CTE Newsletter - Winter 2023

Update from the Wyoming Department of Education  |  view online |  website

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Winter 2023


CTE TEACHERS HONORED AT ACTE VISION

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Bill Dalles (Platte #1) received the Teachers Turn The Key Award for his work at Weston #1 at ACTE VISION during the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) in Las Vegas.

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Grace Godfrey (Washakie #1) received the CASE Innovative Program Award at ACTE VISION during the NNAAE in Las Vegas.


THE WDE'S CTE MAGAZINE, ctEzine, IS LIVE

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The WDE’s ctEzine explores Career and Technical Education pathways that students can follow to enter the workforce with a rewarding and profitable career. The ctEzine explores and reveals possible career fields that students may never have imagined existed in Wyoming where they will be able to earn a living while making a life!

View the Winter 2023 edition here, and feel free to pass it along freely. 


“SEE ME TEACH CTE” NOMINATIONS DUE

“See Me Teach CTE” is an opportunity for students who have been identified by a Career and Technical (CTE) teacher as an ideal candidate to teach CTE to participate in a day of exploration. The Nominee should demonstrate an interest in the field of CTE education such as Family & Consumer Sciences, Construction trades, Computer Science, Business and Marketing, Agriculture, Automotive, Health Sciences, etc. Each nominee will be recognized with a certificate and a lapel pin.

Students who are nominated will be invited to spend Saturday, April 1, 2023, with their parents on the University of Wyoming School of Education campus. Nominations will close on February 1, 2023. Selections will be made and notified by February 15, 2023. The nomination form is here


T.E.A.M. MEETINGS SCHEDULED

The WDE-CTE Team will host its annual Technical Education and Assistance Meetings (T.E.A.M.) with all of our districts and community colleges. This is a great opportunity to review the CTE funding for 2021-22, programs of study, student data from 2021-22, get a sneak preview of upcoming professional development and to ask questions. We look forward to seeing you there.


CAREER DEVELOPMENT FACILITATOR SPRING COURSE ANNOUNCED

The WDE has developed Facilitating Career Development Courses that will provide a complete set of best practices for facilitating career development in multiple settings, and for all ages. These courses will support the implementation of more robust career development programs in all Wyoming schools and to ensure consistency in the delivery of content and best practices in career development.

The Winter 2023 schedule:

  • Zoom "In Person" Orientation - Monday, February 27, 2023.
  • Zoom "In Person" Closing - Monday, May 1, 2023.
  • Course duration with weekly check-ins during each week beginning the week of February 7 through the week of April 24, 2022.

Course completers will receive a certificate and are eligible to apply for the Global Career Development Facilitator Credential and certification as a Career Services Provider. School staff, counselors, administrators, and teachers whose roles will include coordinating career development and exploration programming in their respective schools are encouraged to attend. The orientation and course closing require “in-person” attendance via the Zoom online platform.  The fee for this course is $320 payable by check to: The Wyoming Department of Education Ilaine Brown, 122 W. 25th St. Suite E200, Cheyenne, WY 82002


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WELCOME OUR NEW SUPERINTENDENT, MEGAN DEGENFELDER

Megan Degenfelder was elected Wyoming’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction in November of 2022, making her one of the youngest elected statewide officials in Wyoming history. Megan grew up in a six-generation ranching family in Casper and graduated from the University of Wyoming with bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Political Science. She was selected as the University’s top graduating female, served as students body president, captained the rugby team and was in leadership of College Republicans.

Megan went on to earn a master’s degree in Economics from the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, China, with her thesis focusing on the elasticity of demand between coal and natural gas. During her time in China, Megan taught in K-12 schools and community colleges.

Megan served as the Chief Policy Officer at the Wyoming Department of Education under Superintendent Jillian Balow. She oversaw multiple divisions, including standards & assessment, accountability, and the Hathaway scholarship, as well as a $30 million budget and 25-person staff. Megan also comes from years of private sector experience, in the fields of coal and oil and gas, where she worked to lessen regulatory burdens and government overreach.

Megan volunteers on several non-profit boards, coaches the University of Wyoming women’s rugby team, regularly fosters rescue dogs, and is an active volunteer in her church. She enjoys hunting, competitive trap shooting and hiking, and has traveled to six continents and 37 countries. Megan’s husband, Bryan Dugas, is an anesthesiologist, and they have two beloved rescue dogs, Loretta Lynn and Patsy.


UPCOMING EVENTS

  • CTE Month Proclamation Signing at 3 p.m. on February 14 in the Governor's Ceremonial Conference Room at the Wyoming Capitol.
  • Professional Development Grants open May 1 and close on June 30 for the 2023-24 school year.
  • WACTE June 15-17 in Cheyenne at LCCC.
  • Cutting Edge Grants open July 1 and close on August 31 for the 2023-24 school year.
  • Inspire Ingenuity…CTE Pays July 11-13 in Cheyenne at LCCC.
  • Skilled Trades Camp, Sunrise:
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