Montana's Career & Technical Student Organizations prepare for upcoming State Leadership & Career Exploration Events
 With just around 8,000 student members in the seven state CTSO’s of BPA, DECA, FFA, FCCLA, HOSA, Skills USA and TSA. Preparations begin for State conferences through out March and April. DECA hosted their state conference January 30-February 1 in Fairmont, MT. During these state conferences students will take the technical and employability skills they are learning in the classrooms and apply them to real world scenarios. Competing in leadership and speaking events, technical skill events and even showing off their talent. If you would like to serve as a judge or observe an event, please reach out to the CTSO state directors listed below.
Lisa Parker, BPA State Director (406) 579-3697
Whitney Whittecar, FCCLA State Director (406) 229-2017
Jim Rose, FFA State Director (406) 994-7050
Katie Meier, HOSA State Director (406) 868-9445
Mary Heller, SkillsUSA State Director (406) 399-0640
Jesse Gray/Kirk Woosley, TSA State Directors (406) 676-3390 ext. 755
Career & Technical Student Organization (CTSO)
Upcoming Event Schedule
BPA State Conference: March 13 - 15
TSA State Conference: March 28 - 29
SkillsUSA State Conference: April 10 - 14
FFA State Conference: March 30 - April 2
HOSA State Conference: April 5 - 6
FCCLA State Conference: March 17 - 18
Now that we have seen the end of 2020 temporary emergency actions, states have returned to passing legislation that affect Career Technical Education (CTE) and career readiness at pre-pandemic numbers with a new emphasis on systemic solutions that deliver equitable access for each learner to participate in opportunities that lead to career success.
Over the year, Advance CTE and the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) tracked state activity, cataloged final state policy actions and categorized trends based on the policy areas of focus and today, published State Policies Impacting CTE: 2021 Year in Review. This year’s report provides an analysis that spans across 41 states who enacted 138 policies. All policies that were passed in 2021 affected the secondary education, postsecondary education, adult education and/or workforce systems.
The policy areas that states focused on in 2021 were similar to previous years with industry-recognized credentials now one of the top five key policy areas.
Top Five Policy Trends in 2021:
- Funding
- Access and equity
- Data, reporting and/or accountability
- Industry partnerships and work-based learning
- Industry-recognized credentials
Montana Career Lab Upcoming Webinar
SkillsUSA Montana:
Breaking Records and Celebrating CTE
 SkillsUSA Montana has many reasons to celebrate CTE in the month of February and the rest of the 2021/2022 school year.
We held our first ever Leadership Conference in Billings January 18th – 20th. Nearly 100 students and advisors came to the conference and participated in workshops regarding safety, resume/job interview tips, critical thinking, and conflict management. The best part about this conference was that the State Officers worked with industry representatives to teach the topics. This partnership of students and industry working together launched the CTSO forward in demonstrating how SkillsUSA is the bridge between the private sector in the skilled trades and public education. Now, as we head towards our State Leadership and Skills Conference in April, more companies are wishing to participate and see how we are actively building a quality, skilled workforce for tomorrow.
In early February the national office awarded State Director, Mary Heller, with a certificate of accomplishment well worth mentioning. For the first time since 2016, SkillsUSA Montana has over 500 members registered in the association. This achievement is even more exceptional given the fact that it happened in a time when the covid pandemic has wreaked havoc on participation in other clubs, extra-curricular activities, and CTSOs across the nation.
As SkillsUSA Montana heads towards April and the State Leadership and Skills Conference, another new record will be set. For the first time in over 45 years, this large conference will not be held in Havre at MSU-Northern. Helena College will be the primary host of the conference and the event will take place in Helena April 7th-9th. The other hosts are the Montana Carpentry Apprenticeship program, Dick Anderson Construction, and East Helena High School. This year’s event will go down in history as the time when SkillsUSA actively involved a 2-year postsecondary institution, an apprenticeship program, a respected private business, and a new secondary school chapter to prove we are the bridge actively narrowing the skills gap.
SkillsUSA Montana is proud of our students, our advisors, and the new partnerships in the skilled trades. As we work with all these sectors to narrow the skills gap in Montana, we feel that is worth celebrating for the CTE month of February and many years to come.
For more information, contact Mary Heller at mary.heller@skillsusamontana.org or call 406-399-0640.
Adobe Design Circle $cholarships for $tudents
The Adobe Design Circle Scholarships application is now open. Applications are due on Monday, March 14 at 11:59 pm Pacific Time.
Adobe believes that young people should have the opportunity to learn and express themselves through creativity and technology, regardless of their economic or cultural backgrounds. A diverse design community that reflects the world around us is essential to our industry’s future innovation and economic success.
To help reach untapped youth communities and foster more diversity in the design industry, the Design Circle scholarship will do just that: Adobe is awarding 10 annual college scholarships—up to $25,000 per year, for each year of the recipient’s undergraduate education (up to four years or $100,000).
The scholarship is ideal for students who want to enter product design or experience design-related careers (e.g. digital, web, UX/UI, interaction design, or similar).
