Greetings! I know this is a long-awaited day for most of you, although some of you will already have begun Winter Break by the time this is sent. I’m still amazed we’re nearly halfway through our school year and ready to begin 2008. Where has this decade gone?!? Remember all the Y2K hype?
It’s been fun to see and hear about all of the holiday activities going on throughout our programs (and with our staff!) I’m especially proud of our Student Advisory Council on Main Campus for organizing a food drive to benefit our local food banks. Alyssa Ziehm, a Council member and Architectural and Mechanical Design student, e-mailed me that the project wasn’t as successful as she had hoped. But she realized every little bit helps, and I assured her that she and the other members of the Council have started a tradition that will surely grow! Thanks to everyone who participated.
In spite of the holiday spirit, I haven’t been goofing off all week! On Monday, Darlene Chiles and I attended an Ohio Department of Development regional meeting to discuss the new focus of the Department under Governor Strickland’s administration and to evaluate various incentives which are offered to attract and retain business and industry in Ohio. We were the only educators present, thanks to Darlene’s membership in the Ohio Economic Development Association. The others in attendance were primarily business and industry representatives and economic development coordinators. One of the topics discussed in our breakout groups was the impact of economic incentives (such as tax abatements and tax-increment financing incentives) on schools. I was very glad to have an opportunity to share our perspective as a JVSD and describe the impact of these incentives and other state budget changes on our state funding. (In a nutshell, JVSD’s are not always invited to the table when incentives are discussed and we typically lose tax revenues.) But I also “switched hats” and recognized the importance of attracting and retaining business to strengthen economic development in our communities and stressed the important role career-technical education plays at both the high-school and adult levels in providing a well-trained workforce. The group was very receptive to what I had to say and agreed that they need to get behind a school funding system in Ohio that provides schools with progressive growth in funding without reliance on personal property taxes. The facilitator of the meeting indicated that he would next be working with “education representatives” to further discuss the school funding issue, and he was agreeable to including the Ohio Association of Career-Technical Superintendents. I look forward to continuing to work with the Ohio Department of Development on this important issue.
On Tuesday I visited our satellite programs at Riverside Schools—Career-Based Intervention and Teaching Professions Academy. What a treat! Brandie Roberts, CBI teacher, and her junior high students gave me a wonderful welcome and shared the work they’ve been doing in learning about careers and applying academics while learning the Microsoft Office Suite programs. I observed the group researching banks and credit unions and creating Venn diagrams to compare the two. I was also able to observe them charting data they collected about personal interests and hobbies in Excel. One of the surveys they asked me to respond to was which video games I like the best. I’m embarrassed to admit—I had never even heard of any of the games listed!! (I’m really beginning to realize my age.) So I just picked the names I liked best—I hope I didn’t skew the data! These students were great fun and were totally engaged in their work from beginning to end. They also presented me with thank-you letters to Ohio Hi-Point for our support of them and their program. The letters were a delight to read, and I wish I could share them all; but some excerpts include:
Thank you for supplying all the wonderful things. I love being able to work on the laptops. I really like the new plasma screen TV, it is any 15 year old’s dream to use one . . . Thank you for supplying the best teacher in the world.
Thank you for letting us come to the career center and showing us all the things you can do at Hi-Point.
Thank you for putting a program like this in Riverside. Now we will be able to know how to do things before we’re out of school that some of our parents don’t even know how to do.
The entire eighth grade went to Ohio Hi-Point and it was pretty cool . . . From what it looks like I plan on going to Ohio Hi-Point. I think it would be fun and educational to go. I would also like to say how good Ohio Hi-Point’s staff was. They are very polite.
First off I would like to thank you for CBI class. It is one of my favorite classes at school. Thank you for the opportunity to go to the symphony at Clark Sate. It was really fun . . . This class has given me a lot of new possibilities. I am really looking forward to the Knowledge Bowl contest later this year.
Thanks to Mrs. Roberts and her students for a great visit, and best wishes as you prepare for the Knowledge Bowl Contest!
