Lake Technical Center

March 10, 2010

Lake Technical Center announces it will begin holding information sessions to learn more about an exciting career in massage therapy. These sessions will be held March 15th, April 20th, May 17th or June 14th at 7:00 p.m. Questions may be answered by calling 352-589-2250, ext. 156. Students are strongly encouraged to begin planning now to attend the fall 2010 Massage Therapy program which begins August 23, 2010, and meets Monday through Thursday.

Massage Therapy is for men and women who want a hands-on career in health and wellness services. Students range from adults looking for a career change to recent high school graduates wanting a start in the medical profession. Special admission requirements apply. Applicants must be 18, have a high school diploma or its equivalent, and possess good physical and mental health. The application deadline for this program is July 30, 2010.

Financial aid, such as Pell grants and other scholarships, may be available to those who qualify. Potential students should immediately begin the financial aid process for the fall 2010 term by securing a PIN at www.pin.ed.gov, then applying online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

Lake Technical Center is a public postsecondary technical institution offering high quality training costing far less than most private technical colleges. The Center is accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education, 41 Perimeter Center East, NE, Suite 640, Atlanta, GA 30346, (800) 917-2081. Most programs are approved for VA. Eligible veterans may be certified through the Financial Aid Office. Lake Technical Center is an equal opportunity institution. The Lake Express bus service stops at the front of the main campus located at 2001 Kurt St., Eustis, FL 32726. The Institute of Public Safety campus is located at 1565 Lane Park Cutoff, Tavares, (352) 742-6463. Questions may be answered by visiting www.laketech.org or calling the main campus at (352) 589-2250.

March 8, 2010

Lake Technical Center’s Nail Tech and Facial Specialty programs are accepting students to start the first Monday of each month. The classes meet Monday – Thursday from 4:00 to 9:00 p.m. The Nail Tech program is 240 hours and takes approximately twelve weeks to complete at a cost of $631.40. The Facial Specialty program is 260 hours and takes approximately 13 weeks to complete at a cost of $678.60. Lake Technical Center accepts Discover, MasterCard and VISA.

Lake Technical Center is a public postsecondary technical institution that offers high quality affordable training. Lake Technical Center is accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education, 41 Perimeter Center East, NE, Suite 640, Atlanta, GA 30346, 800-917-2081. Lake Technical Center is an equal opportunity institution. The main campus is located at 2001 Kurt St., Eustis and the Institute of Public Safety (IPS) campus is located at 1565 Lane Park Cut-off, Tavares. Questions may be answered by visiting www.laketech.org or calling the main campus at 352-589-2250 or the IPS campus at 352-742-6463.

March 5, 2010

Lake Technical Center’s Evening Practical Nursing class held their capping and pinning ceremony on February 26th at Bay Street Baptist Church. Capping and pinning is the traditional commencement exercise for nursing graduates. Lake Technical Center offers a day, evening and two part-time Practical Nursing programs.

The 28 graduates who were honored include: Penny Allen, Michelle F. Anderson, Mary E. Blair, Micaela Caballero, Keyia K. Carter, Nancy de la Madriz, Brianne Dewar, Veronica M. Farmer, Marie J. Gan, T.J. Kinsey, Daniel L. Kirts, Nikki Langston, Patricia Leal, Traneka R. Littlejohn, Jenifer D. Moore, Michael J. Moren, Rebecca M. Muehlbauer, A. Mitch Mullins, Dede Ozerities, Kayla Ravenscraft, Shayna Sanders, Denise Staehler, Missy L. Tillis, Melissa S. Tilton, Melanie L. Tress, Patricia V. Wallace, Scott P. Williams and Kristin Young.

Lake Technical Center is a public postsecondary technical institution that offers high quality affordable training. Lake Technical Center is accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education, 41 Perimeter Center East, NE, Suite 640, Atlanta, GA 30346, 800-917-2081. Most programs are approved for VA. Eligible veterans may be certified through the Financial Aid Office. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. Lake Technical Center is an equal opportunity institution. The main campus is located at 2001 Kurt St., Eustis and the Institute of Public Safety (IPS) campus is located at 1565 Lane Park Cut-off, Tavares. Questions may be answered by visiting www.laketech.org or calling the main campus at 352-589-2250 or the IPS campus at 352-742-6463.

