Photo: Getty Images
DIGHTON, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — A reading interventionist at Dighton Elementary School received $25,000 when she became Massachusetts' 48th Milken Award winner on Wednesday morning.
Leigh Beson received the Milken Award during a surprise assembly to recognize her exemplary work as an educator furthering "excellence in education."
"You work in your little classroom all day in your bubble and you don't expect anyone to really notice what you're doing but it feels really nice to feel that," Beson told WBZ's Suzanne Sausville.
Governor Maura Healey said Beson makes a "wonderful recipient for the award" and is getting the recognition she deserves.
“As the daughter of a school nurse, I always appreciate when educators and school staff receive the recognition they deserve. Ms. Beson’s apparent love for her students and dedication to providing each of them with the support they need to succeed make her a wonderful recipient for this award,” said Governor Maura Healey. “She is one example of the many caring and hardworking educators we have throughout the Commonwealth.”
Read More: New Bedford Man Hears Prison Sentence Over Illegal Gun At Trampoline Park
Beson is the only person in Massachusetts to receive the award for the 2022-2023 school year and is one of 35 recipients across the country.
Before becoming a reading interventionist, she was a first grade teacher that was regarded for her ability to adapt to each student's needs in the classroom.
"Ms. Beson has served on district literacy committees and committees about multi-tiered systems of supports, and it wasn’t unusual for other educators to observe her classroom for ideas and inspiration on how to improve their own teaching," The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said in a statement.
Beson has been an educator at Dighton Elementary School since 2018 and has been a teacher since 2012.
Follow WBZ NewsRadio: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | iHeartmedia App