Applications Now Being Accepted for Perkins Rural Reserve Grants for 2023-2024

Purpose: To create career awareness, and recruit and retain students within a CTE Secondary Program of Study that leads to high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand occupations. There are currently 176 schools offering over 260 Career and Technical Education courses to students in grades 5-8 in our Montana schools. The most offered course is in career exploration. Montana does not allocate Perkins’s funding for middle school programs this year’s Rural Reserve Grant will be to encourage pathway work for the middle grades. Schools could use the funds to help: --establish innovative delivery methods for career exploration, --expose students to employability skills earlier, --establish foundational elements for work-based learning, --improve transitions from middle grades into secondary Career and Technical Education pathways.

High School Awards: Grants of up to $5,000 each will be available to secondary Perkins eligible: school districts that receive less than $15,000 in Perkins funding Schools will have had to complete the Perkins Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (CLNA) and E-Grant application as well.

Middle School Awards: Grants of up to $5,000 each will be available to secondary Perkins eligible school districts to support CTE work in the middle grades (5-8). Schools will have to complete the Perkins Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (CLNA) and E-Grant application as well for the 2023-2024 Grant cycle. Middle School programs will need to apply through their high school district to submit the application. Districts are only eligible for a total of $5,000 in awards, must have completed the Perkins Grant Application for Fiscal Year 24, and receive an allocation of less than $15,000. Grant winners are notified on an ongoing basis. The first reviews will be on January 2, 2024.

Use of Funds: Applicants need to show a middle school/ secondary program partnership. Money will be granted to the Secondary Program to use for Middle School CTE Development/Support. Click here for the application.

Fall 2023 Stock Market Game Winners Announced

The Montana Council on Economic Education (MCEE) announces the Fall 2023 Stock Market Game winners and wishes to thank all the teachers for what you do in the classroom and for participating in the Fall 2023 Stock Market Game. This fall’s competition had an exciting finish with 546 teams competing—the highest participation numbers yet.

MCEE also thanks Glacier Bancorp and its family of six Montana banks for removing barriers to participation by paying all the team fees and also supporting an enhanced prize model providing more rewards deeper into the leader list.

A brief story from a team from Laurel, by November 13 their $100,000 starting balance had dropped to $85,658.79 but they showed resiliency and through a number of decisions, pulled up their finishing balance to $103,640.85. MCEE believes there is a lesson to be learned in the grit it takes to bounce back and added a new prize category of rewarding the most improved to encourage others to stick with it, especially when facing challenges.

Congratulations to all of the 1,470 participating students and 50 teachers/coaches for introducing investment principles to empower youth into the future.

The spring competition will be from February 5 to April 12, 2024. Registration is now open.

Carl D. Perkins Grant Final Allocations

Final allocations for FY24 are now loaded into E-grants.  Schools that have already had their Perkins budget approved will need to make an amendment and follow the steps below to complete the final allocation. 

The Amendment User Guide can help if you are uncertain how to complete this.

1. Once you have opened your Perkins Grant Allocation Tab: If you do not see the additional reallocation funds, you will need to mark this box to show the most current data.

2. The final allocation should show up with the current data.  Current year funds and then the reallocation and new total.  Please make sure these match your budget pages.

3. Please ensure you are saving as you go.  Once the additional funds have been budgeted, please submit for approval.  Amended budgets need to be approved ASAP to ensure timely spending in fiscal year quarter two.  As soon as budgets are approved you are reminded to spend your Perkins dollars. 

4. Programs should be drawn down quarterly at a minimum. 

Montana FFA Members at the National FFA Convention and Expo: Indianapolis, Indiana

Approximately six hundred Montana students attended the convention where they engaged in competitions, leadership workshops, tours, and educational seminars. This annual event attracted nearly 73,000 members from across the nation. In the national Livestock Evaluation competition, the Big Timber FFA chapter placed 2nd in the nation by besting forty-four other state-winning teams from across the U.S. Team members were Morgan Anderson, Mollie Ruth, RaeAnna King, and Rylee Swartz.

