On March 17, 2015, the Illinois Association for Career and Technical Education (IACTE) held a Career Technical Education (CTE) Rally Day at the State Capitol. Illinois Teacher of the Year Steven Elza, an applied technology teacher at William Fremd High School in Township High School District 211, and five of his students set up a display and demonstrated their knowledge and skills in the rotunda of the State Capitol. The students also gave a brief speech telling the audience how important vocational classes and training are to them.

After the rally day concluded, Steve and his students were introduced by state Sen. Dan Kotowski on the Senate floor. They also spent time talking with state representatives and other senators.

Steve is available for speaking engagements and presentations. Because he didn’t follow the conventional path to becoming a teacher,  his experiences of being mentored, and being a mentor, are valuable stories for teachers and students considering teaching as a profession. He can provide excellent insight into preparing students for rewarding careers.

To request Steve for your next event, please visit http://adc.d211.org/teacher-of-the-year-steve-elza/ and complete the speaker request form.