During February each year, the Martin County School District celebrates Career & Technical Education (CTE) month by highlighting the people and programs that make the many hands-on, industry-driven opportunities offered throughout the District meaningful for students.
During the Martin County School Board meeting held on February 16, 2022, Ms. Lana Barros, Coordinator of College & Career Readiness, presented the 2022-2023 CTE Student, Teachers and Industry Partners of Year. Congratulations to the following award winners:
CTE Student of the Year
Jesus Miguel- Diego, Senior, South Fork High School
Jesus was nominated by two of his teachers at South Fork High School - Mr. Tony Malizia and Mr. Nick Wood. Having spent his childhood in the Village of Indiantown, Jesus began his educational career in the Martin County School District as a pre-kindergartner at Warfield Elementary School in 2007. Upon arriving at South Fork High School, he enrolled in two CTE academies - Building Construction and Architectural Drafting.
Jesus discovered a personal interest and aptitude in both programs and continued in the Academy of Building Construction for all four years, Architectural Drafting for three years, and joined the HVAC Technician course when it became available at the start of the current school year. When an on-the-job training opportunity with American Stairs was presented earlier this school year, Jesus jumped at the chance. Since September, he has worked successfully at American Stairs, putting what he has learned in the classroom to work in a real-world setting. He looks forward to potentially accepting a full-time opportunity with the company after graduation.
"Jesus goes above and beyond in the classroom and shop," Mr. Malizia shared in his letter of recommendation. "He is always willing to help other students. American Stairs loves him. Jesus has completed all three NCCER certifications: Core, Level 1 and Level 2. These certifications required him to complete more than 28 tests and performance exams. Jesus Miguel-Diego is an outstanding young man.”
CTE Teachers of the Year
1) Jeanine Ramos, Medical Academy, South Fork High School
2) Brent Mahieu, Entrepreneurship Academy, Jensen Beach High School
3) Josh Moberg, Architectural Drafting Academy, Martin County High School
4) Doug Garrity, Computer Applications/CAD Design, Dr. David L. Anderson Middle School
1) Ms. Jeanine Ramos has served South Fork High School as a Medical Academy instructor since the 2018-2019 school year. Her instruction has prepared 98 young certified nursing assistants to join the workforce in just three short years. Before becoming a teacher, Ms. Ramos worked as a pediatric and newborn ICU nurse for Martin North (now known as Cleveland Clinic Martin North). She has revitalized South Fork's Medical Academy with high expectations for students, a commitment to excellence and a deep belief in the ability of every student to achieve their highest potential. In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Ms. Ramos serves as South Fork's Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) Club sponsor and the head coach of the swimming/diving teams.
2) Now in his eleventh year of teaching students enrolled in the Entrepreneurship Academy at Jensen Beach High School, Mr. Brent Mahieu has trained countless students in principles of entrepreneurship, business management, law and ownership. Before becoming a teacher, Mr. Mahieu worked in the mortgage-backed securities industry, where his consulting firm served companies such as JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Countrywide Home Loans and Washington Mutual. This year, he took on the challenge of incorporating a new industry certification and business incubation program into his curriculum as a result of a new grant the Florida Department of Education awarded the District. Students and parents alike rave about Mr. Mahieu's influence and the far-reaching impacts of his lessons - many of his former students are now business owners. In addition to his role as an educator, Mr. Mahieu serves as the head coach of Jensen Beach High School's lacrosse team.
3) Mr. Josh Moberg is currently in his 20th year of teaching Architectural Drafting at Martin County High School. As part of his curriculum, Mr. Moberg trains students in industry-recognized, computer-aided drawing programs, including AutoCAD, Revit Architecture, Inventor, and Fusion 360. Students learn to read and draw blueprints while also incorporating the technical proficiencies required to design and produce 3-D images of all types of structures. More than 130 industry certifications have been earned in the last three years by students enrolled in Mr. Moberg's classes.
"Mr. Moberg is a caring, dedicated teacher who creates real-life experiences for his students," Assistant Principal Mark Cowles shared. "He is patient and able to assist students who are at various levels of learning within his classes. Mr. Moberg's character and willingness to do whatever it takes to have his students college and career capable epitomizes what it means to be a Tiger.”
