The winners' circle: at the ACTE convention in New Orleans last December, four of our outstanding career and technical educators received top honors.

The winners' circle: at the ACTE convention in New Orleans last December, four of our outstanding career and technical educators received top honors. Coleen C. Keffeler ACTE-McDonald's Teacher of the Year Coleen Keffeler has been a family and consumer sciences teacher for15 years, 10 of them at Sturgis Brown High School in Sturgis, SouthDakota Sturgis is a city in Meade County, South Dakota, USA. The population was 6,442 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Meade CountyGR6. , where she is credited with developing an innovative curriculumto meet the needs of the students. When she first came to Sturgis, shefound that the family and consumer sciences curriculum was what shedescribes as "from the 1970s," and boys could only take theindependent living "bachelor survival" courses. Although notas many boys as she had hoped have taken the current courses, somehave--including one student from her 2000 class who is considering acareer in child development or the medical field. Both male and femalestudents take advantage of a program in which they learn infant, childand adult CPR Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)DefinitionCardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a procedure to support and maintain breathing and circulation for a person who has stopped breathing (respiratory arrest) and/or whose heart has stopped (cardiac and the Heimlich maneuver Heimlich maneuver,emergency procedure used to treat choking victims whose airway is obstructed by food or another substance. It forces air from the lungs through the windpipe, pushing the obstruction out. . Fort Meade VeteransAdministration is just across the highway from the school, so nursesfrom the facility come and work with the students. By passing writtenand performance tests, the Sturgis students can earn Heart Savercertification. Education for the Real World Keffeler changed the child development course to a program in whicheach student spends eight weeks going through classroom training and 10weeks in an on-site placement based on the interest area of the student.She tells the students during the classroom training, "I'mgoing to put a lot of responsibility on you, because this is what youwill need to know on the job. But, we're going to have fun."That fun involves exciting, hands-on projects that help give an accurateassessment of what the students have actually learned and what they canactually do. Students then spend the work-based section of the course at sitesthat are determined by their interest areas, such as licensed day carefacilities, early preschools, K-4 classrooms, special educationclassrooms, or even the nurse's office. Another class developed by Keffeler is a hospitality course thatshe modeled after the American Hotel Motel Association curriculum. Aspart of a teacher externship externshipholding the position of an extern.externshipActing internship, see there , she spent a week one summer at theRushmore Plaza Holiday Inn in Rapid City. There, she worked in therestaurant, at the front desk, sat in on interviews with the humanresources The fancy word for "people." The human resources department within an organization, years ago known as the "personnel department," manages the administrative aspects of the employees. department, and even cleaned the swimming pool. In the fall,Keffeler was able to bring her students to the facility, where they gotto repeat her experience on a smaller scale. School-to-Career Success In June 2000, Keffeler became the coordinator of theSchools-to-Career program at Sturgis. She was ideally qualified for theposition, having developed a career planning class that was aprerequisite to a youth internship internship/in��tern��ship/ (in��tern-ship) the position or term of service of an intern in a hospital. internship,n the course work or practicum conducted in a professional dental clinic. program. Students in thesemester-long career planning class spend nine weeks in careerexploration and nine weeks learning how to prepare resumes and completejob applications and learning interview skills. They also develop adigital portfolio, which they update in the youth internship program. Aspart of the youth internship program, students work in nonpaid, on-sitejobs for which they receive school credit. Keffeler developed a Web sitefor the School-to-Careers program and an intranet page onschool-to-career/ youth internship opportunities, as well assite-specific task competency lists for every job site for the youthinternship program. As a dedicated teacher, Keffeler is exceedingly proud of theaccomplishments of her students and eagerly relates their successes. Oneof her students is working for the police department and is so skilledon the computer that she was able to help an officer who was havingdifficulty creating a graph to convey information needed for a criminaltrial. The student came up with a descriptive pie chart A graphical representation of information in which each unit of data is represented as a pie-shaped piece of a circle. See business graphics. that was soeffective that it resulted in the handing down of a maximum sentence.The state's attorney Noun 1. state's attorney - a prosecuting attorney for a statestate attorneyprosecuting