A teacher at Plant City High School received an award for his electric personality and dedication to lighting the spark of learning in so many students’ lives.
Fernando Guillen started the electrical program at PCHS in August 2016. Since then the program has grown from, one small class period to six full classes with more than 50 students partaking in the program in the 2019-20 school year. Each year, Klein Tools honors a dedicated teacher in the U.S. by naming them national Electrician of the Year. On Nov. 7, while Guillen was teaching, members of Klein Tools stormed the classroom with loads of gifts for both Guillen and his students as they officially announced he had won the title.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Guillen said. “It was just shocking. You know, I always hope that every student that walks into my class has fun and enjoys learning the skills I teach in here. They’re good kids and they can really put this knowledge into use after graduation.”
Guillen was actually a local student who then entered into a career as a journeyman wireman. When Principal Susan Sullivan was looking for someone to launch their electrical program, Guillen was the perfect fit. She said the rapid growth of his classes have proven time and again it was a sound investment.
PCHS has long fought to give every student the best chance of success following graduation. For some students, the next step is college. For others, it’s to enter a trade. A variety of programs have popped up over the past few years at PCHS to ensure its students graduate with all the tools they need to carve out a path for themselves in the world.
“I think it’s very practical and for those kids that don’t just love academics, it gives them a hands-on approach to learning,” Sullivan said. “These type of programs puts them in a home and in a career. And Guillen is so good at making his students learn without them even realizing how in-depth his lessons are. Yes, they’re doing the electrical things, but he’s using great technical teaching skills. They aren’t just coming in here and hanging out. There are lots of practical aspects of what they’re learning and I think that’s part of why we have seen such a growth in this program. They see the benefit of this.”
Guillen knows that journey well. He said college simply wasn’t for him, so he entered an apprenticeship program and developed a master list of skills in his trade. It’s an asset he hopes more students will take advantage of.
“Usually when I get new students in here, they say that they didn’t know the program existed,” Guillen said. “As word is spreading we’re getting more and more students in here. Once they start, we go through safety. That’s my number one priority. Only once that’s fully covered, we start on projects. They get little things at first, and by the end they could wire something for their own home if they needed to. I tell them, even if they don’t want to be an electrician, these are skills they may at one point need.”
When Klein begins its search for the Electrician of the Year, they search every nook and cranny of the country. Guillen rose above the rest, including instructors at the college, community college and technical college level.
“Members of the Klein family, with help from a screening panel and thousands of fan votes, ultimately selected Guillen from hundreds of applicants for his outstanding mastery of the craft, classroom experience and dedication to his local community,” a representative from Hillsborough County Public Schools said in a news release. “His longtime relationship with SkillsUSA, the nation’s largest career and technical education organization, paired with heartwarming stories from his students made him an excellent candidate.”
Klein Tools awarded Guillen a check for $1,000 and $1,000 in Klein Tools products to help support the fast-growing electrical program at PCHS.
The entire community came out to support Guillen’s accomplishment and the classroom was filled his supporters. Even Mayor Rick Lott swung by to offer his congratulations and show his support on Guillen’s big day.
“One of the goals is for PCHS and other high schools to provide a mirror for our community,” Lott said. “We are just thrilled that (Guillen) took this program from the beginning and has grown it into such a success. It’s a victory for the community and our students.”
As the revelry continued, Guillen showed the attendees around his classroom and had his students present some of their skills. It was obvious there was something special going on at PCHS and Klein seemed to have picked up on the hidden gem nestled in Plant City.
“We are happy to present Fernando as the 2019 Electrician of the Year – Head of the Class,” Greg Palese, vice president of marketing at Klein Tools, said in a news release. “Each year, we review hundreds of applications from talented electricians with incredible stories and achievements. As a graduate of a local career technical education electrical program, trade school and IBEW apprenticeship, Guillen’s commitment to his students really stood out in our minds as someone who is not only dedicated to his job, but who is an ambassador of the important work electricians do every day. By sharing his story, we hope to encourage the next generation of tradespeople to follow in his footsteps.”