February 8, 2010

Lake Technical Center is proud to announce that Mr. Keith Totten, a Umatilla resident and Welding student, has been selected as the Lake Tech February Student of the Month. Mr. Totten started his program in February of 2009 and will graduate in March of 2010. According to Mr. Totten, “This is an honor to receive. I would like to thank my Welding instructor for allowing me the opportunity to receive this award. For the other students nominated for this award, I congratulate you on a job well done. I would also like to thank the Veterans Administration which gives combat veterans like me the chance to pursue a certain trade. I believe being punctual is like being devoted to your job, an attribute which is certainly looked at by employers.” Mr. Totten works as a welder in a family business. He will continue his education after graduating from Lake Tech. Mr. Totten and three other students will represent Lake Tech at the first Career and Technical Education Day on the Hill in Tallassee on February 18th.

Other Students of the Month for individual programs are: Mary Kettler, Accounting Operations; Robert Braswell, Auto Collision Repair and Refinishing; Anna Desgalier, Commercial Foods and Culinary Arts; Robert Karles Jr, Computer Programming; Cheryl Newmons, Day Cosmetology; Kyle Halidy, Evening Law Enforcement; Lisa Ballard, Practical Nursing A.M. and Patricia Leal, Practical Nursing P.M. To qualify for Student of the Month, a student must have perfect attendance for the previous month, demonstrate outstanding academic achievement and exhibit exemplary work habits.

Lake Technical Center is a public postsecondary technical institution offering high quality training that costs less than most private technical colleges. Lake Technical Center is accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education, 41 Perimeter Center East, NE, Suite 640, Atlanta, GA 30346, 800-917-2081. Most programs are approved for VA. Eligible veterans may be certified through the Financial Aid Office. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. Lake Technical Center is an equal opportunity institution. The Lake Express bus service stops at the front of the main campus located at 2001 Kurt St., Eustis. The Institute of Public Safety (IPS) is located at 1565 Lane Park Cut-off, Tavares. Questions may be answered by visiting www.laketech.org or calling 352-589-2250 or IPS at 352-742-6463.

January 25, 2010

The Association of Career and Technical Education has declared February as National Career and Technical Education Month. The theme is Career and Technical Education (CTE): Invest in Your Future. Governor Crist is expected to issue an official proclamation to declare February as Florida’s Career and Technical Education month. Lake Technical Center will celebrate by hosting an annual advisory committee reception and meeting. In addition, Lake Tech will participate in the first CTE day February 18th on Capitol Hill in Tallahassee.

Lake Technical Center’s program advisory committees will meet Thursday, February 11th beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the main campus Student Center located at 2001 Kurt Street in Eustis. Students from the Commercial Foods and Culinary Arts program will display their culinary talents by preparing and serving appetizers and desserts. Students will also showcase their garde manger (vegetable and fruit carvings) skills.

Following the program, the advisory committees will meet in their given program areas. The advisory committee members come from business and industry and provide guidance for program development. Committee members meet several times each year to give input on program curricula in order to ensure that training addresses the needs of business, industry and the community. The program advisory committees play a key role in the success of Lake Tech and perform an important service to the students and citizens of Lake County.

On February 18th Lake Tech is participating in the first CTE Day on the Hill event in Tallahassee in celebration of National CTE month. The purpose of the event is to showcase to the legislators and the Department of Education the activities, as well as the rigorous and relevant learning, that takes place in CTE classrooms and student organizations every day. Four students, who were nominated by their instructors and selected by administration, along with Terry Miller, Director, and Trudy Dailey, Instructor/Marketing Liaison, will participate in the event. Students will speak about their program experience, the value of technical education and why they chose Lake Tech for their postsecondary training. The students are Randy Young, Cosmetology graduate and licensed stylist, as well as current students Keith Totten, Welding, and Karen Griffin and Chelsea Penman, Massage Therapy. Ms. Griffin and Ms. Penman will offer chair massages.

