San Luis Obispo Business
May, 2000

Chamber helps teachers link to business

At its April Mixer, the Chamber honored nine local educators and one businessman for their innovative methods of incorporating business into the classroom as part of the Second Annual Education Recognition Awards Event.

The Chamber's Education Partnerships Committee, chaired by Debby Nicklas, is responsible for the initiating the Education Recognition event. Committee members are responsible for reviewing grant and award applications, raising the funds to fulfill the accepted requests and coordinating event details.

This year, the Chamber was able to fulfill six grant requests thanks in large part to the generosity of its philanthropic members who believe in the importance of supporting business-savvy teachers. Grants from $300-$500 were given to those teachers who have ideas for projects that expose students to the business world, but need financial help in putting the concept into motion in the classroom.

Grant recipients included Todd Knouse of Pacheco Elementary School, Susan Rotalo, Robert Huttle and Scott Nairne of San Luis Obispo High School, Terri Garnett and Denise Campbell of Cal Poly and Kevin Bontenbal of Cuesta College.

The major sponsor of this year's event was Unocal Corp., who donated $2,500. Unocal Corp. General Manager Mark Smith, who serves on the Education Partnerships Committee, said his company sees long-term value in supporting teachers who prepare students for life outside of the classroom.

"Unocal has a firm belief that hands-on learning is the way to go," said Mark Smith, General Manager of Unocal Corp. "We certainly see a strong connection between good employees and that hands-on experience and that's why we like to support programs like the Education Recognition Awards Event." In addition to the six grant winners, two teachers and one businessman were recognized for their business partnerships already in place in the classroom. Recipients of this year's Business Recognition Awards include Dr. Sigurd Meldal of Cal Poly, Karen Lopez of San Luis Obispo High School and Larry Griggs of San Luis Ready Mix.

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