For more information and to access the application, click here.
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Cyber Education Discovery Forum - June 20-22, 2022 in Alexandria, Virginia
The Cyber Education Discovery Forum, hosted by CYBER.ORG, is a professional development event designed to prepare and empower K12 educators to teach cybersecurity topics. Early-Bird Registration is $50, ending March 31, and increases to $100 after March 31.
- Learn and practice ready-to-implement lessons in daily workshops
- Explore relevant cybersecurity education topics through breakout sessions
- Network with K-12 educators as well as cybersecurity industry and organizations
The Cyber Education Discovery Forum will be held June 20-22, 2022, in Alexandra, Virginia, at The Westin Alexandria Old Town. Room rates are $195 with reservations due by May 18, 2022. The Westin Alexandria Old Town is 4.5 miles from Reagan National Airport (DCA).
The Cyber Education Discovery Forum will have four tracks: 1) Cybersecurity Awareness for Elementary; 2) Cybersecurity Awareness for Middle School; 3) Technical Cybersecurity for High School; and 4) Cyber Society.
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Montana FFA Update:
Montana FFA Officers have completed about 75% of their chapter visits for the year. Officers have worked in pairs and crisscrossed the state interacting with members from 75 high schools. In preparation for these visits, they developed four different workshops in which schools could choose from. In addition to concluding their visits, the officers are looking forward to National FFA Week which will be held Feb. 19-26.
Josiah Cruikshank who serves as the Western Region Vice-President for the National FFA Organization will be in Montana Feb. 23-25. Josiah will be presenting 1 ½ hour long leadership workshops in three locations across the state. He will address members from the western part of the state on Feb. 23rd in Missoula followed by workshops in Belgrade on Feb. 24th and Park City on the 25th. Josiah will also visit with two MSU Agriculture Education classes in Bozeman and participate in interviews at the Northern Ag Network in Billings.
February is application month for Montana’s FFA members. Members are working on degree applications along with proficiency, chapter and scholarship applications. Additionally, District career development events (contests) will be finalized between now and the middle of March with qualifiers moving on to state competition. Other activities coming up for members is the Conrad Alumni Mechanics and Agronomy seminar held the first part of March followed by Montana CDE Days March 21st and 22nd in Miles City.
The culmination of yearly events is the State FFA Convention which will be held in Bozeman beginning March 30th and concluding April 2nd. This four-day event recognizes members, has numerous leadership workshops, has nationally recognized guest speakers and provides the opportunity to show appreciation to the state officers for their year of service. This year’s convention will be based in the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse on MSU’s campus.
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Secure Your Spot for the CSTA 2022 Conference
Engage with your community of computer science teachers during the Computer Science Teachers Association’s CTSA 2022 Conference.
Experience over 200 educational sessions to help you get the best educational experience possible. Energize in-person, where you will leave feeling refreshed and excited to start the school year, armed with new lessons and tools to implement in your classroom.
Join the community at CSTA 2022, set for July 14-17, in Chicago. Secure your Early Bird rate before prices increase on May 31.
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Scholarship Applications for the CSTA 2022 Conference are Now Open
The Computer Science Teachers Association is excited to announce that scholarship applications for the CSTA 2022 Conference are now open. Thanks to the generous support of CSTA partners, they are able to offer financial support to cover the conference registration fee, three nights in a hotel, and/or airfare, train, or mileage reimbursement (up to $400).
You must be an active CSTA member to apply. Become a member for free today.
The CSTA 2022 Conference will be held July 14-17, in Chicago.
Learn more and start your application today. The application will close on April 24, 2022, at 11:59 pm (PDT).
Montana BPA Update:
Workshops set for SLC!
Get ready to rock Montana BPA because this year at the State Leadership Conference we have some amazing people lined up to join you at your workshops. For those members that wish to get a better grasp on what BPA really is or to expand their knowledge on leadership skills a BPA 101 workshop as well as a ABCDE Leadership workshop will be offered at SLC by state officer team members. If you're interested in Social Media Marketing please sign up to attend that workshop and gain some of the essential knowledge you will need to network effectively on social media.
Also joining us this year Brian Bilman, Warriors & Quietwaters Foundation of Bozeman will present Leadership Lessons Learned from Three Decades of Leading Marines. This organization was founded on the basis of helping 9/11 veterans recover from their trauma and get back to a new normal. They support and develop lifelong relationships with these veterans through a variety of outdoor experiences and they will be joining us to help you connect with veterans in your area as well as connect with those who feel unincluded. Your state officer team would also like to welcome back Jewell Zweegman who was our keynote speaker a few years back sharing a session on Medical Careers .
This year we also have Reach Higher Montana coming in to talk and interact with those who are interested in Life After High School: How to Achieve Your Goals. Make sure to pack some comfortable clothes with you this year as well. We will wrap up our workshop sessions with Vinyasa Flow Yoga because we will be having a relaxing yoga workshop also offered this year. Our goal this year is to help pack your brain full of tips, tricks, and knowledge all while having fun with you this SLC.
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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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