Lake Technical Center’s mission is to meet the educational needs of the community by offering a variety of high quality career-technical training opportunities. Lake Tech is a public postsecondary technical school offering high quality training that costs less than most private technical colleges. Lake Tech is accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education, 41 Perimeter Center East, NE, Suite 640, Atlanta, GA 30346, 800-917-2081. Most programs are approved for VA. Eligible veterans may be certified through the Financial Aid Office. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. Lake Tech is an equal opportunity institution. The Lake Express bus service stops at the front of the main campus. The main campus is located at 2001 Kurt St., Eustis and the Institute of Public Safety (IPS) campus is located at 1565 Lane Park Cut-off, Tavares. Questions may be answered by visiting www.laketech.org or calling the main campus at 352-589-2250 or the IPS campus at 352-742-6463.

December 11, 2009

Lake Technical Center’s Institute of Public Safety honored the 19 graduates of the Firefighting program during a ceremony held November 24, 2009. Dr. Susan Moxley, Superintendant of Lake County Schools, was the guest speaker. The graduates are: Ryan Adkins, Jonathan Barker, Corey Bates, Sean Coker, Michael Conyers, William Crebs Jr., Micheal DeLuca, Paul Gordon, Joseph Hanstein, Nicholas Jones, Robert Larson, John Pearce, Kenneth Rinehart, Mike Sapp, Corey Stillwaggon, Brandon Swanson, Justin Thompson, Joshua Walsh and Gene Wine. Graduates of this program may receive college credit at Lake-Sumter Community College when transferring to a Fire Science A.S. or A.A.S. degreed program.

Lake Technical Center is a public postsecondary technical school offering high quality training costing far less than most private technical colleges. The Center is accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education, 41 Perimeter Center East, NE, Suite 640, Atlanta, GA 30346, (800) 917-2081. Most programs are approved for VA. Eligible veterans may be certified through the Financial Aid Office. Financial aid may be available to those who qualify. Lake Technical Center is an equal opportunity institution. The main campus is located at 2001 Kurt St., Eustis, FL 32726; the Institute of Public Safety campus is located at 1565 Lane Park Cutoff, Tavares. Questions may be answered by visiting www.laketech.org/ips or calling (352) 742-6463.

November 23, 2009

Lake Technical Center’s Institute of Public Safety honored the 18 graduates of the Law Enforcement program during a ceremony held at Institute of Public Safety, November 19, 2009. Chief Carson Sink, of the Astatula Police Department, was the keynote speaker and Lt. Shane McSheehy, of the Eustis Police Department, delivered the instructor address. The graduates are: Olga L. Acosta, Marilu Adorno, Jacob B. Bledsoe, Brandon L. Bridgewater, Candice M. Bruegeman, Carl M. Bruner, Joseph S. Buschor, John P. Carr, Broc A. Cosden, Brain N. Edwards, Paul Eppley Jr., Robert M. Etheredge, John S. Curtis, Kurt S. Lamlein, Christopher T. Lightcap, Michael M. Nichols, Alexander M. Richards, Thomas S. Sarakinis.

Program graduates who pass the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) certification exam are qualified to be police officers, deputy sheriffs or state officers at most Florida law enforcement agencies. Many students are hired by agencies pending the results of the FDLE certification exam. Graduates of this program may receive college credit at Lake-Sumter Community College or any other Florida community college when transferring to a Criminal Justice A.S. or A.A.S. degree program.

Lake Technical Center is a public postsecondary technical institution offering high quality training costing far less than most private technical colleges. Lake Technical Center is accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education, 41 Perimeter Center East, NE, Suite 640, Atlanta, GA 30346, (800) 917-2081. Most programs are approved for VA. Eligible veterans may be certified through the Financial Aid Office. Financial aid such as Pell Grants and other scholarships may be available to those who qualify. Lake Technical Center is an equal opportunity institution. Lake Tech is located at 2001 Kurt St., Eustis, FL. The Institute of Public Safety is located at 1565 Lane Park Cutoff, Tavares. Questions may be answered by visiting www.laketech.org/ips or calling (352) 742-6463.

