News
October 17, 2018Capital Region BOCES Teacher Earns National Accolades
Capital Region BOCES teacher Brian Lacroix has earned a top national honor from the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence.
LaCroix, who has taught for 12 years at Capital Region BOCES, has been named the 2018 Teacher of the Year for the ASE Education Foundation. He was selected from a pool of candidates from around the country based on his “deep appreciation for students, excellence in working within the community, putting students to work, and Excellence in the classroom” said Trish Serratore, president of the ASE Education Foundation.
The award is presented annually by ASE leaders to someone who has made extraordinary contributions to excellence in automotive education. LaCroix will be presented the award in Florida on November 14.
“I was shocked to hear that I was being honored at this level. To me, I don’t do anything special — just teach the class every day the same way that I would want to be taught as a student. I want to provide opportunities for my students to grow as professionals through job shadowing, field trips, and job opportunities, and never stop improving our program,” LaCroix said.
Before joining Capital Region BOCES, LaCroix worked at Capital Region BOCES partner Orange Ford & Mazda as a Senior Master Ford technician and a master Mazda technician. While there, he got his first taste of teaching as he mentored high school and college students.
LaCroix earned an Associate’s Degree in Applied Sciences from Columbia-Greene Community College, a degree he earned for free thanks to a Ford Motor Co. and AAA troubleshooting contest he won while a high school student in Vermont.
LaCroix became ASE master certified in 2002, ASE advanced level engine certified in 2003 and ASE auto body master certified in 2012. He is also an ASE Education Foundation Evaluation Team Leader and performs site visits to other schools to lead their program accreditation reviews.
“Brian is an excellent teacher and has had great success teaching our students and preparing them for careers in the industry,” said Valerie Kelsey, deputy director of Career and Technical Education at Capital Region BOCES.
Capital Region BOCES Senior Executive Officer Joseph P. Dragone said the award “is a true testament to Brian’s work molding tomorrow’s automotive technicians.”
