katie.patterson@ascendlearning.com, 913.226.7918

South Tech Academy Nurse Educator Recognized with National Nurse’s Touch Award

Nancy Moore receives first-ever honor and access to newly released education product to advance soft skills learning among nursing education programs

Boynton Beach, Fla., May 10, 2012

Local nurse educator at South Tech Academy, Nancy Moore, has received ATI Nursing Education’s first-ever Nurse’s Touch Award. Nominated by a nurse educator peer who also works at the school, she was specifically selected for creating a nursing education program for high school students interested in pursuing the field and incorporated soft skills too.
“We are honored to recognize Nancy for her commitment to developing communications, professionalism and similar ‘soft skills’ in future nurses,” said Sheryl Sommer, director of nursing education and curriculum at ATI Nursing Education. “Nursing programs have limited time and resources, which means these skills are rarely a top priority in the classroom.” Under her guidance, nursing students at South Tech Academy are receiving exposure to abilities that will help them function as leaders of the healthcare team and be a patient advocate.”
Moore always wanted to be a nurse and pursued it as a career immediately after high school. In 1993, she began her nursing education career after spending nearly 15 years as a nurse working in a hospital, specifically in surgery and O/B. She has spent her entire teaching career at South Tech Academy’ s LPN program for high school students which is unique, with only a few similar programs in the Palm Beach area.

“I am honored to be recognized for teaching skills like leadership and communication in the classroom. These skills can come more naturally to some, but are required for all of tomorrow’s nurses to be patient-focused and successful in their careers,” said Nancy Moore, nurse educator at South Tech Academy. “Thanks to ATI Nursing Education for raising awareness of the need for more focus on these skills and leading the way.”

Highlights from the nomination included the following:

• “Nancy is an excellent nurse educator who consistently displays professionalism in the clinical and classroom environment. She is a mentor to other faculty and has excellent interpersonal and interprofessional communication skills. She has embraced informatics technology and keeps up to date with advanced technology.”

• “Perhaps most importantly she values ‘work ethics’ and has figured out how to balance the requirements of work and personal life successfully. She cares for her personal needs and has been able to maintain physical health, emotional health and family relationships throughout a career in education that spans almost 20 years.”

ATI Nursing Education worked with nurse educators, curriculum developers and psychometricians on a new curriculum for nursing students – Nurse’s Touch™ – which helps students develop the social and personal skills that they will need to become successful nurses. Students learn these “soft skills” through interactive simulations, case studies and tutorials.

For more information on Nurse’s Touch, visit www.atinursestouch.com or view videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/ATINursingEducation. You also can read the recently published white paper: “Soft Skills Research: Aligning Nurse’s Touch with Best Practices.”

About ATI Nursing Education

ATI Nursing Education is the leading provider of online learning programs that are instrumental in improving faculty effectiveness and student and program outcomes in nursing schools across the country. Currently the company works with more than 20,000 nurse educators, approximately 2,100 colleges and universities nationwide, and over 225,000 students. ATI Nursing Education has played a role in helping more than 1 million students pass the NCLEX, the U.S. nursing licensing exam. ATI Nursing Education is part of Ascend Learning. Founded in 2010, Ascend Learning provides technology-based educational, curriculum and assessment solutions for healthcare and other professional industries. For more information, visit http://www.ascendlearning.com/companies/ati-nursing/.

About South Tech Academy Charter School

South Tech Academy is a high school located in Boynton Beach, Florida. We prepare our students with
college-ready diplomas in addition to offering thirteen academies in which students earn professional certifications to begin their career. For more information, visit www.southtechacademy.com/.

A Palm Beach County native, Jeanice is a true Floridian. However, she has done anything but live the relaxing Florida lifestyle, as evidenced through her consistently hard work and perseverance that led to many academic and vocational accomplishments. Additionally, she has balanced her academic career with a part-time job, in which she has worked for the family business for the past five years.

