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A Thanksgiving Message for Teachers

November 25th, 2009

In this season, where we traditionally take a moment to give thanks, I’m writing to express my personal gratitude. I want to thank you for the commitment you’ve made to your students as a local SkillsUSA advisor, as well as for your dedication to educational excellence in our nation’s public school system.

What you do as a teacher is so important to our country.  At a time of turmoil in the world, it gives us all hope to know that you and still nurture dreams for the future. More than ever, the work you do within your classroom or lab is being recognized as critical to the United States.  Just last week at ACTE in Nashville, I heard the assistant secretaries of education and labor, the National Governors Association as well as representatives of industry speak of the power that Career and Technical Education and organizations like SkillsUSA have in the lives of young people.

Here at SkillsUSA headquarters, we’ve always held that the continuing efforts of teachers for their students are the most important part of our organization. In the images that have unfolded since the downturn in the global economy, everyone is seeing the need for the skilled workers who built this nation and will help lead it out of recession and keep it strong.

Thank you for making a choice to have SkillsUSA as part of your educational program this school year. This membership offers your students opportunities for personal growth, and the rewards can be measured in the number of lives being changed for the better.

Again, as we enter this time of thanksgiving and reflection, I want you to know that you have my personal thanks, appreciation and respect for the work you do. I send you my best wishes for a wonderful holiday season and a rewarding and productive school year!

Sincerely,

Timothy W. Lawrence
Executive Director
SkillsUSA

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Greetings from ACTE!

November 19th, 2009

This week I’m attending the conference for the Association of Career and Technical Education (ACTE) in Nashville, Tenn. We had a great board meeting and CMI at Tennessee State University yesterday.

Former SkillsUSA Board member Ed MellottFormer SkillsUSA Board of Directors member, Ed Mellott.

I’m in opening session now.  I’m very proud to see Ed Mellott, former SkillsUSA Board of Directors member, leading the session as the 2009 ACTE president. I’m also proud to see the Tennessee SkillsUSA students as welcome/greeters to welcome all to opening session this morning.

Chef Jeff Henderson speaks at the Opening Session.

The keynote speaker of the opening session is Chef Jeff Henderson. He’s a former prison inmate, now mentorand star of the Food Network program, The Chef Jeff Project.

I’m looking forward to the workshops today ‑ including two sessions on the Work Force Ready System. Make sure to review  the ACTE Staff schedule for other SkillsUSA workshops throughout the convention.

SkillsUSA Staff and National Officer Brandon Mullings at SkillsUSAs booth.

SkillsUSA staff and National Officer Brandon Mullings at SkillsUSA's booth.

Our booth opens today at 10 a.m. (CST).  We have some great SkillsUSA National Officers here leading the booth.

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SkillsUSA’s National Voice at the Table on CTE

November 15th, 2009

When SkillsUSA was founded in 1965, one of the founders’ goals was to give students and teachers a national voice. In part, our founders’ wishes continue to be realized. As a member of the Independent Advisory Panel of Experts to the National Assessment of Career and Technical Education (NACTE), I’m proud to represent the viewpoints of CTE teachers and students as the research and reports are prepared for the U.S. Congress on the Perkins legislation. I met with the panel on October 26 and 27 to review the research and the draft of an interim report for Congress to be submitted early next year. The three top areas for research are the success of the programs of study as laid out in Perkins IV, accountability of instruction and fiscal responsibility. I’m serving on the subcommittee to prepare the full panel’s recommendations to accompany the report. Brenda Dann-Messier, the new assistant secretary for OVAE did stop by for a brief visit.