I also visited Donna Jarzab and two of her Teaching Professions students (most of the students were out on their internships in classrooms). The group had been to Graham High School earlier that day recruiting for the program and were still so excited they could hardly sit still. I’ve always said our students are our best marketers, and these two young ladies were a shining example! They also shared with me their internship experiences and how they felt about working with the various age groups. Adding to the excitement was the fact that one of the girls, Brandy, learned while I was there that she had been elected to the Snowball Court for Riverside’s winter dance. Congratulations Brandy! And thank you to Mrs. Jarzab and her students for taking time to share with me.
Wednesday evening we held our December Board Meeting and our annual Christmas Board Dinner prepared and served by our Culinary Arts Students. They continue to out-do themselves every year! The menu was delightful, the Inn looked festive, and the students were articulate and mature in their presentation. I know our Board felt like very special guests and greatly appreciated the talents of our students. These students and staff were all here on their own time on a Wednesday evening to make this very special event possible. Many, many thanks to Donna Beale, Culinary Arts Instructor, her able assistant Tami Troyer, and our Culinary Arts Students for a fantastic job!
Thursday at lunchtime I visited our Adult Education Staff for their Christmas party which they sandwiched in during their Stephen Covey 7 Habits of Highly Effective People training (presented by our very own Eric Adelsberger). I appreciate the dedication of this group in pursuing professional development in the area of self management in order to be more effective in both their professional and personal lives. And I appreciate the invitation to join them for their festivities!
I’m noticing a theme here—most of my activities this week have involved eating! Speaking of food, our Staff Holiday Luncheon will be Friday from 10:30-12:30 in the Hi-Point Inn. Please stop in if you have an opportunity—we’ll have a delicious lunch and a very special visitor!
Finally, here’s wishing all of you and yours a joyful holiday season. I know many of you will be traveling—please be safe. Take some time to get rested, enjoy family and friends, and ring in a New Year full of new possibilities!
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
December 14, 2007
Good Friday morning to you all! I hope you’ve all had a good and productive week—and I’m glad we got a full week in this week! It’s been a busy one, and I know we’ve all had to juggle schedules to make up for missed events due to last week’s weather.
Tuesday we hosted all of our satellite teachers on Main Campus for their quarterly meeting and a Christmas Luncheon. It was great to have them all here and get a collective update on all the terrific things happening in these programs! I heard about grants received, community service projects, field trips, business partnerships, and innovative curriculum. I shared our 2006/2007 Performance Measures with them and thanked them for the important role they played in making our success possible. It’s not often we have these folks together in one place, and I was appreciative of their enthusiasm and team spirit. And I also appreciate that they serve as such positive ambassadors for OHP in our partner schools, which is clearly benefitting our Main Campus as well. Many thanks to this group of dedicated teachers!
Wednesday the Tri-County Community Action Commission, which serves Champaign, Logan, and Shelby Counties, held a Senior Citizen Luncheon here at Hi-Point. Darlene Roll, who had been coordinating the event with the CAC, unfortunately couldn’t be here due to a family emergency. But JoEtta Spain and her group of able assistants from our staff, as well as several of our students, stepped right in and did a wonderful job serving lunch, providing musical entertainment, and making our guests feels very welcome! Denise Bergen, Executive Director of the CAC, made a point of thanking me for allowing them to hold their event here and said she just loves to facilitate intergenerational events such as this—it benefits both age groups!! (Some of the staff and I were commenting that we’re far closer to the “senior citizen” end of the spectrum than the “youth”!)
JoEtta shared with me her thanks as well:
A special thank you in for Mr.Carrig’s class who printed the holiday poem and the placemats, Amanda Blackburn’s class for the design of the placemat, and Sally Andrews’s class for helping with the serving and set-up as well as Mark Davis’s 7th-period class. I don’t want to forget Jessica Elliott from Culinary Arts who couldn’t go on the field trip so she wrapped all the cookies for the event. Last but not least were the students who performed (below). The show wouldn’t have gone on without all their help! Hope I didn’t forget anyone.
Bobby Ward
Sallie Roth
Anna Steggeman
Joe Winiger
Barb Taylor
Spencer Wolf
Jessica Skeen
Jeremy Stewart
Tim Sutton
Rechel Renkel
Breanne Gamble
Matt Overfield
Tiara Hinkle
Jordon Fitzpatrick
Deidra Thompson
On Thursday, we hosted our partner school guidance counselors for their regular meeting as well as a special luncheon prepared by our Culinary Arts Students. I could only stop in briefly and wasn’t able to stay for lunch, but it certainly looked wonderful!! (I’ll get to sample the same menu when these students prepare dinner for our Board next Wednesday.) Thanks to Lynne Hall and Lynda Arehart, our Guidance Counselors, for facilitating these meetings and keeping the lines of communication open with our partner school counselors.
