ACTE names Mrs. Brown a Top 5 National CTE Teacher of the Year

Congratulations to Mrs. Heather Brown who was named one of five national finalists for the ACTE Trade & Industrial Education CTE Teacher of the Year Award!

Mrs. Brown is the instructor for second and third-year students in A.W. Beattie’s Advertising Design program. She also is a SkillsUSA Advisor.

Mrs. Brown attended the ACTE CareerTech Vision Conference last week in Pheonix, Arizona with the other finalists.

“It’s an incredible honor to be nominated and to be considered a finalist for this award,” Mrs. Brown said. “This wasn’t anything I had ever imagined would happen, and it was a wonderful surprise.”

At the conference, Mr. and Mrs. Brown attended the ACTE Trade and Industrial Opening Session as well as the general session/vendor floor to learn more about the latest and greatest in middle school and high school CTE techniques, equipment, and education.

Mrs. Brown has now returned to the classroom where she will again focus on daily lessons and will begin to prepare students for SkillsUSA District competitions.

Under the guidance of Mrs. Brown and additional SkillsUSA advisors Mr. Brown and Mrs. Gibson, A.W. Beattie students have consistently excelled at SkillsUSA competitions in recent years. More than 30 students medaled in districts last school year, including 12 gold medalists, and eight students combined to earn four state championships. A.W. Beattie students have earned 24 national medals in eight different competitions since 2018.

“I’m incredibly proud of the work my students have done not only in recent years, but in the 20 years I have been at Beattie,” Mrs. Brown said. “Two of those students, now professional adults, were actually the ones who wrote the letters of recommendation I needed for this award. It’s great to be able to see them grow up and succeed in their fields.”

Student participation in extracurriculars like SkillsUSA is encouraged by Mrs. Brown who was involved in the organization when she was a career and technical education student at Forbes Road.

“We have a myriad of wonderful Career and Technical Student Organizations available for students at Beattie and you really can't make a bad choice!” Mrs. Brown said. “What's special about SkillsUSA is that not only do we focus on the professional and leadership skills needed to succeed in any field, but we enhance those career skills by challenging students to use those skills in new and often creative ways to troubleshoot, to problem solve, to help their community and to just push the envelope in general. I'm really excited to see what this year's group brings to the table.”

A.W. Beattie Executive Director Mr. Eric Heasley said the recognition Mrs. Brown received has been earned through years of dedication to students and providing them with the support and knowledge to be successful in their career pathways.

“We could not be prouder of Mrs. Brown,” Mr. Heasley said. “She deeply cares about every student and their aspirations and also goes above and beyond to help every student reach their goals. She is an excellent mentor and role model to her students.”