Redmond, OR. (KTVZ) — Two talented and inspiring educators from the Redmond School District were honored at the Oregon Association for Career and Technical Education conference in Bend on Friday.
Alan Wheeler of Redmond High School was named Oregon ACTE Teacher of the Year for his construction program, and Josh Davis of Ridgeview High School was named Oregon ACTE New CTE Teacher of the Year for his computer science program.
Wheeler begins construction lessons with industry expectations, and lets students know that the right plan and behavior make all the difference in the workplace. It is his own attitude that leaves no wonder why the students enjoy being in his classroom so much. With 17 years of teaching under his belt, Wheeler still feels sharing his passion in the woodshop brings him purpose.
“I want to connect young people with their passions and help them discover their potential,” Wheeler said. “I see many students who struggle to believe they can succeed in school. I want to challenge students to put in the hard work of exceeding their expectations.”
During class, Wheeler is on a spinner, watching for safety and helping students make decisions about their projects.
Ryan Seal, a community volunteer, visits the construction class three days a week to monitor safety and assist students with their projects.
Wheeler was recommended by Seal for the award and said that Wheeler’s first priority is always safety, followed by teaching life and technical skills to help students find and keep employment in their chosen fields.
“It is constantly providing the class with the latest equipment to make their skills more marketable in today’s rapidly changing world,” said Sall.
Josh Davis also brings students up to speed in the rapidly changing field of computer science. Davis has taught for 23 years at RSD, starting as a mathematics teacher. He switched to computer science three years ago after completing certification requirements, and has since worked with High Desert ESD designing standards-based, industry-aligned courses.
All of Davis’s course work is student-centered, project-based instruction, said Amanda Ditto, RVHS Assistant Principal. “His results maintain real-world connections while challenging students to push the envelope.”
Recommended by one of Davies’ students for an ACTE award, he wrote in his letter; “Mr. Davis has an engaging, effective and interesting style of teaching that deserves recognition.
“Some days he teaches us important concepts, while he constantly asks us questions and does his best to get everyone in the class involved. While we work on other projects and have the freedom to experiment with programming tools. Davies always encourages us to move forward and in addition to our projects, rewarding creativity and add-ons. He teaches us Davis provides the concepts we need to be successful and then allows us to create our own software using said concepts.”
Visiting Davis’ class before the award was announced, students were beaming with excitement about the possibility of their “beloved” teacher being recognized statewide. Many of the students had no doubts that he would be the chosen recipient.
“What is really unique about these teachers is that they are not only incredibly talented in their field and in the way they inspire students, but they also care about their community. They both participate in projects that bring students and the community together in a meaningful way that also helps students gain real-world experience.” ,” said Dr. Charan Kline, RSD superintendent.