By Glenora Reynolds

news@joplinglobe.com

EL DORADO SPRINGS, Mo. — Teens who are into texting might have trouble recognizing the meaning of “DWYSYWDWYSYWDI‚” but not the students of El Dorado Springs High School marketing educator and DECA advisor Vickie Hillsman.

“Do What You Say You Will Do When You Say You Will Do It‚” is Hillsman’s marketing program motto.

It has apparently, over the past 25 years, left its mark on her students since many have graduated from college with marketing and management majors and several have become entrepreneurs.

Six students have given back to their community by becoming teachers in the El Dorado Springs school district.

“I first saw this motto on the desk of Dwight Arner, a teacher at Carthage,” said Hillsman, who is the former Vicki Sneed, a 1975 Carthage Senior High School graduate.

“My marketing teacher was Dale O’Neil. He and my mom are the reason I became a teacher,” she said. Hillsman’s parents are Ed and Ruth Sneed, of Carthage. Her mother was a longtime teacher in the Carthage R-9 school system.

Hillsman has been named the 2008 Association for Career and Technical Education Teacher of the Year for Region 3. Hillsman was one of six teachers in the United States to be selected. The award will be presented in December at the national convention in Charlotte, N.C. At that time Hillsman and five other regional winners will be interviewed and considered for the award of top ACTE teacher in the nation.

Among the many projects supervised by Hillsman is one known as The Doghouse. The enterprise began by selling cookies and milk and has become a full-scale store, housed in a classroom. Students still sell milk and cookies but have added fruit drinks and school apparel. The venture was initiated by Hillsman’s Entrepreneur and Small Business students.

“There are several stores like this in Missouri,” Hillsman said, “but ours is special because it involved other classes.”

A $400,000 grant for community revitalization for El Dorado Springs was also engineered by her students, and her DECA students have qualified for national and international competitions.

Last fall, Hillsman was honored by the El Dorado Springs Chamber of Commerce as Citizen of the Year.