CTE Student of the Year
It is our pleasure to announce our 2024 GAVC Student of the Year is Blake Caulkins! Blake is a Senior at Galesburg High School, and has completed the Building Trades program at GAVC. Building Trades instructor Mr. Shenaut had the following to say about Blake: “Blake arrives early to class and is prepared to work. He is one of the first to volunteer on tasks in the classroom, shop or on site. He is willing to do what is asked of him and works well with his classmates and the homeowners. Blakes is willing to help his fellow students as well. This year, we took on the task of competing in the Carpentry competition through SkillsUSA. Blake gladly participated and was excited to do so. He entered the competition and did very well, finishing in the top 20 at the State Championships. Blake will be an asset wherever he decides to go. He does not quit and has a great work ethic. He does his best to get any job done.”
Blake plans to enroll in and complete the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council Joint Apprenticeship Program in Pekin, IL with aspirations of becoming a carpenter. Along with a plaque and a check for $100, he will also receive $500 towards the purchase of tools and/or equipment, donated by Delabar Education System. Congratulations, Blake!
Blake plans to enroll in and complete the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council Joint Apprenticeship Program in Pekin, IL with aspirations of becoming a carpenter. Along with a plaque and a check for $100, he will also receive $500 towards the purchase of tools and/or equipment, donated by Delabar Education System. Congratulations, Blake!
CTE Student of the Month
Each month GAVC instructors are asked to nominate one outstanding student that displays excellent leadership skills, a professional attitude, and exceptional attendance to receive the student of the month award.
Recipients of the award receive a certificate of excellence, a gift certificate from Happy Joes Pizza, a GAVC t-shirt, a gift card to Buffalo Wild Wings and a gift card to Culvers and also become eligible for the GAVC student of the year award announced in May.
Recipients of the award receive a certificate of excellence, a gift certificate from Happy Joes Pizza, a GAVC t-shirt, a gift card to Buffalo Wild Wings and a gift card to Culvers and also become eligible for the GAVC student of the year award announced in May.
May
Our GAVC May Student of the Month is Madison Gummerson! Madison is a senior at Galesburg High School and is enrolled in the GAVC Introduction to Teaching. She was nominated by Instructor Mrs. Laura Putnam. Mrs. Putnam had the following to say about Madison: “Madison is currently working in Mrs. Riner’s 4th grade classroom at Steele Elementary. Her desire is to
become a teacher, and she already has many skills necessary for this occupation. Madison is reliable and hardworking in all she does. She approaches her time in the classroom at Steele like a job, and she gives 100% at all times. Her help is greatly appreciated by her classroom teacher. She displays an eagerness to learn and an excitement for her future profession. She is reliable and is a great role model for her peers in Intro to Teaching.” Madison plans to attend Carl Sandburg College for two
years and then transfer to Monmouth College to complete her Education degree. Congratulations, Madison!
become a teacher, and she already has many skills necessary for this occupation. Madison is reliable and hardworking in all she does. She approaches her time in the classroom at Steele like a job, and she gives 100% at all times. Her help is greatly appreciated by her classroom teacher. She displays an eagerness to learn and an excitement for her future profession. She is reliable and is a great role model for her peers in Intro to Teaching.” Madison plans to attend Carl Sandburg College for two
years and then transfer to Monmouth College to complete her Education degree. Congratulations, Madison!
April
Our GAVC April Student of the Month is Anaya Hargdes! Anaya is a senior at Galesburg High School and is enrolled in the GAVC Culinary Occupations program. She was nominated by Culinary Occupations Instructor Mrs.Sarah Barrett. Mrs. Barrett had the following to say about Anaya: “Anaya has had great attendance and comes to class every day with a positive attitude. She is always giving great ideas to different cooking labs we should try that are difficult to increase culinary skills. She is such a hard worker. Mr. Hawkins asked us to make personalized cookies for all of the staff members, and Anaya wrote every single name perfectly on the 300 cookies and did the majority of the outlining. Anaya has given her best effort on all projects and labs that we have done so far this year. Every dish we make she is always plating it picture perfect. Trying her best to make sure the food doesn’t just taste good but looks great as well! Attention to detail is her thing! I can’t wait to see what her college career has in store for her with her minor in food management!” Anaya plans to attend the University of Louisiana, majoring in Psychology with a minor in food management. Congratulations, Anaya!
March
Our GAVC March Student of the Month is Syriah Boyd! Syriah is a senior at Galesburg High School and is enrolled in the GAVC health Occupations program. She was nominated by Health Occupations Instructor Mrs.Lorie Larsen. Mrs. Larsen had the following to say aboutSyriah: “Syriah is a delight to have in class and is already showing great promise as a CNA. Syriah is always on taskand is an excellent student academically. The thing that impresses me the most is her willingness to support and encourage her classmates. She is willing to go above and beyond to make everyone feel welcome. She is genuine and very kind. Syriah is always in attendance, is always dependable, on time and attentive. She works hard, is honest and trustworthy. I can count on her for anything. I look forward to watching her grow as she becomes a Certified Nursing Assistant!” Syriah plans to continue studying nursing at Tennessee State University after graduation. Congratulations, Syriah!
