2023 Stukent High School Teacher of the Year!

The votes are in and this year’s Stukent High School Teacher of the Year is…

CHRIS HANCOCK!

ABOUT CHRIS:

Teaching Experience: 8+ years

Professional Biography: After graduating from Fremont High School in 2000, Chris went to Weber State University to earn his teaching degree in social science before returning to his alma mater to become a teacher. He wanted to give back to students in his hometown, supporting them as his teachers had helped him. His passion for teaching and personal finance is contagious. Chris teaches with enthusiasm and authenticity and is committed to being himself in his teaching strategies and approach to his students and material. 

Chris takes the time to tell his students that they are valued. He holds his students to high expectations and knows they will each become successful in their own way. Students in his classes may forget some of what they learned, but he strives to ensure they will never forget how they felt in his classroom.

Chris believes success starts with good people and relies on teamwork and trust. According to Chris, having a great group of students is the crucial starting point on the road to success in the classroom. Chris’s goal is to establish a positive environment and ensure every student feels included. He remembers what it was like to struggle in school and treats his students with so much compassion and understanding that they can’t help but know he cares.

Special Accomplishments: 
Stukent Teacher of the Month, March 2022

Learn More About the Nominees

The following teachers have been nominated to be this year’s Stukent Teacher of the Year. 

Carol Lill

Business Teacher at West Chester East High School, Pennsylvania

Teaching Experience: 20+ years

Professional Biography:
Before becoming a teacher, Carol earned her bachelor’s degree in business education from Bloomsburg University and her master’s degree in instructional technology from Rosemont College.

Carol has taught several business electives, including introduction to business, accounting, marketing, and entrepreneurship. She is active in her DECA chapter as an advisor and loves to use realistic projects and activities in her classes. She’s even created her own digital marketing curriculum! 

Carol enjoys finding creative ways to engage her students. She implemented a guest speaker program to encourage students to pursue their career interests at a young age.

Special Accomplishments:
Stukent Teacher of the Month, June 2021

Chris Hancock

Financial Literacy and U.S. History Teacher at Fremont High School, Utah

Teaching Experience: 8+ years

Professional Biography: After graduating from Fremont High School in 2000, Chris went to Weber State University to earn his teaching degree in social science before returning to his alma mater to become a teacher. He wanted to give back to students in his hometown, supporting them as his teachers had helped him. His passion for teaching and personal finance is contagious. Chris teaches with enthusiasm and authenticity and is committed to being himself in his teaching strategies and approach to his students and material. 

Chris takes the time to tell his students that they are valued. He holds his students to high expectations and knows they will each become successful in their own way. Students in his classes may forget some of what they learned, but he strives to ensure they will never forget how they felt in his classroom.

 

Chris believes success starts with good people and relies on teamwork and trust. According to Chris, having a great group of students is the crucial starting point on the road to success in the classroom. Chris’s goal is to establish a positive environment and ensure every student feels included. He remembers what it was like to struggle in school and treats his students with so much compassion and understanding that they can’t help but know he cares.

 

Special Accomplishments: 
Stukent Teacher of the Month, March 2022

Jodi Jacobs

Business and Marketing Teacher at Everett Public Schools, Washington

Teaching Experience: 19+ years

Professional Biography: Jodi is a seasoned Career and Technical Education (CTE) educator who goes above and beyond to help her students realize their full potential. 

As a CTE teacher, she has taught business, marketing, information technology, family, and consumer science.

In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Jodi serves as the CTE department head, DECA advisor, and is the head coach for the Cascade Sr. High School cross country team. She is also the EPS Business and Professional Services program facilitator, serves on the CTE teacher leadership team, chairs the Business and Professional Services Program Advisory Council, and is a member of the CTE general advisory.

She is also involved with the Washington Association of Marketing Educators (WAME) and holds dual bachelor’s degrees in administrative management and business education. She has a master’s degree in educational technology.

Special Accomplishments: 
2021 WA-ACTE Teacher of the Year
Stukent Teacher of the Month, March 2021

 

Jesse Zitrin

Teacher of CTE Marketing, CTE Business Foundations, and ERWC English 10 at Benicia High School, California

Teaching Experience: 6+ years

Professional Biography:

Jesse Zitrin has been teaching high school CTE business courses since 2018, and during distance learning in 2020 joined Benicia High School, where he launched the Business and Marketing courses, both articulated for college credit, that comprise the school’s new CTE Business Management pathway.