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Champions for Change Retreat in Leesburg

November 15th, 2009

On October 30, we had representatives from five of the six pilot grant recipients under the SkillsUSA Champions for Change program here at the National Leadership Center for what we called the Virginia Retreat. (The group from Detroit attended WLTI.) Staff put together a comprehensive agenda of presentation and discussions with national staff on management of a complete SkillsUSA chapter. That includes methods for securing community support and industry involvement as well as publicity. Much of the agenda was aimed at developing a transition plan to take the sites from pilots to fully-functioning chapters adapted to meeting the needs of students after the Kellogg grant has finished. Following the morning meetings, the Alaska delegation went to the Frederick County Career and Technical Center in Maryland to see a full SkillsUSA chapter at work through an entire school.


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Highlights

November 15th, 2009
  • On October 21, I met in St. Louis with executives in the Global Opportunities Product Lifecycle Management division of Siemens. The meeting was arranged by board member Cameron Ferguson, Caterpillar, and student national officers Jason Brigner (Region III) and Brandon Mullings (college/postsecondary vice president) made the SkillsUSA presentations to Siemens. We talked about support for the SkillsUSA WorldTeam and getting their support on the Youth Development Foundation, on Championships technical committees and providing subject matter experts for engineering assessments in the Work Force Ready System. They’re very interested in giving software grants to schools.
  • We signed an agreement with GAERF (Graphic Arts Education and Research Foundation) to offer five co-branded PrintED/SkillsUSA Skill Connect assessments. The five are graphic communications, advertising design, screen printing, digital file preparation/digital file output and offset press operations/binding and finishing. News releases and official announcements are still being prepared. We’re very enthusiastic about this partnership because we are partnering with THE organization that certifies instructional programs and is recognized by the graphics/printing industry.
  • My trip to California on October 16 and 17 went well. I worked with the California board on board training, state association policy and worked with them on strategic planning.
  • Development of the instructional program for the Engineering Alliance is going well according to staff. Staff developed the EA logo, and we’re in the process of getting it trademarked.
  • According to our marketing director, “Monster Garage” on the Discovery Channel is now talking about having eight SkillsUSA students participate in the programs to be taped at the end of November and possibly airing this coming spring. Thanks go to Lowe’s and Kobalt Tools for making the connections.
  • On October 26, staff attended a manufacturing summit in Washington, D.C. hosted by NIMS (National Institute for Metalworking Skills) and the Swiss Embassy. Approximately 80 people attended. A common theme throughout was the frustration of domestic employers – and the disbelief of foreign manufacturers – with the U.S. public education system. “Over and over again we heard: “We want better CTE and we want more CTE.”” Assistant Secretary of Labor Jane Oates spoke during the summit.
  • We had a good training seminar on diversity for department directors on October 20 with Ellen Hyslope from Human Resources at Middleburg Bank. Her key message to managers: Make sure you’re focused on creating equal opportunities for all employees.
  • The Youth Development Foundation Committee’s spring meeting is scheduled for March 17-18. It will be held here at the national center and there will be a joint session with the board of directors at that same time.

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State Farm Innovation in Sustainability Grants Offered

November 15th, 2009

SkillsUSA is pleased to announce a new program with our corporate partner, State Farm Insurance. In the past, State Farm has been committed to teacher development and training. They are increasing their support to SkillsUSA by establishing the Innovation in Sustainability Grant Award Program. The purpose of the Innovation in Sustainability Grant Program is to stimulate student awareness and interest in their environment and provide them with an understanding as well as skills and a voice to make a significant impact in their communities.

SkillsUSA chapters may apply for a State Farm grant of $10,000 to fund a green or sustainable program or project that uses innovation to ensure today’s needs are met without compromising future generations. One grant per State Farm zone (for a total of 12 grants) will be awarded for a project that culminates in a national showcase during the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference June 20-25, 2010.

Each $10,000 grant will designate $7,500 for project expenses and $2,500 in travel expenses to send one advisor and two students to the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in June 2010. Winning chapters will present their projects to a panel of State Farm judges during the conference at the State Farm Showcase in Kansas City in June 2010. A first-place chapter will be selected from the presentations and will receive a $3,000 school award, the second-place chapter will receive a $2,000 school award and the third-place chapter will receive a $1,000 school award, in addition to the $10,000 grants.

