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EDUCATORS RISING
Educators Rising is a Career/Technical Education Student Organization (CTSO) that
competes at the state and national levels. Participants can earn scholarships and develop
skills in public speaking and presentation. Students also have the opportunity to enroll
in the Teacher Education and Training CTE Pathway and earn dual credit through UAF.
What is Educators Rising CTSO?
Rising Educators COMPETE
Educators Rising national competitions are performance-based competitive events in which aspiring educators demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and leadership in education.
Competitive Events
Children’s Literature K-3: Write and illustrate a children’s book for early elementary children
Children’s Literature Pre-K: Write and illustrate a children’s book for preschoolers
Creative Lecture: Create and present your own TED Talk on the topic of Barriers to Distance Learning
Inside Our Schools Presentation: What is something NEW and INNOVATIVE being done at our school? Create a presentation.
Lesson Planning & Delivery Arts: Design, Create, and Present a lesson in the area of Arts (Drama, Art, Music, Dance, Media Arts, Theater)
Lesson Planning & Delivery Humanities: Design, Create, and Present a lesson in the area of Language Arts or Social Studies
Lesson Planning & Delivery STEM: Design, Create, and Present a lesson in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, or Health Sciences
Job Interview: Create a resume and cover letter and have a mock interview for the job as a paraprofessional.
Participation Eligibility
All students are eligible to participate in Educators Rising CTSO.
State Competition:
The annual leadership state conference is held at one of the University of Alaska campus locations in February or March. This year it will be held at University of Alaska Southeast on February 22-23, 2024.
2024 Virtual Competition is Feb 12-13.
National Competition:
The National conference location changes each year, and it is typically held in late June.
2024 Competition will take place June 28-July 1, 2024 in Washington, D.C.
1st place finishers in each category receive a travel and lodging stipend to attend Nationals.
Educators Rising Course Pathway
MSBSD Education Pathway- Courses
There are four courses in the education pathway offered at Colony High, and these classes also earn college credit.
Leadership Development is a course that focuses on what the world of education looks like. It gives students a perspective on why schools and teachers do what they do - everything from why they have seating
charts, to how they try to connect with students to encourage learning.
Educational Development and Psychology is the second course, and it focuses on how students learn. Why do some students need accommodations while others don’t? How a student’s personal background and
experiences impact the type of learner they are.
Classroom Management is course 3. This course is more advanced and students are required to create a lesson plan and teach it in a host teacher's classroom.
The Professional Teacher is course 4 and focuses on how teachers interact with students, other teachers, and the administration to be the best version of a teacher they can be.
All of the Ed courses participate in what is called a teaching practicum, where Colony students go once a week to Pioneer Peak Elementary or sometimes Colony Middle School and are paired with a host teacher and
work in that classroom one day a week all year. It's a chance to work directly with little kids and get a feel for what it is like being an adult in the classroom.
Voices of Educators Rising Student Participants
Past and Present
Scan this QR code for more information
on our BAND app.
Mrs. Susan Ciucci Brunner
Susan Brunner teaches Career and Technical Education classes at Colony High School, and has been at Colony for 23 years.
In addition to teaching the Education Pathway courses, and co-advising the Educators Rising CTSO, Mrs. Brunner coaches Tennis. She and her husband have lived in Alaska for 25 years and have raised their children and dogs here. When Mrs. Brunner is not traveling the country with Ed Rising students, she can be found on the tennis courts, or at her remote Alaskan cabin.
Ms. Laurie Bevan
Born in Maryland, Ms. Bevan moved to Alaska fifteen years ago. She has been an elementary music teacher for nineteen years and during COVID, she obtained her Masters in Teaching English to Students of Other Languages. This year she embarked on a new adventure, teaching high school ESL and was very excited to lead the Ed Rising Chapter at Colony High School after school. Mentorship is very important to Ms. Bevan; she has had several excellent mentors throughout her years of teaching and firmly believes in giving back to the next generation of teachers. In her spare time, Ms. Bevan loves to spend time with family and friends, hike with her dog, travel, direct musicals, teach music lessons, and play word games.