While walking through the cafeteria on Thursday, a delightful young man named Dalton (Graphic Arts student) stopped me and asked if I had participated in the Netday survey. I asked him to tell me more about that, which he did very well! He explained that the purpose of the survey is to collect information so we can make improvements in our technology. Then he gave me a small card with the website to go to for the survey and a password. How neat to see our students actively involved in improving their school and their own learning! I appreciate Tracy Franck’s efforts in organizing this survey. And it’s important that staff participate also! If you haven’t filled out the survey, please go to http://www.netdayspeakup.org and use the password “starfish.”
I received another e-mail from one of our Board Members, Scott Johnson from Marysville, congratulating us on our Performance Measures. He apologized for being a little late—he’s been under the weather!
I am very proud of the efforts that you, your administration and staff have made over these past few years. I know all of you have been working very hard at improving the entire educational experience at Ohio Hi-Point; and from these latest results, I think others are sharing that same belief. I am thankful that you have allowed me to sit in on several of your work sessions these last two years. In those I have always been impressed at how the overall spirit of everyone attending and how focused they are on improving Ohio Hi-Point. Those meetings have also been a great learning experience for me as a Board member.
It always nice to see hard work pay off, and in this case, it has paid off very well. Again, please accept my most sincere congratulations for the great gains you have all made at Ohio Hi-Point over these past three years.
Thanks,
Scott
As I said last week, our accomplishments wouldn’t be possible without our very supportive Board of Education!
Joan Manns in Adult Education shared with me this week that Perry Hodies, who teaches our Digital Photography course and is attending Columbus State finishing a degree in Digital Design and Graphics, recently won a digital Holiday Card Contest. Joan asked him to share his winning design with us, and he responded:
Good morning! You had asked me about my card design that placed in the Holiday Card Contest at Columbus State. If you go to www.cscc.edu and let the main photos scroll (about every 5 seconds), my picture will come up. Click on the picture to get to the article.
Congratulations, Perry, on your recognition; and thank you for sharing your talents with the adult students in your classes!
As many of you know, we lost a dear friend and supporter this past fall with the passing of Judge James B. West, one of our Sloan Trustees. But I’m very happy to share with you that we recently learned Judge West and his wife Shirley had decided before his death that they would endow a James B. West Scholarship for our adult education Practical Nursing students. Shirley had taught in our program years ago, and Judge West had encountered many of our students and graduates in local health care facilities. He commented frequently on the fine nurses that our program produces and expressed appreciation for the asset that these adults are to the community. The scholarship has been put in place, and we know it will have a very positive impact on the lives of many future nursing students!
Well, tell you what. Since the weather predictions are so bad, I’m going to go ahead and cancel school for Saturday and Sunday. Have a great weekend, stay home if you can; and if you can’t, be very careful!
Tuesday we hosted all of our satellite teachers on Main Campus for their quarterly meeting and a Christmas Luncheon. It was great to have them all here and get a collective update on all the terrific things happening in these programs! I heard about grants received, community service projects, field trips, business partnerships, and innovative curriculum. I shared our 2006/2007 Performance Measures with them and thanked them for the important role they played in making our success possible. It’s not often we have these folks together in one place, and I was appreciative of their enthusiasm and team spirit. And I also appreciate that they serve as such positive ambassadors for OHP in our partner schools, which is clearly benefitting our Main Campus as well. Many thanks to this group of dedicated teachers!
Wednesday the Tri-County Community Action Commission, which serves Champaign, Logan, and Shelby Counties, held a Senior Citizen Luncheon here at Hi-Point. Darlene Roll, who had been coordinating the event with the CAC, unfortunately couldn’t be here due to a family emergency. But JoEtta Spain and her group of able assistants from our staff, as well as several of our students, stepped right in and did a wonderful job serving lunch, providing musical entertainment, and making our guests feels very welcome! Denise Bergen, Executive Director of the CAC, made a point of thanking me for allowing them to hold their event here and said she just loves to facilitate intergenerational events such as this—it benefits both age groups!! (Some of the staff and I were commenting that we’re far closer to the “senior citizen” end of the spectrum than the “youth”!)
