Vol. 38, No. 5
March 9, 2004
State Education Officials Honor 13
“Tech-Prep Students of the Year”
Susan Bernt, a senior at Warrensburg High School, has been named Missouri’s “Tech-Prep Student of the Year” by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
She was formally recognized last Friday (March 5) in ceremonies at the Capitol in Jefferson City. Twelve other seniors from public high schools across Missouri were honored as state finalists.
Students nominated for the tech-prep award are involved in career and technical education programs in high school, in areas such as agriculture education, building trades, health services and design drafting.
Susan Bernt is in the A+ Schools program at Warrensburg High School, and she is completing courses in agriculture education at the Warrensburg Area Vocational Technical School. She is an honor student who was recognized by Who’s Who Among America’s High School Students. She is active in her community through the local 4-H.
She plans to attend State Fair Community College and Central Missouri State University, majoring in animal science and biology, before applying to Veterinary School at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
The 12 students honored as state finalists in the 2004 Tech-Prep Student of the Year program are:
- Victoria Cooper, Carthage High School
- Brad Harris, Bloomfield High School
- Andrew Hellickson, Rolla High School
- Stuart Johnson, Strafford High School
- Sarah Jones, No. St. Francois Co. High School, Bonne Terre
- Zachary Krato, Hazelwood Central High School, St. Louis
- Andrew Lambrich, Hillsboro High School
- Andrew Lapin, Francis Howell High School, St. Charles
- Eric Raaf, Gasconade County R-II High School, Owensville
- Darby Sharp, Van-Far High School, Vandalia
- Shayla Strutton, St. Elizabeth High School
- Brittney Taylor, Hickman Mills High School, Kansas City
A committee of educators appointed by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education selected the award winners. Students were selected on the basis of their commitment to career and technical education, academic achievement, involvement in school or community activities, leadership abilities, and their involvement in student organizations related to career and technical education.
“Tech-prep” focuses on both academic and career education to prepare young people for postsecondary training in a technical or career field. All tech-prep students take part in so-called “2+2” programs, in which they take career-oriented classes during 11th and 12th grades, and then move directly into related studies at a community college, a technical school, or an apprenticeship program.
There are 15 regional tech-prep “consortiums” in Missouri, coordinated by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Each consortium involves local high schools, area career and technical centers, community colleges and representatives of business, industry and labor. The groups work to coordinate curriculum, academic standards and policies, and articulation agreements so that students are able to move smoothly from high school into postsecondary studies.