Dear ACTEAZ Members,

Thank you for your commitment to educational excellence and student success every single day. This past year was an outstanding example of what can happen when we mix committed educators, a powerful delivery system for education, and an entire community of business and industry partners together to support one cause—the financial support of Career and Technical Education.

For everyone who picked up a phone, wrote an email, or personally visited with legislators, thank you for your help. For everyone who invited community members in to see CTE programs in action, held community events to showcase student skills, or gave time to another organization to give students another work-based opportunity, thank you for your dedication to the future. And for everyone who understands just how significant our programs are for our economy, we need your support and your voices as much as ever.

With the start of a new school year, educators and students alike make new resolutions. While you are developing yours, think about making a resolution to set aside time to grow professionally, whether it is through the many classes available around Arizona through ACTEAZ, ADE, or post-secondary partners. Make a resolution to challenge your students to grow professionally by investing time in leadership development opportunities available in our fantastic CTSOs. And make time to continue the wonderful collaboration that is such a trademark of CTE across Arizona by reaching out to the rookie teachers in your school or in your district to help them believe that they can not only survive this year, but that they and their students will thrive. And if you don’t have a rookie to reach out to, consider joining the AZ CTE Leads mentoring program, Share YOU, at this link,  to be matched with someone in CTE who is looking for a mentor.

Please join us in continuing the forward momentum CTE has gained in Arizona and throughout the country with your active advocacy at the local, state, and national levels. The difference we all make collectively will have a remarkably personal effect on our students’ lives as well as our own.

Sincerely,

Julie Stockwell
2016-2017 ACTEAZ President