Jeanice’s dynamic, yet always poised demeanor has been noted by staff and students alike at South Tech Academy. She has appeared in the school’s recruiting video viewed county-wide by middle school students. She has also visited middle schools and spoke to hundreds of students about the advantages of attending South Tech Academy.

Jeanice is in the top 4% of the 2012 Graduating Class and will also graduate with DECA Honors.

Awards & Accomplishments

• Student Government: Vice President
• DECA: Secretary
• DECA 2011 Competition
  • 3^rd Place in Districts: Apparel and Accessories Marketing
• DECA 2012 Competition
  • 4^th Place in Districts: Apparel and Accessories Marketing
  • 5^th Place in State: Apparel and Accessories Marketing
• SkillsUSA 2012 Regional Competition
  • 2^nd Place in Cosmetology: Manikin style, haircut, and blow-dry. Test evaluating industry terminology.
• Heavy Hitters Award as Top Honors Student: Freshman Year

Achieving Success at South Tech Academy

Jeanice is in the Cosmetology Academy at South Tech Academy. Throughout her four years at South Tech, she has earned hands-on experience in the full service salon that the Academy features on-site. Her customer service skills, professionalism, and industry proficiency are evident in her numerous awards and expertise.

Specifically, Jeanice has earned an outstanding 1,200 hours of salon experience. She has perfected providing services ranging from haircut, perms, highlights, eyebrow shaping, and manicures at South Tech’s full-service salon.

Throughout her academic career at South Tech Academy, she has taken rigorous honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Jeanice has also excelled in the Dual Enrollment Program at Palm Beach State College, in which students earn college credit while in high school. Her Honors GPA is a 3.9, reflecting the diligence and hard work she had put into these challenging courses. Recently, she competed in DECA’s National Competition for Apparel and Accessories Marketing, which was held in Salt Lake City, Utah.

In the fall, Jeanice will begin Boot Camp for the Air Force. She aspires to be a Crypto logic Linguist, in which she will serve as a translator for the Air Force.

“South Tech is an environment where it offers so many opportunities. I feel like the teachers choose to be here to help us succeed in the future. (They) realize that seeking a career before graduation can be a positive path to follow.” – Jeanice Martinez

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Born in St. Marc, Haiti, Judy moved here when she was just four years old. She is the youngest of four siblings and fondly remembers spending quality time with her family during their many trips to the beach. Education has always been at the forefront for Judy as her siblings helped to instill a strong sense of education throughout her childhood. She recalls that as she was growing up, her siblings would select books for her to read and continually showed her that education has no boundaries.

Judy’s dedication to her education is apparent as she has earned A’s and B’s since Kindergarten. Her favorite subject is math. She became passionate about the subject when taking Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus with Mr. Breault, Math Instructor and Department Head at South Tech Academy.

Judy has a passion for working with younger students and passing on to them the baton of educational excellence. She has volunteered at Lantana Elementary School: Beacon Center program where she tutored elementary and middle students in Math and Reading. She has also enjoyed writing poetry since the eighth grade. She says it’s a great way to express her feelings and emotions and that even on difficult days, it’s relieving to put her feelings down on paper and move on to what the next day holds.

Judy is Salutatorian of the Graduating Class of 2012.

Awards & Accomplishments

• First Priority Christian Club
• National Honors Society
• Earned over 1,400 Community Service Hours
• South Tech Academy: Student of the Month, April 2012

Scholarships
(Including but not limited to)

• Pathfinder Nominee
• Florida Bright Futures
• George Snow Scholarship
• Scholastic Achievement Awards: Scholarship Recipient

“I like that South Tech offers Advanced Placement courses so that I can be challenged.

(What) I will miss most about South Tech are the Guidance Counselors. They are always there to help me and provide me with information about scholarships and college readiness.”- Judnia Theophile

Achieving Success at South Tech Academy

Judy is in the Medical Sciences Academy: Licensed Practical Nursing Track (LPN), in which she has earned practical nursing experience and will sit for the LPN exam upon graduation.