Another team from the Big Timber chapter placed 6th in the National Vet Science contest. Additionally, Kalispell FFA Chapter’s Agronomy team placed 7th and Gardiner FFA placed 10th in Food Science.

Pictured above: Nationals 2nd Place Livestock Evaluation Team from Big Timber. Left to Right: Morgan Anderson, Rylee Swartz, Mollie Ruth, and RaeAnna King.

Individual members that rose to the top in their respective competitions 

Kalispell’s Ethan Bay who placed 2nd in the national Agronomy competition, Shepherd FFA’s Claire Murnin placed 4th in the National Employment Skills event and Morgan Anderson placed 10th in the livestock evaluation contest.   Additionally, Kara Conley and Faith Berow from Missoula placed in the top 10 in the National Agriscience program.  Finally, Aiden Fouhy from Scobey participated in the National FFA Chorus, Cort Fraker from Forsyth participated in the National Talent program and Shyanna Harmen from Huntley Project, and Wybie Naber from Lewistown participated in the National Band.  

The following is how the other Montana chapters placed during this year’s national convention:  Floriculture – Park City – Silver,  Marketing plan – Corvallis – Bronze,  Conduct of meetings – Shepherd – Silver,  Parliamentary Procedure – Bainville – Bronze,  Creed – Riley Jones – Miles City - Bronze,  Extemporaneous Speaking – Rylee Glimm – Kalispell - Bronze

Prepared Speaking – Carly Friedrich - Plentywood - Silver,  Forestry – Missoula – Silver,  Ag Issues – Corvallis – Bronze,  Ag Communication – Wibaux - Silver,  Horse – Mission Valley – Silver,  Farm Agribusiness Mgmt. – Big Sandy – Silver, Ag Mechanics – Mission Valley – Silver,  and Poultry – Hobson – Gold. 

*Note – Gold, Silver, and Bronze ratings represent roughly the top, the middle, and the lower third of teams participating. 

The National Chapter Award recognizes chapters that excel in member, chapter, and community development.  The Beaverhead FFA Chapter in Dillon was recognized as a top ten finalist and was identified as a Premier Chapter.   In addition to the contest placings, 24 members received the American FFA Degree. They are as follows: Olivia Collins – Joliet, Carson Crary – Choteau, Justin Dickhaut – Missoula, Wyatt Dooley and Keena Lewis – Gardiner, Jack Gibson and Daniel Martin – Beaverhead, Anthony Hernandez – Little Big Horn, Jesse Isaacs – Miles City, Wyatt Iverson – Bainville, Gabby Krueger – Corvallis, Brighton Lane – Huntley Project

Brealyn LaRue – Big Timber, Jesica Masshardt – Ruby Valley, Colton Noyes – Broadwater, Shelby Pitman – Shepherd, Adaline Reilly – Forsyth, Darin Schallenberger – Carter County, Mackenzie Serrano – Roundup, Kiara Sherman and Ashlie Welker – Mission Valley, Lenora Shoemaker and Jordyn Whitmus – Fromberg, and Claire Standley – Missoula. 

*The American FFA Degree is the highest degree that can be bestowed upon a member and represents at least five years of dedicated participation in the FFA organization. 

Three individuals received the Honorary American FFA Degrees for their support of Montana FFA.

They are: Dave Kelsey – a long-time FFA supporter

Stacy Dietz who is the Agriculture Education Instructor at Shepherd

Ben Meyer – former Ag teacher in Conrad and currently a National FFA employee

Montana Agriculture Education was awarded a 100% membership award and the Montana FFA Association received an award for membership growth!

Perhaps the individual highlight of the convention was when Kyelynn Coombe from the Joliet FFA Chapter was named the National Winner in the Beef Production Proficiency Award area.  Proficiency awards recognize students who excel in their work-based learning experiences. 

Pictured Above: Kyelynn Coombe a member of the Joliet FFA Chapter was named as the National Beef Production Award Winner at the 96th National FFA Convention held recently in Indianapolis.