attorney, prosecuting officer, prosecutor, public prosecutor - a government official who conducts criminal prosecutions on behalf of the state for the case thanked the student and told her,"Your graph and chart were what did it." Another of Keffeler's students was recently named the SouthDakota South Dakota(dəkō`tə), state in the N central United States. It is bordered by North Dakota (N), Minnesota and Iowa (E), Nebraska (S), and Wyoming and Montana (W). Workforce Development Council Student of the Year for her work atthe Fort Meade pharmacy where she was treated as if she were a pharmacytechnician--waiting on patients and filling prescriptions under thesupervision of the pharmacist pharmacist/phar��ma��cist/ (fahr��mah-sist) one who is licensed to prepare and sell or dispense drugs and compounds, and to make up prescriptions. phar��ma��cistn. . A student who recently balanced the tires on Keffeler's carhas decided he wants to be a mechanic and plans to go to Wyoming Tech. Agirl working in the radiology radiology,branch of medicine specializing in the use of X rays, gamma rays, radioactive isotopes, and other forms of radiation in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. lab of a local clinic saw her firstultrasound of a baby and is already preparing her paperwork to go toschool in the fall to pursue a career in the field. "You see themout in their internships," says Keffeler, "and it'samazing a��maze?v. a��mazed, a��maz��ing, a��maz��esv.tr.1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise.2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex.v.intr. to see how much they grow up in that two- or three-mile drive totown." The important thing is to find what you really enjoy doing, shetells her students. "If you enjoy what you do, you never work a dayin your life." Keffeler even sees a benefit in finding what you don't want todo. When a student came back from spending time "Spending Time" is the first single released by Christian artist Stellar Kart.The lyrics describe the band members desire to spend "more time with God". "Sometimes it’s a real struggle to spend time with God. in elementary and middleschool classrooms, he told her, "You teachers don't get paidenough. There's no way I'm going to be a teacher." "That's okay," she replied. "You found out whatyou like and what you don't like." Teaching is definitely something Keffeler likes. "I love myjob. I can't imagine doing anything else," she says. In addition to her full schedule at Sturgis High School, Keffeler,who already has a master's degree master's degreen.An academic degree conferred by a college or university upon those who complete at least one year of prescribed study beyond the bachelor's degree.Noun 1. , is taking graduate classes toget an endorsement for certification in career and technical educationadministration. She is also working with the employability instructor toget a school-to-work grant for a computer lab for special needs studentsat her high school. Keffeler is an active 4-H leader and a frequentjudge at county fairs--carrying on a family tradition, since her motherand grandmother were both 4-H leaders. She is married with two children,and her son is currently a freshman at Sturgis High School. When herdaughter attended Sturgis, she was in her mother's childdevelopment and youth internship programs. Now Coleen Keffeler'sdaughter is attending college, where she is majoring in elementaryeducation elementary educationor primary educationTraditionally, the first stage of formal education, beginning at age 5–7 and ending at age 11–13. , preparing to become a teacher like her mother. Certainly the profession will be fortunate to have another teacherwith the love of teaching and the ability to guide students through thelearning and exploration that will lead them to successful careers.Those are the qualities that make Coleen Keffeler the 2002ACTE-McDonald's Teacher of the Year. Robert J. Kemmery Jr. ACTE-McDonald's Outstanding Career and Technical Educator When Robert Kemmery came to Eastern Technical High School inBaltimore, Md., in 1991, he was undaunted by the fact that the school,which is located in the most economically challenged community ofBaltimore, was far from adequate in meeting the needs of its students.He had a plan and a vision for turning the school around, and thelocation of the school didn't change his plan. After all, Kemmerysays, "I grew up in Pittsburgh in the back yard of a steelmill." Today, Eastern Technical High School is an award-winning schoolthat has become a model for other schools and communities to follow. Inthe last five years, visitors have come from 45 states and 25 countriesto learn about the program. In 1997, Eastern Tech was designated aMaryland Blue Ribbon blue ribbondenotes highest honor. [Western Folklore: Brewer Dictionary, 127]See : Prize School of Excellence, and in 1999, it was named aU.S. Department of Education New American High American High School may refer to the following: American High School (Fremont, California), the school in Fremont, California American High School (Miami-Dade County, Florida), the school in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida School. BaltimoreMagazine named Eastern Tech one of the area's top high schools in2001 and honored Kemmery as "Baltimorean of the Year" inJanuary 2000. A Turn Toward Excellence The turnaround for the school has