When West Teays Elementary third grade teacher Barbara Black                               came to school on                                October 21st, she had                                 no idea she would                                   leave with one of                                teaching’s highest                                 honors, the Milken                                     Family Foundation                                National Educator                                   Award.

State Superintendent                                   Dr. Steven Paine and                              Milken Family                                    Foundation Senior Vice                              President Dr. Jane                                  Foley, both former                                  award winners,                                      presented Black with                                     the award at an                                   assembly of the West Teays student body.  Paine complimented West Teays students and staff on their outstanding achievements, and Foley led students to an understanding of the excellence represented by the award.

The Milken awards, commonly referred to as the “Oscars of Teaching,” will go to up to 80 educators nationwide who are deemed to be the best in the field. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted financial gift and membership on an elite board of educators. Teachers, principals, and support staff are recommended for the award without their knowledge by a blue-ribbon panel at their state’s department of education.

Black has taught in Putnam County since 1995. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in K-8 Education from West Virginia State College and a Master of Arts in Early Childhood Education from Marshall University. She is a National Board of Professional Teaching Standards certified teacher, a Putnam County Teacher Leader, an Arch Coal Golden Apple winner, and a former West Virginia Mathematics Teacher of the Year. In addition, Black is a certified Thinkfinity trainer, a Putnam County Schools mentor teacher trainer, and a presenter at numerous local and statewide trainings. She represents Putnam County Schools on the West Virginia Department of Education Math Cadre.

Black’s students are currently involved in project-based learning, including working with the Trout in the Classroom project and the use 21^st Century tools and skills in all their lessons.

Black is the third Putnam County educator to win the Milken Award, joining former winners Cynthia Frazier and Rachel Hull.