Jo Daviess Carroll CTE Academy

08/05/2026

Opportunity:

Thinking about joining?

07/06/2026

Highlight from 2025-2026:
The start of a new program: Education

One of the missions of the CTE Academy is to prepare students for high-need careers in our community. One area that’s a growing concern because of retirements is teaching. We need teachers! And that need is projected to grow.

With that, the CTEA obtained a $550,000 grant to establish an Education Pathway. Students in the program take a series of courses that prepare them for the profession, receive dual credit through Highland Community College, and participate in work-based learning, where they go into classrooms and actually experience some of what it means to be a teacher.

This inaugural year saw 19 students take part!

Students in the Education program are introduced to Early Childhood and K-12 teaching. The goal is to help them make a more informed decision when it comes to choosing a career path after high school.

Instructor Stacy Kloss has done a wonderful job!

07/01/2026

Highlight from 2025-2026:

30 years.
Thats how many years Karen Koester taught at the CTE Academy. Nurses all over our region can trace their professional lineage to her!

She has been a caring and supportive leader for young CNAs and the CTE Academy was lucky to have had her for 3 decades.

We wish Karen a happy retirement and hope she stops in every now and then!

06/25/2026

ELIZABETH, Ill. — A school offering career and technical education courses in Jo Daviess County recently received a $2.25 million grant.

06/23/2026

Telegraph Herald has an article about the CTE Academy:

ELIZABETH, Ill. — A school offering career and technical education courses in Jo Daviess County recently received a $2.25 million grant.

06/18/2026

Highlight from 2025-2026:
Local Elizabeth resident, Bob Winter (the phone guy) brought a full year’s worth of the “Elizabeth Weekly News” newspaper dated from 1923.

He purchased the collection at an auction and recognized the importance of preserving this piece of local history for future generations. Someone in the community mentioned he should stop by the CTE Academy to see if we could help.

So, Bob met with the Graphic Communications program to go over the options.

The result?
After a few weeks of meticulous handling and hard work; the entire collection was digitalized and the originals laminated. Now they can be projected on a tv or screen, zoomed in on with an iPad or handled without any danger of losing these artifacts.

This project will allow future generations a unique look into our local history!

06/09/2026

Press Release:
$2.25 million dollars donated to the CTE Academy.

“I don’t have the words to describe how I feel… This donation is going to update our aging building, infuse money into our endowment which will allow economic security during unpredictable times, and the expansion of our Little Learners Academy. That expansion will help provide families in our region access to affordable childcare.”

Chad Stenberg
CTEA Director

05/29/2026

Not an official motto… but could be!