(TRENTON) – The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) has announced that Deanna Miller, a Teacher of Agriculture at Woodstown High School, is the 2018 ACTE Region I New Teacher of the Year and one of five finalists for the 2018 national award to be announced November 28. The award recognizes new CTE teachers who have made significant contributions toward innovative and unique career and technical education programs and shown a professional commitment early in their careers.

“Winning this award is a great honor and it’s a really special to me to be one of five nominated for the national award,” Miller said. “The support from the administration has been tremendous and the other teachers and staff have been great to me as well. And the outstanding students we have here at Woodstown make this a really wonderful learning atmosphere.”

Miller has worked to build a high-quality CTE program at Woodstown-Pilesgrove Regional School District. She has implemented and strengthened course sequencing and strived to obtain the needed certifications to teach the Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE) to ensure that her program is operating with the most relevant material. Miller also utilizes the CASE third-party assessments to evaluate student growth and achievement within the program, the use of which allows her to adjust her teaching as needed to heighten student achievement.

She has also made efforts to increase her students’ career success through 100 percent implementation of supervised agricultural experience (SAE) projects. Every one of her students is required to keep a journal and financial records, when applicable, on their SAE project.

“Miss Miller has been a great role model and has set a high standard for our Ag Education students,” said Woodstown High School Principal Richard Senor. “Her knowledge and passion for Ag Education inspires our students to strive to reach their full potential. Between the enthusiasm that she brings to her classroom as well as the skills she integrates into her instruction, she provides her students with the tools they need to be successful in life, no matter which career path they choose."

“Her leadership of our FFA chapter has helped it to continue to thrive as members learn skills and strategies that allow them to excel in state and national competitions. We are very proud of Miss Miller for all of her accomplishments thus far and are honored to have her as a part of our esteemed faculty here at Woodstown High School.”

Miller is CASE certified in Plant, Animal, Agricultural Research and Development, and Food Science. She also was the New Jersey Association of Agricultural Educators (NJAAE) Teacher Turn the Key Award Recipient in in 2017, the NJAAE Ideas Unlimited Award Winner in 2018, is the NJAAE Secretary and Southern Region Vice-President and is a Penn State University Virtual Mentor.

“The influence of a dedicated teacher like Deanna is something that can last a lifetime for the students she interacts with every day,” New Jersey Department of Agriculture Secretary Douglas Fisher said. “Her hard work, dedication and care create an ideal atmosphere for her students and FFA members to succeed now and well into the future.”

Miller will attend the ACTE Excellence Awards Banquet in San Antonio, Texas, where the winning teacher will be announced. The ACTE Excellence Awards recognize 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. For more information about the ACTE Excellence Awards, visit https://www.acteonline.org.

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