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DeKalb teacher receives school's first Milken Educator Award

DeKalb High School business teacher Ashley Johnson receives an embrace from another staff member after being presented with a $25,000 novelty check from the Milken Family Foundation.
Ella Abbott
/
WBOI News
DeKalb High School business teacher Ashley Johnson receives an embrace from another staff member after being presented with a $25,000 novelty check from the Milken Family Foundation.

A DeKalb High School teacher received the school’s first ever Milken Educator Award on Friday, receiving national recognition for her work with students.

DeKalb High School business teacher Ashley Johnson was surprised with the award from the Milken Family Foundation during an assembly. Administrators had kept the award a secret from the whole school until Milken Educator Awards Senior Vice President Jane Foley announced Johnson’s name.

Johnson went to school for business and was working at a local radio station while finishing her MBA when the station shut down. Invited to teach by a former teacher, she said she fell backwards into teaching and found motivation to stay.

“Just the kids, like, when you see them get something or just the growth that you see in them, it’s really rewarding," Johnson said.

The Milken Educator Awards were founded in 1987 to provide public recognition and individual financial rewards to teachers, principals and specialists around the country. Candidates are chosen through a confidential selection process and reviewed by state departments of education, with final approval by the Milken Family Foundation.

Along with her recognition, Johnson will receive $25,000, an all-expenses-paid trip to Los Angeles for the Milken Educator Awards Forum in April and mentorship opportunities as she continues her career in education.

Johnson is the first teacher from DeKalb High School to receive the award.

Ella Abbott is a multimedia reporter for 89.1 WBOI. She is a strong believer in the ways audio storytelling can engage an audience and create a sensory experience.