CCSD Career Education Teacher Earns National Recognition

A Cherokee County School District career education teacher has earned national recognition!

Lt. Col. (Ret.) Stephen Bergey, senior aerospace instructor for Etowah High School’s Career Pathway in Air Force Junior ROTC - Government and Public Administration, was honored this month by the National Association of Career and Technical Education as the Region II winner of its New Teacher of the Year Award.

The award, which recognizes “the finest career and technical education (CTE) teachers at the middle/secondary school level who have demonstrated innovation in the classroom, commitment to their students and dedication to the improvement of CTE in their institutions and communities” was presented to Lt. Col. Bergey at the association’s VISION Conference in San Antonio.  Region II encompasses the southeastern U.S. as well as Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and the Bahamas. 

Lt. Col. Bergey is in his fifth year as a high school teacher after a 20-year career in the military and diplomatic service of the federal government, with teaching experience at both the U.S. Air Force Academy and Georgia State University. 

During his tenure at Etowah HS, the JROTC program has earned numerous international and national honors for excellence.  Its most recent accolades include the 2024 Distinguished Unit Award, bestowed upon only the top third of AFJROTC programs worldwide, and the Masters Division Air Force National Champions and All-Service National Champion titles earned by its Male Raiders Team and Air Force National Champions title earned by its Mixed Raiders Team.

Lt. Col. Bergey is the 2022 Overall AFJROTC Instructor of the Year, an international honor, and has twice earned the Outstanding AFJROTC Instructor of the Year Award for North Georgia, in 2024 and 2022.  He has been elected by his peers statewide as president-elect for the Georgia Association of Career and Technical Education.

He earned his doctorate degree in international relations from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, as well as master’s degrees in business administration from Colorado State University, international affairs from The Fletcher School, and national security studies from the Naval Postgraduate School. 
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