Jon
Cerio, a Rogers High School graduate who teaches at his alma mater, is
the 2014 Puyallup School District Career and Technical Education (CTE)
Educator of the Year.
The
Puyallup School Board honored Cerio at its June 16 meeting, where he
was greeted with a standing ovation by colleagues and the community.
Mark
Knight, executive director of college and career readiness, described
Cerio’s many successes in teaching students enrolled in the high
school’s Architecture, Construction, and Engineering (ACE) Academy
program.
Knight
described the “solid work” that Cerio does to help prepare students for
their lives beyond high school. He said Cerio is “always looking for
opportunities, such as internships, to get kids out into the work world
and support his program and their future careers.”
In
a nomination letter, Career Specialist Pam Larsen praised Cerio for
increasing student interest and enrollment in the Rogers High ACE
Academy, creating extended learning opportunities through extensive
summer student internships, and encouraging students to participate in
construction projects that benefit community and charitable
organizations.
Cerio,
who is entering his eighth year of teaching at Rogers High this fall,
also taught an exploring technology class last year at Ballou Junior
High.
Over
the years Cerio and his students have contributed to numerous community
service projects, using materials donated by the community.
This
summer, for example, is the third consecutive year that ACE students
have created wooden craft kits and helped children with cancer build the
items during their stay at a summer camp on Vashon Island.
ACE
students also design and make parts each fall for wooden craft projects
that they help children assemble during Education Day at the Fair. In
the past several years, young fairgoers have pounded nails to help
create projects such as tool boxes, planters, bird feeders, and gumball
machines.
In
the process, Cerio said students learn design skills, as well as how to
operate various industry-standard tools and equipment. Better yet, he
said, they learn servant leadership.
“Most
of my students don’t even record community hours for school — they just
do it because they want to,” Cerio said. “I love to tell our community
how kids these days are better than we ever dreamed about. They have
more requirements in school than we ever had as adults, yet they are
more generous than ever to help others.”
ACE
students also compete each year and often take top honors at regional
and state construction competitions. Students enter the annual Skills
USA cabinet-making contest, as well as a Pierce County Career Day
competition that challenges students to build an
environmentally-friendly dog house.
Last
fall his students took first place for the second straight year with
their version of an enclosed wooden travel trailer, which functions as a
dog house, in the county’s Career Day construction competition.
Students
also regularly help with school-related construction projects, such as
building backdrops for the annual Homecoming Dance, manufacturing
trophies for the MayFest car show, and preparing hands-on activities for
Take Your Child to Work Day and an apprenticeship career fair.
This
is the second time Cerio has been honored for his work as an educator.
In 2010, the Puyallup South Hill Rotary Club presented him with the
Community Vocational Service Award in the field of education.
Cerio
has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, is a member of the
Pierce County Construction Council and Woodworking Career Alliance, and
serves as an education partner with the Washington chapter of the
National Architectural Woodwork Institute.