been nothing short of remarkable.In 1991, less than one percent of the students were deemed ready forcollege, and only five percent took the SAT exam, achieving an averagescore of 950. In 2001, 87 percent of the students were prepared forcollege, and 43 percent took the SAT exam. The average score was 1059. To achieve his vision of success for his students, Kemmery set highstandards for rigorous course work, but his creation of Model CareerAction Plans was the key element in their success. "This is theopening to help ALL students," he explains. Kemmery had found what he describes as "a very big disconnect disconnect - SCSI reconnect between where the students were and the community'sexpectations." To make the connection he felt was needed betweenthe community and the school, he formed partnerships that allowed thestudents to experience the business world and develop real-worldtraining in career-focused programs. With input from the businesscommunity and postsecondary education institutions, the Eastern Techprogram was rebuilt and 10 career major programs were established. Kemmery says, "It takes a lot of people to buy in and helpmake a school successful." He credits not only the teachers andassistant principals, but also the members of the community that allbecame a part of his mission. "I always believed in communityservice," Kemmery explains, "and the business of schools isbuilding their communities." Sharing Success Building such a success has paid big dividends, and the school thatonce could not even fill all of the seats with students now has morethan 1,300 students. Twenty percent of the students are accepted on anacademic basis. But, with 340 openings each year and 750 students hopingto get in, a lottery must be held for the other 80 percent of the class. Strong academics are important to Kemmery, who spent 12 yearsteaching work-based learning, English and social studies. He was also anassistant principal at three technical schools over a period of eightyears. Throughout his career, Kemmery has seen the importance ofconnecting quality education with career exploration. "I believe inmy heart and soul that this is the opening to help disadvantagedstudents." Kemmery shares his blueprint for success with other educatorsthrough workshops and seminars, and is very active in state and nationalassociations. As a fellow principal says of his contributions as aneducational leader, "Mr. Kemmery has created a school spirit thathas moved beyond the boundaries of the Eastern Tech community to shapethe lives of his professional peers and the educational landscape ofschools nationwide." Kemmery himself is proud of his school but says modestly,"We're still working on it, but I feel pretty good aboutit." That is the philosophy of a true innovator. Achievingexcellence does not mean it's time It's Time was a successful political campaign run by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) under Gough Whitlam at the 1972 election in Australia. Campaigning on the perceived need for change after 23 years of conservative (Liberal Party of Australia) government, Labor put forward a to rest on your laurels. Insteadhe is working on convincing President Bush to come to Eastern TechnicalHigh School to see what a model career and technical school canaccomplish. And while it would be a great privilege for Kemmery to meetthe president, it will most certainly also be a great privilege for thepresident to meet Robert Kemmery, an outstanding career and technicaleducator. Billie Sue Burris ACTE-McDonald's Outstanding New Career and Technical Teacher Billie Sue Burris (who actually goes by Sue) is only in her sixthyear of teaching, but as she looks back on her years in the businessworld, she realizes that teaching has long been a part of her life. As adata entry supervisor, she often had to train employees. "I wasteaching then," she says. "I just didn't know it." Burris took time off from the business world after starting afamily, and when her children were in school, she began substituteteaching. She found that she really liked teaching, and other teachersrecognized her talent for it, encouraging her to get her certificationand become a full-time teacher. Today, Burris is a computer information systems instructor atQuapaw Technical Institute in Hot Springs, Arkansas Hot Springs is the tenth most populous city in the state of Arkansas in the United States of America, the county seat of Garland County, Arkansas, and the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County. . There, she teachesat the postsecondary level in a broad-based program that focuses onteaching entry-level skills including PC repair, networking, programmingand network cabling. Two years ago, when the chair of the departmentleft the school, Burris became the department chair. She has sinceguided the computer information systems department toward achievement ofher vision, which includes not only staying on the cutting-edge oftechnology but also forging a cooperative effort among students,educators, professionals, industry leaders and community participants. Results and Rewards Burris gets to know her students over the course of the two-yearprogram, since she usually has each student in two or three classes, andshe coordinates a five-week internship program for each student prior tograduation. That's when she can really see the results of her work,and that's why she says she loves teaching. "When you seesomeone come to school with low self esteem and very little confidence,then you see them grow through the course of the first year and gainconfidence over the second one; when they graduate and get a well-payingjob is the time the real reward of teaching comes." Burris is co-sponsor of the local chapter of CIS Cis(sĭs), same as Kish (1.) (1) (CompuServe Information Service) See CompuServe.