MCEE Announces the Fall 2023 Big Sky Biz Sim Top Performers

The Montana Council on Economic Education (MCEE) extends congratulations to everyone on an exciting finish to the Big Sky Biz Sim by First Interstate Bank competition this semester. MCEE announces the top teams and will be sending out prizes and certificates this week.

Cash prizes for the top three teams will be going to teams at Sidney High School coached by Russel Biniek, congratulations. MCEE will also be sending out Visa Gift Cards to every top-performing team in each Industry. It is exciting to see several new or relatively new teachers lead their students to success. MCEE is actively promoting more participation so this is a welcome indicator.

Below, the Top 15 by Stock Price are listed so you can see how things stacked up. MCEE will be sharing these results with OPI, their sponsors, and on their social media, so if you want to engage, please visit MCEE on Facebook.

MCEE hopes to see many of you register for the Spring Biz Sim; registration will be opening soon with the deadline of January 30th to register with the first trades due February 7, 2024.

Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS)

“Recently a feature article was published in the ACTE National publication “Techniques” which discussed the need for sewing and textile literacy in space travel (Nov/Dec 2023 Issue).  The article titled “ NASA Demonstrates a Need for Family and Consumer Sciences & Textiles Literacy” shares the connection of FCS Education to STEM fields. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) indicates knowledge of textile characteristics and fabrication skills (sewing) is vital to space travel and space stations.  The reason? Weight.  Using textiles as the materials used in organizational items and meeting the personal needs of astronauts is dire for space travel.  This also involves a high level of problem-solving, teamwork, and strong communication skills, something FCS Education is known to develop in students, and documented through an annual FCCLA survey of members where over 80% surveyed (30,000 participants) say they learned those skills through their FCS and FCCLA experiences.   

Dr. Florence Gold, director of the NASA HUNCH program (located in Billings, MT) met with Gayla Randel, MT OPI FCS Specialist about a year ago when a conversation about the value of FCS and textile education to the space program was held. Randel, who had two uncles working on the Apollo program in the 1960s knew of several examples of how FCS had been involved in solving space dilemmas, and asked what that looks like today. It was at that point, that Gold and Randel brought in Dr. Jennifer Leanord, Softgoods Program Manager (based in Houston, TX) to share this need with Montana FCS teachers and FCS programs nationally.  The article grew out of that need to share the NASA and FCS connection.

Presently, six FCS programs in Montana are at varying stages of becoming production locations for making NASA textiles products to be used in the space station. This involves providing an industrial sewing machine with training by Leonard who travels the U.S. to expand the HUNCH program. 

In addition, the NASA HUNCH program has a Food Innovation/Culinary Challenge to develop new foods for sending to space. This is the next relationship Randel is looking to advance in Montana FCS programs.  It is important to find ways to bring industry connections to Montana where work can be remotely performed in any location….why not bring those opportunities to our state, rather than lose our youth to other states when they move as adults to follow jobs?

Look for future articles to learn how Montana FCS is working with NASA!  

 2023-24 CTE-Perkins Office Hours

Every Wednesday 7:00 am-4:00 pm

Join us on ZOOM

Our Office hours are a great place to jump on and ask any question regarding the Perkins process or application. Our Specialists are there to help with one-on-one instruction!

We are working to recognize the hard work that Industrial Technology Teachers do in their classrooms! What better way to do that than by getting students to nominate their teachers? Please feel free to share this Link with your students or on your school’s social media, so that they can nominate their Industrial Technology teachers. The winners will receive a prize and recognition.

Our December winner is from Thompson Falls School, Mr. McGuire! Congratulations to Mr. McGuire!

Thank you for your help getting the word out to students.

Who is an Industrial Tech Teacher? This link lists all of the subjects/Classes that an Industrial Technology Teacher Can teach! 

2024 Perkins State Plan Survey

For questions, please contact:

OPI CTE Unit General Questions

Shannon Boswell, Career Technical and Adult Education Director

Eric Tilleman, Agriculture Education Specialist

Jamie Corley, Health Sciences Education Specialist 

Kaitlin Trutzel, Industrial Technology Specialist 

Eric Swenson, Business Education Specialist 

Gayla Randel, Family & Consumer Sciences Education Specialist

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.