Wisconsin CTE Shares Shout-Outs!

We invited our CTE community to lift up a CTE teacher, coordinator, or administrator who deserves a pat on the back, and did they ever! Here are the folks receiving shout-outs, along with the people who nominated them. Entries are in alphabetical order by last name and have been edited for length.

Alyssa Anderson, FACS Teacher, Pittsville High School
Mrs. Anderson leads outstanding, engaging lesson plans in which she challenges all of her learners to demonstrate teamwork, critical-thinking, and personal growth. She is dedicated to differentiation, particularly for students with special needs, and is a great leader in her department. She is a treasure for our school and community! —Rod Watson, Principal

Betsy Baier, Youth Apprenticeship Coordinator, CESA 7
Since Betsy joined Southwest High School as the YA coordinator, the number of students placed into YA positions has grown tremendously. Betsy helps students find placement in fields of interest and in a few cases has helped students understand which field of employment they do not enjoy and worked with them to find other employment. Betsy's upbeat personality is a bonus when working with high school students. —Susan Zehren School Counselor, Southwest High School, Green Bay

Alex Bondar, Tech Ed Teacher–Auto, Franklin High School
Alex has grown the auto pathway at FHS over the past few years by creating engaging course experiences and new, innovative courses. He goes above and beyond to support all learners in his courses! —Mr. Joey Jonas, Associate Principal

Sandra Dee Naas, Agriculture Teacher, Ashland High School
Sandy puts everything she has into helping students not only in her classes but also FFA and Youth Apprenticeship. She is helping students become great citizens in the class and out. —Terri Lee Pocernich, Student support and Alt Ed/STEAM teacher

Kim DeZeeuw, School Counselor, Horicon Middle and High Schools
Kim is a solo counselor in a rural school district with a high ratio of school counselor to students. Kim not only leads ACP implementation in her district, she shares her knowledge and experience with other counselors by presenting at the annual WSCA conference. We appreciate her not only helping her students but students across the state by sharing her expertise! —Stacy Eslick, Wisconsin School Counselor Association

Sandra Einbeck, FCS teacher, Juda High School
Ms. Einbeck is very kind and goes out of her way for her students. For Senior Seminar class, she teaches them life skills. She schedules to have mock interview, and she goes out of her way to find individuals outside of the building who are willing to come in and do an interview. She also teaches them how to do resumes, cover letters, thank-you letters, job applications, etc. —Julene Elmer, Special Education

Corey Foght, Business Education and IT Director, Montello High School
Corey does so much work organizing CTE Month for our students. She puts together local field trips, speakers, and organizes a CTE Career Fair to end the month. Students participate during the day, and parents are invited to the Career Fair after school. Corey's passion is getting the students as many opportunities in CTE as she can and makes a great addition to our CTE Team. —Hannah Wolsdorf, Agriculture Teacher

Jennifer Fredrick, Career and Technical Education Coordinator, Marshfield High School
Jennifer really goes above and beyond and is vital to the success of the Chamber's Youth Apprenticeship program and is an invaluable resource when planning workforce development events. She wants every student to be successful and find the right career path. —Tabitha Wendell, Talent and Member Services Director, Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce & Industry

Stephen Hadfield, Technical Education Teacher and CTE Coordinator, Pittsville High School

Stephen is one of the most hardworking teachers I know. He focuses and advocates for growth in our CTE department so that our students get the most out of their education. Stephen does so much behind the scenes as our CTE coordinator! Stephen is consistently working on school or business projects outside of his contracted work hours along with helping with Youth Basketball Cub Hoops. He is a great friend and colleague. So happy he is in our district! —Alyssa Anderson, Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher

Tom Hermann, Consortium Coordinator, Southwest Milwaukee Consortium
Tom is full of energy and always gets the job done! He is open to new ideas and is not afraid to take on new tasks. He provides ALL students, even those with disabilities, the equal opportunities for success. He provides authentic learning experiences for students! —Katie Keast, Transition Coordinator, Greendale School District