Grant Parameters

Schools may apply for grants as a whole school or as an individual training program. Schools may also team up with another SkillsUSA chapter at a different school on a larger project. All trade areas are encouraged to apply for this program – the key to these grants is innovation. Examples of potential projects might be work with alternative fuel sources, recycling programs, construction of renewable energy sources, implementing weatherization projects, developing chemical disposal plans, creating organic food gardens and developing reforestation initiatives. The projects can be anything that is “green” or a sustainable project that uses innovation to insure that today’s needs are met without compromising future generations.

Applications

To apply, schools should submit an application, which is available online or as a PDF document. Electronic applications are preferred, but mailed applications will be accepted. For more information or to access the application, go to: www.skillsusa.org/educators/statefarm.shtml.

Deadline

Applications must be submitted by November 30, 2009. Successful applicants will be notified by January 29, 2010. Projects must be completed by June 1, 2010.

Questions

Please direct all questions on the program to SkillsUSA grant manager Kelly Horton at 402-309-4679 or email: khorton@skillsusa.org.

Thank you for sharing this exciting new program with your local chapter advisors!

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Full Membership Service Deadline

November 15th, 2009

The deadline for full membership service is November 16, 2009. This is the deadline to receive all four issues of SkillsUSA Champions magazine and the advisor incentives. Online registration is easier than ever due to system improvements, but call 800-355-8422 if you have questions. Remember, electronic membership is not complete until you hit the tab that says “Submit to National Office.” Go to www.skillsusa.org and click on “join.”

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National Conference Pin and T-shirt Design Competition

November 15th, 2009

February 1, 2010 is the deadline for entries to the SkillsUSA National Conference Pin and T-Shirt competition. This event is open to all paid student members of SkillsUSA. What a great way to have a student and advisor from your state recognized in front of a national audience. Paid registration to nationals, a plaque for the teacher and student, plus a school grant to the advisor of the winning student will be announced at a later date. Rules are in the membership kit and are also posted on the SkillsUSA Web site at: www.skillsusa.org/compete/pindesign.shtml. Questions may be directed to Karen Perrino at 703-737-0610 or to kperrino@skillsusa.org.

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Estate Planning

November 15th, 2009

Have you considered adding SkillsUSA to your estate planning? A planned gift can create a lasting legacy of your service to SkillsUSA. If you have already included SkillsUSA in your estate planning, or if you intend to add SkillsUSA as a codicil, please send an e-mail to Eric Gearhart at egearhart@skillsusa.org. If you would like to discuss planned giving and trust programs, call Eric at 703-737-0603.

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Ratings are in for WLTI. They’re Up and They’re Good

November 1st, 2009

The students attending the Washington Leadership Training Institute wrote comments such as: “WLTI is one of the best things that has happened in my life” and “The experience was life changing and amazing.” I guess that’s why students ranked their conference satisfaction surveys at 4.55 on a scale of one to five with five being the highest. In the 23 areas receiving a ranking, none received a score below a four. Advisors had similar reactions. Their overall ranking was 4.53, and they wrote comments such as “I felt this was worth the work I put in” and “Transportation, sessions, outings – all were outstanding for me and my students.”

Deb Tripp ran our WLTI conference debriefing session with staff recently. She said one of the secrets to the ratings was that there was something new or different in each day’s schedule to keep the program fresh and relevant. She also reported that the community service activity during WLTI produced 406 letters to service personnel and were sent to Military Mission for delivery.

The week following WLTI, students at one school in South Carolina sent an additional 100 letters to Military Mission. We certainly struck a chord there. Two more comments from students: “Arlington and the Pentagon were WOW beyond explaining” and “I believe SkillsUSA should look into donating a tree to Arlington Cemetery. It’s something we can do that will be there a very long time.”

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