San Luis’ Barrios receives FBLA’s top administrator award
The assistant principal is lauded for his commitment to excellence, advocacy for career and technical education
A commitment to excellence and advocacy on behalf of career and technical education recently earned San Luis High School assistant principal David Barrios the title of Arizona Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Administrator of the Year.
Announced by the organization April 6, the award is given to administrators who demonstrate involvement within the organization as well as career and technical education (better known as CTE).
Formerly a CTE instructor and SkillsUSA advisor, Barrios is the administrator oversees the CTE department at San Luis as well as athletics. With his law and public safety program, he strove to provide students with real-world opportunities, according to San Luis’ CTE instructional leader Advisor Nereida Lansman – an intention he didn’t leave behind when he moved into an administrative office.
“He continues to be an advocate for CTE and continues to provide new opportunities and real-world experiences to our students,” said Lansman. “The award appropriately reflects the endless support Mr. Barrios provides to the FBLA chapter and CTE department.”
According to Lansman, Barrios played an integral role in the South County high school’s receipt of the SkillsUSA Gold Chapter of Excellence Award last fall – the highest attainable honor within the program, which San Luis received for the first time in school history alongside 15 other Arizona high schools.
“There are a lot of great things happening at San Luis High School,” Barrios said. “As a leader, I just facilitated opportunities for amazing advisors (and) our great students. I’m very proud – very proud of the advisors, very proud of the students. It’s a great day to be a Sidewinder.”
Barrios was formally recognized for his achievement by the Yuma Union High School District governing board during its April meeting. The recognition can be viewed at www. youtube.com/YUHSD beginning at the 42:42 mark of the video entitled “YUHSD Monthly Governing Board Meeting (April 14).”
Barrios is the first YUHSD administrator to be recognized for a state-level FBLA award. The district’s CTE director Lorie Honeycutt and Yuma High School CTE instructional leader Tamara Kay won the state’s FBLA Innovator of the Year Award in 2011, and Bennie Carlos from Kofa High School was named the state’s FBLA Adviser of the Year Award in 2003.
According to www.azfbla.org, FBLA is the world’s oldest and largest student organization serving upwards of a quarter-million middle school, high school, college and university students, educators, administrators and business professionals. Through leadership and character development and increased understanding of American business enterprise, the nonprofit organization aims to prepare students for careers in business-related fields.