2024-25 CTE-Perkins Office Hours
Every Wednesday 7:00am - 4:00 pm
One of our CTE Staff will be available on Zoom during office hours. You can hop on for help with Montana Career Pathways, Course Codes, Carl Perkins, Reserve Grant, Fall Data Collection, End of Year Data Collection, and more.
This is a great time to connect with our CTE Specialists- no appointment is needed- just click the link above!
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Ethan is OPI’s current Business Education Specialist. He attended Montana State University for both his B.S. and M.S. in Agricultural Education. His thesis focused on examining reasons why college graduates and beginning teachers choose to enter, leave, and stay in the teaching profession.
He transitioned into teaching in Wibaux, MT where he taught a variety of both agriculture and business courses. Ethan worked with Miles Community College and Dawson Community College to offer dual credit opportunities in animal science, plant science, and communications/speaking.
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He has served as an officer in multiple professional organizations and was recognized as the 2023 MACTE Teacher of the Year. Ethan is passionate about helping both students and teachers in CTE realize their full potential in the classroom and beyond.
The CTE Fall Data Collection is a follow up to last year's CTE Spring Data Collection. Students identified as CTE Concentrators last year should be contacted between November 1 and December 31, and have their current post-graduate status identified in the AIM/Infinite Campus data system.
For Assistance on Fall CTE Data Collection Please Contact by Phone Call 1-877-424-6681 or 406-444-3800, or email
SkillsUSA’s Montana State Officer team finished their first school visits in eastern Montana! This was a great opportunity to introduce different schools without chapters and schools with chapters that want to learn more about SkillsUSA.
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Plenty Coup, Lodge Grass, Baker, Savage, and Sidney welcomed us. Our officer team led communication activities with the students to showcase the SkillsUSA Framework and how it builds future workers. The goal of our visits was to educate the eastern district about the opportunities within SkillsUSA and their communities.
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In addition to school visits, we spoke with two pillars of business in the Sidney community, Thiel Brothers and Basin Precast. The owner of Basin Precast is a SkillsUSA/VICA Alumni who went into business for himself on the foundation of his knowledge and SkillsUSA training.
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Being able to see the success of that company utilizing parts of the SkillsUSA framework was very inspiring. We hope that these schools will consider SkillsUSA and that maybe they understand it a little better than before.
SkilIsUSA is a student organization focused on middle school, high school, and post-secondary students.
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It should be integrated into the curriculum to assist students in developing career-ready skills and exploring various industries, ultimately helping them become skilled American citizens. Additionally, it empowers its members to realize their full potential.
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For more information contact the SkillsUSA Montana state director
Roberta Tilleman
statedirector@skillsusamontana.org.
Article Written by the SkillsUSA MT state officer team.
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Recently, Stephanie Anderson, Polson Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher was nominated for an award by a fellow teacher to receive a $500 grant from KPAX—Missoula TV “One Class at a Time” program. She was selected and highlighted on November 20th for her food literacy project to develop leadership and address food insecurity.
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In her project, her FCS textiles students design and sew children’s size aprons for the third grade, which they wear when working with the Culinary students who taught them basic food preparation. Studies show many people do not know how to read recipes and use basic kitchen equipment which impacts their ability to make food decisions which impacts food security and health. Ms. Anderson, who has approximately 100 students, plans to expand this project. Watch this video about the project and her recognition.
Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Education is a “people science” focusing on empowering youth with skills to enhance their ability to be successful at work and in life.
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FCS approaches this work through prevention education to meet basic human needs both personally and through careers that provide this support to others. To learn more about Family and Consumer Sciences in Montana.
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Montana FFA Members recently returned from participation at the National FFA Convention and Expo held in Indianapolis, IN. Approximately six hundred Montana students attended the convention where they engaged in competitions, leadership workshops, tours, and educational seminars. This annual event attracted nearly 71,000 members from across the nation.
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In the National Veterinary Science Competition, the number one team in the nation comes from the Missoula FFA Chapter. Missoula bested forty-five other state-winning chapters to earn the title. Team members were Mary Catherine Nagel, Ivory West, Kinzey Clark, and Collin Yoshimura. The National FFA Veterinary Science CDE is a competitive event that tests the participant's ability to apply veterinary science knowledge and skill in practical settings as well as identify breeds, parasites, and equipment.
Participants also complete a written exam and respond to scenario questions about current topics in the veterinary industry. Teams present to a panel of judges about the roles and responsibilities of the veterinary team in a variety of situations involving patients from companion animals to large animals.
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Other Montana teams placing in the top ten were the Big Timber Meats Evaluation team placing 5th, the Belgrade chapter placing 10th in the Food Science contest, and the Shepherd FFA placing 10th in Agricultural Communications event. Additionally, the Beaverhead FFA Chapter was named as a top ten finalist in the National Chapter Award Area. They were recognized in the Strengthening Agriculture section due to the work they have done with their chapter exchange project.