4) Mr. Doug Garrity is in his fourth year of teaching at Dr. David L. Anderson Middle School. Before becoming a teacher, he spent more than 25 years in the business management, marketing and finance fields. He was excited to accept an opportunity to give back to our community by educating students. He quickly became certified by the Florida Department of Education as a Business educator and has taught Computer Applications and 3-D CAD Design ever since. He is known for his ability to aid students in shifting their mindsets from viewing technology as a tool for entertainment to a functional tool for education and future career opportunities. More than 370 certifications have been earned by students enrolled in Mr. Garrity's classes.
Industry Partners of the Year
1) Mr. Jeffrey A. Bowers, Masterpiece Design/Build
2) Ms. Jen Ortman, Herff Jones
3) Jamil Makati, American Stairs
4) Rochelle Albert, Stuart Rehabilitation and Healthcare
5) Missi Campbell, Palm City Chamber of Commerce
1) Mr. Jeffrey Bowers was nominated for recognition by Ms. Barbara Anderson of South Fork High School's Architectural Drafting Academy. Ms. Anderson describes him as a local contractor who brings "the best of both worlds" when collaborating with teachers and students. Mr. Bowers is known for expressing his passion for student success and his interest in seeing students master technical skills and the employability skills necessary for any career choice. His expertise in the construction industry is appreciated by members of the industry advisory board. Mr. Bowers participated in the Florida Department of Education's CTE framework revisions - his feedback contributed to needed industry standard updates.
2) Ms. Jen Ortman of Herff Jones was nominated for recognition by Ms. Laura Hubel of South Fork High's Communications Technology Academy. Ms. Hubel shared that Ms. Ortman makes the students and faculty of South Fork feel as though they are her only priority, even though she serves many other schools with the development of yearbooks. She is always willing to work directly with students on production concepts and answer questions. Last year when the school found itself without a yearbook advisor, Ms. Ortman took over to facilitate the organization and production of the yearbook. Her commitment to the program, even outside of school hours, is more than worthy of recognition.
3) Mr. Jamil Makati of American Stairs was nominated for recognition by Mr. Tony Malizia and Mr. Nick Wood of South Fork High School's Building Construction and HVAC academies. For many years, Mr. Makati has been a consistent advocate and industry partner for all of the District's Architecture & Building Construction programs. This year, he took his commitment to our students to the next level by working to pilot and host four students for an on-the-job training opportunity. This required Mr. Makati to provide wages to his student participants and regularly contact their teachers about employability standards and expectations. Mr. Makati’s steadfast commitment to creating pathways to postsecondary success is very much appreciated.
4) Ms. Rochelle Albert of Stuart Rehabilitation and Healthcare was nominated for recognition by all of the District's Medical Academy instructions - Ms. Jeanine Ramos of South Fork High School, Ms. Aimee French of Martin County High School and Mr. Adam Day of Jensen Beach High School. As part of their efforts to prepare students for their certified nursing assistant (CNA) certification, each instructor is responsible for coordinating an extensive rotation schedule to ensure that all students complete the required 40 hours of clinical instruction. While this undertaking is challenging to accomplish in a typical year, the ongoing pandemic presented its own set of unique challenges.
Ms. Albert agreed to take on all nine sections of CNA students from each high school to ensure that all candidates would be able to complete their clinical hours. In a typical year, Stuart Rehabilitation and Healthcare hosts approximately 24 students for clinicals. This year, Ms. Albert agreed to host all 85 of our Medical Academy students. Her steadfast belief in the value of our medical programs has made all the difference for our students.
5) Ms. Missi Campbell of the Palm City Chamber of Commerce was nominated for recognition by the Office of Career & Technical Education for developing and facilitating the "Explore My Future" Academy Showcase events for eighth-graders.
"Ms. Campbell has been a true liaison between the business community and education," shared Ms. Lana Barros, Coordinator of College & Career Readiness. "Our newly modified event for eighth-graders was made possible by the tremendous efforts of Ms. Campbell. What started as a vision for a one-day event for Hidden Oaks Middle School evolved intentionally into five weeks of networking and interactions between students, CTE program ambassadors, and local chamber business leaders. Ms. Campbell leveraged all five of our local chambers and tapped into resources to bring relevant programming to our students. The bar has been set extremely high, and we look forward to building upon this momentum as we host future events for our students."