CTAE October Newsletter
All things CTAE for Montana
Marsh Receives 2020 Outstanding Technology
Educator of the Year Award
 Diane Marsh, Columbia Falls High School business and technology teacher, holding the NCCE 2020 Outstanding Technology Teacher of the Year award she received in March. (Teresa Byrd/Hungry Horse News)
Since changing her career from marketing to education, Columbia Falls High School business and technology teacher Diane Marsh has used previous real-world marketing experience and ever expanding accreditation to provide students with the most relevant education possible.
The combination helped earn her the 2020 Outstanding Technology Teacher of the Year award, presented by the Northwest Council for Computer Education , an organization based out of Coeur D’Alene, Idaho.
“Diane inspires other educators in the northwest with new approaches and ideas that make a difference for students, staff and the community,” Heidi Rogers, NCCE CEO said. “She is never standing still and she is the first to learn something and share it with others. She overwhelmingly received this award due in part to her commitment and dedication to students, but also for her innovative teaching approach as an online instructor as well as being a traditional classroom teacher...”
SkillsUSA Hires New State Director
Allow me to introduce myself to you as your new SkillsUSA Montana State Director. Let me first say that I have been in the skilled trades industry in one form or another my entire life.
I am the daughter of a small, central Montana farmer. As a child, I followed dad’s lead while farming, running a sawmill, or fixing equipment in the family shop. I learned firsthand how important it is to have these skills for many different aspects of life. This background took me on many journeys after high school. Everything from a secondary education teacher to a Legislative Assistant for the US Congress.
For the past seven years, I have been the Director of the Career Center/Industry Relations at Montana State University-Northern. I am proud to say I have helped hundreds of college students connect with employers. I oversaw student placements for internships and full time positions. Theses placements led to lucrative and vibrant careers in the skilled trades industries.
The professional employability skills I helped students at Northern obtain, coupled with my background in skilled trades, encompasses all that SkillsUSA Montana seeks to accomplish in helping young people. I am excited to now be your State Director so we can work together helping our students be tomorrow’s leaders.
SkillsUSA Montana has its roots in providing highly skilled and professional employees. That started in 1966 and will not change. Our history has had challenges and Covid-19 is certainly no exception.
While our world has changed drastically in recent months, the fact remains that careers in the skilled trades are in high demand. No longer are these considered “blue collar” jobs. They are finally recognized as “essential” to the success of Montana, our nation, and our world. Employers across all 16 Career Clusters need a quality workforce, which means our message of providing just that needs to be louder.
With that said, here are a few initiatives I’m working on for our future:
- Increase industry participation at all levels
- Build a bigger Board of Directors with industry members
- Build a Foundation and Alumni board
- Marketing campaign in regular and social media
- Involve industry in the classroom more
These are big goals but I know we can accomplish them together. We will carry on the tradition of promoting professionalism in the skilled trades arena. With industry’s help, I know we will be able to grow students who will have successful and vibrant careers.
Please know you can contact me with any questions you have. I look forward to working with all of you
Best regards,
Mary Heller – State Director
SkillsUSA Montana
P.O. Box 1970
Havre, Montana 59501
Cell: 406-399-0640
Email: mary.heller@skillsusamontana.org
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AIM Fall CTE Collection
The AIM Fall Career and Technical Education (CTE) Collection is opening soon. This collection starts 11/2/20 and ends 12/31/20.
Please review all the AIM user guides for these Fall Enrollment and program Participation collections on the AIM User Guides Page.
AIM Fall CTE Data Collection:
The Fall Career and Technical Education (CTE) Data Collection is a follow-up to the Spring CTE Collection. Students identified as CTE Concentrators in the Spring who graduated in the previous year must be contacted to identify their status six months after high school graduation. See the AIM Fall CTE Collection User Guide for more information.
OPI Teacher Learning Hub now offering:
Understanding Healthcare: Teaching Health Science
as a Career Pathway
November 3 - 17, 2020
Health Science is a Career and Technical Education program that will introduce your students to a variety of careers in the health care industry. It also prepares students with the foundation skills necessary to successfully matriculate to a post-secondary health professions program.
