CTE June Newsletter
All Things Career & Technical Education for Montana
Montana ACTE News
 Region V Conference Changes:
New Dates Due to the current situation with COVID-19, the Region V Policy Committee along with the State CTE Leadership from Nevada and North Dakota, the decision was made to cancel the 2020 Region V Leadership Conference in April. There will be a Virtual Conference on October 29, hosted by Nevada in place of the traditional April Conference. Then in April 2021, Nevada will host the Region V Conference in Lake Tahoe on April 14-17. Hawaii will host the conference in 2022 and North Dakota will host in 2023.
Information will be updated on the Region V Website with registration information posted in early June.
Also during the situation with OCVID-19 as CTE programs moved quickly to address the need to deliver instruction by alternative methods, we (ACTE) were excited to see the creativity brought forward by teachers. We also recognized that while the herculean effort to move all instruction online was the immediate goal that was met this Spring, we wanted to make sure that we could provide access to tools and resources that would help teachers do more to offer their programs as high-quality experiences. Hence, ACTE’s commitment to have negotiated with their online delivery partner to have provided free access to six of their courses about how to teach online.
I hope that everyone is able to have a relaxing and enjoyable summer and that we are back in school next fall.
- Mark Branger, Executive Director
Cassie Huntley Retires from TSA
"I have chosen to retire and will continue to support and encourage students and educators to make Career and Technical Education a priority."
I would like to extend best wishes to Cassie Huntley, who has retired as the State Director for SkillsUSA Montana. Cassie has been a State Conference Coordinator since 2007 and has served admirably as the State Director for the past 8 years. She will be greatly missed by students and advisors alike. We have all benefited from her exceptional commitment to SkillsUSA and Career and Technical Education. She will be sorely missed and impossible to replace.
We know you all join us in wishing Cassie well as she starts a new chapter in her life. We know she is eager to spend time with the family she loves so much.
- Michael Houghton, Industrial Technology Specialist
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Jump Start: Teacher Spotlight
On Friday March 13th, and a full moon to boot, Jody left her classroom never imagining she would not return for the remainder of the 2020 year. Prior to that day, she always joked with her students that I wish I could just bring her new puppy, Monalisa, to school. Her wish came true and Monalisa is her new teaching assistant and makes cameo appearances in most of her videos. Adding humor and a look inside ranch life while teaching online has preserved the connections she treasures about teaching.
The magic of teaching is making connections with students and luckily this pandemic hit late in the year and Jody has an established bond with her “kids.” She remains in contact through texts, calls, emails and video chats. While everyone is missing the spring celebrations of their accomplishments, Jody says “the students have gained valuable skills that will benefit them in the long run.” Throughout the past ten weeks, teachers have taken technology to a new level. In one week, Jody’s school was able to pivot and launch eLearning. Under challenging circumstances, they showed their true colors—everyone stepped up, Zoomed in for meetings, and remained cohesive. Jody says, “I have never been so proud of my colleagues.”...
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Free, Online Course for Students (& Teachers) to Learn about the Cooperative Business Model from MCDC
Great Falls is home to The Montana Cooperative Development Center (MCDC), a non-profit, state-supported organization serving all 56 counties whose mission is to “To promote and develop cooperatives to meet the economic and community needs of rural Montana”. In this effort, the MCDC is reaching out to Montana’s high school students to share a customized curriculum about the cooperative business model. In their experience, most academic materials discussing business models do not include enough information regarding the nature of the cooperative model and its potential to serve rural communities.
All Montana Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers are invited to incorporate this content into their CTE courses. It is not the intent of the project to displace any current CTE content, only to enhance and support student understanding of business models and specifically the cooperative model. These materials were developed with Montana CTE students in mind, and MCDC stands ready to assist local and regional school districts in its implementation.
Please visit MCDC’s website at mcdc.coop to access other cooperative information. Please contact MCDC if you have any problems accessing the sites or the content there. MCDC has been working hard to fix any “bugs”, and appreciate you alerting them to any issues you may encounter. Please feel free to contact MCDC at 406.727.1517.
National Business Professionals of America
Conference 2020
Due to the pandemic NLC 2020 was cancelled. BPA held the National Special Awards Ceremony virtually for 2019-2020 National BPA Awards on May 20, 2020. The following chapters were recognized for their commitment through the BPA Program.
- BPA Marketing & PR: Great Falls High Chapter recognized with Award of Achievement
- Community Service: Hardin High School Award of Achievement and Helena High School recognized with a Certificate of Achievement
- Membership Explosion: Broadview Schools, Colstrip High School Culbertson High School, Meagher County Chapter and St Labre High School
- Darby Danishanko of Dawson County High School and Sydney Dethman of Froid High School received Certificates of Achievement for the Member Recruiter Award.
- Special Olympics: Montana BPA recognized for BPA Walk and Chain of Love Campaign
- Social Media Awareness: MT State Officer Team recognized
- National Officer Candidate: Ashley Weigum from Huntley Project
FFA - What's on Our Horizon?
 Students asked their teachers questions during classes held from home. Graduations took place on the football field inside the track instead of races. School buses transported meals instead of students. The 90th Annual Montana FFA State Convention connected us through a screen rather than a stage to celebrate a year of growth and instill hope in the future.
2020 threw a wrench in our plans by changing the world in which we live, challenging us all to find creative solutions to adapt. That's the thing about FFA members - they are challenged every day through their experiences in agriculture education to discover solutions to problems, bring people together, and lead them into a stronger future. Agriculture constantly changes as do our students in their path towards personal growth and blossoming into resilient leaders. By believing the leadership of this generation, we will become more united as they lead us into the sunlight of brotherhood and cooperation.
