The North Dakota Association of Career and Technical Education is and has been working to promote opportunities to make an impact upon our nation and society for the benefit of our consumers. As I have stated before, this has been an excellent year to be involved in this professional organization. There is a multitude of activities and networking opportunities for you as a professional.
The All-Service conference is fast approaching. Look forward to a wide array of concurrent sessions and great learning experiences. Information will be posted on the NDACTE and NDSBVTE web sites in both this newsletter and in future listings. Your input is important to helping these conferences stay successful. Other things to look for include the social on Monday night and recognizing the award winners and past presidents of the organization. We will again be hosting a dance after the social to which everyone is welcome and is free of admission fees.
As before, we elect our new officers at our conference. If you haven?t already taken the challenge, get involved at a higher level in professional activities. Become a leader in your division or perhaps in the state chapter level. Work to share your abilities. Choose to be a NDACTE officer. Let us know how we can help make this organization better.
On Wednesday morning, at 7:00 am, we will again be offering the leadership session. All NDACTE board members and the division presidents are encouraged to attend. This can be an excellent way to network with other leaders, find out about other divisions, and build a plan for the next year. Jason Mongeon, our vice president, will be contacting along with ACTE, those people in the field that are not currently members of the organization. We all know the importance of Career and Technical Education to North Dakota. It is the membership that helps promote the profession. Our professional experiences allow us to help our students. Choose to make that difference.
The Magic of Change is the ACTE Annual convention theme. You can expect to participate in educational sessions, Career Tech Expo, new technology tracks, and general sessions. The national newsnote on this reads, ?Experience the magic of change! Join us and your professional colleagues as we prepare to meet and grow with the extraordinary new opportunities in career and technical education in 2003! This four-day journey is guaranteed to enhance your performance and heighten the personal rewards you gain from your career as an
educator!? It is important that we work together for the benefits of our students. There is no other reason for which we exist. Let us know how we can help make this organization better. We welcome your comments and suggestions. Contact me at Kim.Schock@sendit.nodak.edu. Best wishes for you as you finish off this year and work on your plans for the summer. I hope to see you at the All-Service Conference in August.
Dear Conference Participant: I am pleased to welcome you to the 32nd annual North Dakota Vocational and Technical Education All Service Conference - "VTE Celebrating Success". What a fitting theme! This year's conference will not only focus on past successes but is designed to help you face the everyday challenges and turn them into tomorrow's successes.
As educators we are continually challenged to make a difference in our students lives by imparting the knowledge and skills that they will need throughout their lives and careers. The renewed focus in education, both in student achievement and in teacher quality, places us in a position to build our future successes based on our past successes. The fact is that the majority of students do learn better when they are taught in context and we must use that method to better prepare our students for all the life skills they will need.
We have lined up some great speakers, concurrent sessions, and service area sessions that I am sure you will find interesting and informative. There is also time scheduled for you to network with fellow educators in your area as well as educators from other disciplines. We are committed to providing you with the best conference possible, so if you have any suggestions for us, let us know by filling out the surveys you receive.
I share your enthusiasm for what vocational technical education has to offer students. I'm looking forward to an exciting year and trust that you will have a successful school year also! Have a great conference.
Sincerely,
Wayne Kutzer
State Director
Please refer to http://www.bismarckstate.com/cce/allservice/ for information about the Conference, registration and more.
Dear NDEA Member:
I am running on the April NDEA ballot for election as a state delegate to the NEA Representative Assembly. I would like to represent North Dakota teachers at the Assembly as we discuss issues important to education in North Dakota. Issues that will impact North Dakota include teacher quality, high-stakes testing, federal funding, IDEA, teacher certification, recruitment and retention issues and salary.
My experiences in Government Relations activities at the state and local level have provided me a statewide perspective on the legislative issues and on education in North Dakota.
Serving on the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards has allowed me to be part of the teacher quality dialogue on a national level.
As President of the Association for Career and Technical Education I have had the opportunity to work education issues from a broad perspective and collaborate with a number of groups at the national and state level.
I hope you will support my campaign and that you will mention my name to your members when it is time to vote.
Thank you!
Sincerely,
Dianne Mondry
By Al Liebersbach
NDACTE President Elect
The North Dakota Association of Career and Technical Educators is seeking candidates for the office of vice president. The vice president will serve on the NDACTE Executive Board and will move on to the offices of president-elect, president, and past president the following years.
I strongly encourage each service area to nominate a candidate. From the nominations received two candidates will be selected by the screening committee for placement on the ballot for election at the all-service conference.
I association vice president should be prepared to make the following time commitments. Attend the association executive committee meetings at all-service conference, the October meeting at NDEA conference, and the January meeting annually. As the vice president moves through the officer chairs he or she should be prepared to attend the following national conferences: Region V conference in April during vice presidents year, National ACTE Policy Conference in Washington DC as association president elect in March, and National ACTE Convention in December as President.
To nominate some one or yourself please complete the application (found on the Forms page) and mail to Al Liebersbach, Mandan High School, 905 8th Ave NW, Mandan ND 58554. Applications should be sent to me as soon as possible so we can print the applicant?s bio in the next newsletter. If you need additional information please call Al Liebersbach at (701) 663-9532.
We have an executive secretary selected. It is Cathy Langemo from Bismarck. She has her own business and already works for the ND Library Association. She is not a member of NDACTE and will need our help together information on how our organization works. However, once she knows what a good group she has to work with, she will be impressed.
I want to thank the narrowing committee (Jerry, Bunnie, Al, and Van) for taking the time to review all of the applications. Also a big Thank You to the rest on the selection committee (Dale, Wayne, and Al. I helped a little). Al set up the interviews and did all of the calling. This was not an easy decision for any one of us. Both candidates had a variety of talents that they could bring to the position.
Have a super day! Kim
by Stephanie Earhart
There will be a dance again this year at the ND All Service Conferences held in Bismarck at the Radisson Inn August 5-7. The dance itself will be held Monday night, August 5 from 9 PM to 1 AM with New Edition playing. I would like to encourage all of you to attend and have a great time. Hope to see you there.
