ACTE Announces Texas Teacher as 2019 National Winner

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 28, 2018

Contact: Jarrod Nagurka
jnagurka@acteonline.org,
703-683-9312

ACTE Announces Texas Teacher as 2019 National Winner

ALEXANDRIA, VA Today, the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) announced Bart Taylor, Teacher at College Station ISD in College Station, Texas, as the recipient of the 2019 National ACTE Carl Perkins Community Service Award. This award recognizes individuals who have used CTE to make a significant impact on their community and demonstrated leadership in programs and activities that promote student involvement in community service.

Throughout Taylor’s 18-year tenure as a CTE teacher, he has coordinated and engaged in service projects that have accumulated over 1,500 service hours, and he has raised over $80,000 in grant funds to support his program and over $1,500,000 in funds for local education foundations.

He has partnered with Lowe’s to develop a cybersecurity outreach program to engage the community in internet safety education. He has also engaged in a homeless awareness project where his students learned about poverty and lived homeless on the streets of Waco, TX for a weekend. Together with the SkillsUSA chapter he advises, Taylor and his students have hosted seminars and booths at several local events. These include Safety Day at their local Lowe’s store and professional development training days for their teachers at their high school.

Since 2000, Taylor has showcased his passion for pursuing innovative grant opportunities in an effort to enhance the classroom experience for his students. A grant to support his “Color for the Colorblind” enabled the purchase of EnChroma glasses that alter refraction. Other grants have allowed him to purchase a 3D printer and 3D digitizer for his students, and for his students to be able to install and build the entire networking and security infrastructure for a new homeless shelter called Family Promise. He lives to give back whenever he can, and he does it with great love and creativity.

Taylor was one of five finalists for the 2019 national title. The national winner was announced at the ACTE Awards Banquet, a dinner and award presentation recognizing the best CTE educators in the country. The event took place on Wednesday evening, November 28, during ACTE’s CareerTech VISION 2018 in San Antonio, TX. The Awards Banquet was sponsored by Express Employment Professionals, the US Army, CareerSafe, Goodheart-Willcox, and Stratasys. For more information about the ACTE Excellence Awards, visit our webpage.

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About ACTE
The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) is the nation’s largest not-for-profit association committed to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for successful careers. ACTE represents the community of CTE professionals, including educators, administrators, researchers, school counselors, guidance and career development professionals and others at all levels of education. ACTE is committed to excellence in providing advocacy, public awareness and access to resources, professional development and leadership opportunities.