Spaw Named OCTC Pathfinder of the Year Award Winner for 2024
17 local educators were nominated for the 2nd Annual Pathfinder of the Year Award
Owensboro, KY (04/16/2024) — Owensboro Community & Technical College (OCTC) is proud to announce that Kelly Spaw, College and Career Readiness Coach at Apollo High School has been named as the 2nd OCTC High School Teacher/Counselor Pathfinder Award winner.
Established by the Kentucky Community & Technical College System (KCTCS), the Pathfinder Award recognizes high school teachers and counselors for their outstanding efforts in assisting students with their college-going plans.
OCTC President, Dr. Scott Williams surprised Spaw at Apollo High School on Wednesday morning, April 10, 2024. "Ms. Spaw has had a stellar career in assisting Apollo High School students in starting their college careers. She has helped so many students reach their dreams and continue their education. We are so proud for Ms. Spaw and congratulate her on her well-deserved recognition," said Williams.
Spaw holds a Bachelors Degree in Business and Marketing Education from Western Kentucky University and a Masters Degree in Secondary School Counseling from Murray State University. She has spent 23 years in education-previously having taught Business classes at Apollo High School-but has been the College and Career Readiness Coach for Apollo High School since 2018.
At Apollo High School, Spaw spends most of her time working with students and preparing them for their next steps. She works very closely with Apollo students that are enrolled in dual credit courses through OCTC and works to develop academic plans for those students. She helps to determine appropriate pathways and course selections to meet their education and career goals.
Spaw expressed her gratitude for being named the OCTC Pathfinder of the Year for 2024, "I am honored to receive this award and I am very blessed to work with so many amazing people and students. OCTC has been an amazing partner with Daviess County Public Schools, and I am blessed to have the opportunity to work with kids that are excited about their future!"
In addition to Spaw, the Pathfinder of the Year Award will be given to one teacher or counselor from each of the other 15 KCTCS colleges. In total, 330 nominations were submitted, representing every KCTCS college. That is a near 100 nominations increase from the previous year.
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Owensboro Community & Technical College is one of the sixteen community and technical colleges that make up the Kentucky Community & Technical College System. OCTC serves the KY counties of Daviess, Hancock, Ohio and McLean. OCTC has three campuses in Daviess County and a Center and Annex in Hancock County. OCTC strives to serve the communities in the service area by providing associate degree education for transfer, state of the art technical education for students focusing on entering the workforce, customized business and industry solutions through the Workforce Solutions division, and adult education and business and industry testing through the SkillTrain unit.
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The Kentucky Community and Technical College System is the Commonwealth's largest postsecondary institution with 16 colleges and more than 70 campuses. We also are Kentucky's largest provider of workforce training and online education. Through partnerships with business and industry, we align our programs to meet the needs of local employers. We help students fulfill their dreams of creating a better life through programs that lead directly to jobs or help them transfer to one of our four-year partners.
Connect with OCTC: Owensboro.kctcs | Facebook.com/owensboroctc | Twitter@OCTC_Tweets | Instagram OwensboroCTC
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