Milken Award

Kentucky School Advocate

April 2019

 

By Brenna R. Kelly
Staff writer

In the days before a planned schoolwide assembly at Peaks Mill Elementary, teachers tried to figure out what all the fuss was about. 

The governor had been invited. The education commissioner, legislators and school board members were coming. 

“We didn’t know what was happening,” said fifth-grade teacher Angie Beavin. “We all had our own theories about what was going down, but I would never have guessed this at all.” 

During the assembly, Beavin found out that all the fuss was about her. 

As she sat in the bleachers with her students, Beavin’s name was announced as a Milken Educator Award winner.  

“I’m glad they kept it a surprise,” Beavin said moments after receiving the award, which is referred to as the “Oscars of Teaching” and comes with $25,000. 

 

Beavin was one of 33 educators in the country to receive the award this year and the only one in Kentucky. 

The award, sponsored by the Milken Family Foundation, was first given in 1987 and is designed to reward early to mid-career teachers for what they have achieved and their future potential. Teachers cannot apply but are chosen through a secret process and then vetted by a panel of educators.

After the initial shock, Beavin said she suspected her principal Dana Blankenship had something to do with the recognition. 

“She’s believed in me, pushed me and I feel like she’s behind it in some way,” she said. 

The foundation said Beavin, who has been teaching at Peaks Mill for 11 years, was recognized because she builds a love of reading and uses an inquiry-based approach in every lesson, which serves to promote independent thinking and learning. A National Board-Certified educator, Beavin also relies on data to help struggling students and challenge high achievers.

“I love these kids, they need me and I need them. I just love them,” said Beavin, who added that she plans to spend some of the money on her class. 

“They helped me get this award,” she said. 

 

Beavin has been a part of a dramatic turnaround at Peaks Mill. The school has gone from the lowest-performing elementary in Franklin County Schools to the highest, with Beavin’s students delivering the best math and reading growth in the district.

“A talented, caring and strategic teacher like Angie Beavin develops lifelong learners who can think independently,” said Lowell Milken, Milken Family Foundation chairman who presented the award. “And that’s why America’s future gets brighter every day in her classroom, one motivated and inquisitive student at a time.” 

For Franklin County school board members, the award served as confirmation that the district is on the right track. 

“I know there are good things going on in our schools in Franklin County, but it gives you more encouragement knowing there are people who are going beyond the call of duty to be the best they can be,” said school board member Chuck Fletcher, a retired educator. 

All five board members attended the ceremony and were just as surprised as Beavin to find out she had won the national award.

“I’ve always known our teachers were wonderful and it’s just nice that one of them is being recognized on a national scale,” said board chairwoman Natalie Lile. “And I hope it inspires everybody to just keep up the good work.”

 

Lile noted that the turnaround at Peaks Mill has been impressive and is something that could serve as a model for other schools.

“I guess it just sends a message that any school that isn’t achieving as well as they want to achieve right now, they can always improve and win awards in the future,” she said. “The most important thing is to educate our children.” 

Board member BeLinda Henson said she is proud to have Beavin serving in the district. She also credited the principal and staff with improving Peaks Mill.

“We are just so proud of Peaks Mill Elementary, it has come a long way and I give the credit to the staff even down to the classified staff because they are a very important part of our school system,” she said. 

Henson noted that though the board doesn’t have direct responsibility for hiring teachers, “what we can do is show support by providing the tools and the necessary resources for teachers to do their job and I wish we could do more and pay our teachers what they are actually worth.” 

Franklin County Superintendent Mark Kopp said he was happy that the award was able to shine a light on the work of teachers who rarely receive the recognition they deserve. 

“It’s sometimes hard to really give the time needed to show how much we appreciate all of our teachers,” he said. “We are blessed to have Angie. She’s created a classroom environment that is so warm and welcoming to her students. If you were to walk into her classroom right now, even as an adult, you would never want to leave.”