20 OPI Renewal Units will be awarded at the end of the course
- This course is designed for Secondary Science or health enhancement teachers that have taken a college course in anatomy and physiology or Human Biology
- All electronic curriculum materials will be provided free of charge. Textbooks will be discussed, but not furnished
Course Objectives:
The teacher will be given opportunity to:
- Learn about the range of health care careers available.
- Learn to effectively advise students in healthcare career options.
- Demonstrate understanding of the National Consortium of Health Science Standards and Accountability Criteria including areas of heath careers, communication, legal and medical ethics, wellness, teamwork, human growth and development, mental health, nutrition, infection control, and vital signs.
- Participate in various learning activities using National Health Science Standards.
- Describe, analyze, and evaluate various teaching methods/techniques and curricula for health science education.
For further questions regarding Career and Technical Education options, please contact:
Renee Erlandsen,
Health Science Education Specialist
(406) 994-6986
Rerlandsen@mt.gov
CTE Student Workforce Readiness Initiative
and Development Activities
A showcase and social proof from fellow educators brought to you by the Montana Chamber of Commerce and Youth Entrepreneurs
BIZ+EDU = Connecting the business and education communities
We encourage you to join the Montana Chamber of Commerce showcase at The 2020 MT ACTE Fall Institute (October 15-16) highlighting our strategic priorities focused on workforce readiness and employability skills. Instilling economic and entrepreneurial principles in our students is a key goal to meet workforce needs in Montana.
To bring the business and education communities more closely together, we are partnering with Youth Entrepreneurs to bring innovative, no-cost enhancements into your classroom that are proven to boost students’ passion for careers in CTE.
Join us for a dialogue with some of the 50 Montana’s CTE educators already using YE and decide if joining YE’s national movement is right for you.
Montana Chamber of Commerce to host
Superintendent Arntzen - Webinar Focused on CTE
HELENA- As part of its series on career awareness for Montana youth, the Montana Chamber of Commerce is hosting Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen for a webinar focused on Career and Technical Education. The webinar will take place through Zoom this Thursday, October 22nd, at 2:30 pm.
"The Montana business community understands the importance of reaching our future workers earlier in their education. By connecting business leaders with students and allowing them to share their professional journeys, we are actively creating awareness of career pathways," said Todd O'Hair, CEO and President of the Montana Chamber of Commerce.
Superintendent Arntzen added, "Career and Technical Education is critical to the future success of Montana students and our state's economy. I am proud of the business and industry partnerships that have been created with the OPI to expand opportunities for students to graduate college and career ready. We must continue building on these partnerships to ensure that all students are Montana Ready."
To support career awareness for high school students, the Chamber is connecting business leaders from across the state virtually with CTE educators and students. These career awareness webinars support career pathway objectives by facilitating mentorship through story-telling directly to Montana's future leaders. In the spring, business leaders shared stories from their personal and professional lives, highlighted key decision points and anecdotes. Previous webinars can be viewed on the Chamber's YouTube channel.
Montana HOSA Update
Montana HOSA is going virtual for our Fall Leadership Conference (FLC) this year. State officer coordinator, Linzi Napier, and the state officer team have been putting together asynchronous videos that can be used with chapter officer teams this October. We are also excited to announce that one of the training sessions available will be put together with national guest speaker and leadership training expert, Kent Julian.
Thanks,
Katie Meier,
MT HOSA State Director
406-868-9445
MontanaHOSA@KatieMeier.co
Business Professionals of America (BPA) Update
Business Professionals of America held their Fall Leadership Conference virtually on Monday, October 5. Patty Hendrickson for Wisconsin provided a interactive keynote for the 353 members. State officers presented workshops on Running for State Office, BPA Cares, Recruiting and Fundraising, Torch Awards and Community Service. The morning concluded with a Kahoot edition to BPA Biz Bowl.
CONGRATULATIONS TO 2020 BIZ BOWL Winners:
1st Place Fergus High School Team Legends.
Members were June LePage, Marla Villaruel, Jasper Fairchild, Mitchel LePage, and Alex Naber. 2nd Place: Fergus High School Team JK . Team members were Julia Kunau and Lexi Breidenbach. 3rd Place: Great Fall High BPA. Team members were Camilee Boland, Alysa Curry, Baylee Furthmyre, Kelly Jones and Tia Zaremski.
The final element of FLC 2020 is Shark Tank BPA Edition. Students will be submitting the projects to be judged virtually this year.