JoEtta shared with me her thanks as well:
A special thank you in for Mr.Carrig’s class who printed the holiday poem and the placemats, Amanda Blackburn’s class for the design of the placemat, and Sally Andrews’s class for helping with the serving and set-up as well as Mark Davis’s 7th-period class. I don’t want to forget Jessica Elliott from Culinary Arts who couldn’t go on the field trip so she wrapped all the cookies for the event. Last but not least were the students who performed (below). The show wouldn’t have gone on without all their help! Hope I didn’t forget anyone.
Bobby Ward
Sallie Roth
Anna Steggeman
Joe Winiger
Barb Taylor
Spencer Wolf
Jessica Skeen
Jeremy Stewart
Tim Sutton
Rechel Renkel
Breanne Gamble
Matt Overfield
Tiara Hinkle
Jordon Fitzpatrick
Deidra Thompson
On Thursday, we hosted our partner school guidance counselors for their regular meeting as well as a special luncheon prepared by our Culinary Arts Students. I could only stop in briefly and wasn’t able to stay for lunch, but it certainly looked wonderful!! (I’ll get to sample the same menu when these students prepare dinner for our Board next Wednesday.) Thanks to Lynne Hall and Lynda Arehart, our Guidance Counselors, for facilitating these meetings and keeping the lines of communication open with our partner school counselors.
While walking through the cafeteria on Thursday, a delightful young man named Dalton (Graphic Arts student) stopped me and asked if I had participated in the Netday survey. I asked him to tell me more about that, which he did very well! He explained that the purpose of the survey is to collect information so we can make improvements in our technology. Then he gave me a small card with the website to go to for the survey and a password. How neat to see our students actively involved in improving their school and their own learning! I appreciate Tracy Franck’s efforts in organizing this survey. And it’s important that staff participate also! If you haven’t filled out the survey, please go to http://www.netdayspeakup.org and use the password “starfish.”
I received another e-mail from one of our Board Members, Scott Johnson from Marysville, congratulating us on our Performance Measures. He apologized for being a little late—he’s been under the weather!
I am very proud of the efforts that you, your administration and staff have made over these past few years. I know all of you have been working very hard at improving the entire educational experience at Ohio Hi-Point; and from these latest results, I think others are sharing that same belief. I am thankful that you have allowed me to sit in on several of your work sessions these last two years. In those I have always been impressed at how the overall spirit of everyone attending and how focused they are on improving Ohio Hi-Point. Those meetings have also been a great learning experience for me as a Board member.
It always nice to see hard work pay off, and in this case, it has paid off very well. Again, please accept my most sincere congratulations for the great gains you have all made at Ohio Hi-Point over these past three years.
Thanks,
Scott
As I said last week, our accomplishments wouldn’t be possible without our very supportive Board of Education!
Joan Manns in Adult Education shared with me this week that Perry Hodies, who teaches our Digital Photography course and is attending Columbus State finishing a degree in Digital Design and Graphics, recently won a digital Holiday Card Contest. Joan asked him to share his winning design with us, and he responded:
Good morning! You had asked me about my card design that placed in the Holiday Card Contest at Columbus State. If you go to www.cscc.edu and let the main photos scroll (about every 5 seconds), my picture will come up. Click on the picture to get to the article.
Congratulations, Perry, on your recognition; and thank you for sharing your talents with the adult students in your classes!
As many of you know, we lost a dear friend and supporter this past fall with the passing of Judge James B. West, one of our Sloan Trustees. But I’m very happy to share with you that we recently learned Judge West and his wife Shirley had decided before his death that they would endow a James B. West Scholarship for our adult education Practical Nursing students. Shirley had taught in our program years ago, and Judge West had encountered many of our students and graduates in local health care facilities. He commented frequently on the fine nurses that our program produces and expressed appreciation for the asset that these adults are to the community. The scholarship has been put in place, and we know it will have a very positive impact on the lives of many future nursing students!
