Chuck Hood, Canadian Valley Technology Center assistant superintendent, recently received the Making It Work Day Spotlight Award from the Oklahoma Career and Technical Education Equity Council.
He was one of 12 Oklahomans honored, along with four businesses and organizations, at the 27th annual Making It Work Day at the Capitol in a virtual ceremony April 30. Making It Work Day recognizes individuals who are committed to removing barriers to success for single-parent families by providing educational experiences for students beyond the classroom. The ceremony also recognized nontraditional students.
Hood, who has been in education for 25 years and at Canadian Valley Technology Center for five years, understands and supports the diverse services required for special populations, said Susan Weaver, CVTC PIVOT coordinator, who nominated him for the award.
“He is an inspiration to us and an outstanding leader to all the students and staff in the district,” she said. “He leads with the understanding that each one of us is a unique individual and recognizes our individual differences.”
Hood began his career as an agricultural education teacher and spent some of his instructional years teaching more girls than boys, Weaver said. He was a public school principal for six years and a superintendent for nine years before becoming assistant superintendent at Canadian Valley.
OkCTEEC is affiliated with the administrative division of the Oklahoma Association of Career and Technology Education. The council advocates for students pursuing nontraditional careers and for resources for educating single parents.
“The Making It Work Day ceremony is such an important part of OkCTEEC as it publicly acknowledges those students, programs and business partners that have done an outstanding job meeting their career goals,” said KayTee Niquette, Work Prep and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families coordinator at the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education. “The event this year is even more important, as we have persevered through a pandemic and still have individuals who have excelled.”
