LEWISTON – As Deanna Nadeau sat in the crowded cafeteria listening to school officials talk about the dedication of one special teacher, she had no idea they were talking about her.

Sure, she was known as a gifted teacher who inspired students. And sure, parents often sought her out, and other teachers often went to her for advice.

But at the Montello Elementary School assembly Wednesday, Nadeau was too busy comforting one of her second-graders to think about winning some award.

So when officials held up a $25,000 prize check and called Nadeau’s name, the veteran teacher didn’t stir from her spot at the cafeteria table.

“I didn’t hear them,” Nadeau said. “And then I thought, Did they just call my name?'”

Moments later, as thunderous applause drove her to her feet and propelled her to the podium, Nadeau began to cry.

She had just won the prestigious Milken Educator Award.

“I’m in a dream world,” she said after the assembly. “I just can’t believe this.”

Nadeau, 39, began teaching elementary school in Mechanic Falls in the mid-1980s. She arrived at Montello in 1993.

A creative, spirited teacher, Nadeau quickly grew popular with pupils, parents and teachers. She became one of the most highly sought-after teachers in the school.

“She just makes every child feel good about themselves,” said first-grade teacher Kristie Clark. “She finds the spark in every child.”

A passionate advocate for reading, Nadeau helped develop Montello’s Literacy Lab and Home-School Reading program. She taught parents how to read to their children and worked with other teachers to improve literacy education. For her pupils, she read aloud, brought in special books and held school pajama parties.

School Committee Chairman James Handy said his oldest son blossomed in Nadeau’s class eight years ago. He was challenged but also nurtured, Handy said.

“Deanna just set him off on the right foot,” he said. “We see the fruits of her efforts to this day.”

When Principal Gus LeBlanc learned about the Milken prize, an annual award given to 100 exceptional teachers, he immediately thought of Nadeau.

“She really goes above and beyond the classroom. I think that’s what sets her apart,” LeBlanc said.

Nadeau had no idea she had been nominated until Wednesday’s announcement. She cried through the presentation and through the hugs from friends and co-workers.

“I love teaching. I love my students. I love all students,” she said as she accepted the prize money. “It’s a magical, magical profession. Teaching is my life.”

Among the hundreds of students and teachers, Nadeau’s second-grade class cheered the loudest.

“It’s really cool,” said 7-year-old Sabrina Nadeau, Nadeau’s student and her niece. “She works hard.”

As one of two Maine winners of the Milken award, Nadeau will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., and $25,000 to spend any way she wants.

The money and the recognition were wonderful, Nadeau said. But it’s the students that keep her teaching.

“It’s the sparkle in their eye. It’s that desire to want to know,” she said.

At half her annual salary, the $25,000 check is the most money Nadeau has ever received at one time, she said. She has no idea where she’ll spend it.

But she knows exactly how she’s going to celebrate Thursday.

“I’m going to teach,” she said.