EATON — Local Miami Valley Carrer Technology Center STEM instructor Laini Ferriell has been awarded the 2021 Dayton Regional STEM Center’s (DRSC) STEM Education Leadership & Service Award.

Ferriell was nominated by her MVCTC Satellite Supervisor, Mr. Jesse Maxfield, who stated, “Laini strives to provide the best opportunities for her students. She is constantly exploring how she can further incorporate STEM-based projects into her classroom. Laini is a true leader when it comes to STEM education.”

In a congratulation letter to Ferriell, Dayton Regional STEM Center Director Director Elizabeth Wolfe-Eberly stated, “ We received many high-quality applications which were systematically reviewed by a panel of judges external to the staff of the DRSC. This panel included K-12 educators, higher education STEM representatives and representatives from local STEM business and industry.”

The letter goes on to say the committee saw many strong STEM-centric initiatives in the Dayton region, and they were most impressed with Ferriell’s determination and effort expended in honor of high-quality STEM education at MVCTC’s Eaton Middle School satellite location.

“As the first-place winner of this award, the Miami Valley Career Technical Center will receive a check for $1500.00 to support your ongoing efforts in STEM Education,” the letter read.

Ferriell is completing her second year at MVCTC as Eaton Middle School Project Lead the Way (PLTW) instructor. Before MVCTC, she was at Tri-County North as the Gifted Coordinator. She has spent the last three summers working at the Gaming, Research, Integration for Learning Lab (GRILL). GRILL is an educational outreach program that inspires student interest in STEM through modeling and simulation software, helping to equip the region’s next generation of critical defense workforce. Ferriell plans to work at GRILL again this coming summer.

Ferriell will be recognized at the STEM Education Banquet on Wednesday, May 12.