This year, the Business class has launched The Paw Shop, a student-run store that’s marketed and sold everything from Croc Charms to customized event t-shirts. Some of The Paw Shop’s most popular items have come from elsewhere on campus, such as infinity cubes 3-D printed by the CTE Engineering class, and Spotify keychains engraved with a custom code that plays a customer’s song of choice automatically when scanned through the Spotify app. Students have shown the initiative and skills to run a real-life business, from negotiating a startup loan from ASB Leadership to weathering vendor issues and taking a loss on custom shirts rather than risk the brand’s reputation by not delivering on preorders.

The Marketing class has also broken new ground this year, launching Panther Digital Service, a partnership with local businesses and service organizations that positions high school Marketing students as digital consultants. Working with clients from the Chamber of Commerce to the Teen Center and the local pizzeria, Panther Digital student groups have worked hard to arrange and conduct onboarding interviews, establish client goals, needs, and project expectations, audit their existing web and social presence, and create recommendations that match custom-generated new posts and accounts with clients’ strategy and target audience.

Mr. Zitrin says he’s learned a lot from these real-world projects, from gaps in students’ soft skills (from public speaking to project management) to never underestimating what they can develop, given the proper “freedom within structure.” Zitrin believes that applied learning projects help students access the tools to see, understand, and redesign the capitalist structures and media environment they inhabit every day.

Special Accomplishments: 
Stukent Teacher of the Month, July 2021

Kerrie Nelson

Marketing & Advertising Teacher at Buinger Career and Technical Education Academy (BCTEA), Texas

Teaching Experience: 5+ years

Professional Biography:

Kerrie started her career with an internship at the University of Texas in Austin, where she interned at GSD&M during her senior year. After that, she worked at several advertising agencies and marketing firms and even spent 22 years helping to produce a high school football television show on FOX Sports SW! Kerrie and her husband have their own company, where they produce, edit, and create freelance content for clients.

Kerrie started teaching as her children headed off to college about five years ago. She loves helping her students learn about the world of marketing and advertising and hopes to help them decide what to major in or choose a career after high school. 

Aside from teaching, being a mom, and running a business with her husband, Kerrie loves to volunteer and give back to the community. 

Special Accomplishments: 
Stukent Teacher of the Month, September 2022

KYLE VAN AUSDALL

CTE Teacher at Central Lee Community High School, Iowa

Teaching Experience: 21+ years

Professional Biography:

Kyle began his business career with a corrugated box manufacturer and stayed for 17 years before returning to college for his master’s degree and teaching credentials. Kyle has taught for over 21 years at the same school he graduated from. He spent the first nine years teaching seventh-grade science and the last 12 years teaching high school business.  His true passion is teaching financial literacy — he saw that coming before the state of Iowa mandated teaching it. He’s been teaching financial literacy for eight years now. 

When asked about what tips he’d like to share with other educators, he said:
“Don’t be afraid to try new things; let your classes help you. Tell students you need their help and to let you know what works … and what doesn’t work. Letting students know you don’t know everything and that you are human goes a long way to building rapport with them.  

Lastly, have fun with your students, get to know them, learn about them, and laugh with them. Have your students share their successes and their failures. In turn, share your stories with them also.”

Special Accomplishments:
President-elect, president, and past president of IBEA (Iowa Business Educator’s Association)
Stukent Teacher of the Month, October 2022
Recipient of the Outstanding Business Educator in Iowa
Daily Democrat Teacher of the Year
Burlington Hawkeye Teacher of the Year

Meleea Miller

Business & Marketing Teacher & DECA ADVISOR at Skyview High School, Washington

Teaching Experience: 9+ years

Professional Biography:

Meleea comes from the from the building and hospitality industries and owned a business with her husband for 15 years.
Before joining Skyview High School five years ago, she taught elsewhere for four years.

When asked about what tips she would share with other teachers, she said, “Learn to trust yourself and communicate to the students how much you care about them. They must know you are invested in them before they can trust you.”