Throughout her academic career at South Tech Academy, she has taken rigorous honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses, in addition to excelling in the Dual Enrollment program at Palm Beach State College.  Her Honors GPA is a 4.4, reflecting the diligence and hard work she had put into these challenging courses.

Judy has taken on a strong leadership role amongst her LPN peers as she leading in the preparation of the LPN Pinning Ceremony, which will be held on May 14th, 2012. This is a very special ceremony for the LPN students and instructors as it represents the culmination of four year of sacrifice, commitment, and demonstrated excellence in the Medical Sciences Academy: LPN Track.

Judy has been accepted to the University of South Florida, Florida Golf Coast University, Florida International University, Florida Atlantic University, and University of West Florida. She plans to attend the University of South Florida and major in Nursing and Minor in Psychology. Her career goal is to become a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner.

Meet Olly

Born in Carfour, Haiti, Olly moved here when she was just 6 years old.  Knowing only the Creole language, she was placed two years behind her grade level. She reflects that being the oldest person in each class, she worked extremely hard and was driven to prove everyone wrong. Further, she wanted to prove that she certainly is capable and did not need to be held back.
Reflecting upon the transition in moving to the United States and her motivation to achieve success at South Tech Academy, she states, “Church and God has been a very important aspect of my life. If it hadn’t been for my faith, throughout all my trials and tribulations, I would have given up. God has given me the extra push and drive to continue moving on. I dedicate my life as a voice so He can use me.”

Olly’s inner-drive has led her through a journey of accomplishments. Most recently, this includes the distinction of Valedictorian for South Tech Academy’s Class of 2012. She has also received numerous other honors and accolades throughout her career at South Tech Academy.

Awards & Accomplishments

• Student Government: President
• First Priority Christian Club: Leadership Team
• DECA: Student Member
• National Honors Society: President
• Scholastic Achievement Awards: Student Honoree
• Earned over 3,000 Community Service Hours
• SkillsUSA
  • Regional ’11: Nurse Assisting- 2^nd Place

Scholarships
(Including but not limited to)

• Pathfinder Nominee
• Alpha Kappa Foundation Scholarship
• Florida Bright Futures
• Palm Beach State College Fast Break Scholarship
• Finalist: George Snow Scholarship

Achieving Success at
South Tech Academy

Olly is in the Medical Sciences Academy: Licensed Practical Nursing Track (LPN), in which she has earned practical nursing experience and will sit for the LPN exam upon graduation.

Throughout her academic career at South Tech Academy, she has taken rigorous honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses, in addition to excelling in the Dual Enrollment program at Palm Beach State College.  Her Honors GPA is a 4.7, reflecting the diligence and hard work she had put into these challenging courses.

In addition, she has taken advantage of opportunities in student-led organizations at South Tech Academy where she has further demonstrated her influential leadership skills.  With roles in several organizations, she has mentored other students who will step into such leadership roles in the upcoming academic year.

Olly has been accepted to the University of Florida , University of Central Florida, University of North Florida, and the University of South Florida. She plans to major in Biology and Minor in Psychology. Her career goal is to become an obstetrician.

“Students get first-hand experience in Academies where they are not only students, (but) they are young adults and will tackle real-life situations to prepare them for the workforce.”- Olly St. Felix

Written by Lauren Mabry, M.S.,
Public Relations Specialist: South Tech Academy

Lauren.Mabry@palmbeachschools.org

(L to R) Stubbs, Theophile, St. Felix, Guerrero

Boynton Beach, FL – Four of South Tech Academy’s finest students were recently recognized as being among the highest achieving students in Palm Beach County. The 34^th Annual Scholastic Achievement Foundation Dinner, which recognized such distinguished scholars, was held at The Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida.

