Donatini, Muranko named Ashland educators of the year

ASHLAND – Great teachers not only knows their subject matter but also know how to take what they know and help put it into the minds of others, Ashland High School Principal Mike Riley said.

The best teachers, he said, add a third quality to that mix.

“Most importantly, we have to have teachers that have huge hearts to adore anyone that walks in their room,” Riley said.

Superintendent Doug Marrah said that’s the true mission for educators.

“We teach the unteachable, we love the unlovable,” he said. “But utmost, and the most important element, is we nurture children and make sure they find the right path, and that they know there are people that care about them every day, regardless of how they come in the door, and we make sure they leave a better person.”

That’s the kind of teacher Diana Muranko is for the students in her French classes at Ashland High School, and the kind of teacher Robin Donatini is for her fourth graders at Taft Intermediate School.

Muranko and Donatini were named Ashland City Schools’ Secondary and Elementary teachers of the year, respectively. Award winners are chosen by a panel of their fellow educators from among a pool of nominated teachers. 

Donatini has taught 34 years, including 14 years in Ashland City Schools.

“I believe God called me to the job of teaching, and I take it very seriously,” Donatini said. “I have the opportunity every single day to make an impact on students academically, emotionally and socially. I truly believe that teachers can change lives.”

Donatini’s principal, Steve McDonnell, said he often hears sports announcers say a great player is somebody who makes the people around them better.

“When you have somebody that you know is in the room next door or down the hall knocking it out of the park and raising the bar of excellence one notch higher, that’s Robin Donatini,” McDonnell said.

McDonnell said Donatini’s teaching team exemplifies co-teaching excellence as they provide differentiated instruction for special education students as well as other students.

The principal said he marvels at Donatini’s techniques in the classroom as he watches her use methods like song to keep students engaged.

“It’s remarkable to watch and see — to see kids enjoy learning, and learning in a way that they will remember for a long time,” he said.

Donatini’s students came to the award ceremony Tuesday to cheer for and support their teacher. 

Muranko is in her 16th year teaching, having started at Ashland City Schools as a student teacher and taught there full-time since 2002.

She followed her grandmother’s footsteps to become a French teacher and found that French class mingled all her favorite subjects — history, music, art, grammar and even math.

“I have always found, too, that French has led me to different adventures,” Muranko said. 

Muranko led the largest trip to Europe in Ashland High School’s history, and secured a charter from the American Association of Teachers of French to form the school’s chapter of French Honor Society in 2014.

A lifelong learner, Muranko strives to impart her passion for French language and culture to her students.

“I’ve seen with my own eyes what she does for her students,” teacher and Ashland City Teachers Association President Melissa Clevenger said of Muranko. “She’s so dedicated. She works night and day. She’s always coming up with fun things to do, and luckily she shares them with me because I teach next door to her.”

Clevenger said Muranko is as generous and supportive with her fellow teachers as she is with her students.

The teachers also received commendations from Educators of the Year Committee Chair Molly LaRue, board of education president Will Gravitt, Mayor Matt Miller and Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce Director Barbie Lange. Afterward, colleagues, students, friends and family members joined in a reception for the award recipients.