During the 2019 Spring Meeting, Advance CTE held an award ceremony to recognize the eight Excellence in Action award recipients that represent some of the best Career Technical Education (CTE) programs in the country. Hailing from seven states, these programs provide clear pathways into college and careers, rigorous academic and technical coursework, strong industry partnerships, and effective work-based learning experiences that offer opportunities for career exploration and subject-matter mastery.
Katie Fitzgerald, Advance CTE, Communications Manager, opened the ceremony by sharing that over the past five years, Advance CTE has awarded nearly 50 high-quality programs of study from 15 Career Clusters® across 23 states. These award-winning programs provide learners from diverse communities with the supports to succeed in their education and career of their choice. Advance CTE recognized the following award winners and their Career Cluster areas:

•       Como Park Senior High School, MN (Business Management & Administration)
•       Henderson County High School, KY (Health Science)
•       Irving High School, TX (Transportation, Distribution & Logistics)
•       Kaukauna High School, WI (Manufacturing)
•       Mishicot High School High School, WI (Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources)
•       Nashua High School North, NH (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics)
•       Questar III BOCES Rensselaer Educational Center (Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security)
•       Susan Miller Dorsey High School, CA (Arts, A/V Technology & Communications)

Award recipients traveled across the country to be recognized in front of state and national leaders. Hannah Chan, the Program Manager of the Academy of Finance at Como Park Senior High School in Minnesota, stated that the program is near and dear to her heart because she is a first-generation college student and wished she had this type of program when she was in high school. The Academy of Finance program serves a diverse student population with 88 percent minority learners and 31 percent English language learners served in this program.
Nels Lawrence, the instructor for the Manufacturing program at Kaukauna High School in Wisconsin, spoke about how he has taught learners who now serve as employers and partners mentoring his students. He stated that the awards program is an example of the type of publicity CTE programs need to change the old perceptions.
In the remarks from Dr. Francine Brown, an award recipient from Nashua High School North, she suggested a new motto for the state of New Hampshire, “In keeping with the theme of the conference, I’m going to be bold and suggest a new motto, Learn CTE and fly!”
Following the ceremony, attendees were invited to participate in the gallery walk event. During this event, attendees could visit the award winner recipients and ask them questions about their programs. Award winners had tables with brochures, and even video presentations to help attendees get to know their programs better and see learners in action.
Learn more about the 2019 Excellence in Action awards here.
Nicole Howard, Communications Associate