Pittsburgh, Pa., October 15, 2003 — The 2003 Frederick D. Kagy Education Award of Excellence is being presented to Mattoon High School, Mattoon, Illinois, in recognition of the excellence for its printing technology program. Additionally, this award is presented to Mattoon High School for its exemplary demonstration of instructional leadership, professionalism, use of innovative teaching techniques, and promotion of the graphic communication industry. The Kagy Award was established in 1993 by the Society of Fellows (SOF) of the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (GATF) in memory of Dr. Frederick D. Kagy, whose own career exemplified the qualities for which the award is given. In nominating the Mattoon program, Dr. Philip D. Age, assistant professor, digital graphic communication technology, at Eastern Illinois University’s School of Technology, explained that Mattoon has prepared numerous young people for future careers in the graphic communication industry. The program motivates these students to become practitioners, educators, and even entrepreneurs who establish their own graphic communication companies. According to Mattoon High School Principal Dr. Kirk R. Salmela, between 80 and 100 juniors and seniors enroll in the Graphic Arts I course. Additionally, Graphic Arts II is a honors-level course with rigorous requirements. Age commended Mattoon printing technology instructor Tom Epperson’s 23-year leadership of the successful program. As Scott Stevens of R.R. Donnelley & Sons Mattoon Manufacturing Division noted, “Many of Epperson’s students have joined R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company better prepared and trained than most applicants who walk through our doors.” Based on a hands-on internal print services operation, Mattoon’s printing technology program has achieved PrintEd accreditation from the Graphics Arts Education and Research Foundation (www.gaerf.org). The program involves students in the design and printing of forms, letterhead, business cards, notepads, and T-shirts for the entire school district, including all sports teams, clubs, special events, and organizations. The goal is to give each student the opportunity to connect the academic curriculum with an actual product he/she designs and produces. Student portfolios, for example, include projects using QuarkXPress, Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, digital photography, one-color and two-color offset printing, and four-color silk screen printing. Students are also required to write research papers about careers and new technology in graphic arts. Advanced Graphic Arts II students are placed in teams, and the entire class operates more like a business than a classroom. The teams focus on such jobs as screen printing, offset printing, desktop publishing, film assembly and platemaking, and bindery work. The students also take on full responsibility for the district’s printing needs, including production, inventory, customer service, and delivery. To reinforce the concept of printing as a “business,” students are “paid” for each day’s performance and projects in “graphic arts dollars,” which they use at the end of each quarter to “buy” their final grades. Additional “incentive dollars” encourage teams or production areas to solve real problems. The incentive dollars are traded for real dollars and used to host an end-of-semester party. Epperson strongly promotes the use of field trips and guest speakers to keep students focused on graphic communication careers and the use of technology. The field trips and speakers also give students an opportunity to have direct contact with offset, gravure, screen printing, and design professionals. Internships and job shadowing are also available as real-world learning opportunities. Mattoon’s program is affiliated with the technology preparation program at Lake Land College, and Mattoon students can receive dual credit status with Lake Land for graphic arts courses taken at the high school. Regular meetings with a technology advisory committee keep Mattoon’s graphic arts program at the front of innovation and new technology, and the school district itself regularly reviews the program’s goals and objectives. The imaged lithographic stone representing the Kagy Award will be presented to Mattoon High School at the GATF Society of Fellows award luncheon, Saturday, November 15, 2003, at the La Mansion Del Rio in San Antonio, Texas. Mattoon also has its choice of $1,000 worth of textbooks published by GATFPress. Frederick D. Kagy Education Award of Excellence Background The Frederick D. Kagy Education Award of Excellence was established in 1992 by the Society of Fellows (SOF) of the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation to commemorate the distinguished career of Dr. Frederick D. Kagy by recognizing outstanding middle school, high school, or community college graphic communications programs. Professor emeritus, College of Applied Science and Technology, Department of Industrial Technology, Illinois State University, Kagy was an activist in the cause of graphic communication and technology education. His academic leadership inspired thousands of students and professional colleagues. Kagy served as professor of graphic arts in the department of industrial technology at Illinois State University for eighteen years, demonstrating the highest levels of professionalism throughout his career as an educator. His leadership found expression in his tenure as president of the Industrial Technology Education Association (ITEA) and president of the International Graphic Arts Education Association (IGAEA). An active at-large member of the Mississippi Valley Industrial Teacher Education Conference, Kagy also served as an officer for a number of organizations, including the Education Council of the Graphic Arts, the GATF Education Committee, and the National Scholarship Trust Fund (now the Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation). He also contributed his time and efforts to further the goals of local printing clubs and state education associations. Kagy’s professional honors include elections to the ITEA “Academy of Fellows,” the Distinguished Service Award from the Council of Technology Teacher Education, the GATF Elmer G. Voigt Award, and the IGAEA Frederick R. Hartman Award. Schools that receive the Kagy Award can choose up to $1,000 work of textbooks published by GATFPress. There is no entry fee for nominating a school, but the nominated school must have a GATF teacher member on its staff. For more information on how to submit a nomination for the Frederick D. Kagy Education Award of Excellence contact the GATF marketing department at 800-910-4283.