Ohio school secretary named a finalist for national RISE Award

5/1/2023

In December 2022, the Department surprised two school support staff with news they were Ohio’s Recognizing Inspirational School Employees (RISE) Award honorees. Their names were submitted for consideration to the U.S. Department of Education for the national RISE award. The national pool of nominees included 29 candidates from 16 states.

This week, the U.S. Department of Education announced the national RISE awardee and released the names of the finalists for the award. Among the four finalists was Ohio’s Beverly Payne, an elementary school secretary from Crestline Exempted Village School District.

The RISE Award celebrates classified or support staff who model strong personal character and concern for their students, colleagues and communities. Recipients positively influence others while modeling excellence for their roles in public education. Read more about Ohio’s RISE honorees on the Ohio RISE Award webpage. Learn about the National RISE Award on the U.S. Department of Education webpage.