Guzouskas and Hull Receive National Recognition

From Lorie Rogers, Continuing Education:

Gary Guzouskas, coordinator and adjunct instructor for the drivers’ education instructor certificate program at Keene State, is the 2015 recipient of the Richard Kaywood Memorial Award, given annually to one individual for outstanding contributions to traffic safety. The award, established in 1985, is sponsored by the American Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association and AAA. Gary is the first instructor from New Hampshire to earn this honor.

Nominated by Barbara Brody, President of the New England Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association, she said, “I recognized early on that Gary understood that for students to do well in driver safety education, there must be a good curriculum and good teacher training. He is a dedicated educator who wants to promote the best traffic safety education for all people of NH – not just teens, but adults and seniors, as well.”

KSC Director of Continuing Education Bob Baker supported the nomination and said, “Gary continuously researches and synthesizes best practices in the field of driver education instruction, informing colleagues at the college, and advising instructors in the field. He’s an integral resource for creative ideas used in both his classroom and shared with other instructors of the program.”

Gary firmly believes that driver education is a collaborative effort. “The program we’ve developed at KSC recognizes that, and we spend considerably more time helping people with the delivery of instruction. We’re all out there on the roads together and we all want to get where we’re going safely.”

Also honored nationally for outstanding achievements in the field was KSC adjunct faculty member Rod Hull, who teaches Introduction to Traffic Safety for the program at Keene State. Rod was named one of the country’s top driving education instructors by the American Driver Education Traffic Safety Association.

In a statement to his hometown newspaper in Meredith, NH, Rod said, “I firmly believe that there is much more to driver education than teaching kids to pass the licensing test. The real success is when a student has had their license for five years or more, has been driving regularly, and has not been involved in a crash or received a ticket by the police. If students retain the information they are taught and put it to practice, they stand a much better chance of being safe on the road.”