ACTE

Clifford Vrieze has instructed farm business management (FBM) courses at Minnesota West College at Jackson, Minnesota, since 1986. The program, with an annual enrollment of 50 students, is based on a comprehensive educational curriculum for adult farmer entrepreneurs. The mission of the program is to provide student-focused education to assist them in meeting their family and farm business goals.

Mr. Vrieze designs a “case study” for each individual student where the farm family’s actual personal, family, business and financial situation and goals determine the instruction plan. The student’s study concentrates on accurate computerized accounting, income tax optimization and budgeting. The students use state-of-the-art software specially designed and set up for their specific farming requirements.

At the FBM program, Mr. Vrieze has cooperated with area banks, farm service agencies, local school districts and the University of Minnesota in order to better meet his students’ needs. During his tenure at the college, three area banks have awarded over $30,000 in annual scholarships to his students within the FBM program. He has also worked with the Center for Farm Financial Management over the years to beta test new software programs and improve existing programs.

In addition to his duties as an instructor, Mr. Vrieze is also active in his community. He has served on the local school board and he is a past president of the Minnesota Association of Agricultural Educators as well as the Minnesota ACTE.

Dr. Linda Anderson of Haltom City, Texas, spent 15 years teaching marketing education before leaving teaching to become a CTE administrator. Now as the Director of Career and Technology Education in Tarrant County, Texas, Dr. Anderson serves over 22,000 students in five cities in the Birdville Independent School District (BISD).

For the last 14 years Dr. Anderson supervised programs offered at three high schools, an alternative school, seven middle schools, and a career center. She assures that CTE courses provide opportunities for development of marketable skills and licensure while in high school and a seamless transition into college. Dr. Anderson has set up working partnerships with local businesses and under her leadership BISD has more students entering college through Tech Prep than any other district in the county. Under her guidance, CTE is a top priority in the budget. Dr. Anderson oversees an annual budget of $3.4 million, has secured over $1 million in grants, and over $1 million in bond issues for CTE.

Dr. Anderson models the importance of service to professional and student organizations and budgets over $70,000 to support student leadership and competitions annually. She has served Texas DECA as Conference Chairperson and National DECA as Chairperson of the Secondary Advisory Council as well as National Conference Coordinator for six years. Not willing to completely forgo teaching, Dr. Anderson has served as an adjunct professor at the University of North Texas. 

Sherry Foster of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, instructs the information technology (IT) program at the Tahlequah campus of Indian Capital Technology Center.

Within the program students learn the Cisco Networking Academy, which touches on a wide variety of IT skills, such as Router Theory, Intermediate Routing and Switching, and Wide Area Networking Technologies. Ms. Foster is committed to staying informed and knowledgeable of industry demands and the required certifications to meet these demands. This is evidenced by the fact that she maintains all of the certifications that she prepares her students to achieve.

Because one of the Indian Capital Technology Center’s main feeder schools had a pre-existing Career Technology Business Program, the Business and IT Education (BITE) programs at the center rarely had students in attendance from that school. After Ms. Foster’s development of the IT program, high school enrollment in a BITE program jumped from 10 percent to over 60 percent within the first three years of the program’s inception.

Ms. Foster secures donations of cutting-edge equipment and supplies through corporate leaders in the technology industry such as Southwestern Bell. By partnering with these and other large companies, she has developed numerous job shadowing, on-the-job training and employment opportunities for her students. Given that the IT program at the Tahlequah campus was so successful, she was asked to take the lead in implementing the program on two other campuses.

Ms. Foster stays up-to-date in her field by participating in numerous professional organizations. For example, she is an active member of the Tulsa Technology Center Advisory Council, the Region 10 IT Pathway Development Team and has been an ACTE member since 1998. 

2003 Award Winners

A high school family and consumer science teacher for 27 years, Gloria Haiwick of Highmore, South Dakota, has continually promoted community development through her curriculum and student organization. At Highmore High School Ms. Haiwick structures her curriculum to include acts of community service to enhance and reinforce what is being taught. For example, one of her classes assembled grooming kits and delivered them to a nearby woman’s shelter after completing a unit on personal grooming. Each year her Child Development class also makes quilts to donate to new babies in shelters. Throughout the year her students can be found at the local nursing home, providing assistance and companionship to those who need it.