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Perhaps the individual highlight of the convention was when Reagan Long from the Shields Valley FFA Chapter was named the national winner in the Turf Grass Management Proficiency Award area. Proficiency awards recognize students who excel in their work-based learning experiences. Reagan is only the 9th individual from Montana that has ever won a national proficiency title.
Other individual members that rose to the top in their respective competitions were led by Belgrade’s Alex Tatarka who was named as the high individual in the National Food Science competition, Missoula’s Kinzey Clark who placed 4th and Collin Yoshimura who placed 5th in the National Vet Science competition and Ella Young from Belgrade who place 9th in the Food Science event.
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The following are the results of how the other Montana chapters placed* during this year’s national convention: Floriculture – Joliet – Bronze, Marketing Plan – Corvallis – Silver, Conduct of meetings – Miles City – Silver, Parliamentary Procedure – Kalispell - Silver, Creed – Dani Wester – Kalispell - Bronze, Extemporaneous Speaking – Trey Kinamon – Conrad - Silver, Employment Skills – Kate O’Donnell – Shepherd - Bronze, Prepared Speaking – Baker - Bronze, Forestry – Kalispell – Bronze, Agronomy – Shields Valley - Silver, Ag Issues – Baker – Gold, Vet Science – Missoula - Gold, Ag Communication – Shepherd - Gold, Horse – Lima – Silver, Ag Mechanics – Kalispell– Silver, Livestock – Mission Valley – Silver, and Poultry – Hobson – Bronze, Agriculture Sales – Kalispell – Silver, and ENR – Missoula – Silver, Farm Business Management – Kalispell – Silver.
*Note – Gold, Silver and Bronze ratings represent roughly the top, the middle, and the lower third of teams participating.
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In addition to the contest placings, 36 members received the American FFA Degree. They are as follows: Ryan Bal – Park City, Ethan Bay – Kalispell, Faith Berow – Missoula, Shaun Billingsley – Missoula, Breanna Blain – Joliet, Summit Browning – Gardiner, Amy Chilcote – Missoula, Jacob Chulyak – Big Timber, Kara Conley –Missoula, Kyelynn Coombe – Joliet, Rory Cozzens – Fairview, Morgan Dawson – Gardiner, Owen Dunn – Corvallis, Nolan Forseth – Fairfield, Gavin Garrison – Dillon, Hannah Goffena – Roundup, Tyeson Gravenhof – Roundup, Jordyn Greene – Kalispell, Jenny Harris – Joliet, Evan Heupel – Kalispell,
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Julia Huls – Corvallis, Wyatt Isaacs – Miles City, Sydney Kostecki – Stevensville, Gunnar LaHaug – Mission Valley, Bailey Lake – Kalispell, Garrett Loraas – Corvallis, Rylee Mix – Hinsdale, Drae Nelson – Bainville, Shea Ostberg – Fairfield, Jaeda Paul – Plevna, Addie Pearson – Fairfield, Haley Rigler – Park, Maya Roginske – Joliet, Lance Rutledge – Big Sandy, Trever Severinson – Fairfield, Sydney Wolsky – Corvallis.
*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:
- Mark Sinnard from Shields Valley who serves on the National FFA Marketing CDE Committee
- Matt McKamey from Cascade who serves as the director for the Montana Alumni Leadership Camp and coordinator for state officer selection
- Milford Wearley who recently retired as the Ag teacher in Chotea
The next event for Montana’s FFA Members will be the Montana FFA Ag Expo, a regional activity set for Nov. 16th – 19th in Bozeman.
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This November, Montana ProStart and FCCLA hosted two culinary updates for approximately 30 Family and Consumer Sciences teachers; one in Missoula and one in Lewistown.
During these sessions, our educators learned about menu costing, participated in a knife skills challenge, heard about the Big Sky Culinary Institute, and got to engage in conversations with local business owners and chefs about what the workforce needs are in the hospitality and restaurant industry.
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At each training date, our teachers also had the opportunity to hear from Gayla Randel, our Family and Consumer Sciences OPI Specialist, about pathway updates and classroom funding resources, and to ask questions.
During lunch, sponsored by the Montana Beef Council, our teachers had a chance to reconnect and exchange ideas related to their culinary classes. A huge thank you to all of our participants, presenters, venues, and restaurants for the engaging days together!
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If you are interested in learning more about ProStart, please reach out to Jordan Collins at jordan@mtfccla.org
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Ronan High School attended Manufacturing Days at Rocky Mountain Twist. Students had the experience of touring the 300,000 square foot facility, meeting with the various departments (Graphics, Accounting, Engineering, Marketing, Purchasing), and trying out some of the items that were invented and manufactured right here in Ronan.
