WHEELING — Madison Elementary School Principal Principal Andrea Trio knows sometimes things just don’t work out the way you would like, but she says you must learn from those experiences.

“One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned in my work life is that it’s OK when the lesson plan fails because it simply means that a new journey is about to begin,” she said. “Failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success. It’s important to pivot and set sail in different directions and locations in order to meet the needs and do what is best for students.

“I look at each day as a new journey to be started, a new promise to be fulfilled and a new page to be written.”

Trio last year was presented with a Milken Educator Award. The award targets early-to-mid career education professionals for their already impressive achievements, and for the promise of what they will accomplish in the future.

Trio is currently serving in her ninth year with Ohio County Schools, and for eight of those years she has been principal at Madison Elementary School.

She is known for singing to comfort students.

Trio and her husband Eric have been married for 17 years. They have two daughters — Kailyn, 10; and Brynley, 6. They also have a 17-year-old dog named Parker.

“Education is one of the most rewarding fields to be a part of,” she said. “We are given the task to help shape and mold the minds of beautiful children. As educators, we get to build nurturing relationships with our students on a daily basis. When children are with us during their school day, we often times take on the ‘mom role’ with them, too. They look to us for guidance, support, advice, and acceptance.

“If you feel the calling to be led to the profession of education, it hasn’t happened by chance. It’s happened because you were designed with the gift and talents to educate our youth.”

Trio said she always wanted to be a teacher ever since she was a child.

“As a young girl, you would often find me playing ‘school’ with my friends and cousins — many of them also went into education,” she said. “I have always had a passion for working with children, whether it was babysitting or helping with camps and church activities. It was something that gave me great enjoyment and I knew very early on that I wanted to make this passion of working with children a lifelong commitment.”

Trio added she has also had the opportunity to work alongside “some very powerful and impactful women” in her career. She added she is proud to call these women her colleagues.

“There are many fields within our community that are led by women, and it is such a rewarding feeling to see the ways in which they have been vital stakeholders in moving our community forward in such a strong and uplifting way,” she said.

Trio also believes “success is the greatness of not what you have, but what you have to give.”

“As I always tell my children at home and at school, ‘Do good, and good will find its way back to you,’ she said. “I strive to teach children that success is often accompanied by the feeling of satisfaction that they always need to try their best, believe in who they are, and whatever comes their way, they need to always find a way to persevere because they deserve all good things.

“It is my hope that my students always remember how much they were loved,” she added. “I strive to develop and build relationships with my students.”

She said each child “deserves a champion.”

“I hope they always know that I’ll be cheering them on along the way not only in the present moments, but long after they’ve gone,” Trio continued.