November 23, 2009

Lake Technical Center’s Part-time Practical Nursing class held their capping and pinning ceremony on November 20th at Bay Street Baptist Church. Capping and pinning is the traditional commencement exercise for nursing graduates. Lake Technical Center offers a day, evening and two part-time Practical Nursing programs.

The 23 graduates from the day program include: Daniel Adney III, Sonia Barrett-Bryant, Jessica Cassella, Tessa Chumbler, Sharon Coon, Kimberly Cots, Sarah Drake, Jillian Lecky, Destiny Lezotte, Christine Lucier, Jamie Murray, Mary Noack, Lauren Ortiz, Nena Ortiz, Kimberly Portee, Maria Rojas, Maryann Salmon, Carrie Seabury, Deana Shrode, Autumn Thurman, April Smedley Treadway, Vanessa Walker, Dodi Caswell-Wolcott.

Lake Technical Center is a public postsecondary technical institution that offers high quality affordable training. Lake Technical Center is accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education, 41 Perimeter Center East, NE, Suite 640, Atlanta, GA 30346, 800-917-2081. Most programs are approved for VA. Eligible veterans may be certified through the Financial Aid Office. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. Lake Technical Center is an equal opportunity institution. The main campus is located at 2001 Kurt St., Eustis and the Institute of Public Safety (IPS) campus is located at 1565 Lane Park Cut-off, Tavares. Questions may be answered by visiting www.laketech.org or calling the main campus at 352-589-2250 or the IPS campus at 352-742-6463.

November 9, 2009

Lake Technical Center is currently accepting applications for prospective students to begin their training for the Spring 2010 term which begins January 26, 2010. Programs open for enrollment include: Accounting Operations, Administrative Assistant, Architectural Drafting, Auto Collision Repair and Refinishing, Business Computer Programming, Commercial Art Technology and Graphic Design, Commercial Foods and Culinary Arts, Commercial Foods and Culinary Arts Apprenticeship, day and evening Cosmetology, Early Childhood Education Apprenticeship, Medium and Heavy Duty Truck and Bus Technician (Diesel Mechanics). The Facial Specialty and Nail Specialty classes accept students monthly based on availability of openings. The next Certified Nursing Assistant/Home Health Aide class begins January 12, 2010, so potential students are encouraged to apply immediately.

Students interested in enrolling in Lake Tech’s popular licensure programs must apply by given deadlines. The application deadlines for licensure programs on the main campus include: February 2010 for the April Paramedic class; March 2010 for the July day Practical Nursing class; April 2010 for the July Emergency Medical Technician class; May 2010 for the August Massage Therapy class and July 2010 for the November part-time Practical Nursing class. January 2010 is the deadline for the April part-time Practical Nursing class taught in Clermont. The Institute of Public Safety program application deadlines are November 24, 2009, for the January 2010 day Corrections Basic Recruit class; January 7, 2010, for the February 2010 day or evening Firefighting classes.

Qualifying high school juniors or seniors, age 16 or older, who are interested in obtaining a technical skill and have the ability and maturity to benefit from training, may attend many programs under dual enrollment policies. High school students and their parents may contact the Lake Technical Center Admissions Office or the guidance department at their high school for more information.

Students may also enroll in Continuing Workforce short-term classes beginning November 17, 2010. The spring 2010 schedule is available online at www.laketech.org or by calling 352-589-2250.

Adult Education day and evening classes, including English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Adult Basic Education (ABE), General Education Development (GED) test preparation, and Vocational Preparatory Instruction (VPI) are available at various locations throughout Lake County. Online instruction for VPI, GED and ABE is also available. Call 352-589-2250, ext. 137 for more information.

Lake Technical Center is a public postsecondary technical institution offering high quality training costing far less than most private technical colleges. The Center is accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education, 41 Perimeter Center East, NE, Suite 640, Atlanta, GA 30346, (800) 917-2081. Most programs are approved for VA. Eligible veterans may be certified through the Financial Aid Office. Financial aid such as Pell grants and other scholarships may be available to those who qualify. Lake Technical Center is an equal opportunity institution. The Lake Express bus service stops at the front of the main campus located at 2001 Kurt St., Eustis, FL 32726. The Institute of Public Safety campus is located at 1565 Lane Park Cutoff, Tavares, (352) 742-6463. Questions may be answered by visiting www.laketech.org or calling the main campus at (352) 589-2250.

