Minuteman High Teacher Allison Barry Honored With National Award

LEXINGTON, MA — Allison Barry, a Design and Visual Communications teacher at Minuteman High School, is the winner of the 2020 Carl J. Schaefer Memorial CTE Teacher Award from NOCTI, the nation's largest provider of industry partner certifications and industry-based credentials for career and technical education programs.

The award was established in 2013 to honor Dr. Carl J. Schaefer. As a lifelong champion in career and technical education, he gained national recognition as a CTE educator and author. He was also one of NOCTI’s founding fathers.

This memorial award is a tribute to Schaefer’s memory and recognizes an outstanding CTE teacher or CTE teacher candidate. Criteria for the award include an application describing personal goals, work experience, awards/honors received, professional memberships, and leadership and community service activities. Barry received a personalized award and $500 to be used toward tuition, room and board, books, or any other educational-related expense.

For the past five years, Barry has served as a design and visual communications instructor at Minuteman. She also serves as Minuteman’s social media/digital media coordinator and recently as an alumni liaison. In her spare time, she is pursuing a master’s degree in Occupational Education. School officials called Barry’s industry experience and willingness to use different methods of teaching to ensure the success of her students commendable.

When nominating Barry, Kathleen Bouchard, director of CTE at Minuteman, said “Ms. Barry impressed me with her enthusiasm and her genuine desire to meet each and every student’s unique learning needs in her classroom. Allison consistently displays her passion of Design and Visual Communication not just within her classroom but also throughout the school. The students in her program share her passion and leave Minuteman prepared for their future careers.”