Norm Hippert, Will Simonar, Ross Wagner, Tech Ed Department, Luxemburg-Casco High Schoo
This team does a great job creating many CTE courses and events for the students at LCHS to attend. They create an inclusive environment for all students to learn. They are putting on a community Family Fun Night to highlight our CTE areas. They are great partners with our local businesses as well as sharing potential students for the Youth Apprenticeship program. —Jolyn Helgeson, Youth Apprenticeship School-Based Coach

Brooke Holbrook, Director of the Career and Life Ready Department, CESA 8
Under Brooke's guidance, the Northwoods Youth Apprenticeship program has grown by 29 percent. —Valerie Brooks, Director of Student Services and LVEC Director

Jeff Kehoe, Technical Education Teacher, Wilmot Union High School
Jeff Kehoe has not only worked at Wilmot Union High School for over 20 years, he also is a graduate from Wilmot. Mr. Kehoe teaches five different CTE courses between Autos and Metals. He is very committed to his craft and often goes above and beyond to give his students the best experiences in his classroom and lab. He works to better prepare his students for potential careers in the field after high school. Wilmot is lucky to have Mr. Kehoe, and we appreciate all he does for Wilmot and his students! —Karl Richter, School Counselor / CTE Coordinator

Heather Klang, School Counselor, Reedsburg Area High School
Heather has been an amazing mentor to all of our students in the CTE department. She is a big part of why our Youth Apprenticeship program is as successful as it is. Heather works with students on their schedules and credits as well as college applications and scholarships. She is approachable and helpful to all and is an amazing school counselor. —Dave Anliker, Todd Cherney, Nick Casey, Mark Gronley, RAHS Teachers

Amy Krenz, Business Education Teacher, Osceola High School
For doing it all ... mentoring, teaching, leading Youth Apprenticeship, FBLA, Yearbook, Cross-Country, Team Dinners. Being an excellent educator and still smiling and laughing! —Chad Leonard, Business Education

 

 

Amanda Langrehr, Career Exploration and Planning Director, CESA 4
Amanda is a leader in CTE planning and organization in western Wisconsin. I have worked very closely with her in helping structure pathways in CTE that advance the course for our teachers and the opportunities for our students. She is truly a CTE leader. —Lance Bagstad, Superintendent and Co-Athletic Director, School District of Arcadia

 

 

Dave Luety, Tech and Engineering Instructor and SkillsUSA Advisor, Parkview High School, Orfordville
Dave has enthusiastically brought energy education opportunities to his students. In 2022 and 2023, he implemented Renew Our Schools, receiving energy audit tools for his classroom, an eGauge to monitor the electricity used in his school building, and he guided his students in conducting a schoolwide energy audit! As a result, his school reduced its energy consumption by 2.3 percent and continues to enjoy these savings month after month. —Samara Hamze, KEEP - Wisconsin's K-12 Energy Education Program

Paul Majors, Agriculture Teacher, Whitewater High School
Paul is a type of teacher who is always making his students THINK about the relevance of his teachings and how it will impact them in the future. He has his students problem-solve with real-life experiences. Paul uses a variety of teaching techniques and is not afraid to admit he has learned from his students as well. Paul has helped me with judging various contests in my department. He is also very well respected in the community and has a very large following in his FFA chapter both in the school and community support. —Lynn Weilbrenner, FCS teacher

Tom Martin, Career and Life Ready Coordinator, CESA 3
A tireless advocate for the education and opportunities for all students. —Jay Moelling, Agriculture and Technology Education Teacher, Highland Community School District

Bernie McCarthy, Instructor, GPS Education Partners
Bernie brings a lot of enthusiasm and energy to the classroom. He is constantly looking for ways to make the curriculum relevant and hands-on. He creates viable links between what students learn and how it impacts them on the job now as well as for the future. He meets students where they are and helps them to grow. —Kathy Sewell-Jensen, Apprenticeship and Alumni Coordinator

