St. Regis teacher named New Business Teacher of the Year

ST. REGIS – Chad Eichenlaub, the business teacher at the St. Regis schools, received statewide recognition earlier this month when he was named the Montana Young Business Educator of the Year.

The award was issued by the Association for Career and Technical Education. It was given for Eichenlaub’s work in teaching his students; the ways he has come up with to teach have been very effective.

“He is innovative and constantly looking for ways to engage his students with meaningful learning opportunities,” said Joe Steele, principal of the St. Regis schools.

He also said students in the business class are taught skills, which give them real life experiences in the business world. He recalled they had made brochures and business directories for the Mineral County Chamber of Commerce in the past; the activities in the class make the students interact with the community as well as fostering their design and editing skills.

“His students walk away from his classes with experiences and skills that can be applied in a work setting immediately,” said Steele.

He also noted Eichenlaub’s students usually do very well in the Business Professionals of America, bringing multiple awards back from competitions. The principal felt this was an indicator of how well the students are being prepared for the business world.

Eichenlaub was honored to receive the award. He heard about it on October 15 and, since then, he has been busy with work but has been getting congratulations from the school as well as the St. Regis community since then.

“It’s great to be recognized for your work in the classroom and outside the classroom,” said Eichenlaub.

Next, he will be going to San Diego to interview at the regional level. He will be judged against representatives from approximately 14 other states who have also been recognized for work in their fields. Montana is part of the ACTE’s Region 5, which also includes the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming and all the states further west from Arizona.

If he is selected in the regional conference, Eichenlaub will go on to the national conference to compete against representatives from the other four regions.