Two Utah high school vocational ed teachers snag $50K awards

When Samuel Jones recently greeted a guest at Olympus High School’s auto repair shop, he politely declined to shake hands.

The high school senior had spent the morning working under the hood of a car — and his mitts carried the telltale signs of auto mechanics. But a little grit and grime didn’t dissuade Samuel from bragging on his automotive teacher at Olympus, Chris Nielsen.

“Mr. Nielsen is really nice and cooperative — and he never puts you down. There are no ‘dumb questions’ when you’re working with Mr. Nielsen,” he said.

Added fellow student Gavin Lavine: “Mr. Nielsen is personable. He always understands what needs to be done on a car — but he doesn’t do the work for us. He helps explain to us what needs to be done with the car — and then he allows us to learn it for ourselves.”

Samuel and Gavin aren’t alone in recognizing Nielsen’s skill as an instructor and mentor. He is one of two high school skilled trade teachers from Utah recently named winners of the 2004 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence .

Jared Massic, a welding teacher at Maple Mountain High School in Spanish Fork, is the other Utah winner.

Both Nielsen and Massic claimed a $50,000 prize. They each get to pocket $15,000 for themselves. The remaining $35,000 from each prize will go to their respective school’s career and technical education programs.

Twenty-five public high school teachers from across the country received the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools award.

“We’ve been applying for this award for a long time, so it was exciting when we actually did win,” said Nielsen, remembering the recent surprise award announcement at his school. “It was really fun to see all the students and see their support.”

Massic was equally surprised after learning he too had won the cash award from Harbor Freight Tools. “It was definitely a relief — and there were some emotions to finally have the result we were hoping for.

Both Nielsen and Massic are thrilled to have extra cash in their pocket.

Nielsen and his wife, Jenny, plan to set the money aside to maybe cover a few bills.

Massic said he and his wife, Khristen, are still “kicking around a few ideas” on how they will use the award money.

“We just recently bought a new car, so maybe we’ll replenish the money we used.”

High school CTE training’s rich rewards

Even as employers scramble to find skilled workers to fill high-demand-high-paying jobs, research reveals that high school students such as Samuel and Gavin participating in career and technical education, or CTE, programs in high school are positioned for several positive outcomes — even if they don’t pursue traditional skilled labor careers.

A recent report produced by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) identified several CTE-friendly results, including:

• CTE programs in the United States have statistically significant positive impacts on several high school outcomes such as students’ academic achievement, high school completion, employability skills and college readiness.
• Students who take CTE are more likely to enroll in two-year colleges compared to those who do not take CTE. However, no differences were found for enrollment in four-year colleges and progressing in college.
• Those who take CTE courses in high school are also more likely to be employed after high school than those who did not.

Olympus High School Principal Jennifer Christensen said CTE programs at her school are placing students “on CTE pathways that set kids up for success.”

She added that even CTE high school students who may never pursue careers in, say, auto repair or the culinary arts are learning important life skills “that will benefit them throughout their lives.”

Massic is anxious to put his award money to use at Maple Mountain High School by updating the welding booths. “Right now the booths are kind of cramped and not situated for the best instruction if I need to help a student.”

Nielsen, meanwhile, said his award money can help offset Olympus student fees.

“And we are constantly trying to improve our facilities. We have some parking issues and tool management issues that we could improve upon — and this money could go a long way.”

The award also offers both Massic and Nielsen opportunities to champion high school CTE programs.

“All of my students — whether they are highly academic or barely going to graduate — can benefit from a hands-on trade class that gives them different perspectives and unlocks a different part of their brains where they are using their hands to make something,” he said. “That creativity and eye for quality work will translate into a lot of other avenues in life.”

When students learn they can do difficult things, they will be resilient and confident during challenging times, noted Massic.

CTE programs are helping equip Utah high school students with the skills they will need to navigate ever-changing world cultures and economies, added Nielsen. Young people enrolled in CTE programs are learning to identify problems and create solutions.

“Having hands-on problem solving skills — regardless of what you are going to do in life — is going to become more and more important,” he said.