February
Our GAVC February Student of the Month is Jaxson Pemberton! Jaxson is a senior at ROWVA High School and is enrolled in the GAVC Fire Science program. He was nominated by Fire Science Instructor Rick Pryor. Mr. Pryor had the following to say about Jaxson: “Jaxson is always on time and courteous to teachers and classmates. He is interested in a career in the fire service. He would like to follow in the footsteps of his brother, who is a firefighter and Jaxson states is his role model. Jaxson is an outstanding student who does whatever is asked of him. In addition to his GAVC program, Jaxson participates in cross country, wrestling and track at ROWVA.” Jaxson plans to attend college on a wrestling scholarship and pursue a career in the fire service. Congratulations, Jaxson!
January
Our GAVC January Student of the Month is Casey Trone!Casey is enrolled in the GAVC Early Childhood Education program, and was nominated by ECE Instructor LauranPutnam. Mrs. Putnam had the following to say about Casey: “Casey is currently taking ECE I through GAVC &Ed Pathways through Sandburg. She is driven to succeed in the education field and takes every opportunity to learn more and develop her skills. Casey has learned a great deal from Mrs. Mings, and her planning and ideas are topnotch! She earned her ECE Level I credential during the first semester. She completed 16 modules (32 hours) of course work to allow her to reach this credential. Casey works hard in the classroom and is a great, creative influence on her peers. She is always willing to help others and is respectful to all. She is 100% reliable in every situation. As a junior, she already has the soft skills necessary to jump right into the workforce. Casey plans to continue to pursue her education degree and become an elementary teacher after graduation Congratulations, Casey!
December
Our GAVC December Student of the Month is Ryan Jimenez-Stevens! Ryan is a junior at United High School and is enrolled in Building Trades. Ryan was nominated by Building Trades Instructor, Brad Shenaut. Mr. Shenaut had the following to say about Ryan: “Ryan is a great student and classmate. He gets along great with his classmates, his teachers, and the homeowners we work with. He is always polite and respectful. Ryan has had near perfect attendance this year and is one of the first ones to arrive on site every morning. He is always eager to get to work on our project. He is one of the first to volunteer for tasks and is a leader when working with his classmates. He takes pride in his work and will go back to fix things that he thinks can be done better. Our partners have noticed his hard work and appreciate what he does on site. Ryan also keeps up in the classroom and has nearly completed his OSHA 10 Safety Certification. Ryan is a great representative of his school, the GAVC and the Building Trades program.” Congratulations, Ryan!
November
Our GAVC November Student of the Month is Emma Gunther! Emma is a junior at Abingdon-Avon High School and is enrolled in Health Occupations. Emma was nominated by Health Occupations Instructor, Lorie Larsen. Mrs. Larsen had the following to say about Emma: “Emma is a fun loving and happy young lady! She is always respectful to me, her classmates and staff. She is very hard working and always has a smile. She is witty and fun to be around! Emma is always on task and eager to learn. She contributes a great deal to the classroom, offering lots of insight and shares what she learned. Emma is wonderful with the residents. She delivers personal care with compassion and confidence. She is willing to jump in to assist or help other CNAs with any skills or tasks. Emma is always on time and ready to work. She is honest and hardworking. She is very attentive and contributes a great deal to the class. Emma encourages others and has a positive attitude. She is very supportive of her classmates and is always encouraging them. She is very active in the classroom and the clinical site with all the hands-on activities. She is a pleasure to have in class! Congratulations, Emma!
October
Our GAVC October Student of the Month is Blake Caulkins! Blake is a senior at Galesburg High School and is enrolled in Building Trades at GAVC. He was nominated by Building Trades instructor, Mr. Brad Shenaut. Mr. Shenaut had the following to say about Blake: Blake is always the first to arrive at our jobsite and is prepared to work every day. He is respectful to teachers, staff, students and homeowners. Blake has had near perfect attendance and is almost always about 10 minutes early to class. He shows an eagerness to learn more about construction and asks great questions. He notices things others may overlook. He works well with whoever he is paired with and will work with that student to find the best way to accomplish a task. He has made enough of an impression on one site that the homeowner took notice and told me and Blake how much he appreciated his hard work and the excellent job he was doing. Blake has also shown interest and plans to compete in SkillsUSA this year. He is an all-around great kid and a fantastic representation of GAVC. Congratulations, Blake!
September
Congratulations to GHS senior Julia Robinson for being selected as our September Student of the Month. Julia is enrolled in the Culinary Arts program. Each day she comes to class with a positive attitude and eager to learn new recipes in the lab. Julia is no stranger to GAVC programs, last year she successfully completed the CNA program. We are excited to watch Julia have a successful senior year.