FSCJ CEFE Participants Awarded at 37th Annual Governor’s Awards

On May 20, the Florida Council on Economic Education (FCEE), which funds FSCJ’s CEFE professional development program, recognized 21 of the state’s most outstanding teachers for their creativity in presenting lessons in economics, personal finance and entrepreneurship at the event held in Orlando. The six area teachers who have completed professional development courses through FSCJ’s CEFE won a total of seven awards.

The CEFE aims to prepare and empower K-12 teachers to vest students with economic knowledge and financial skills they will need to succeed in the 21st century. FSCJ’s CEFE participants took home awards in first, second and third place. These award winners routinely attend CEFE workshops under the encouragement of CEFE Director Susan Reilly.

“We are extremely proud of the achievements of our CEFE innovators representing Northeast Florida,” said CEFE Director Susan Reilly. “They have truly gone above and beyond to demonstrate leadership in financial literacy and economic education in their classrooms.”

Teachers were judged based on submissions of original lesson plans and classroom activities. Winners received cash prizes, trophies and certificates of achievement. Terry Parker High School teacher Pat Curran was named the Charles C. Harper Economic Educator of the Year. The Duval County economics instructor was also a winner at the national 1995 Council for Economic Education Conference.

Clay County’s Dee “Stan” Harris was honored as Rookie of the Year. The Grove Park Elementary School gifted teacher earned a trip to the 55th Annual Financial Literacy and Economic Education Conference. Harris also won first place in the K-8 category “Out of the Box” for his project “Economics of Gardening.”

Mandarin High School teacher Eric Field took home first place in the high school category “Econ 101” for his project “Would You Like Another Kiss? Thinking at the Margin.” The Duval County teacher gave students Hershey’s Kisses to teach them about marginal analysis.

Additional award winners include St. Johns County Teacher Nancy Hagopian, who won second place in K-8 category “Out of the Box”; Duval County teacher Kesha Walton, who came in third place in the “Entrepreneurship” high school category; and Orange County educator Rachel Smith, who placed second in the same category.

About the Florida Council on Economic Education

The mission of the FCEE is to prepare Florida’s young people for personal and financial success through educational programs in economics, the free enterprise system and personal financial literacy so that they become productive members of the workforce, responsible consumers and wise investors. The FCEE is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization that is funded by leading corporations and individuals throughout the state.

The FCEE is an affiliate of the Council for Economic Education. The CEE trains educators to teach young people a real-world understanding of economics and personal finance so that they will be able to make informed and responsible choices throughout their lives as consumers, savers, investors, citizens and participants in the global economy.

About FSCJ

Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) is a public, nonprofit higher education institution that offers more than 150 degree and certificate programs to meet the education and training needs of more than 50,000 students per year.