Jackie Miller, Teacher/CTE Coordinator, Wonewoc-Center
Jackie goes above and beyond to give the Wonewoc-Center students so many opportunities. We have a great CTE program that offers classes both in school and in the real world. —Michelle Noll, Principal

Patrick Moerchen, Technical Education Teacher, Kewaskum High School
Pat Moerchen is a phenomenal teacher who not only prepares students for the workforce, but also builds lasting relationships with each one. Pat accommodates all learning styles to help students to develop skills in the manufacturing and engineering trades. He connects students with local employers through site tours, guest speakers, and youth apprenticeship opportunities. Pat’s passion to help students realize their potentials and identify their career pathways is an inspiration to the entire school community! —Becky Bryant and Jamie Leoni, Counselors

Ben Morey, Technical Education Instructor, New Lisbon School District
Mr. Morey cares deeply about getting to know his learners and providing hands-on experience in the trades industry. He has developed a well-rounded, highly-skilled, community-minded program at New Lisbon Schools. — Rachel Morey, FCS Teacher

Rachel Morey, FCS Teacher, New Lisbon School District
Rachel goes above and beyond in her role as an educator, mentor, and student council advisor. She helped organize a Hat Day that helped raise over $440 for a child with a heart defect. Rachel is always leading by being a Servant Leader. —Ben Morey, Technology and Engineering Teacher, CTE Coordinator

Alyssa Morris, CTE Department Head, Wautoma High School
Alyssa leads her team with great enthusiasm, ensuring that their work places students first. The team is refining and revising policies and procedures to provide the best possible learning opportunities for our students. —Jennifer Johnson, Principal

Bailey Morse, FACE Teacher-Culinary Arts, Green Bay East High School
Bailey’s patience, guidance, and encouragement empower students to explore their culinary creativity and strive for excellence. She’s not just teaching them recipes; she’s instilling invaluable life skills and equipping them with the tools to succeed in the kitchen and beyond. Bailey has a talent for identifying students likely to pursue a culinary career and utilizes her relationship with the Youth Apprenticeship Coach to make sure her students are afforded the opportunity to pair employment experience with classroom learning! —Mindy Frank, Northeast Wisconsin Youth Apprenticeship (NEWYA)/CESA7

The Oak Creek High School Business Education Department

This team of teachers has expanded to seven members through my last nine years here at Oak Creek. They offer numerus opportunities to students such as Youth Apprenticeships, our CTE Interview Summit, Reality Day, FBLA and DECA, partnerships with local businesses, and so much more. I am continually impressed by what the department is able to accomplish, how quickly we’ve grown, the course offerings we have, and how we influence and inspire students every day. —Danielle Stiebs, Business, Marketing, and IT Teacher

Sara Paye, High School Counselor, Southern Door High School
I am nominating Sara Paye because of the excellent care in the work that she does with the students of Southern Door High School. Whether it is her yearly student/parent meetings, typical academic and career planning, the social/emotional well-being of the students, or the many other hats that she wears at the school, Sara does it 100%. She seeks to get as many opportunities as she can, for all students, and is very involved in the lives of the students, for example, as a class advisor. I enjoy working with her to navigate Youth Apprenticeship roles for the students of SDHS. —Lauren Baumann, CESA 7

Jess Richards, CTE Coordinator, Future Ready Coach, School District of Altoona
Jess exemplifies equity in her approach to serving students. She communicates and presents options to kids universally as part of regular school operations and studies the data to ensure that all students are uniformly reached. She intentionally speaks with those who are not considered college- or career-ready or CTE concentrators to find options to help them become ready! We are so lucky to have her leadership! —Sarah Radcliffe, Director of Future Ready Learning

Karl Richter, CTE Coordinator and School Counselor, Wilmot High School
Due to budget cuts, Karl was asked to take on the duties of the CTE Coordinator. Karl has done an outstanding job making connections with local business, bringing business into our building, and helping kids with YA opportunities. —Rob Kreil, Principal