Well, tell you what. Since the weather predictions are so bad, I’m going to go ahead and cancel school for Saturday and Sunday. Have a great weekend, stay home if you can; and if you can’t, be very careful!
Friday, December 7, 2007
December 7, 2007
Happy Friday to all of you, although I suspect many of you will be reading this on Monday! I hope you’re enjoying your second snow day this week. While I know these days can be a welcome gift of “found time,” I have to say I’m not crazy about the fact that we’ve had two snow days already and it’s the first week of December! But who knows, maybe Old Man Winter will settle down after the New Year. Most importantly, I hope you will all be safe as you’re out and about.
These two days have given me time to dig through some piles on my desk and feel some sense of being caught up. It’s mighty quiet around here with all of you gone!
While it was a short week, it was an eventful one! On Tuesday at our staff breakfast, which many of you attended, we were thrilled to announce that our high-school performance measures for 2006/2007 placed us at #10 in the state, up from #37 just four years ago! We also announced that our Adult Education programs met 7 out of 9 high-performance targets for 2006/2007, and rankings will follow. This is huge, and I couldn’t be more proud of the accomplishments of this school. It has truly been a team effort—teaching staff, support staff, administrators, board members, and—of course—our students! Without everyone staying focused on improving performance, it just wouldn’t happen. It’s great (and important) to look back and celebrate. And it’s equally important to keep an eye on the horizon! The state and federal measures we’ll be accountable for will change significantly over the next few years, and we need to continue our excellent initiatives to assure our students’ continued success--I’m confident we will!
The community and our stakeholders have also taken notice of our success and are happy for us. Board President, Anne Reames, wrote:
Kim,
On behalf of the Board, please share our congratulations to all. It is heart-warming to see all work so hard to achieve goals. This one was hard earned. So pleased that I am a part of it all.
Anne Marie Reames
Warren Stevens, our Board Member from Urbana, wrote:
Kim,
I commend you and all of the Staff for this most recent accomplishment. Everyone has worked very hard to attain this new ranking.
Warren
Bill Cook, our Upper Scioto Valley Board Member, wrote:
Congrats to all involved ! I'm sure we will hear more about the road to success and the map for the future.
Bill
One of our community agency representatives wrote to Darlene Roll:
Darlene,
I just wanted to write and congratulate the Ohio Hi Point Career Center for being ranked 10th in the state! I heard that on the radio this morning and just wanted to pass on my congratulations!
Susan Downing
Tri-County Community Action
Community Relations Specialist
On Thursday morning, the current Union County Leadership Institute (which I’m participating in) visited Ohio Hi-Point as part of their Education Day. I didn’t serve on the committee planning the day and didn’t even suggest that they come here (although I would have!) But a member of the committee approached me and asked if the group could take a tour, and of course I jumped on the opportunity! Nila Marquard introduced five of our Student Ambassadors who talked to the group about why they came to OHP, what they like best about their experience here, what kind of extra-curricular activities they participate in, and what they have planned for the future. Due to our delay that day, we called on students other than those we had planned to use; but the substitutes stepped in and never missed a beat! Deb Wortman filled the group in on our Satellite Programs, and Darlene Chiles informed them about our Adult Education offerings. The students then gave them the “grand tour” of our main building. I just wanted to burst with pride in watching and listening to the student ambassadors as well as our students in labs! They were mature, articulate, and confident as they spoke; and it’s clear they value the experience they’ve been given here at OHP. Most of the visitors had never been to our campus, and I heard from several of them later in the day how impressed they were with our students, our facility, and our vast program offerings for both young people and adults. Thanks to Nila, Deb, and Darlene, as well as Pat Roby, Joel Staudter and Shelly Swaney, who assisted with tours. And special thanks to JoEtta Spain for her work in preparing our Student Ambassadors to represent us so well. All around, it was a class act!
I have to share one cute story from this event: One of the students who spoke, Andrew, told the group that he ended up at Ohio Hi-Point “by accident” because he got on the wrong bus at Graham during 10th grade visits. But he came up anyway and liked what he saw. Now he’s a half-day student here and very active in band, SkillsUSA, and our Student Ambassador program. Andrew—we’re glad you got on that wrong bus!!
I hope you all have a safe, warm, and relaxing weekend!
