for what they have achieved — and for the promise of what they will accomplish given the resources and opportunities afforded by the award, according to the foundation.  

The $25,000 cash award is unrestricted. Recipients have used the money in diverse ways, a news release about the honor states. Some recipients have spent the funds on their children’s or their own continuing education, financing dream field trips, establishing scholarships and even adopting children. 

Honorees receive powerful mentorship opportunities for expanded leadership roles that strengthen education practice and policy. Milken Friends Forever pairs a new recipient with a veteran Milken Educator mentor; the Expanding MFF Resource and Explorer Program fosters individual veteran Milken Educator partnerships around specific topic areas; and Activating Milken Educators promotes group collaboration in and across states to bring solutions to pressing educational needs. 

The honorees attend an all-expenses-paid Milken Educator Awards Forum in Los Angeles in April 2025, where they will network with their new colleagues as well as veteran Milken Educators and other education leaders about how to broaden their impact on K-12 education. 

Veteran Milken Educators demonstrate a wide range of leadership roles at state, national and international levels.

For more information about the Milken Educator Awards, visit MilkenEducatorAwards.org or call the Milken Family Foundation at 310-570-4772. 

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