Cranston's Spidell is Career and Tech. Educator of the Year

Congrats are in order for Edd Spidell of the Cranston Area Career and Technical Center.

Spidell, the founder and teacher of the pre-engineering and robotics technology program at the school, has been named the 2015 SkillsUSA Rhode Island Career and Technical Educator of the Year.

Spidell created the first program of its kind in Rhode Island — and one of the first in the country — when he established the pre-engineering and robotics program in 1987. It now is hard to imagine a vocational school without such a program.

Spidell holds degrees in both electrical and mechanical engineering, has completed post-graduate studies in underwater and airborne vehicle design, and is a United States patent holder.

His students compete and win at the State and National Skills USA Championships, and continue on after his program to become engineers, military officers, researchers, and scientists.

Although Edd left the corporate world of engineering nearly three decades ago, he continues to “engineer” with his students on a daily basis, which is his life’s passion of learning something new, each and every day, for himself and his students.

Mr. Spidell will receive his award at the 39th Annual SkillsUSA Rhode Island Awards and Recognition Ceremony on March 26th.