Montana FFA Update
WOW! Another school year is already at least one month “in”! What a great opportunity lies ahead for all of us to make FFA chapters in your local communities the best they can be. Whether you are a member, an advisor, an alumni member or a community member you can all play an important role in ensuring the success of your local chapter. Volunteering and becoming involved with FFA related activities are perhaps the best way for you to enjoy what the FFA has to offer individuals of every age.
While the state officers cannot participate in face to face district leadership schools, they have created two online workshops that can be used for either, younger/greenhand members or older/chapter members. Using these online presentations is a great way to spice up a chapter meeting or use in a regular classroom setting. If you are interested in viewing these video presentations you can find them here:
2020 DLS Workshop - Senior
2020 DLS Workshop - Greenhand
The state officers are also implementing an “adopt a chapter program” where each of them will “adopt” about 12 chapters and interact as much as possible with those members. One of the highlights of the fall will occur during national convention time when the officers get the opportunity to interact with officers from six other states while participating in a national convention watch party. This activity will occur near Boise, Idaho at a secluded camp in the nearby mountains.
Some important fall dates that you should be aware of are as follows:
October 8th – NILE in Billings - online
October 27th – 29th – National FFA Convention online
November 13th – 14th – John Deere Ag Expo
The officers and myself are looking forward to another great year! Thanks for all you do to help Montana FFA Members excel and become advocates for Montana Agriculture!
Troops to Teachers Supports Montana
Schools and Veterans
The Troops to Teachers (TTT) program, congressionally authorized in 1993, is a Department of Defense (DOD) program designed to assist eligible members of the Armed Forces in transitioning into careers as public school teachers. The program provides financial (if eligible) and non-financial support to active duty members, veterans, and members of the National Guard and Reserve. The TTT staff provides advice and counseling to prospective teachers on the requirements and process of becoming a certified teacher. The staff also works with school administrators to place outstanding teachers in their schools. TTT participants are encouraged to accept substitute teaching positions or assist in schools in other ways.
The program is administered via a DOD grant to the Montana Office of Public Instruction, which provided a sub-award to Montana State University to operate the program in ten northwestern states, including Montana. Montana’s program is represented by Mr. Gordon Rognrud, a retired Montana CTE teacher and retired US Army Reserve Colonel.
TTT program participants may be placed at any K-12 level. DOD has placed teacher placement priorities on the STEM, CTE, special education, and foreign languages subjects. Priority is also placed on high needs (based on free and reduced lunch rates), rural and reservation schools. Eligible participants may be awarded a teaching bonus for teaching in these schools.
For more information, you may contact Gordon Rognrud at grognrud.ttt@gmail.com or 406-579-7179. Additional information is available at the MSU region office at 406-994-4173 or troopstoteachers@montana.edu, and at the national TTT website.
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Idaho's 2021 Teacher of the Year Says
"It's All About Relationships"
 Jorge Pulleiro (yellow) works with a group of middle school students in Spain. Pulleiro started an exchange program where students from the Wood River Valley trade places with Spanish teens during spring break. Photo courtesy of the Pulleiro family.
When Jorge Pulleiro was 16-years-old he brought home an old blackboard, and propped it up on his dining room wall. He bought some chalk, an eraser, and then papered shops around Buenos Aires, Argentina, with flyers for his English tutoring business.
It was the start of a lifelong calling for Pulleiro, and the teaching career that would carry him across the globe.
By 18 he’d landed his first professional post, teaching English to Argentinian high school students only a few years younger than himself. He brought his first paycheck home to Casilda Nasibe Dip Pulleiro, his widowed mother, who had worked 12-hour days as a seamstress and a maid to enroll Jorge in an extracurricular English academy, and pay for private school when she could...
Career and Technical Education in Montana has lost a great champion and outstanding educator
On Monday, October 12, 2020, after a prolonged battle with cancer, Cleo Sutton passed away. Cleo’s impact on Industrial Technology Education was profound and immeasurable. He organized and taught in programs across the state, including Western Montana College (UM Western), Helena College and City College - Montana State University Billings, Craft Trainer Classes for NCCER and had a deep impact on Industrial Technology programs across Montana and beyond.
A celebration of Life for Cleo will be held in the spring of 2021, due to COVID restrictions. For more information, please contact Jim Weber at jweber@helenaschools.org
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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