Jamie Lutz from Badger High School Honored as 2022 Wisconsin ProStart Educator of the Year
The Wisconsin Restaurant Association Education Foundation recently announced Jamie Lutz, Family and Consumer Science Teacher at Badger High School in Lake Geneva, as the 2022 Wisconsin ProStart® Educator of the Year. The award recognizes an exceptional educator in Wisconsin who utilizes the ProStart program in their classroom.
Lutz has been a Family and Consumer Science educator for 15 years having taught at Westosha Central High School and is currently an educator at Badger High School in Lake Geneva. She has shown a strong commitment to Family and Consumer Science education in her roles as a food service educator, community leader and industry role model.
“Mrs. Jamie Lutz is very well-deserving of this commendation due to her extended contributions to culinary education, extracurricular programming and the ProStart Program,” according to Alex Vernon, ProStart Manager for the Wisconsin Restaurant Association Education Foundation. “Since Jamie’s tenure began at Badger High School in July of 2019, the Badger ProStart Program has grown to new levels.”
Lutz participates annually in the ProStart Invitational Culinary & Management Competition, giving her students an opportunity to practice the skills learned throughout her courses. Lutz provides her students with opportunities to engage in academic and career planning outside of the classroom by bringing students to ProStart Career & Industry Expos. She also actively prepares her students for industry success by providing ServSafe and Certificate of Achievement certifications.
A strong motivator for her students, Lutz encourages her students to compete in the ProStart Virtual Skills Challenges, with her students placing in the Top 3 of the Battle of the Brats, T-Shirt Design Contest, Cookie Decorating Contest, Plate-it-Up Challenge, TikTok Cook-Off, and ProStart Knowledge Bowl. She prioritizes industry connections for her students, establishing partnerships with local businesses and having her students participate in live and on-demand ProStart virtual learning sessions. For her master’s thesis, Jamie designed a framework for ProStart programs to create industry relationships.
As Wisconsin’s ProStart Educator of the Year, Lutz will be nominated to be a finalist for national awards given by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.
The ProStart program, administered by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) and state restaurant associations, is a curriculum designed to teach high school students the skills needed for a career in the restaurant and foodservice industry. Students also have the opportunity to participate in paid jobs where industry managers mentor them. When students meet academic standards, complete a checklist of competencies and participate in at least 400 hours of a mentored work experience, they are awarded the ProStart National Certificate of Achievement that signifies they are well qualified to enter the industry workforce.
With national and local support from industry members, educators, the NRAEF and state restaurant associations, ProStart reaches 140,000 students nationwide. The ProStart program in Wisconsin reaches over 6,500 students. For more information on the ProStart program, visit www.chooserestaurants.org.
Founded in 1987, the WRA EF is among the largest state restaurant association foundations in the nation. The Foundation vision is to advance professionalism through education, scholarships and community involvement to ensure the future success of the foodservice industry.