Teacher of the Year Neil Shupe gives team the win

“Shupe taught us you’ll never get anywhere unless you work at your hardest, be accountable and responsible for your mistakes, and give credit where it's due,” Todd Smith said when talking about his Advanced Manufacturing Academy teacher, Neil Shupe. 

Shupe teaches the ins and outs of machining equipment and technical skills for manufacturing at the Career Development Center in the St. Vrain Valley School District. 

“I would attribute my success to the way Shupe taught us in machining, and in quality standards. He always taught us you don’t work to make things just okay or good enough, you work to make it the best you can,” Smith said. 

Shupe was named District Teacher of the Year at the St Vrain Valley Schools Education Foundation’s, or SVVSEF, annualTribute to Teachers celebration, S“I never in my life thought that I would get Teacher of the Year, especially in a district like St Vrain Valley Schools. Their pride in education is so high,” he said. “We’ve got a great administration here that supports what we do and give us the freedom to run these programs. They check in all the time on our vision and direction.”

Shupe studied biology and education at Seattle Pacific University in Washington State. In 2008, he moved to Greely to teach chemistry. Along the way he started a construction business, on the side, where he did remodels and woodworking projects. In 2016 he took a position teaching construction trades at Weld County Re-1 School District Valley High School.

“It was a really good fit for me, and led to me staying in career and technical education,” Shupe said.

When the position opened up at the Career Development Center in 2018, Shupe applied, in part, to be a part of SVVSD for his family.

“My wife, Ashley, teaches in SVVSD, so part of it was so that our family could be on the same schedule. This position opened up for the program, and really the rest is history,” Shupe explained.

“Neil was hired to start the Advanced Manufacturing Academy because he has the right combination of experience, education and passion,” explained Deniece Cook, principal and director for the Career Development Center. “I can help teachers get up to speed on curriculum, but I cannot teach passion. Neil jumped in with both feet into a career and technical pathway that was only a concept. He worked diligently alongside business and industry, developed the academy into a thriving program that draws students into career paths they never considered before.”

Shupe credited his teachers and parents dedication in his youth for helping him make connections with his students now.

“My parents worked hard to get me connected to the right teachers, and I had a phenomenal principal that really stuck by me,” Shupe said. “These things hold onto you. So when you hear you’re having that impact on the people around you through what you do, I don’t really like recognition, but it does feel really good.”

Shupe related his experiences teaching to lessons he learned coaching basketball, attributing the recognition to his colleagues as a whole. 

“I’ve always been a big proponent of success through building a strong team around you. This is really a team win, because we worked hard as a program. I’m a big believer in we before me,” he said. “The teachers in the program are such a great team and it paves the way for students to try just about anything they can think of in manufacturing, it’s a pretty rare opportunity.”

Shupe said the nomination and recognition were a total surprise to him. His wife, Ashley, kept the secret from him and even recorded his reaction as he watched the event. 

“She played me the entire day, because she talked to Josh Atherton (SVVSEF executive director) on Thursday morning. I wanted to go out and do something, she said no let’s have a down night. There was more sauce on our pizza than usual and she was real worried about me spilling sauce on my shirt. I just had no clue, and she thought it was pretty funny.”

Part of the recognition as Teacher of the Year was a cash prize of $4,000 with the stipulation that it couldn’t be spent on his classrooms. Shupe wasn’t sure what he was going to spend it on yet, but he has considered options. 

“I might put it towards getting my Master’s degree and continuing my education. We have four young kids, so that money will definitely go a long way. We might put it towards a family vacation this year,” Shupe said.