Sequoyah Teacher Wins Entrepreneurship Education Award

CANTON, GA -- A Cherokee County School District teacher has won a top award from an international entrepreneurship education program.

Sequoyah High School marketing teacher Kari Palmer was honored at this summer’s 29th Annual International Entrepreneurship Institute with the Dr. Paul DeLargy Angel Award.

The award is the highest honor the Institute bestows and “recognizes the educator who develops entrepreneurship education best practices along with implementation plans that have the greatest potential for social impact and student transformation.”

The recipient also must “exhibit passion for student transformation and capture the very spirit of a social entrepreneurship angel.”

Palmer and fellow Cherokee special education teacher Linda VanFossen, developed a plan to increase high school graduation rates by involving more Career Technical Instruction (CTI) students in entrepreneurship career classes and by offering more experiential learning activities. CTI is a program that supports special education students enrolled in Career, Technical and Agricultural Education classes.

Only one high school teacher receives this annual award, which is named for Dr. Paul DeLargy, founder of Real LEDGE (Leading Economic Development through Global Entrepreneurship), in honor of his dedication to transforming student lives through entrepreneurship.

Dr. DeLargy, according to the Institute, “believes that educators who use experiential best practices to serve, teach and inspire their students are the greatest social entrepreneurs, or as he more lovingly calls them, social entrepreneurship angels.”

The Institute is presented by Real LEDGE in partnership with the Kennesaw State University Entrepreneurship Center to prepare K-12 and post-secondary educators and community-based organizations to teach entrepreneurship.

Palmer was one of four Cherokee County School District educators to attend the Institute.

Photo: Kari Palmer. Credit: Cherokee County School District