Britta Rotering, Supervisor of Career and Technical Education, School District of La Crosse

• Britta is an amazing person who puts students and staff first above all of us. Britta has done an outstanding job growing YA opportunities and making CTE staff always feel supported. Thank you for all you do! —Lucas Jandrin, Technology and Engineering Teacher
• Without a doubt, she is crushing it in creating new opportunities for students in our district. From opening a culinary academy to launching aviation and expanding Youth Apprenticeship, she is amazing! —Matt Weege, CTE Teacher and YA Program Facilitator

Matt Schultz, Tech Ed Teacher, The Lincoln Academy
Matt has been a part of The Lincoln Academy since we opened our doors in the Fall of 2021. Prior to opening he helped us design the lab spaces and order equipment for five labs he oversees now. Matt develops relationships with the scholars and has also developed strong partnerships outside of the school that supports our programming. Matt has a skill set and passion for teaching scholars in the trades. —Laura Benisch, Director of Career Planning and Partnerships

Ryan Seichter, Tech Ed Teacher, Fall River Middle/High School
Mr. Seichter has been with us in Fall River for a little over a year. Currently, he is responsible for teaching Welding and Fabrication, Applied Engineering, Auto Mechanics, Animal Science, and Robotics in high school, as well as Intro to Tech Ed 8 in middle school. Within the first year, he has helped us start our FFA program back up, has started a SkillsUSA program, and is spearheading our Robotics Program. His drive to help students and staff is second to none! —Dr. Jennifer Treptow, Middle/High School Principal

Ryan Seichter and Ryan Christian, Tech Ed/Ag teacher, Fall River Middle/High School
I want to give a shout-out to our two Ryans who have re-introduced an agriculture program for our middle and high school students as well as increased class offerings in other CTE areas! —John Crombie, School Counselor

Ginny Shoemaker, Administrative Assistant, CESA 10
Ginny is one of Wisconsin's unsung heroes of Career and Technical Education. Her work with the CESA 10’s College and Career Readiness team allows Greenwood and the other districts in CESA 10 to maintain and grow our CTE programs. A heartfelt thank you, Ginny, for your tireless work. We truly appreciate everything you do. We would be lost without you! —Noah Werner, CTE Coordinator, School District of Greenwood

Emily Sonneman, Culinary Arts Teacher, Madison East High School
Emily provides her students with hands-on opportunities and experiences to help them understand the world of culinary arts. From amazing field trips to dynamic public speakers, she provides high quality experiential learning. Emily also has changed the culture of hunger at school by partnering with a local food bank to provide snacks to both students and staff free of charge. She is amazing and we are lucky to have her! —Tyler Kastner, ACP

Jeff Stenroos, Director of CTE & Alternative Ed, School District of Beloit
Jeff goes above and beyond in his work to build partnerships that have ultimately opened access to advanced learning, certifications, and apprenticeships. —Theresa Morateck, Executive Director of Teaching, Learning, and Equity

Maranda and Aaron Strebe, Technology Education Teachers, Waupaca Middle School (Maranda) and Waupaca High School (Aaron)
Both deserve shout-outs for their efforts in showcasing the district’s outstanding students. They organize a holiday event called Fill the Crate, which brings colleagues and students together to create crates filled with essential items and games for those in need. Aaron's construction class has built a boardwalk for a local park and picnic tables for nonprofits. He is planning to build a storage shed for a nonprofit residential care center for children. This power couple not only impart carpentry skills but also instill a sense of community service in their students, leaving a lasting impact on the community. —Steve Thomaschefsky, CTE Coordinator and Director of Technology

Andy Thompson, Community Experience Coordinator, Franklin Public Schools
Andy creates, enhances, supports, and champions community and work-based learning and experiences inside of Franklin and in our larger community. —Mike Vuolo, Principal

