CONTACT:  JIM MORRIS
Director, Public Information
573-751-3469

Vol. 43, No. 13

Revised March 17, 2009

State Education Officials Honor 12 “Tech-Prep” Students of the Year

State education officials honored 12 students as Tech-Prep Students of the Year in a ceremony held March 6 at the Capitol in Jefferson City. The honorees and their career programs, high schools and career centers are:

Heart of Missouri Technical Education Consortium

  • Michelle Charles, Business/Accounting
    Clinton Technical School and Clinton High School

Jefferson County Tech Prep Consortium

  • Samantha Farwig, Health Services
    Jefferson College Area Technical School and Hillsboro High School

Mid-Missouri Tech Prep Consortium

  • Haley Smith, Medical
    Eldon Career Center and Eugene High School, Cole County R-V School District

Mid Rivers Tech Prep Consortium

  • Bianca Wheeler, Administrative Business Technology
    Pike-Lincoln Technical Center and Troy Buchanan High School

North Missouri Tech Prep Consortium

  • Roxanne Ryan, Child Care Services
    Grand River Technical School and Meadville High School

Northeast Missouri Tech Prep Consortium

  • Joshua Habermehl, Accounting/Business Management
    Moberly Area Technical Center and Moberly High School

Northwest Missouri Tech Prep Consortium

  • John Moore, Auto Collision Technology
    Fort Osage Career and Technology Center and Fort Osage High School

Ozarks Tech Prep Consortium

  • Scott Whittaker, Automotive Technology
    Gibson Technical Center and Bradleyville High School

St. Louis Area Construction Training Tech Prep Consortium

  • Michael Miller, Building Trades
    Pike/Lincoln Technical Center and Silex High School

St. Louis Area Tech Prep Consortium

  • Stacy Bueneman, Network Administration/CISCO Networking
    North Technical High School and Hazelwood Central High School

Southeast Missouri Regional Tech Prep Consortium

  • Brock A. Harrison, Electrical Technology
    UniTec Career Center and North St. Francois County High School, Bonne Terre

Western-Southwestern Tech Prep Consortium

  • Dustin Cleveland, Computer Networking
    Franklin Technology Center and Sarcoxie High School

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 CTE-related organizations.

“Tech-prep” focuses on academic and career education to prepare young people for postsecondary training in a technical 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 12 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.

For more information, contact: Don Walker, director of tech-prep programs for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, at 573-751-8465.