In this month's Staff Spotlight, we are highlighting someone whose career began in the business world before he found his way to teaching. He's taken his experience and success in that field and brought it to Palmer Ridge High School, where he teaches Business and is the CTE Department Chair. He also brings that knowledge to his role as DECA Advisor, where he has helped develop an incredibly successful program at Palmer Ridge that includes state champions, national recognitions, and international finalists. In recognition of Career & Technical Education Month, this month's Staff Spotlight subject is Brady Hanson, CTE Business Teacher and DECA Advisor at Palmer Ridge High School.
What drew you to work in D38, and what has been your journey in education?
My family lives within D38, and we really believe in this community, the families, students, and local businesses. We were well aware of the district's strengths when we moved here from Denver, and I knew from the start that I would be proud to call Palmer Ridge and D38 home. I grew up in Colorado and will always call this state home. My career in business got a little scrambled up during the pandemic, and I decided it was time for a meaningful change. I always knew I wanted to get into teaching, and when this opportunity came along to teach business in my own community, it was truly serendipitous.
What is your favorite thing about working in D38 and/or at Palmer Ridge High School?
My colleagues and the students. I’ve worked for several businesses and organizations (both big and small) during my career, with varying employee cultures, and I can honestly say that I truly enjoy every single colleague I have at Palmer Ridge and within the district. It makes coming to work fun and motivates me to work harder regardless of any challenges. The students are exceptional as well. I’m continually impressed with the dedication these kids put into their classes and DECA. Teaching has been a fantastic but humbling experience, and it’s easy to get down after a rough day, but these kids surprise me in ways I never could have imagined. The ideas they come up with impress me constantly, and it’s inspiring to see them grow as humans every day.
Being a CTE teacher, can you speak to the importance or value of CTE classes and what they provide our high school students?
I believe in CTE because it’s what set me up for success early in my life. The business and personal finance classes I took as a teenager have proven invaluable. My early career success in the outdoor goods and apparel industry wouldn’t have been possible without the confidence, experience, and knowledge I gained from being a student member and leader of DECA and FBLA. All subjects are important to developing character, critical thinking, and intellectual strength. I always like to share that I fell in love and developed a lifelong passion for literature in high school English, and that has brought me a lot of joy over the years. Still, it’s my CTE education that I’ve leveraged to land jobs, get promoted, lead and develop teams and employees, and now enjoy a total career change to teach these skills to a new generation.
You’re the DECA Advisor at Palmer Ridge. Can you tell us about the DECA program and what the students who participate in it learn and gain from the experience?
DECA is the largest student organization on the planet. It prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for success in their careers and enables members to develop their professional skills by competing in real world role play scenarios and/or prepared presentations. In a nutshell, DECA prepares students for the real world. Just like practicing is important to success in sport, you need to practice for life and career. That’s what DECA provides. Students are forced out of their comfort zone, dress professionally, and learn to communicate effectively with adults. Through competition they get to put into practice what they’re learning in class while exploring different career fields. Students also need to practice before they find themselves across the table at that big job interview or when the boss pulls them aside to help solve a problem. Regardless of their career path, a solid foundation and understanding in business is important.
We’ve also interviewed some of your DECA students and know they’ve seen a lot of success. Would you like to brag a little bit about the program and tell us about some of the successes the program or individual students have seen?
We have a very strong DECA Chapter here at Palmer Ridge, with consistent and long-standing success. And it’s all due to the amazing students we’ve had in the organization over the years. As an advisor, I can offer instruction and direction, but then I get out of their way. We’ve had state champions five years running, international finalists, and received national recognition for community service and charitable giving. Last year we received Gold Certification for our student-run business (the D38 Enterprise) where students operate an apparel decoration and printing business that serves both the district and our broader community.
Is there anything you would like to say to, or a message you would like to share with your team, the rest of your school, or perhaps students who may be curious about DECA and are thinking about getting involved?
I was a shy, quiet kid growing up, but had big aspirations and no idea how to get started. Joining DECA was the jolt I needed to break out of my shell. I fully appreciate that joining organizations like DECA can be intimidating and requires a fair amount of commitment (DECA is co-curricular so you have to be enrolled in a full-year business pathway course to join). But every year I see the transformation these students go through and know they’re cultivating a major advantage heading into college and/or the career of their choosing.