[connatix_element_embed script_id=731d225737a1421dbff1b5744578dc53 player_id=7bc491b4-922b-4e8d-b1b1-150648e80442 video_id=375dfcde-a9fb-4c17-8d49-0559f00a88b5 align=right]
A teacher in Montgomery County, Maryland, got a “grand” surprise from her college alma mater Tuesday in front of hundreds of her adoring students.
Vassiliki Key was one of three University of Maryland alumni to receive $1,000 for their school.
“How much do we love Mrs. Key?” U.Md. College of Education Dean Kimberly Griffin asked students during a pep rally at Shady Grove Middle School in Gaithersburg.
They broke out in thunderous cheers and applause as their social studies teacher was handed a giant $1,000 check in front of her students, colleagues and family.
Key said she had no idea that the honor and check were coming.
“It’s amazing, and to see them cheering me on as I came down to get it,” Key said. “I just felt full of love, and I’m just going to continue to do what I do, working with them, and learning from them. And it’s awesome to just be able to be, like if you work hard, you know people will just congratulate you.”
Key said she always wanted to be a teacher, asking for whiteboards to teach her siblings their ABCs as a young child.
She graduated from U.Md. in 2011 and since then has made a real impact with her students as well as other teachers, according to Griffin.
Teacher stories
“Our college is really committed to transforming education for good, and Mrs. Key is the perfect example of that,” Griffin said. “She’s an amazing social studies teacher, but also creates a classroom where her students feel seen, where they feel cared for, where they feel connected to each other. And she’s also contributing to the next generation of teachers. She mentors other teachers. She works to help thinking, to help us think about how to improve their practice.”
With check in hand, what is Key going to do with that extra thousand?
“I don’t know. My first instinct is to do something nice for my school community, and to be like lunches on me, so we can celebrate together,” Key said.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