In addition to the work done with her students at Highmore High School, Ms. Haiwick has served as the adviser for Highmore chapter of the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) for over 20 years. Her projects with this group stress the importance of service, not only in once a year projects, but in the projects they do each day and in the many activities her chapter sponsors. Her FCCLA chapter has won eight STAR events since 1997 and in 2001 was presented the First Runner-up Award for the national program STOP the Violence.

An active member of ACTE for 22 years, Ms. Haiwick has served on numerous committees for the South Dakota Association for Career and Technical Education. She is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Family and Consumer Sciences and volunteers in other organizations in her community such as the 4-H Club. 

The Arizona Automobile Dealers Association (AADA) is an advocate of career and technical education within the automotive industry in the state of Arizona. Responsible for 229 dealerships across the state, AADA promotes school to career partnerships between Arizona high schools and the automotive dealerships.

In 1999, AADA became affiliated with the Automotive Youth Education Systems (AYES) and began work to ensure Arizona’s high schools offer quality automotive training programs. With the aid of AYES, AADA has helped schools develop their automotive programs from an easy to take class, to a competency-based course of study that will provide their students with the necessary skills for advanced academic study and dealership employment.

AADA’s assistance has helped make National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) and AYES certification possible for several schools. In addition, the association has presented Arizona’s students with many opportunities, such as job shadowing, mentoring, paid summer internships and paid after school employment. For example, under the direction of AADA’s Arizona Director for AYES, Michael McAfee, the East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT) reorganized their advisory committee and encouraged 29 dealerships to participate with their automotive program. As a result, in 2000-2001, 12 EVIT students were placed in auto dealerships and in 2001-2002, 24 students were placed. In addition to providing funding and the working materials necessary to administer the AYES process, AADA has distributed over $3.2 million to local and state charities. 

Gary Clark of Salt Lake City, Utah, a marketing and business instructor in Utah for over 27 years devotes his time to numerous activities on the local, state, national and even international level. He has published several works and garnered countless accolades.

At Granite High School in Salt Lake City, Mr. Clark has instructed marketing and business classes for 22 years. In addition to his duties as an educator, he volunteers his time as a student government advisor, yearbook advisor and as the coordinator of Granite District DECA clubs. He has earned the honors of Granite High School’s Teacher of the Year three times.

Outside the classroom Mr. Clark currently serves as a member of the board of directors for DECA and has acted as the master of ceremonies for the last 24 years at the state DECA competition. He has also served a term as president of the Utah Association of Marketing Directors.

Mr. Clark has been an active member of ACTE for over 24 years. In the past he has served as chairman for the awards and membership divisions at the Utah Association for Career and Technical Education (UACTE). 

Throughout his career Representative James R. Gowans of Utah has made career and technical education a primary focus. Beginning his career as a teacher, he ascended through the ranks of the public school system. Upon retirement, after serving 35 years with the Tooele County School district as a teacher and superintendent, Rep. Gowans serves in the Utah State House of Representatives.

In the Utah State House of Representatives, Rep. Gowans has been a member on the education committee and agriculture appropriations committee, protecting funds for the state’s Applied Technology Education (ATE) programs. During each of the ten years that he has served as legislator, state funding for ATE programs has been increased rather than cut. While an administrator in the Tooele school district Rep. Gowans was an advocate for career and technical education. Under his tenure there was an increase in the number of career and technical programs in the district and each program was given control of their own budget. Rep. Gowans has also fought hard over the years to keep all ATE programs through the public school system.

In addition to his legislative duties, Rep. Gowans participates in several organizations including Tooele County Cattleman’s Association, and sits on the Tooele Valley Regional Medical Center Board of Trustees as Chair.

National Winner—Secondary Program: Central Nine Career Center/Automotive Service Technology Program, Greenwood, Indiana.

National Winner—Postsecondary Program-Generic: Skagit Valley College/Automotive Technology Program, Mount Vernon, Washington.

National Winner—Postsecondary Programs-Manufacturer Affiliated: Ranken Technical College/Automotive Maintenance Technology Program, St. Louis, Missouri. 

Thomas D. Bates, Career & Technical teacher at Appleton North High School, Appleton, Wisconsin, received the award. Mr. Bates' submission included training topics in Safety and Risk Management, PPE, Safety Inspections, First Aid Practices, Instructional Techniques, Equipment Care & Operation, Housekeeping Practices, Fire Safety, General Practices, and Classroom Rules.