These two days have given me time to dig through some piles on my desk and feel some sense of being caught up. It’s mighty quiet around here with all of you gone!
While it was a short week, it was an eventful one! On Tuesday at our staff breakfast, which many of you attended, we were thrilled to announce that our high-school performance measures for 2006/2007 placed us at #10 in the state, up from #37 just four years ago! We also announced that our Adult Education programs met 7 out of 9 high-performance targets for 2006/2007, and rankings will follow. This is huge, and I couldn’t be more proud of the accomplishments of this school. It has truly been a team effort—teaching staff, support staff, administrators, board members, and—of course—our students! Without everyone staying focused on improving performance, it just wouldn’t happen. It’s great (and important) to look back and celebrate. And it’s equally important to keep an eye on the horizon! The state and federal measures we’ll be accountable for will change significantly over the next few years, and we need to continue our excellent initiatives to assure our students’ continued success--I’m confident we will!
The community and our stakeholders have also taken notice of our success and are happy for us. Board President, Anne Reames, wrote:
Kim,
On behalf of the Board, please share our congratulations to all. It is heart-warming to see all work so hard to achieve goals. This one was hard earned. So pleased that I am a part of it all.
Anne Marie Reames
Warren Stevens, our Board Member from Urbana, wrote:
Kim,
I commend you and all of the Staff for this most recent accomplishment. Everyone has worked very hard to attain this new ranking.
Warren
Bill Cook, our Upper Scioto Valley Board Member, wrote:
Congrats to all involved ! I'm sure we will hear more about the road to success and the map for the future.
Bill
One of our community agency representatives wrote to Darlene Roll:
Darlene,
I just wanted to write and congratulate the Ohio Hi Point Career Center for being ranked 10th in the state! I heard that on the radio this morning and just wanted to pass on my congratulations!
Susan Downing
Tri-County Community Action
Community Relations Specialist
And finally, I heard the following from Candace Watson, Director of the Logan County Convention and Tourism Bureau:
Kim, Nila & Shane-
Congratulations on being ranked 10th in the state! I think it is important for the community to realize the positive progression that OHP has achieved. This is good news to all Logan County businesses owners seeking quality employees.
On Thursday morning, the current Union County Leadership Institute (which I’m participating in) visited Ohio Hi-Point as part of their Education Day. I didn’t serve on the committee planning the day and didn’t even suggest that they come here (although I would have!) But a member of the committee approached me and asked if the group could take a tour, and of course I jumped on the opportunity! Nila Marquard introduced five of our Student Ambassadors who talked to the group about why they came to OHP, what they like best about their experience here, what kind of extra-curricular activities they participate in, and what they have planned for the future. Due to our delay that day, we called on students other than those we had planned to use; but the substitutes stepped in and never missed a beat! Deb Wortman filled the group in on our Satellite Programs, and Darlene Chiles informed them about our Adult Education offerings. The students then gave them the “grand tour” of our main building. I just wanted to burst with pride in watching and listening to the student ambassadors as well as our students in labs! They were mature, articulate, and confident as they spoke; and it’s clear they value the experience they’ve been given here at OHP. Most of the visitors had never been to our campus, and I heard from several of them later in the day how impressed they were with our students, our facility, and our vast program offerings for both young people and adults. Thanks to Nila, Deb, and Darlene, as well as Pat Roby, Joel Staudter and Shelly Swaney, who assisted with tours. And special thanks to JoEtta Spain for her work in preparing our Student Ambassadors to represent us so well. All around, it was a class act!
I have to share one cute story from this event: One of the students who spoke, Andrew, told the group that he ended up at Ohio Hi-Point “by accident” because he got on the wrong bus at Graham during 10th grade visits. But he came up anyway and liked what he saw. Now he’s a half-day student here and very active in band, SkillsUSA, and our Student Ambassador program. Andrew—we’re glad you got on that wrong bus!!
I hope you all have a safe, warm, and relaxing weekend!
Friday, November 30, 2007
November 30, 2007
I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and that the time off recharged your batteries a bit. It seems as if it’s been a marathon of activities since we started school, and it’s hard to believe we’re past Thanksgiving and on our way to Winter Break! But the results of all that activity have been very positive, so take time to stop, look back, and appreciate all you’ve accomplished.
