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Prestigious $25,000 Milken Educator Award Goes to Noteworthy Nitro Elementary Teacher

Janna Hamrick's passion for education and dedication to student success earn her national recognition

November 01, 2023

Santa Monica, Calif. — Janna Hamrick, a fifth grade teacher at Rock Branch Elementary School in Nitro, West Virginia, had quite the surprise this morning when she was presented with a Milken Educator Award at a seemingly routine all-school assembly. Cheers erupted from students, colleagues, dignitaries and media when Hamrick laid eyes on her oversized check, realizing she would be taking home a $25,000 cash prize to be used however she chooses. 

Milken Educator Awards Vice President Stephanie Bishop was joined by West Virginia Governor Jim Justice and State Superintendent of Schools Michele L. Blatt to present Hamrick with the honor. Hamrick was completely unaware of her candidacy for the Award — often hailed as the "Oscar of Teaching." 

"Talented teachers hold high expectations while maintaining a high level of student engagement, passion and respect. Janna Hamrick executes this task flawlessly and serves as a role model for others," said Bishop, who is also a 2001 Virginia Milken Educator. "The Milken Educator Network will provide her with further opportunities to grow and will in turn benefit from her knowledge. Congratulations, Janna!" 

Hamrick is the second and final West Virginia Milken Educator recipient this season, concluding the Milken Family Foundation's 2023-24 West Virginia tour. She joins Ashley Wilkins who received her Award yesterday, October 31, in Petersburg (Grant County). 

"Janna Hamrick epitomizes the important role educators play today," said State Superintendent of Schools Michele L. Blatt. "Her enthusiasm for learning is infectious and the relationships she builds with her students establish connections that strengthen their learning. She creates a safe learning environment and allows them to take risks and become more self-reliant. We are proud she has earned this stellar award." 

Both Hamrick and Wilkins are among up to 75 recipients across the country this school year who will be awarded as part of the Milken Family Foundation’s Journey to the 3,000^th Milken Educator. This season will reach $75 million in individual financial prizes spanning the length of the initiative and more than $144 million invested in the Milken Educator Award national network overall, empowering recipients to "Celebrate, Elevate, and Activate" the K-12 profession and inspiring young, capable people to pursue teaching as a career. 

Milken Educator Award recipients are sought out while 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. 

More about Janna Hamrick 

Maintaining High-Performance: Janna Hamrick's innovative approach to education contributes to the high achievement growth of fifth grade students at Rock Branch Elementary School, a 2021 National Blue Ribbon School. According to the 2022-23 West Virginia General Summative Assessment, Rock Branch's fifth grade mathematics proficiency is not only among the highest in Putnam County, but also in the state. That is because Hamrick’s classroom is in a constant state of motion: Whether students are engaging in hands-on classroom activities like Jeopardy to master comprehension or consistently interacting with Hamrick to track their progress, they are developing skills to become solutions-driven critical thinkers. Weaving in her own personal stories and experiences, Hamrick has her eye on the whole child, skillfully humanizing the classroom and building a strong, approachable rapport with students.  

Passion for Instruction: Hamrick's energy in the classroom serves as motivation for students and teachers alike to continuously grow as learners and educators. Rock Branch utilizes the Eureka Math curriculum, an initiative that benefits greatly from Hamrick's leadership and expertise. She researches best practices and shares her knowledge by training and presenting to teachers and schools across the county on how to implement Eureka Math in their own classrooms. Hamrick also leads professional development for her colleagues, working together to plan lessons and target strategic analysis of student data. Most notably, she has become a reliable and accessible resource for students, teachers, and parents. Ensuring that her classroom is a teamwork-driven environment, she encourages parent involvement by opening her classroom for their observation and initiating meetings before and after school to answer questions regarding her instructional methods. 

Relationship Building: Hamrick's school-level involvement is integral to its success. She serves on the leadership team, is a member of the intermediate professional learning community, and participates on the student assistance team and safety committee. Additionally, she works as Rock Branch's webmaster, updating the school and surrounding community with important news, events and reminders. As a member of the local school improvement council, Hamrick has helped build strong relationships with organizations and businesses and collaborates with a local church each Christmas to send boxes overseas to countries in need.  

Education: Hamrick earned a Bachelor of Arts in elementary education K-6 in 2008 and a Master of Arts in secondary math education 5-9 through Algebra 1 in 2011, both from Marshall University. 

More about the Milken Educator Award Journey: "The Future Belongs to the Educated"

• The honorees attend an all-expenses-paid Milken Educator Awards Forum in Los Angeles in June 2024, 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.
• Honorees receive powerful mentorship opportunities for expanded leadership roles that strengthen education practice and policy. Milken Friends Forever (MFF) pairs a new recipient with a veteran Milken Educator mentor; the Expanding MFF Resource and Explorer Program fosters individual veteran Milken Educator partnerships around a specific topic area; and Activating Milken Educators (AME) promotes group collaboration in and across states to tackle pressing educational needs.
• Veteran Milken Educators demonstrate a wide range of leadership roles at state, national and international levels. 
• The $25,000 cash Award is unrestricted. Recipients have used the money in diverse ways. 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. 

Follow the Milken Educator Awards tour and use the #MEA3K and #MilkenAward hashtags on: Facebook (MilkenEducatorAwards) | X (Milken) | YouTube (MilkenAward) | Instagram (MilkenFamilyFdn) | LinkedIn (MilkenFamilyFdn)    

Visit MilkenEducatorAwards.org or call the Milken Family Foundation at (310) 570-4772 for more information. View the MEA Media Kit online.

About the Milken Educator Awards

The first Milken Educator Awards were presented by the Milken Family Foundation in 1987. Created by Lowell Milken, the Awards provide public recognition and individual financial rewards of $25,000 to elementary and secondary school teachers, principals, and specialists from around the country who are furthering excellence in education. Recipients are heralded in early to mid-career for what they have achieved and for the promise of what they will accomplish. The Milken Family Foundation celebrates more than 40 years of elevating education in America and around the world. Learn more at MFF.org.

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