On May 17, more than 550 BestPrep stakeholders – including teachers, students, volunteers and donors – came together to celebrate the accomplishments of our educators and volunteers at the Annual Luncheon. Cargill Chairman and CEO David MacLennan provided an engaging keynote address on the constants of leadership in an ever-changing world.
Each year, BestPrep selects one educator and presents them with our Carpenter Teacher of the Year Award. The award is given in memory of Joan Carpenter, an elementary school teacher in the Robbinsdale District for more than 25 years who worked closely with BestPrep to develop curriculum.
The 2016 winner, Teresa Williams of Lakeville South High School, was honored at the event for her ongoing involvement in BestPrep’s programs to enhance her curriculum. She has provided her students real-world experiences as well as networking practice with employees from some of Minnesota’s top companies.
Teresa has brought many speakers into her classroom to talk about topics as varied as careers in marketing, architecture and engineering, and financial topics such as stock and investing. Her students participate in mock interviews as well as eMentors with companies such as CHS, Donaldson, and Thomson Reuters. She also utilizes The Stock Market Game program with her students. Always looking for new opportunities to help her students prepare for life after high school, BestPrep was honored to present her with the Carpenter Achievement Award at the event.
The event also featured the President of the SIFMA Foundation, Melanie Mortimer who recognized BestPrep’s 25-year exemplary partnership with SIFMA Foundation. Melanie had the opportunity to interact with winning Stock Market Game students and share with the audience the growth in the program from a national perspective. There are currently more than 600,000 students participating in the Game nationally.
We would like to thank all who attended BestPrep’s Annual Luncheon and invite you to visit our Facebook Page to see photos from the event. Please save the date for next year’s Luncheon on May 23, 2017!