West-MEC presented Vineyard Church Director Operations, Jim Hummel, with a plaque as a token of gratitude. The church played host to West-MEC’s first-ever senior recognition ceremony for its Cosmetology program May 14, 2010.
West-MEC Governing Board members recognized two dedicated individuals at the West-MEC June governing board meeting.
Mrs. Michele Bush
Dr. John Mulcahy
Bush and Mulcahy recently received distinctive honors from the Arizona Association of Career and Technical Education (ACTEaz). These educators have dedicated their careers to the advancement of Career and Technical Education (CTE). They continue to lay foundation and pave roads to progress in CTE through their current roles at West-MEC.
ACTEaz awarded Michele Bush, West-MEC director of grants, integration and program design, with the Bernard Stewart Distinguished Service Award. Her commitment to Career and Technical Education follows in the footsteps of the late Bernard Stewart, recognized nation-wide as a champion of CTE.
Mulcahy earned the ACTEaz Executive Citation award. ACTEaz presents this award periodically to exceptional individuals dedicated to Career and Technical Education.
From left to right: Joe Holcombe, Frank Straka, John Mulcahy, Jack Lunsford, Michele Bush, Dwight Amery, James Kaltenbach, John Atkins
West-MEC governing board acknowledged the ACTEaz award winners with an announcement at the meeting. Both winners will be honored at the annual ACTEaz summer conference in Tucson next month.
The Arizona School Public Relations Association (ASPRA) annual ASPRA*tions awards recognize standards of excellence in school public relations .
West-MEC received the following recognition:
-Award of Excellence for Overall Public Relations
-Award of Excellence in Business, Foundation, Civic/Community Organization for Contributions to Public Education for our partnership with Freightliner, Sterling, Western Star of AZ.
Congratulations to the students who earned top spots in this year’s spring FCCLA competition.
Culinary Arts: bronze- Samantha Buya, Jamie Jarvangsanti, John Duong
Entrepreneur: silver- Dale Riechert & Brandon West
Chapter Showcase Manual: bronze- Davi Booth & Amy Hoon
Chapter Showcase Display: silver- Cassie Anfinson & Haley Cetwinski
Chapter Achievement: Gold Medal- Thunderbird HS FCCLA for setting and completing yearly goals
$1000 FCCLA scholarship: Haley Cetwinski
$500 FCCLA scholarship: Davi Booth
Sandra Day O’Connor HS Senior Excels in Advanced Media Productions
In photo: Chris Cunningham, Media Productions Instructor; Rachel Hillis, Student of the Month; Debbie Holland, DVUSD CTE Director; Patricia Resetar, Assistant Principal
Western Maricopa Education Center (West-MEC) presents Rachel Hillis, a senior at Sandra Day O’Connor High School in the Deer Valley Unified School District with the CTE Student of the Month award. West-MEC honors exceptional students in Career and Technical Education (CTE) each month with the student of the month award.
Chris Cunningham, advanced media productions instructor at Sandra Day O’Connor nominated Rachel for the honor.
“Rachel is a success in all her endeavors and her work shines above all the rest,” said Cunningham. “She has the ability to take disparate concepts and utilize them in a unique way.”
Currently enrolled in advanced media productions, Rachel successfully integrates classroom principles into several projects across her high school campus.
The daughter of stop motion animator, Rachel first experienced video production through claymation. Since then, Rachel has become a wunderkind of media, creating video montages for O’Connor feeder schools, daily anchoring her high school’s morning announcements and creating videos for her internship at the Deer Valley Unified district office.
Her appreciation for the program is simple. “CTE gives you a lot of freedom as a student, “ said Rachel. “In advanced media productions class I can express my ideas and I help choose the direction of my projects. That doesn’t happen in some of my other classes.”
After completing her internship at the district office in July 2010, Rachel will pursue a degree in video production at Glendale Community College North.
The West-MEC CTE Student of the Month Program encourages CTE instructors to nominate a student that stands out in their CTE course. CTE courses prepare students to embark on a career in a variety of industries. Nominations submitted by CTE teachers consider a student’s academics, attitude, class attendance, leadership, and respect towards peers and teachers.
Local Valley businesses including: Phoenix International Raceway, The Orcutt Winslow Partnership and The Sundt Companies donated funds to support the West-MEC CTE Student of the Month. Monthly winners receive an award plaque and a $50 gift card to Best Buy.