greeley district 6 news Educators honored as outstanding teachers
Two Greeley-Evans School District 6 educators have been honored by the Colorado Association of Career and Technical Education as outstanding teachers. Lauren Appelhans, a family and consumer studies teacher at Greeley Central High School, was named the Colorado CTE Teacher of the Year. This award recognizes the finest career and technical education teachers, their extraordinary contributions to the field of CTE, programs that exemplify the highest standards, and activities that promote and expand career and technical education at the secondary school level across the state. Chelsea Bernard, also a family and consumer studies teacher at Northridge High School, is the Colorado CTE New Teacher of the Year. Recipients of the CTE New Teacher of the Year Award are in their first three to five years of teaching. They are recognized for their contributions to career and technical education and student learning within their CTE pathway. Both educators were honored by the District 6 Board of Education at its regular meeting Monday, August 23. “This is really quite an honor for both of them,” says Dr. Deirdre Pilch, superintendent of schools for District 6. Both Appelhans and Bernard are 24
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excited they are teaching in District 6. “It is a huge honor to work for the Greeley school district,” Bernard told the Board of Education. “I feel like I get to teach my students things that will serve them for the rest of their lives.” NORTHRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL EARNS PRESTIGIOUS AWARD Northridge High School, STEM Academy was one of two academies nationwide to be awarded the Sanford I. Weill Award for Excellence at NAF Next 2021 annual conference this summer, held virtually. Mr. Weill is the Chairman and Founder of NAF and is a renowned global philanthropist. NAF is a national network of education, business, and community leaders who work together to ensure high school students are college, career and future ready. This prestigious award recognizes a select number of NAF academies exhibiting the highest standards for public-private partnerships for the benefit of students. This honor was established in 2013 on the occasion of Mr. Weill’s 80th birthday and is awarded annually. Northridge High School, STEM Academy has been part of NAF for
nearly a decade and in 2018, combined into one STEM Academy—housing Engineering, IT, Mathematics, and the Sciences. This expansion allowed the high school to accommodate hundreds more students and promote equity in connecting to additional career pathways. Former City of Greeley Mayor Tom Norton currently serves as the academy’s Advisory Board Chair and has worked with members to amplify the schools’ work in the community— including facilitation mock interviews, securing guest speakers, and recruiting for internships in the fields of engineering, architecture, IT, and through city positions. Northridge High School STEM Academy has also reached Katherine Blasik Distinguished level for the last two years—NAF’s highest level of achievement. Hialeah Gardens High School, Academy of Health Sciences, in Hialeah Gardens, FL also received this esteemed recognition. GREELEY-EVANS DISTRICT 6 AWARDED THE SUCCEEDS PRIZE Colorado Succeeds announced that Greeley-Evans School District 6 is one of 6 winners of The Succeeds Prize, the most prestigious award for Colorado educators. Winners have been selected for their exemplary programs that develop agile learners and prepare students to thrive in an ever changing world. The Succeeds Prize is a collaboration between Colorado Succeeds, 9NEWS, and the business community that seeks to recognize, and invest in, educators who are reimagining education to prepare students for jobs that don’t yet exist, tools not yet created, and problems not yet identified. By amplifying these educators, the prize allows students and families across Colorado to benefit from their experience, insight, and lessons learned.
