OATFACS Teacher of the Year
Leah Brandenburg teaches Work and Family Studies at Fairfield High School/Butler Tech. According to her nominator: Leah is a creative and innovative teacher who works hard at making her classroom exciting and engaging. She has helped pilot an online collaborative classroom at Butler Tech to bring different learning modalities to the classroom. Leah has presented this concept at several conferences and continues to improve and perfect her teaching always focusing on the student. |
OATFACS Outstanding Career and Technical Educator
 Mary Jo Kohl serves as our Educational Consultant at the Ohio Department of Education. According to her nominator: Mary Jo deserves the OATFACS Outstanding Career and Technical Educator Award because she gives unselfishly to the promotion of effective Family and Consumer Sciences Programs for all students in Ohio. Moving from the classroom into her role as ODE Consultant, she is a strong advocate for Career Technical Education. Mary Jo continues to forge ahead with projects in the best interests of all stakeholders. For example, she works with a team of OATFACS to plan the annual summer FCS Conference, works with supervisors and instructors to plan regional professional development sessions for Work and Family Studies teachers, gains professional development resources and plans continuing education for staff of Teaching Professions, presents state updates for OASFCS conferences. Mary Jo also works with Ohio Treasurer Richard Cordray's office to involve the treasurer's staff to educate instructors for financial literacy competence. She was instrumental in establishing "Elluminate" as one effective method of providing information to instructors with each participating at a time when it best fits their schedules. Further she recommends individuals to serve on panels for "Career Field Technical Content Standards Documents." When project work is completed the benefactors are many Ohio instructors who give their best to our students. Continually Mary Jo thinks critically, initiates processes and gives her best for education, doing all in a caring and rational manner.
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OATFACS Outstanding new Career and Technical Teacher
Jenny Callahan teaches at Centerville High School. According to her nominator: Jenny has come to Centerville High School this year as a part-time teacher and will be full-time next year. She has developed many new units/ lessons for our foods and nutrition classes. The lessons include hands-on examples and activities that engage students in the lesson and has increased student learning. With Jenny's professional, caring and humorist personality, she has become a great asset to our program.
In the Child Development classes, Jenny has developed a family activity night for families with young children. This is open for all families in our community. It has been a great success. Her students have embraced each lesson taught and have become advocates for positive parenting.
Jenny has reached out to provide support to students during her lunch hour. The lunch group is growing as more students are seeking a place to connect with others to feel secure and accepted during their lunch period. Jenny's concern for all students to be a part and accepted in our school community and outside in the real world has helped students embrace diversity at Centerville High School.
Jenny is simply the BEST!
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OATFACS Outstanding CTAE Professional in Community Service
Vicki Moreland is a Teacher Academy Instructor at Fairfield High School/ Butler Tech. According to her nominator: Vicki Moreland is the Butler Tech Teacher Academy instructor at Fairfield High School. Each Year, the Teacher Academy performs community service. These projects were completed this year:
- Sub Welcome Kits: For substitute teachers at Fairfield
- PDK Walk for Education: Raises money for PDK Scholarships
- Thanksgiving Blessing Mix: Appreciation project for Mentor Teachers
- Food Drive: To benefit Fairfield Food Pantry for the holidays
- Reindeer Food: Gifts for students in grades K-2
- Holiday Card/ Fleece Blanket Project: For local nursing home residents
- Junior Achievement: Students volunteer and teach five lessons to 3rd graders
- Latchkey: Students volunteer at Fairfield Latchkey after school programs
- RASKALS: Students help senior citizens with yard work
- Harvest Party: Students planned and provided a party for 2 MH classes
- Teacher Appreciation: Students wrote thank- you cards for Fairfield teachers
- New Teacher Appreciation: Students thanked beginning teachers for a great 1st year
- Elementary Carnivals: Students volunteer at annual carnivals
- Breakfast with Santa: Students volunteered at Community Arts Center
- Teacher Hall of Fame: Students wrote essays about the great teachers at FHS and Showcased their work on two bulletin boards at the school
- Postcards to former teachers: Thank you to teachers who inspired Teacher Academy students
- Secret Santa shop: Students volunteered at West Elementary
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OATFACS Image Award
Richard Cordray
Since being elected into office in 2006, the Honorable Richard Cordray has expanded the state's financial education outreach to include senior citizens, high school students, and victims of domestic violence. His office also created a comprehensive unbiased online personal finance resource, "Your Money Now Online.org," with tips and tools to help Ohioans take control of their finances. Cordray has worked with other state education leaders to create the Teachers Academy, a program to give teachers the training and resources they need to meet the requirement to offer financial education to high school students beginning in 2010. |
National Family and Consumer Sciences Role of Honor Recipient
Jane King
At the National ACTE Conference, scholarships are awarded to FCS professionals. These  scholarships are offered both through NATFACS, which is our National organization, and the FCS division of ACTE. These scholarships are funded through two methods. One is the state prepares a basket that is raffled off at the national conference as a fund raiser. The other is the sponsorship of nominees to the Role of Honor. Sponsors of nominees donate a minimum of $500.00 to the scholarship foundation in the nominee's name.
Many of Ohio FCS professionals have benefited from the fellowship award.
Our Role of Honor nominee this year has an abundance of talents. She has been an ambassador for Career and Technical Education for many years; she's an enthusiastic leader and role model. Without her efforts and guidance, this conference would not be possible. She has served as NATFACS President and a past OVA President. She has over 30 years of classroom teaching experience, both at high school and college levels. She has led our profession in her role as a consultant at the Ohio Department of Education. She has played an integral part in the Ohio ACTE and OATFACS conference planning. |
NATFACS Award of Merit Ohio Nominee
Lark Higginbotham
NATFACS Distinguished Service Award Ohio Nominee
Lark Higginbotham
NATFACS New Professional Award Ohio Nominee
Jenny Callahan
NATFACS Pride Award Ohio Nominee
Kim Plunkett
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A new addition this year for our conference was hosting the awards ceremony at the Atrium at the Statehouse. We would like to thank the following Legislative Members for attending our awards ceremony.
- Senator Steve Stivers
- Senator Ray Miller
- Senator Jason Wilson
- Senator Tom Neihaus
- Representative Jim McGregor
Legislative Aides:
- Erica Castle for Senator Tom Roberts
- Cynthia Ellis for Representative Dale Mallory
- Brian Morgan for Representative Deborah Newcomb
- Lori Shuttz for Representative Barbara Boyd
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