WIX Filters and Tomorrow’s Technician honored Bullard-Havens Technical High School as the 2018 School of the Year on Nov. 29, during an awards ceremony in Bridgeport, Connecticut, for students, community members and school faculty.
Bullard-Havens Technical High School is the 11th recipient of the annual program, naming it the best technical training school in the country. WIX and O’Reilly Auto Parts are title sponsors of the national award in conjunction with Tomorrow’s Tech.
“There are a lot of reasons we’ve named Bullard-Havens the School of the Year. The positive learning environment at this school is second to none and the dedication to training career-ready students is impressive. ” said Carley Hull Millhone, editor of Tomorrow’s Tech, during her presentation.
“But, what really sets Bullard-Havens apart is all of you. Without you, the students in this program, along with great instructors like Roxanne Amiot and Rob Ellis and administrators, Bullard-Havens wouldn’t be the best-of the best.”
During the celebration at the school, representatives from WIX Filters, O’Reilly and Tomorrow’s Tech congratulated 70 automotive students and instructors Roxanne Amiot and Rob Ellis for their hard work and determination to train career-ready students that makes Bullard-Havens the best technician training facility in the country.
“Being named the 2018 School of the Year is awesome. We’re so happy to have the award its so nice to be recognized for what we do every day and for what our students do,” said Roxanne Amiot, automotive department head and instructor.
“We are kind of a hidden gem in our state and when somebody looks at our program and says ‘Hey, you’re doing the right things, and we like what you’re doing, and we support you with an award like this,’ it’s just awesome. And, it just gives us more motivation to go on and keep doing it better.”
As the 2018 School of the Year, Bullard-Havens was presented a commemorative trophy and a $5,000 donation to the school’s automotive technology program from WIX Filters, double the prize money of 2017. Students were also treated to merchandise from O’Reilly and WIX Filters as well as cider and donuts. Additionally, the WIX Filters rally car was on display at the event.
Bullard-Havens was officially named the winner of the 2018 School of the Year competition in Las Vegas during the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) in October. Automotive technology instructor and department head Roxanne Amiot attend Babcox Media’s recognition dinner where she accepted the award on the school’s behalf.
The School of the Year program is open to all high schools and post-secondary schools with a subscription to Tomorrow’s Tech magazine. Of the 221 entries for this year’s contest, 91 were from different high schools, technical schools and colleges in four regions of the United States. The top 20 schools were asked to submit a video highlighting their technical programs and judges selected four finalists, or one from each region, from the video entries.
This year’s three runners-up are: Satellite High School, Satellite Beach, Fla; North Kansas City Schools – Career and Technical Education Center, Kansas City, Mo; and Bonneville High School, Ogden, Utah. Each runner-up will receive a professional automotive tool set and $250 gift card from O’Reilly Auto Parts.
Search #SOTY2018 on social media to see more photos and videos from the event. Tomorrow’s Tech will feature an additional story about Bullard-Havens Technical High School in the February 2019 issue.
