Weber Receives State Award at CTE Summer Conference

Posted Date: 08/18/2020

Educators from across Kansas were honored by the Kansas Association for Career and Technical Education (K-ACTE) during an awards ceremony that took place at the Virtual CTE Summer Conference of the K-ACTE on Monday, July 27, 2020.

The K-ACTE Awards promote excellence in career and technical education. K-ACTE recognizes individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to CTE, programs that exemplify the highest standards, and organizations that have conducted activities to promote and expand CTE programs. Award winners serve as inspirational leaders to ACTE: they embody the core values of serving their students and being committed to CTE. Award candidates are evaluated based on accomplishments and innovations that exhibit the quality of the candidate for the award and contributions to the CTE community, which could include activities within their institutions, communities, Association for Career & Technical Education (ACTE), K-ACTE, and other organizations.

The K-ACTE Teacher of the Year State Winner is Ashley Weber, the current Family and Consumer Sciences teacher at Clearwater High School.

Ashley is a native of Wamego and pursued her post-secondary education at Kansas State University. For 7 years, Ashley served as the Family and Consumer Sciences instructor and FCCLA Advisor at Mission Valley High School in Eskridge, then 4 years at Wabaunsee High School in Alma and the past 2 years at Clearwater High School.

A passion of Ashley’s is helping her students make plans for their futures. She worked with her students to organize career panels, job shadowing experiences and mock interviews to help prepare them for real life. She was an integral part in implementing Individual Plans of Study by setting up meetings with students and parents to outline their future plans. As the CTE coordinator she has advocated for CTE and increased the number of pathways offered.

In Ashley’s tenure as an FCCLA adviser, she has advised 12 district officers, 5 Peer Education members and 2 state officers. Ashley’s students have had success in STAR Events with 112 district participants, 80 state qualifiers and so far 54 national qualifiers. Through Ashley’s advising her students have gained recognition on the state and national levels. They have earned over $4,500 in Kansas FCCLA Scholarships and 5 Kansas National Program awards. In 2016 they were the National STOP the Violence National Program award winner and in 2018 the National Career Connections National Program award runner-up. In 2018 Ashley was recognized as the Statewide Adviser of the Year and as a National FCCLA Master Adviser.

Ashley has been a leader in her KATFACS District serving as the membership and marketing chair and has been serving as the secretary of KATFACS since 2015. Ashley contributes her success to the great mentors she’s had throughout her life. Without their guidance and wisdom she would not be where she is today.

K-ACTE is the voice for career and technical education in the state of Kansas. Through a wide range of programs and events, K-ACTE serves as a resource to career and technical teachers, counselors, administrators, and teacher educators. Learn more about K-ACTE at www.k-acte.org.