(2) (Card Information S Skills-USA VICA VICA Vocational Industrial Clubs of AmericaVICA Video Conferencing Alliance (UK)VICA Vocational Industrial Chapters of AmericaVICA Vision Counsel of America and in 2000, her computer information systems students won a gold medal gold medaltraditional first prize. [Western Cult: Misc.]See : Prize in the Quiz Bowl competition at the state level, and then went on to winthe gold at the national level. She is now in the third year of afive-year gear-up grant that was used to develop a summer skills campfor seventh and eighth graders. Burris and another instructor designedthe occupational skills camp to introduce younger students to career andtechnical education. One of the goals of the camp is to try to show thekids the relevance of what they're learning now and how they willneed it later in life. It's also important for them to see thatlearning is an ongoing process. An Ongoing Education Lifelong learning Lifelong learning is the concept that "It's never too soon or too late for learning", a philosophy that has taken root in a whole host of different organisations. Lifelong learning is attitudinal; that one can and should be open to new ideas, decisions, skills or behaviors. is something Burris knows a lot about. Althoughshe has a very busy life that includes a family and active participationin church and community activities, she knows the importance of stayingcurrent on new technologies, especially in her field of computerscience. "Every semester se��mes��ter?n.One of two divisions of 15 to 18 weeks each of an academic year.[German, from Latin (cursus) s there's a new course I need to take or anew technology I need to learn about. That's not going tochange," Burris explains. "To stay on top of it and give mystudents the best education possible, I have to keep going back andupgrading my skills. That's a necessity because of the field I havechosen." She hopes that she will be a model of lifelong learning to herstudents. The lesson, says Burris is, "I'm teaching, but Ihave to go back. Education doesn't stop when you graduate, but isreally just beginning." Another learning opportunity for Burris comes from her involvementwith ACTE ACTE Association for Career and Technical Education (formerly American Vocational Association)ACTE Association of Corporate Travel ExecutivesACTE Approvals Committee for Terminal EquipmentACTE Anodal Closure Tetanus , which she has found especially helpful, since her backgroundis in business, not education. "The training and workshops at theconvention have been invaluable, and it comes at just the right time togive me the extra boost I need to get through the second half of theyear. ACTE has been a great organization for me professionally andpersonally." Being named the ACTE-McDonald's Outstanding New Career andTechnical Teacher is "just icing on the cake," she says. Andher description of ACTE is also quite fitting for Sue Burris herself.She calls it "the teaching spirit at its best." Her teaching spirit is admired by her colleagues at QuapawTechnical Institute. As one of them says of Burris, "She is thetype of teacher that we all aspire to aspire toverb aim for, desire, pursue, hope for, long for, crave, seek out, wish for, dream about, yearn for, hunger for, hanker after, be eager for, set your heart on, set your sights on, be ambitious for be." Sarah E. Raikes ACTE-McDonald's Outstanding Teacher in Community Service Sarah Raikes was teaching in a very successful family and consumersciences program at Campbellsville High School in Taylor County,Kentucky Taylor County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 22,927. Its county seat is Campbellsville6. The county is named for President Zachary Taylor. Taylor is a prohibition or dry county. , when she decided to move to the high school in WashingtonCounty Washington County is the name of 30 counties and one parish in the United States of America, all named for George Washington. It is the most common county name in the United States. . She didn't go because it was a bigger and better school.She didn't go for more money. She went simply because she wasneeded there. Raikes had already rejuvenated re��ju��ve��nate?tr.v. re��ju��ve��nat��ed, re��ju��ve��nat��ing, re��ju��ve��nates1. To restore to youthful vigor or appearance; make young again.2. the family and consumer sciencesprogram at Campbellsville and had gotten her students there involved incommunity service projects that ranged from cancer fundraisers andeducational fairs to FCCLA FCCLA Family Career and Community Leaders of America (formerly Future Homemakers of America)FCCLA First Congregational Church of Los Angeles (California)Stop-the-Violence events and holiday eventsfor needy children. The family and consumer sciences program inCampbellsville was strong, but in Washington County, the program was onthe verge On the Verge (or The Geography of Yearning) is a play written by Eric Overmyer. It makes extensive