Staff photo / Bob Coupland Josh MacMillan, a Hubbard High School art teacher and organizer of the inaugural Mahoning Valley Educators of the Year Honors Dinner, congratulates Abbie Millard, a fifth-grade teacher at West Branch Local Schools, as “Mahoning Valley Educator of the Year.’’ She was selected from more than 30 educators from Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties who were recognized at the dinner at Eastwood Event Centre in Niles.

NILES — West Branch Local Schools fifth-grade teacher Abbie Millard was named the first “Mahoning Valley Educator of the Year” at the inaugural teachers recognition event Tuesday at the Eastwood Event Centre in Niles.

The Mahoning Valley Educators of the Year dinner recognized 33 teachers in the tri-county area and then selected five for special awards.

In addition to Millard, other recognitions included Ethan Gross of Newton Falls Exempted Village School District as “Young Educator of the Year,” Leann Laure of Sebring Local Schools as “Golden Educator of the Year,” Kelli Komlanc of Hubbard Exempted Village Schools as “Early Educator of the Year” and Staci Raab of Ursuline High School as “Secondary Educator of the Year.”

The event was held to celebrate the work teachers across the Mahoning Valley do to educate and inspire young people.

Each teacher received a red marble apple on a pedestal.

Approximately 300 people attended the event from their districts in Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana counties, as well as members of the Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber, Youngstown State University, the Youngstown State University Foundation, Eastwood Event Centre and other guests.

Josh MacMillan, a Hubbard art teacher who created the awards dinner, said, “I hope this event shows how appreciated our Valley’s educators are for all they do, not only what people see in the classroom, but for everything outside of it as well. I feel fortunate to have had so many people make this idea turn into a reality, so all these wonderful individuals are able to get the recognition they deserve.”

Guy Coviello, president and CEO of the Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber, praised MacMillan for his efforts to establish the honors dinner and said the event will become an annual one.

“We were blown away by Josh MacMillan’s clear vision for tonight. Our children’s future is in your hands. The number one factor in growing the future economy is availability of talent,” Coviello said.

MacMillan said a panel of judges, which included representatives from Youngstown State University College of Education, Ohio Arts Education Association and local educational service centers looked over letters of recommendations that had names and school districts blacked out with only information on what the person taught, grade level and their philosophy.

He said the Young Educator Award was for a teacher with 10 years or less experience and the Golden Educator Award was for a teacher who has taught 20 or more years. The Early Educator honored an educator who teaches grades kindergarten to sixth and the Secondary Educator was for grades seventh to 12th.

“This is an event where we can celebrate the teaching profession, which is the basis for everything our children do. We are all educators to learn how to be different thinkers and find ways to use our schools to impact the world,” MacMillan said.

Millard said she loves being a fifth-grade teacher and the enthusiasm from her students.

“This feels unreal. I am just your average teacher doing what I can each day to educate students. I love what I do and want to show the students the passion that I have for my job,” Millard said.

She said education is an important field to prepare future generations.

“What keeps me going every day is the people I work with every day, the students I get to see every day, and the curriculum I teach each day,” Millard said.

Laure, a third-grade teacher, is marking her 31st year of teaching in Sebring schools.

“It is an honor to be chosen from some many deserving educators here tonight. After hearing everyone’s story, what a hard pick it had to have been for these awards,” she said.

Laure said she has stayed in education because of the students.

“I love watching them grow. I also do a community food drive at Christmas where we feed 40 to 60 families and take care of their well being. I appreciate all the students and staff who are involved,” she said.

Gross said he was honored to be selected for the Young Educator of the Year Award, with this being his fourth year teaching in Newton Falls.

“I was a newcomer to the area from south Texas. I used to work on cars as a mechanic and decided to become an educator to help people. I feel honored to be part of Newton Falls going forward. So many people here are deserving of this award,” he said.