February 25, 2023

Congratulations to the 2022-2023 CTE Teacher of the Year Finalists

For the second year, North Carolina Career and Technical Education (CTE) is going to recognize a NC State CTE Teacher of the Year. To begin to get a list of deserving teachers, each high school and middle school in UCPS named a CTE Teacher of the Year nominee. Much like the UCPS Teacher of the Year process, each of these individuals were given an opportunity to submit a portfolio to be reviewed. Using the portfolio responses, five finalists have been selected, out of which one will be named the first ever UCPS CTE Teacher of the Year and will be submitted to compete at the state level. Congratulations to all those nominated by their schools and to the five finalists listed below.  

  • Julie VanOlden – Business Education Teacher – Marvin Ridge High School – 25 Years of Experience
    • Julie VanOlden has been a member of the UCPS family for the last 25 years. Although she has taught many Business and Marketing courses during this time, she currently teaches the Advanced Film Editing & Design Academy at Marvin Ridge High School. According to Ms. vanOlden, she “loves the fact that students have the opportunity to earn many industry credentials in each of these courses, but her favorite part is how fun and refreshing it is to see her students’ unique personalities and amazing creativity reflected through their work.” Ms. VanOlden is an avid traveler, tennis player, and newbie pickleball player. She has four children and one grandson who live in the greater Charlotte area.
  • Amanda Price – Agriculture Teacher – Monroe High School – 14 Years of Experience
    • Amanda Price is a Union County Public Schools’ graduate. She attended N.C State University and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture Education in 2009. Ms. Price has been teaching at Monroe High School for 14 years and has enjoyed the school and her students immensely. She has always had a love for agriculture through her experiences with her family’s small hobby farm. Ms. Price was very involved with Union County 4H and FFA when growing up. Her agriculture teachers from SVHS played a huge part in her choice for teaching high school agriculture and advising her own FFA chapter. Ms. Price has always wanted to make the same impact on her students that her teachers made on her own life. In her free time, Ms. Price enjoys spending time at the barn with her horse and Australian Shepard. They both seem to keep her very busy.
  • T.J. Kohlbrenner – Business Education Teacher – Cuthbertson High School – 23 Years of Experience
    • Thomas “TJ” Kohlbrenner is the graphic design and film teacher at Cuthbertson High School.  He teaches Adobe Visual Design, Adobe Video Design, and Advanced Film Editing & Production.  Mr. Kohbrenner has been a teacher for 23 years and has been at Cuthbertson High School since 2011.  There are so many things that Mr. Kohlbrenner enjoys about being a CTE teacher in Union County Public Schools.  He loves working with the faculty and staff at Cuthbertson High School and believes he  works with some of the best people in the world of teaching.  Mr. Kohlbrenner also loves the support that he has from CTE central office.  He states, “ If I have a need for my program, they are always willing to help.  The thing that I love most about being a teacher here are the remarkable students of Cuthbertson High.  I am amazed every day at how kind, responsible, and hardworking our students are.  It makes coming to work every day a true joy!
  • Tyler Michael – Health Science Teacher – Parkwood High School – 9 Years of Experience
    • Tyler Michael is a graduate of Parkwood High School. She now serves as the Health Science teacher for Parkwood High. She graduated summa cum laude from UNCC with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and became a Registered Nurse. She worked in various medical settings including a post-surgical floor, cardiovascular clinic, and the heart catheterization lab at Atrium Main. A friend set up an interview for her at a local high school. Despite having written a paper in high school about how she would never become a teacher, she decided to take the interview not to be rude. When she walked into the school a sense of peace washed over her. Despite a million reasons not to switch careers, that peace made her accept the job when it was offered to her. She has been thankful she did every day since. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Nursing Education from ECU and her National Boards Certification.
  • Brooke Phipps – Agriculture Teacher – Forest High School – 9 Years of Experience
    • Brooke Phipps serves as the Animal Science & Horticulture Teacher, as well as co advisor to the FFA at Forest Hills High School. She graduated from Piedmont High school in 2006, and went on the North Carolina State University to major in Agriculture Education, graduating in 2010. She has taught Agriculture Education a total of thirteen years spending her first seven years at Central Cabarrus High School, before coming back home to Union County. Her passion for agriculture came from growing up around her family’s farm, but the idea to teach agriculture came from her high school agriculture teachers & FFA experience. Brooke strives every day to teach students where their food comes from and how it gets from “farm to plate” but also give students an experience inside and outside the classroom that will help them build life skills so that they can be good employees and citizens.