This summer, we are honored to share members' stories of how the FFA grows leaders, builds communities, and strengthens agriculture.
Virtual Education Workshop for Educators:
Sponsored by National Ag in the Classroom
National Agriculture in the Classroom holds an educator’s conference and educational meeting every June for up to 5000 educators. This year they are hosting a Virtual Summit June 24 and 25. The conference in Salt Lake City, Utah that was canceled because of COVID-19 related issues, however you can still attend classes virtually.
Workshop sessions presented by Agriculture in the Classroom state contacts, pre-kindergarten through 12th grade teachers and National Center for Agricultural Literacy lesson developers will be featured with elementary level sessions set for Wednesday June 24 and secondary level sessions set for Thursday June 25. However, all educators interested in Pre-K-12 agricultural literacy are welcome to participate in any or all sessions. We will use Zoom as the platform to conduct the workshops.
For more information contact Lorri Brenneman at: Montanaaitc@gmail.com
Montana HOSA Update
Montana HOSA 2019-2020 State Officers are all seniors and were graduated this month
three are headed to MSU, and one is headed to Princeton - with hopes to pursue careers in medicine. They passed the baton to 4 newly elected 2020-2021 State Officers: President Marley Miller, Flathead High School; Vice President-elect & VP in Charge of Community Service, Alexia Papka, Savage High School; Vice President in Charge of Marketing, Karson McGrath, Butte High School; Vice President in Charge of Healthcare Current Events, Vicente Ortega, Ronan High School.
 Pictured back row: 2019-’20 Officers, Gail Parambi, Cleo Schied, Simonne Clay, and Emma Field. Front row: Vicente Ortega, Marley Miller, Alexia Papka, and Karson McGrath. Seated: Collin Kaster, National HOSA Executive Council Postsecondary/Collegiate Vice-President from Washington HOSA.
Montana HOSA hosted their 16th annual State Leadership Conference March 10-11, in Helena, where 322 students competed in leadership, teamwork, emergency preparedness, and healthcare profession competitive events. Carroll College hosted all registrants on their campus for faculty-led, hands-on health science workshops. Competitive event medalists qualify to participate in the first HOSA Virtual International Leadership Conference being held June 24-27.
 HOSA advisors arrive in Helena for State Conference. Pictured: Dawn Drahos, Bozeman HOSA; Ellen Parchen, Hellgate HOSA; Kate Lindner, Big Sky HS HOSA; Alex Sobin, Sentinel HOSA; Maree Mitchell, Big Sky HS HOSA
Montana HOSA is proud to welcome new State Director, Katie Meier, Medical Careers and EMT instructor at Billings Career Center. Katie will assume duties in July.
U.S. Presidential Scholars Semifinalist - McKenna Quirk
McKenna Quirk a graduating senior at Hellgate High School has been named one of 621 semifinalists in the 2020 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. The semifinalists were selected from nearly 5,600 candidates expected to graduate from high schools in the year 2020.
Other Montana Semifinalists include:
Leah Charlotte Baranek, Helena - Capital High School
Ryan Wesley Hinson, Stevensville - Stevensville High School
Conrad Lee, Bozeman - Lee Home-School
Gail Parambi, Great Falls - Charles M. Russell High School
Catherine Russo, Butte - Butte High School
Michael Quinn Soltesz, Great Falls - Charles M. Russell High School
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Fourteen Future Ag Teachers Selected to Serve as
National Teach Ag Ambassadors
The National Teach Ag Campaign is pleased to announce its selection of 14 future agriculture teachers to serve as the 2020-2021 National Teach Ag Ambassadors. The selected ambassadors will begin their training this summer to become advocates for agricultural education at the 93rd National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, October 28-31.
These students (Tyler Noyes in picture) will represent the National Teach Ag Campaign at the convention as they encourage high school students who stop by the Teach Ag booth to consider careers as agriculture teachers. The ambassadors will engage with students, teachers, and stakeholders who visit the booth to develop a cohort of current and future agriculture teachers. The ambassadors will keep in contact with these individuals throughout their year of service through electronic communications in order to inspire the next generation of leaders, problem solvers, entrepreneurs and agriculturalists.
The National Teach Ag Ambassador Program was developed as an effort to address the current, nationwide high demand for agriculture teachers. The need for agriculture teachers in the United States is the result of retirements, current program growth, new programs opening, and current teachers who leave the profession to explore other opportunities. The ambassadors work to promote the need for high-quality and diverse agriculture teachers while at National FFA Convention and throughout the following year at the state and local levels.
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For questions, please contact:
Shannon Boswell, Division Administrator - 406.444.7915
Eric Tilleman, Agriculture Education Specialist - 406.444.4451
Renee Erlandsen, Health Sciences Education Specialist - 406.994.6986
Ian Beagles CTE/Perkins Data Control Specialist - 406.444.9019
Mike Houghton, Industrial Technology Specialist - 406.444.4452
Austin Schweitzer, Marketing Program Coordinator - 406.444.2059
Eric Swenson, Business Education Specialist - 406.444.7991
Megan Vincent, Family & Consumer Sciences Education Specialist - 406.444.3599
The OPI is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, require an alternate format, or have questions concerning accessibility, contact the OPI ADA Coordinator, 406-444-3161, opiada@mt.gov, Relay Service: 711.
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