October 30, 2009

Lake Technical Center’s Institute of Public Safety and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office are offering a free public service workshop, “Boost Your Bottom Line by Preventing Employee Crime.” The workshop will address the growing issue of employee crime in an effort to help Lake County business owners and organizational leaders prevent financial losses due to employee dishonesty. Employee crime will reach a record high this year due to the economy. Employee theft accounts for $50 billion in annual losses. As a direct result of employee theft, 30%-40% of all businesses fail.

The workshop will be offered in two sessions Thursday, December 3 and December 10, 2009, from 8:00 am – 12:00 pm at the Institute of Public Safety, 1565 Lane Park Cut-Off, Tavares. Session one will address understanding employee crime and will include an introduction to the nature and magnitude of the problem. Participants will learn about real-life case studies involving companies impacted by employee crime. Session two will address preventing employee crime. Participants will use the knowledge and understanding gained in session one to discuss, problem-solve and learn about practical solutions to help business owners and organizational leaders identify and prevent employee crime.

The sessions will be lead by Don Levonius who has over 10 years of experience in private security, loss prevention and investigations. He brings a depth of knowledge and personal experience related to investigating, identifying, and preventing internal theft. Mr. Levonius began his loss prevention career in the retail industry where he worked as an internal investigator and loss prevention manager for major department store chains in New York, New Jersey, and Ohio.

After relocating to Florida, Mr. Levonius joined the Walt Disney Company where he worked as a regional loss prevention manager. He was responsible for managing inventory and financial loss within a $500 million dollar operating area for the company’s theme parks and resorts, merchandise and food and beverage supply chains and distribution centers. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Mr. Levonius assumed leadership responsibility for Disney’s security training and development efforts, as well as managing the company’ security awareness initiatives.

Today, Mr. Levonius consults with organizations and teaches training and college courses related to security and leadership. He holds a master’s degree in business and organizational security management.

October 30, 2009

Lake Technical Center is proud to announce that the recent Paramedic program graduates had a 100% pass rate on their State of Florida licensure examination. The students graduated May 12, 2009, and took their licensure exam this summer. The recently licensed paramedics are: Craig Anderson, Toni Bowling, Anthony Carter, Scott Creech, Christopher Erickson, Mathew Gould, Tara Holcomb, William Bryan Irby, Richard Loewer, William Matheny Jr., Sara Meadows, Ryan Owens, Hope Pope, Thomas LaVelle Rixie, Kevin Scheider, Barbra Sheaffer, Tony Tindell Jr., Karl Tucker and Gretta Upshaw.

October 12, 2009

October 18-23, 2009 is Adult Education and Family Literacy Week! Recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives (http://clerk.house.gov/floorsummary/floor.html/thisweek.htm), this is a one-time only dedication to raise public awareness of and increase access to adult education and family literacy programs in order to assist adult learners in need of improving their academic skills.

The U.S. House of Representatives and the National Coalition for Literacy (NCL) will be honoring adult learners nationwide. Lake Technical Center will use this week to celebrate the accomplishments of adult education students and practitioners and to raise public awareness about the need to prioritize literacy as an important community issue. According to Department of Education statistics, 80-90 million Americans lack the academic and literacy skills to be able to compete in today’s workforce.

The State of Florida offers a broad range of adult education and literacy programs that serve more than 400,000 adults annually. Last year over 35,000 Florida residents earned a State of Florida high school diploma. Over 475 recipients of their State of Florida High School Diploma who tested at Lake Tech were invited to participate in the Lake Technical Center 2009 graduation ceremony.

Lake Technical Center offers adult education day and evening classes, including English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Adult Basic Education (ABE), General Education Development (GED) test preparation and Vocational Preparatory Instruction (VPI) at various locations. Online instruction for VPI, ABE and GED is also available. Call (352) 589-2250, ext. 137, for specific information and class times.