This was a great opportunity for students to see the wide array of careers that a manufacturing facility offers, from entry-level to advanced degrees. They were also able to see the importance manufacturing has in our Community as well as in our Country.
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- expands personalized career & technical education opportunities for middle and high school students;
- reduces out-of-pocket costs for students and families in support of a student's post-secondary success;
- empowers students to actively engage in forming post-secondary success that aligns with their individual interests, passions, strengths, needs, and culture; and
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- authorizes elected school boards to use advanced opportunity aid to invest in Montana students by supporting individualized pathways for career and post-secondary.
The submission window for FY 2026 new applications and annual reports will open Monday, December 2, 2024, at 8am.
written by Montana State Membership Director, Avery Stephens from Missoula Sentinel.
As I'm sure all of you know, BPA is a great resource no matter what your path in life is. The leadership and teamwork skills developed in competition, help provide core competencies that employers are looking for. Business Professionals of America’s culture and system are designed to help you succeed, but you still have to leverage your time in BPA. In order to make full use of the opportunities afforded to you, you must be proactive in BPA and take advantage of L.S.C.:
Leadership Positions: Holding a leadership position in BPA (team captains, chapter officers, state officers, etc) helps prepare you for what the future might hold. Making tough decisions, organizing events, doing stuff that you might not want to do, and working with people that you may not like are all things that leaders have to face. Learning the core skills of leadership in BPA will give you the courage and knowledge to take college or the global workforce by storm.
Skills: You should strive to improve your skills in BPA as much as possible throughout the year. With the wide array of events in BPA there is sure to be something for you, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try something new. I often see competitors compete in the same handful of events each year, but this isn't the best way to leverage your time in BPA. By varying what types of competitions you can compete in, you can create a diverse portfolio of skills that make your resume all that more appealing to employers and colleges.
Connections: BPA has thousands of students across the world! These like-minded and motivated individuals can become lifelong friends and potential future connections in the world of business. So, next time you're at a conference, instead of not talking to other students and guest speakers, put yourself out there and see who you can meet!
BPA provides us with a system that allows for growth and opportunities, but only if we properly leverage our time as members. Reaching for leadership positions, developing a diverse portfolio of skills, and making meaningful connections are all ways that you can turn your motivation in BPA into quantifiable results. Get out there and achieve great things Montana BPA!
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The SkillsUSA Montana Fall Leadership Conference is a leadership conference with training for Local & State Officers and Advisors on how to run a local chapter.
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Students and advisors worked together this year and worked on Level One of the Program of work to integrate into their SkillsUSA Chapter program in the 3 days of the conference.
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During the Conference Students and Advisors had the opportunity to tour Nomad GCS. https://nomadgcs.com/ Nomad designs and manufactures the world's best Connected Mobile Operations Centers (CMOCs) for defense, public safety, telco, and more.
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The leadership students also had a safety presentation from Kellie Trudgen from Safe MT, toured SWAE industries
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https://www.swae.shop/ SWAE is a skunkworks and exploration company innovating in the automotive and apparel industries.
SkillsUSA students also received one-on-one heavy equipment training from Williams Plumbing and Civil Construction https://willplumb.com/
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Williams Academy is dedicated to providing high-quality education and training in skilled trades. Their mission is to empower individuals with the knowledge and hands-on experience needed to succeed in today’s competitive job market.
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The students were introduced to the HEO simulator and were able to test their skills.
All tours and speakers were enriching experiences for the students equipping them with a deeper understanding of what it takes to succeed in their respective fields.
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During the Conference students worked on planning, implementing, and completing general sessions, community service projects, fundraisers, officer elections, newspaper articles, social media, contests/competition, business, and industry tours, and all the necessary elements to have a successful chapter through the National Program of Work (POW).
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Students and Advisors also had many opportunities to network and interact with students/advisors from other cities. In addition, a record number of students received their Statesman Award. The Statesman Award recognizes students who have demonstrated their leadership skills and have mastered certain requirements in leadership training.
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We are proud to announce 12 students received this honor. The learning experiences took place at the Flathead Valley Community College (FVCC) located in Kalispell, MT.
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If you are interested in Joining SkillsUSA or would like to attend next year's SkillsUSA Fall Leadership Conference,
Please reach out to our State Director Roberta Tilleman statedirector@skillsusamontana.org or check out the Montana SkillsUSA Website and click on the FLC tab.
If you would like to sign up for a new school visit from our state officers next Fall and you are located in the Eastern Region of MT email Roberta Tilleman at statedirector@skillsusamontana.org
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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 Education Specialist
Filled, 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.
As you may have noticed there have not been any 2024-2025 Montana Career Pathway Approvals sent to schools or posted on our website currently. This is a result of a few factors, one being the data from Infinite Campus has been delayed in getting to our CTE Specialists to conduct their approval process and two we are looking to revamp the process to be more in alignment with current school year offerings. There will be more information and updates on this as we get through the approval process
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