I’ve had the opportunity these past couple of weeks to get out and visit some of our programs “afar” in our various satellite locations. It’s exciting to see all the developments in program growth and the outstanding work our students are doing. An overriding theme is their appreciation for the programs and the support OHP provides to them. I know that this positive perception of our school spills over to all of the students in our partner schools and is helping to raise interest in our Main Campus programs as well. Thanks to all of our satellite teachers for the quality programs you deliver!
We held our annual Perkins Stakeholders Meeting (an advisory group for our federal performance measures) last week, and I was so pleased with the turnout representing all of our counties and the feedback from the group. They fully support our efforts to “raise the bar” with our academics, are excited about industry-based skills assessments for our programs, and confirmed that we’re on the right track with our program offerings. Jack Reeser, currently Logan County Commissioner and possibly our next State Representative, specifically commended the positive direction Ohio Hi-Point has taken in increasing programs and aligning them closely with workforce needs. While I realize we’ve all lived through a lot of change the past several years and fully understand that change is just plain hard work, kudos to all of you for the tremendous strides you’ve made in providing a quality product to our students! People are noticing!
On Monday, I was given the opportunity to present to the Bellefontaine Rotary Club and share the DVD of testimonials from our students, parents, employers, and higher-education representatives. They really enjoyed the personal stories and had a lot of great questions about “what’s new” at Ohio Hi-Point. They were particularly impressed by our percentage of students going on to higher education, the partnerships with higher education that we’ve established, and the variety of career-tech and academic programs we offer. Little by little, we’re getting the word out and dispelling some of those “myths” about career-technical education! Thanks to Shane Haggerty and JoEtta Spain (Rotary members) for helping me field some of the questions.
Tuesday I visited our ProjectSEARCH program at Logan Acres nursing home and also heard a presentation on the program at our Board Meeting on Wednesday. This is our program for young adults with disabilities who have completed graduation requirements and are transitioning into competitive employment. I never cease to be amazed at what these young people can accomplish and how much they are appreciated by their co-workers! And they just beam with pride when telling me about their duties. It’s also so gratifying to see the social bonds they’re forming with one another in the class. Two graduates of the program presented at the Board Meeting and I wasn’t sure who was more proud—the graduates or their parents! Both of these young ladies are now employed in the community and have matured so much since I met them when they started the program. Mary Jo Alstaetter, program instructor, has brought this program from a dream to reality; and I’d encourage you all to arrange a visit with her and to help spread the word about the very valuable employees this program is producing!
On Wednesday, Nila Marquard, Deb Wortman, Shelly Swaney, Lynne Hall, Bob Lawrence, and I attended the West Central Ohio Tech Prep Consortium Administrator/Counselor Luncheon hosted by Honda of America Manufacturing. In addition to touring the plant that builds the Accord (which was absolutely amazing—1,800 Accords a day!!), we heard from their staffing department about the critical need for manufacturing maintenance employees. They described a partnership they’ve formed with several community colleges and OHP’s Adult Education division (the only career center in the group!), and they’ve also committed to assisting us in recruiting for our high-school programs which train students in this career pathway. We know we have the training they need; it’s a matter of getting the word out to students and parents that manufacturing is not a “dead end” job and the opportunities are tremendous. We’re happy to have Honda partner with us in this initiative. Special thanks to Bob Lawrence for driving the bus and transporting staff from several surrounding school districts to Honda—we were in good hands!
I hope you’ll all participate in the “Let It Snow” contest and take a guess at the date of our first snow day. I received special permission to participate, so I may be calling a snow day when it’s 50 degrees and sunny if that happens to be the day I picked!
Have a great weekend and stay warm!
I’ve had the opportunity these past couple of weeks to get out and visit some of our programs “afar” in our various satellite locations. It’s exciting to see all the developments in program growth and the outstanding work our students are doing. An overriding theme is their appreciation for the programs and the support OHP provides to them. I know that this positive perception of our school spills over to all of the students in our partner schools and is helping to raise interest in our Main Campus programs as well. Thanks to all of our satellite teachers for the quality programs you deliver!
