ST. GEORGE — Kaitlyn Larsen, a first-year teacher at Pine View High School, recently received the Best in State award for a business leadership course. Larsen’s students in grades 10-12 had the highest passing rate on the YouScience exam during the spring and fall semesters of 2023.

The YouScience exam is similar to final exams for core classes but tailored for career and technical education courses, Larsen told St. George News.

Larsen was honored at a ceremony on June 12 at the Business, Finance, and Marketing Summer Conference Corner at Canyon High School in the Canyons School District.

Larsen said she was excited but shocked at the award.

“When the state representatives reached out, I actually emailed them back and said, ‘Are you sure?’” she said with a laugh. “It’s rare for this recognition to be given to first-year teachers.”

Larsen graduated summa cum laude in 2023 from Utah Tech University with a degree in business management.

She joined Pine View High School just weeks before the school year started when her mother and principal at South Mesa Elementary School Ginny Nobis heard about a job opportunity.

“In education, it’s important that you have a drive and passion for learning and teaching,” Nobis said. “She has it.”

Larsen signed her contract just three weeks before the first day of school.

“I didn’t have a ton of prep time to get ready to start the school year like everybody else,” Larsen said. “But it ended up working out actually really well.”

Larsen said there are many insecurities that come with teaching in general, but working with teenagers can be especially challenging due to their heightened awareness of when teachers make mistakes.

But Larsen said she’s been able to build a rapport that has paid off. Nobis said her daughter’s immediate connection with her comes from getting the students to see the potential in themselves.

“It was a lot of hard work to figure out to kind of get to their level,” she said. “It’s cool that they felt I was impactful because what I love and enjoy is that business leadership side.”

She brought in guest speakers, such as Dr. Chris Healy from Utah Tech’s business department, to provide real-world insights, which Larsen said gave the students insight into what implementing this type of education looks like in their future.

She also organized a job interview project, where students learned about the hiring process in their desired careers, recognizing what being a professional in the field actually looks like.

Larsen credits her conversational style of teaching for some of her success, contrasting it against lecture-based learning.

She also took on leadership roles as an adviser for Distributive Education Clubs of America and Future Business Leaders of America.

“Those clubs within high schools and colleges give students the opportunity to put into practice their business leadership and marketing skills,” Larsen said.

Despite the recognition, Larsen remains humble and focused on improvement.

“Although it’s amazing I got this award, I don’t look at it like ‘I’ve made it,’’” Larsen said. “I’m still looking forward and want to improve.”

Larsen said the school’s principal Mike Mees appreciated her younger age and thought she might fit well in the high school environment,

“He felt that the connection I could have with students would come very naturally, very easily,” Larsen said.

She plans to continue enhancing her teaching methods and integrating Distributive Education Clubs of America and Future Business Leaders of America activities into her curriculum, going as far as requiring students’ participation in the clubs if they take her course.

“A lot of things that we learn in business leadership are principles that we use in DECA and FBLA,” Larsen said. “I’ve already had kids really excited about that factor of the class.”

Because of summer vacation, most of her students are unaware of her award, but Larsen said they’ve always been her biggest cheerleaders.

“I was so lucky to have the students that I had my first year teaching,” Larsen said. “They’re the perfect mix of working hard while still being down to have fun.”

Currently a part-time teacher, Larsen hopes to secure a full-time position in the future. Each school in the district generally has one full-time and one part-time position on staff, so Larsen said moving into a greater role can be very competitive.

Larsen said her teaching approach is continuously evolving, and the conference gave her networking opportunities and allowed her to absorb knowledge from more tenured educators.

“Being a new teacher, I don’t know lots of other professionals,” Larsen said. “It was really refreshing to have some new insights from people outside my little bubble here at St. George.”

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.