News Release
For Immediate Release: June 15, 2012
Contact: Charles Pyle, Director of Communications, (804) 371-2420
Julie C. Grimes, Communications Manager, (804) 225-2775
Senator Mark R. Warner was inducted into the newly created Virginia Career and Technical (CTE) Education Hall of Fame yesterday during the commonwealth’s annual Creating Excellence Awards Program ceremony in Richmond. Warner was selected for the hall of fame in recognition of his leadership while governor from 2002-2006 in implementing initiatives to increase the number of Virginia students earning business and industry credentials.
“I am proud that when I was governor we made sure that thousands of career and technical education teachers who were not certified in their subject matter earned certification so students who completed CTE courses also received industry certifications,” Warner said in a recorded greeting to the CTE educators and private-sector partners attending the event. “I continue to be a supporter of quality well-structured CTE programs because they provide students with a clear connection between their studies and high-skill, high-demand job opportunities, and help ensure that employers have access to skilled American workers, which reduces the need to bring in foreign workers to fill these jobs.”
Inducted posthumously were former state vocational and adult education director Dewey T. Oakley Jr. and Old Dominion Glass Inc. founder Ray M. Tate. Oakley was honored for his leadership in improving CTE programs as state director from 1978-1987 and as a division CTE director in Petersburg and Henrico County. Tate was recognized for his lifelong commitment to career and technical education and for his service under two governors as chairman of the Virginia Council for Career and Technical Education. Oakley’s daughter, Lynn O. Stell, and Chris L. Tate accepted the awards on behalf of their late fathers.
On behalf of Governor Robert F. McDonnell, Deputy Secretary of Education Javaid Siddiqi presented the 2012 Governor’s CTE Exemplary Standards Award to the Teachers for Tomorrow Program of Mount Vernon High in Fairfax County. Mount Vernon High teacher Beverly Card accepted the award – a banner and $5,000 from the Dominion Foundation to support continued improvement – on behalf of the school’s teacher cadet program.
The Governor’s CTE Exemplary Standards Award, which is sponsored by the VCEF, recognizes programs that meet rigorous criteria for program excellence; alignment with professional, industry and academic standards; implementation of best practices; relevance to community, industry and individual needs; and accountability for student outcomes.
“Mount Vernon High’s teacher cadets complete 60-hour internships and earn dual-enrollment credit through Shenandoah University and a nationally recognized career pathways credential,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Patricia I. Wright said. “Teachers for Tomorrow programs are an increasingly significant piece of the teacher-supply puzzle and Mount Vernon High is setting the standard.”
The Creating Excellence awards program is a partnership between the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), the Virginia Career Education Foundation (VCEF) and the Virginia Community College System (VCCS).
VDOE Career and Technical Education Director Lolita B. Hall announced the 2012 state and regional Secondary CTE Program Awards:
- State and Region 3 – Health Assistant, Brooke Point High, Stafford County Public Schools
- Region 4 – Girls Exploring Engineering, Chantilly Academy, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Region 5 – Elkton Middle School Agri-Science, Rockingham County Public Schools
- Region 6 – Culinary Career Connections, Northside High, Roanoke County Public Schools
- Region 8 – Halifax County Motorsports Academy, Halifax County High, Halifax County Public Schools
Virginia Advisory Committee for Career and Technical Education Chairman Robert Mayfield announced awards recognizing business and industry partnerships and local advisory committees.
Business and Industry Partnership Awards
- State and Region 3 – Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce FredTech STEM 16 Committee, nominated by Stafford County Public Schools
- Region 2 – Bank of America: Women in Technology Operations, nominated by Chesapeake Public Schools
- Region 4 – Cowen Design Group, nominated by Arlington County Public Schools
- Region 6 – CPFilms (subsidiary of Solutia), nominated by Martinsville Public Schools
- Region 8 – Virginia International Raceway, nominated by Halifax County Public Schools
Secondary Advisory Committee Awards
- State and Region 8 – Appomattox County Public Schools Career and Technical Advisory Council.
James Antonick, postsecondary Perkins administrator with the Virginia Community College System (VCCS), announced the following VCCS Postsecondary CTE Awards:
- Postsecondary Advisory Committee – Electromechanical Controls Technology, nominated by Tidewater Community College
- Postsecondary Business and Industry Partnership – The Babcock & Wilcox Company, nominated by Central Virginia Community College
- Postsecondary CTE Program – Region 2000 Machine Industry Program, nominated by Central Virginia Community College
Photographs of recipients are available from the VDOE flickr photostream.
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