use of esoteric language and pop culture references from the late nineteenth century to 1955. of being closed. It wasn't even called family andconsumer sciences; it was still home economics. The year before shecame, there wasn't a certified instructor from December until theend of the school year. Students just put in their time, cooked and sawthe class as "an easy A." That all changed with the arrival of Sarah Raikes. She didn'tjust change the name from home economics to the national standard offamily and consumer sciences; she made sure the curriculum matched thosestandards. She established career paths and career interest inventories,did brochures, and talked to all of the students. Raikes made it clearthat it was now a real class, to be considered as a serious elective,and that, "When you come into this program, you're going towork." She even called parents to tell them of the results of thecareer interest inventories of their children, and she carried on hertradition of community service. Service with a Meaning As Raikes puts it, "We volunteered for anything andeverything--from picnics to day care to chamber of commerce luncheons.When you do things for the community, they find out you're there,and then they sell your program." Community service is a large part of Raikes' teaching, but shesays, "Everything I do is core content and curriculum based."She tied a study unit on birth defects birth defects,abnormalities in physical or mental structure or function that are present at birth. They range from minor to seriously deforming or life-threatening. A major defect of some type occurs in approximately 3% of all births. in with participation in theMarch of Dimes For the Canadian charitable organization, see Ontario March of Dimes and March of Dimes Canada. March of Dimes is the name of a United States health charity, whose mission is to improve the health of babies. , and MADD MADDMothers Against Drunk Drivers Public health An organization that advocates stricter legislation against DUI and underage drinking, and provides support services for victims of DUI collisions. See DUI. was incorporated into a study of values anddecision-making. "We're always looking for Looking forIn the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. needs that haven't beenmet," Raikes explains, "and we have a list that we keep by thecomputer. But I always run it by the kids to make sure that they'rewilling. They have to have ownership in it." Some of their projectshave hit very close to home. Last year, two teachers at the school losttheir homes to fire, so the students filled a basket for each of themwith Christmas tree Christmas treeEvergreen tree, usually decorated with lights and ornaments, to celebrate the Christmas season. The use of evergreen trees, wreaths, and garlands as symbols of eternal life was common among the ancient Egyptians, Chinese, and Hebrews. ornaments Ornaments are a frequent embellishment to music. Sometimes different symbols represent the same ornament, or vice versa. Different ornament names can refer to an ornament from a specific area or time period. to replace those that had been lost. Oneof the students at the school was recently paralyzed par��a��lyze?tr.v. par��a��lyzed, par��a��lyz��ing, par��a��lyz��es1. To affect with paralysis; cause to be paralytic.2. To make unable to move or act: paralyzed by fear. in a diving A DIV Associate of Divinity accident at a backyard swimming pool. It hit the other students veryhard, so they hope to do something with Cardinal Hill, therehabilitation rehabilitation:see physical therapy. center where the injured in��jure?tr.v. in��jured, in��jur��ing, in��jures1. To cause physical harm to; hurt.2. To cause damage to; impair.3. student received treatment. A True Role Model Within a few months of coming to Washington County, Raikes hadincreased membership in FCCLA from six to 60, and this year it reached110. "I was a state FHA See Federal Housing Administration. FHASee Federal Housing Administration (FHA). officer in high school," says Raikes."I've been on the other side, and I know what it did for me asa student. It made a difference." Making a difference is exactly what Raikes herself does--throughher work in the community and in the classroom. In both of thecommunities where she has taught, she is described as a role model forher students, both as an educator and a citizen. Her schoolsuperintendent Noun 1. school superintendent - the superintendent of a school systemoverseer, superintendent - a person who directs and manages an organization says of Raikes, "She sets high standards for herselfand her students and then works hard to see that they are met. I havenever known a more dedicated instructor." Raikes says simply, "I have a passion for what I do." Shecares about her students and finds that what means the most to her isseeing their joy and their growth. When she left Campbellsville to go tothe high school in Washington County, she says, "I didn't knowwhom I was sent here for. Now I know who the students are who needed mehere. Now I know their names." They are not likely to forget her name, because she is the kind ofteacher who truly makes a difference in the lives of her students andher community. And as the first recipient of the ACTE-McDonald'sOutstanding Teacher in Community Service, she is also assured that hername now has a place in the history of ACTE.