TURNER — Josee Castonguay, MSAD 52 Adult & Community Education instructor, was recently announced as the recipient of a Maine Department of Education Professional Development scholarship through the state Adult Education office.

Professional development funding through the DOE is awarded to adult education instructors, counselors and/or coordinators who wish to attend a national conference or take a course in order to advance their knowledge base in some area directly related to their job. The purpose of this scholarship is to support practitioners in their current roles so that they may attend professional development events that are either out-of-state or professional development that is not offered through the Department of Education.

Castonguay submitted her proposal to attend the Council On Adult Basic Education National Conference in March 2013 to learn more about instructional techniques, program development and network with leaders in programming for basic level skills.

As an instructor, Castonguay teaches ESL, financial literacy, a college readiness course and career skills. She also works individually with students to develop college and career plans and pathways, and set goals. Additionally she is part of a core adult education team that works on student retention, persistence and resilience within the local MSAD 52 program. She plans to bring back cutting edge techniques and best practices that address literacy, career pathways and technology to better address the needs of the MSAD 52 students.

Josee is a certified Career Development and WorkReady facilitator, and uses these skills to support students as they work toward training and career goals