Special Accomplishments: 
Stukent Teacher of the Month, August 2022

Michelle Moore

Marketing Teacher & DECA Advisor at Ronald Reagan High School, Texas

Teaching Experience: 9+ years

Professional Biography:

Michelle has held the position of marketing teacher and DECA advisor at Ronald Reagan High School in San Antonio, Texas, since 2013. Her passion for her students’ growth and progress is the hallmark of her teaching style. Like many other marketing teachers, Michelle juggles multiple preps — social media marketing, advertising, sports and entertainment marketing, practicum in marketing, and project-based research.  Michelle is widely known for her boundless energy, enthusiasm, and curly hair. 

Michelle’s mantra is “Don’t stop being tired,” which is the answer she gave her sales manager at Xerox when they asked her to share the secret to her success. Michelle hasn’t changed that philosophy since she decided to become a teacher.

Michelle now strives to become “teacher-tired,” which is similar to the kind of tired one feels after finishing a marathon — that feeling where you’ve given it your all and couldn’t possibly go any further. It permeates her being. Her contagious energy and enthusiasm help her maintain her students’ interest and engagement. She tells her students that her goal is to help them become better versions of the people who first walked through her classroom door.

Special Accomplishments:
Summa Teacher Honoree 2014-2023
Texas DECA Outstanding Service Award, 2021
Campus CTE Teacher of the Year: 2017, 2018, 2020
Stukent Teacher of the Month, August 2020
College Tutors of San Antonio’s Educator of the Month, April 2018

Pam Kantack

Business, Economics, Computers, and Leadership Teacher Shelley High School, Idaho

Teaching Experience: 13+ years

Professional Biography:
When asked why she chose to become a teacher, Pam responds, “I don’t think I chose it — it chose me.” 

Pam remembers how difficult it was to be in high school. That’s why she strives to be someone who helps students navigate potential careers, find their passions, and teach them they can be whoever they choose to be. 

Even though it took Pam time to find her path in life, she knew she wanted to have a positive impact on young people. Pam genuinely cares for each of her students and loves to watch them succeed. She credits her students for helping her become the teacher she is today, and she loves them for that fact. 

Pam is working on her second master’s degree through Idaho State University in educational leadership.

Special Accomplishments: 
Stukent Teacher of the Month, February 2021

Sabrina lin

Business Teacher Valley Christian High School, California

Teaching Experience: 5+ years

Professional Biography: 

Sabrina worked at Hewlett-Packard (HP) for over 20 years before teaching at Valley Christian High School. While working at HP as a senior director, she always tried to lead her team with authenticity and empathy, which she has carried into her teaching career.

Sabrina teaches her students to be well-informed citizens in her business fundamentals and entrepreneurship classes. She focuses on helping them understand the ins and outs of the business world. 

Sabrina shows her students that she truly cares by taking the time to hear what is going on in their lives, supporting them in their struggles, and taking opportunities to help them grow personally and in their learning. 

Special Accomplishments: 
Stukent Teacher of the Month, August 2021

Vote for the 2023 Stukent High School Teacher of the Year

Voting for the 2023 Teacher of the Year will open on Monday, May 8, 2023 at 10:00 AM MST and end on Friday, May 12, 2023 at 3:00 PM MST. 

2022 Teacher of the Year: Keith Brady

Teaching Experience: 15+ years

Professional Biography: Keith’s goal as a teacher is to inspire students and instill the values of lifelong learning, critical thinking, collaboration, and interpersonal connection to better prepare them for whatever path their journeys take them on. 

Keith’s students would describe him as the teacher who brings a passion for learning and growth, day in and day out — regardless of the subject (and whether or not he has had his coffee!) 

Keith started his career in accounting and personal finance, then pursued teaching to help educate and mentor young adults. Since his first day of teaching in 2007, he has taught everything from personal finance to sports management to life skills. 

In addition to teaching, Keith also serves as a coach, presenter, and mentor. His genuine compassion for others and desire for continued improvement inspire the environment within his classroom every day. 

Special Accomplishments: 
District Teacher of the Year, 2012
Stukent Teacher of the Month, April 2022

Share this on:

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email