Cravens Elementary School teacher Ryan Williams was one of 40 people nationally to receive the 2012 Milken Award and the only recipient in Kentucky. The award comes with a $25,000 gift.
Williams is a native of Henderson and began teaching in Owensboro Public Schools in 1999 after graduating from WKU. He taught first grade for 11 years before moving to third grade. He's currently on temporary assignment as curriculum facilitator at Estes Elementary School.
"I try to ebgage the students every day, find something that interests them, something they can relate to," Williams said. "I come to work every day with a smile on my face."
The Milken Family Foundation gives the awards each year to reward, retain and attract the highest quality K-12 educators in the profession. Besides being a National Board Certified teacher with a master's degree, Williams is also the director of the Cravens iPad academy and has served on Cravens's school-based decision-making council, has participated in the Owensboro Independent Academic Leadership program and is a member of the Owensboro Education Association, the Kentucky Education Association and the National Education Association.