Jennifer Tuesburg, Family and Consumer Sciences Instructor, Two Rivers High School
Jennifer stepped into a strong FCS department that focused on Culinary. She has not only worked with the culinary but has established Early Education and Medical courses that are articulated with Lakeshore Technical College. She has established strong FCCLA and HOSA chapters that have competed nationally. She has a great rapport with all of her students and has taken her department to another level! —Lisa Klein, Career and College Readiness Coordinator

David Turk, Computer Science Teacher, The Lincoln Academy
David teaches computer science courses to scholars in grades K5-12 at The Lincoln Academy. He helps our scholars learn keyboarding, coding, artificial intelligence, and other topics related to computer technology. Scholars earn their ACER Repair Certificate in ChromeDepot and complete easy peer computer issues for volunteer hours. He shares his passion for esports with the scholars and has led a competitive esports team to many wins this year. —Laura Benisch, Director of Career Planning and Partnerships

Roy Ward, CTE Teacher, Webster School District
See Tiger Manufacturing video. —Jeffrey Fimreite, District Administrator

My entire Waunakee Community High School CTE Team (gr. 7-12)! 

I may be the luckiest CTEC in the state to have the most amazing CTE Team to work with. Their passion and dedication to our students is unbelievable and appreciated! —Michelle McGlynn, CTE Coordinator

 

 

Travis Wetzel, CTE Coordinator, Union Grove High School

• Travis works hard to provide a strong working partnership with Gateway Technical College, which provides our students with a magnitude of CTE opportunities. In addition, he brings positive energy and a friendly face to our office space each day. —Ashley Hegemann, School Counselor
• Travis works tirelessly to promote CTE classes and works collaboratively with Gateway so that students can earn college credits while taking many of our CTE courses. —Christine Moss, School Counselor
• Travis does a fantastic job of working with both community partners and our students. Each student has an opportunity to earn credits for college courses and work-study, which helps them better prepare for life after high school. Travis helps to make this happen. —Roni Carpenter, School Counselor

Luke Wiedenfeld, Agriculture Teacher and FFA Advisor, Lake Mills High School
Shout out to Luke Wiedenfeld, the Agriculture and FFA advisor at Lake Mills High School! Luke goes above and beyond to provide valuable experiences to his students. FFA is one of the most active groups at LMHS, and Luke plays a vital role in its success. He recently collaborated with Madison College to offer a Youth Tractor Safety Certification course for students on Saturdays. Luke's ability to handle multiple responsibilities while being approachable and friendly is truly remarkable. Thank you, Luke! —Carmen Weldon and Rachel Dickhut, School Counselors

Liberty Wieseman, Julie Eckhart, and Luke Wagner, Business and Marketing Teachers, Westosha Central High School
Liberty, Julie, and Luke are great business and marketing teachers who work with all different kinds of students on a daily basis. During classes and in the CTSOs that they run, they encourage students to explore their career interests and have inspired a number of students to pursue careers in business and marketing. Way to go! —Tom Neave, Associate Principal

Amber Williams, Spanish teacher/ACP coordinator, Juda High School
Mrs. Williams is our Spanish teacher but took on our ACP coordination this year. She meets with all students during our flex period and uses Xello and other tools to talk about all things ACP. She also organized a career fair and college fair for all of the high school students. She does a fantastic job! —Traci Davis, Superintendent

 

Hannah Wolsdorf, Agriculture Teacher, Montello Junior/Senior High School

• Hannah has a tireless passion for agricultural education. She provides opportunities to students so they can see where their talents fit into the future of the agriculture industry in Wisconsin. —Lucas Stelter, Elementary Principal
• Hannah is a leader in our school community. She provides access to a wide variety of curricular and co-curricular options for our secondary students, supporting them as they develop pathways to their secondary futures. —Elizabeth Calnin, District Administrator

Congratulations to all of our amazing CTE professionals!
Keep up the great work!