Juan Guerrero, Senior in the Academy of Finance, was presented with the Mr. & Mrs. George Elmore Scholarship for $1,000. His accolades include earning 1^st place in the Region 5 SkillsUSA Competion: Customer Service category and a notable 4^th place in the DECA Competition’s Entrepreneurship Written category. Juan has earned a full-ride scholarship to Northwood University, where he will begin the accelerated Masters of

Business Administration (MBA) program in the fall.

Judnia Theophile, Senior in the Medical Sciences Academy, was presented with the Aurdey E. Ripley Scholarship for $1,000. Judnia is in the Academy’s Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) track where she has received almost four years of practical nursing experience and will sit for the LPN exam this summer. Judnia has been accepted to the University of South Florida and will Major in Nursing and Minor in Psychology.

Olly St. Felix and Vanessa Stubbs, also both Seniors in the Medical Sciences Academy: LPN track, were selected as Student Honorees. Throughout their academic careers at South Tech, they have taken rigorous honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses, in addition to excelling in the Dual Enrollment program at Palm Beach State College. Both have also earned practical nursing experience and will sit for the LPN exam upon graduation.

Olly proudly represented South Tech as she was given the honor of reciting the Pledge of Allegience at the Dinner. She serves on the Leadership Team of the First Priority Christian Club and is the Student Government President. She has been accepted to both the University of Florida and the University of South Florida. She plans to major in Biology and Minor in Psychology.

Vanessa plans to study at Palm Beach State College. Her career goals include travelling internationally to countries in need of medical care. She serves as the Secretary of the National Honors Society and Student Government.

Mrs. Kurtz, Guidance Coordinator, notes, “These four students represented South Tech extremely well.  It was an honor to share such a special evening with them.”

Throughout his academic and vocational career at South Tech Academy, Myrtil has taken rigorous Honors and Advanced Placement courses, in addition to excelling in the Graphic Design Academy. He has also placed 1^st in five Graphic Design competitions and won an astounding total of over $2,500 in prize money.

Myrtil has worked as a Walgreens Photo Specialist for almost two years. It is in this position that he has applied many of the design elements and techniques that he has acquired in the Academy. In July, Myrtil will begin working toward an Associate of Arts in Graphic Design at the Art Institute in Ft. Lauderdale. His career goal is to open a printing agency.

Reflecting upon his success, Myrtil notes, “South Tech played a big part (in my success). Mr. Fiveson built on the foundation that was established in the Graphic Design Academy. You have to use your mind and your ideas and create something to have everyone stop in awe.”

Billy will also get courtside tickets to see Venus Williams compete at the Sony Ericson Tournament in Key Biscayne and an autographed, limited edition tennis racket. For more information about the contest, go to http://elevenbyvenuscontest.com.

Jeanice Martinez, Senior in the Cosmetology Academy, placed 5^th in the Apparel & Accessories Marketing category. Jeanice also placed 2^nd in the Region 5 SkillsUSA competition, a two-day event that included over 500 students from Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach County schools. She will advance to the SkillsUSA State competition held in Pensacola, Florida this spring.

Juan Guerrero, Senior in the Academy of Finance, competed in the Entrepreneurship Written category and earned a noteworthy 4^th place. His professionalism and academic aptitude was distinctive throughout the thirty-page written business plan he submitted as part of the competition. Juan also placed in the Region 5 SkillsUSA competition, earning the coveted 1^st place in the Customer Service
category, and will advance to the SkillsUSA State competition.

Both students will compete at the DECA International Career Development Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah from April 28 – May 1. The leaders amongst each category will be recognized upon culmination of the four-day event.

Lynne Clarke-Moran, Finance Academy Instructor and DECA Advisor, has served on DECA’s South Tech Academy chapter for the past three years. She says, “I couldn’t be more proud of Juan and Jeanice. They’re both outstanding students and role models. Their commitment to DECA and to South Tech has had such a positive impact on many people.”

DECA is a not-for-profit student organization that prepares high school and college students to become emergent leaders in the marketing, finance, hospitality, and management fields.

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