Lake Technical Center is a public postsecondary technical institution that offers high quality affordable training. Lake Technical Center is accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education, 41 Perimeter Center East, NE, Suite 640, Atlanta, GA 30346, (800) 917-2081. Most programs are approved for VA. Eligible veterans may be certified through the Financial Aid Office. Financial aid such as Pell Grants and other scholarships may be available to those who qualify. Lake Technical Center is an equal opportunity institution. The Lake Express bus service stops at the front of the main campus located at 2001 Kurt St., Eustis, FL 32726. The Institute of Public Safety is located at 1565 Lane Park Cutoff, Tavares, (352) 742-6463. Questions may be answered by visiting www.laketech.org or calling the main campus at (352) 589-2250.

October 9, 2009

Lake Technical Center is proud to announce that Ms. Trudy Johnson, Adult Education Instructor, was named the Adult and Community Educators (ACE) of Florida 2009 Teacher of the Year. The announcement was made during the ACE Conference held September 20-23 at the Daytona Beach Hilton. According to Ms. Johnson, “It was a thrill to be honored as Florida’s Adult and Community Educators Teacher of the Year. In fact, I am still in shock! I love what I do and I hope that it shows everyday in my classroom. I am proud to be part of Lake Tech Center where there are so many caring and dedicated teachers.”

ACE is a nonprofit association that represents the interests, concerns and talents of adult and community education professionals and volunteers. ACE is committed to improving and expanding adult and community services to enhance the quality of life for all Floridians. Currently, there are 1,097 full-time and 7,234 part-time adult educators in Florida who serve over 365,000 students.

Lake Technical Center offers adult education day and evening classes, including English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Adult Basic Education (ABE), General Education Development (GED) test preparation and Vocational Preparatory Instruction (VPI) at various locations. Online instruction for VPI, ABE and GED is also available. Over 475 recipients of their State of Florida High School Diploma were invited to participate in the 2009 graduation ceremony. Call (352) 589-2250, ext. 137, for specific information and class times.

Lake Technical Center is a public postsecondary technical institution offering high quality training that costs less than most private technical colleges. Lake Technical Center is accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education, 41 Perimeter Center East, NE, Suite 640, Atlanta, GA 30346, 800-917-2081. Most programs are approved for VA. Eligible veterans may be certified through the Financial Aid Office. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. Lake Tech is an equal opportunity institution. The Lake Express bus service stops at the front of the main campus. The main campus is located at 2001 Kurt St., Eustis and the Institute of Public Safety (IPS) campus is located at 1565 Lane Park Cut-off, Tavares. Questions may be answered by visiting www.laketech.org by calling the IPS campus at 352-742-6463.

The following is an excerpt from her nomination packet:

ACE of Florida 2009 Teacher of the Year Nomination for Trudy Johnson

Trudy Johnson represents the best of the best in the field of adult education. With 38 years of teaching experience and 21 of those in adult education, Ms. Johnson brings her passion to life in her daily interaction with students and co-workers.

Each day she emphasizes to a diverse classroom population that life is a complex word problem and education is necessary to solve it. She stresses the real-world value of the skills being taught. Ms. Johnson believes that teachers who motivate are able to educate. Using the “whatever it takes” philosophy, Ms. Johnson reaches each student from the 16 year old dropout to the 69 year old grandmother. She forges bonds and really listens to what her students say.

This relationship between teacher and student builds self-confidence and fosters educational gains as evidenced by student success. From 2006-09, 320 students earned their State of Florida High School diploma and hundreds improved their academic skills in the VPI lab. In 1995, she started the “Wall of Fame” to display photos of proud GED recipients holding their diplomas. These recipients are now the sheriff’s deputies, fire fighters, paramedics, nurses, child care providers, mechanics, welders, and chefs of Lake County.

Ms. Johnson has been instrumental in developing and fine-tuning an exceptional learning lab that incorporates an individualized approach using the most research-based methods and materials. She believes that it is not one particular book or program that encourages success but rather the whole attitude about the joy of learning. She often quotes the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson who said, “The man who can make hard things easy is the educator.” Ms. Johnson uses every trick of the trade to make learning fun, challenging, and “easy”. She uses humor, personal experiences, and high expectations to reach the most unreachable of students.

