Area teacher surprised with $25,000 award

LOGAN COUNTY — An area teacher was surprised with $25,000 on Thursday.

Ryan Gilbert, an 11th and 12th grade English language arts teacher at Ohio Hi-Point Career Center in Bellefontaine, sat at what he thought was a normal all-school assembly Thursday morning. The event switched course when Milken Educator Awards Senior Program Director Greg Gallagher took over to surprise Gilbert with the award.

>> Verdict announced in local trial of man accused of stabbing, killing ex-boyfriend

The award recognized Gilbert’s “work as a model for the state and nation.”

“Ryan Gilbert is inspiring his students to not only care about the curriculum, but also to explore their passions and future endeavors through an academic lens,” said Gallagher. “Every day Ryan finds new ways to illustrate how his lessons will translate outside of the classroom and into life.”

Gilbert was one of up to 75 recipients across the country this school year. He can use the financial prize however he chooses, according to a spokesperson for the Milken Family Foundation.

Award recipients are completely unaware of the candidacy for the award and cannot apply.

© 2023 Cox Media Group