Two SF Faculty Members Honored at CTE Event
July 30, 2013
The Alachua Association for Career and Technical Education event was held on Tuesday, April 30 at the Fine Arts Hall. The gathering honored exemplary CTE students, partners and educators in Alachua County high schools, as well as Santa Fe College. Two members of the SF faculty were recognized.
The first, zoo animal technology instructor Joshua Watson, received the 2013 Outstanding Rookie Career and Technical Educator Award.
Program director Jonathan Miot commended Watson as an instructor with a unique ability to inspire his students, set high expectations and motivate them to investigate further. Watson's exciting, humorous and down-to-earth teaching style leaves students awed by the wonders of science. This attribute alone qualifies Watson as a premier instructor at any institution.
Watson develops extra learning opportunities for the students, ranging from bird watching trips to setting up an incubation system to teach bird reproduction techniques, performing dissections on a Publix roasted chicken or whole fish from Fresh Market and setting up Skype calls with Australian or British zookeepers.
Watson's passion for student success extends beyond the classroom to assisting students with eventual employment or further schooling. He embraces the role of representing the students and the program in the best possible light, using his shining personality and acute sense of humor to turn acquaintances into friends and colleagues into supporters.
The second honoree, Denise Remer, was recognized as a Career and Technical Educator for her years of
service at SF, as she approaches retirement in August. According to Scott Fortner, a Health Sciences advisor, "Denise Remer is the absolute model of student advisement at Santa Fe College. She naturally engages with students, faculty and peer advisors in a calm, soft-spoken and compassionate tone that engenders the highest level of thoughtful dialogue and learning."
Though Denise possesses an unparalleled breadth and depth of knowledge in student advisement, she is humble and unhesitatingly seeks guidance from her colleagues. Denise is treasured by her students as not only competent and highly professional, but always approachable with both an open door and open heart. Her years of work as an operating room registered nurse are evident as she easily navigates the most stressful cycles of college orientation and registration. She is typically the first advisor to consult with questions regarding the most effective use of new technology in advisement.
Denise Remer is the ideal advisement specialist to which others strive to attain. Most importantly, she is our friend and will be missed!