Ms. Johnson is a life-long learner herself and as an ACE member regularly attends and participates in ACE conferences and symposiums, Effective Teaching Center reading and math classes, and keeps abreast of new and challenging concepts and practices. Ms. Johnson also uses her expertise and experience to train instructors and monitor off-campus programs to ensure that all Lake County adult students are provided with the best education possible.

Ms. Johnson was selected from 42 Lake County teachers as one of the final three 2008 Teacher of the Year candidates. She uses this personal recognition to advocate for adult education. Ms. Johnson believes, “Adult education is a win/win situation where we sometimes can only imagine where our impact ends.”

While there are numerous effective curriculum materials, the key to success in adult education lies in the hands and hearts of caring, dedicated, and knowledgeable teachers. Ms. Trudy Johnson is one of the best of these.

September 21, 2009

Lake Technical Center’s Institute of Public Safety’s Fire Academy has scheduled a Firefighter Challenge for Lake and Sumter firefighters. The inaugural event will be held at 9:00 a.m., October 10, 2009, at the Institute of Public Safety, 1566 Lane Park Cutoff, Tavares. Firefighters will participate in five events: five-story tower climb with 1 ¾ “ hose pack, five-story 2 ½ “ hose hoist, hammer slide, 100-foot charged 1 ¾ “ hose drag and hit target and 185 pound rescue dummy drag. Teams and individuals will be able to participate. The team division winner will receive a trophy to display at their station and individual winners will receive a plaque. All participants will receive a t-shirt. The fee for the team division is $40.00 per team and the individual fee is $10.00 per person. The event is sponsored by Lake Technical Center, Lake County’s Professional Firefighters, Lake/Sumter Fire Chiefs Association, South Lake Hospital, Team Equipment, Harley Davidson and Municipal Equipment. To register or for more information, call the Lake Tech Institute of Public Safety Fire Academy at 352-742-6463.

According to Ron Williams, Lake Tech Fire Academy Director, “The real idea behind the event is to promote the physical fitness of our firefighters. Most all our deaths while on duty are from heart attacks.”

While you must be a firefighter to take part in the competition, the public is encouraged to watch as the participants navigate the challenge course. High school students who are interested in a firefighting career are especially encouraged to attend the event.

Lake Technical Center is a public postsecondary technical institution offering high quality training that costs less than most private technical colleges. Lake Technical Center is accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education, 41 Perimeter Center East, NE, Suite 640, Atlanta, GA 30346, 800-917-2081. Most programs are approved for VA. Eligible veterans may be certified through the Financial Aid Office. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. Lake Tech is an equal opportunity institution. The Lake Express bus service stops at the front of the main campus. The main campus is located at 2001 Kurt St., Eustis and the Institute of Public Safety (IPS) campus is located at 1565 Lane Park Cut-off, Tavares. Questions may be answered by visiting www.laketech.org by calling the IPS campus at 352-742-6463.

April 30, 2009

Lake Technical Center’s Institute of Public Safety honored the 32 graduates of the Firefighting program during a ceremony held at Tavares Middle School, April 28, 2009. Chief Michael S. Tucker, EFO, of The Villages Public Safety Department, was the guest speaker. The graduates are: Cody Abston, Gary Alderman, William Brown, Peter Carpenter, Cody Carrion, Tony Catalano, Victor Cintron, Greg Colbourne, William Marsh Combs, John Davis, Christopher Dean, Ronald Glover, Carlos Gonzalez, Steven Gregalunas, Steven Grubb, Kyle Hobbs, James Holton, William Integlia, Ralph Kaylor, Shawn Kelleher, Jonathan Longest, Michael Ridge, Nikolaus Ritter, David Robertson, Joshua Rowe, Hector Sanchez, Robinn Singles, Evan Spence, Steven Wetherington, Dalkeith Williams, Darryl Williams and Norman Young. Graduates of this program may receive college credit at Lake-Sumter Community College when transferring to a Fire Science A.S. or A.A.S. degreed program.