We held our annual Perkins Stakeholders Meeting (an advisory group for our federal performance measures) last week, and I was so pleased with the turnout representing all of our counties and the feedback from the group. They fully support our efforts to “raise the bar” with our academics, are excited about industry-based skills assessments for our programs, and confirmed that we’re on the right track with our program offerings. Jack Reeser, currently Logan County Commissioner and possibly our next State Representative, specifically commended the positive direction Ohio Hi-Point has taken in increasing programs and aligning them closely with workforce needs. While I realize we’ve all lived through a lot of change the past several years and fully understand that change is just plain hard work, kudos to all of you for the tremendous strides you’ve made in providing a quality product to our students! People are noticing!
On Monday, I was given the opportunity to present to the Bellefontaine Rotary Club and share the DVD of testimonials from our students, parents, employers, and higher-education representatives. They really enjoyed the personal stories and had a lot of great questions about “what’s new” at Ohio Hi-Point. They were particularly impressed by our percentage of students going on to higher education, the partnerships with higher education that we’ve established, and the variety of career-tech and academic programs we offer. Little by little, we’re getting the word out and dispelling some of those “myths” about career-technical education! Thanks to Shane Haggerty and JoEtta Spain (Rotary members) for helping me field some of the questions.
Tuesday I visited our ProjectSEARCH program at Logan Acres nursing home and also heard a presentation on the program at our Board Meeting on Wednesday. This is our program for young adults with disabilities who have completed graduation requirements and are transitioning into competitive employment. I never cease to be amazed at what these young people can accomplish and how much they are appreciated by their co-workers! And they just beam with pride when telling me about their duties. It’s also so gratifying to see the social bonds they’re forming with one another in the class. Two graduates of the program presented at the Board Meeting and I wasn’t sure who was more proud—the graduates or their parents! Both of these young ladies are now employed in the community and have matured so much since I met them when they started the program. Mary Jo Alstaetter, program instructor, has brought this program from a dream to reality; and I’d encourage you all to arrange a visit with her and to help spread the word about the very valuable employees this program is producing!
On Wednesday, Nila Marquard, Deb Wortman, Shelly Swaney, Lynne Hall, Bob Lawrence, and I attended the West Central Ohio Tech Prep Consortium Administrator/Counselor Luncheon hosted by Honda of America Manufacturing. In addition to touring the plant that builds the Accord (which was absolutely amazing—1,800 Accords a day!!), we heard from their staffing department about the critical need for manufacturing maintenance employees. They described a partnership they’ve formed with several community colleges and OHP’s Adult Education division (the only career center in the group!), and they’ve also committed to assisting us in recruiting for our high-school programs which train students in this career pathway. We know we have the training they need; it’s a matter of getting the word out to students and parents that manufacturing is not a “dead end” job and the opportunities are tremendous. We’re happy to have Honda partner with us in this initiative. Special thanks to Bob Lawrence for driving the bus and transporting staff from several surrounding school districts to Honda—we were in good hands!
I hope you’ll all participate in the “Let It Snow” contest and take a guess at the date of our first snow day. I received special permission to participate, so I may be calling a snow day when it’s 50 degrees and sunny if that happens to be the day I picked!
Have a great weekend and stay warm!
Friday, November 16, 2007
November 16, 2007
Welcome to Friday—again! It’s good to see the sunshine after yesterday’s sloppy weather!
I know it’s been an extremely busy, exciting, and probably exhausting week for all of you! Our Career Preview/Open House event last evening was absolutely wonderful—I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many parents and potential students visit to learn more about our programs! The weather certainly didn’t keep people away, which shows how much you truly piqued their interest in our programs. As I did a “fly-by” through all of our labs, I was so proud of our current students and Student Ambassadors for the part they played in making the evening a success. Their pride in their programs and our school just “oozed” from every pore—and they truly are our best salespeople! No doubt the success of last evening’s event was due largely to the tremendous effort that went into our Career Days visits for 10th graders and the committee of high-school and adult staff who worked to organize Career Preview. So, many thanks to all for a great job—I hope you’re as pleased with the results as I am! The data will soon be compiled as to the number of visitors, number of applications received, and other information we collected—I can’t wait to see the results! Be sure to check www.ohiohipoint.com for photos of the evening.
Speaking of Career Days and 10th grade visits, we received a lot of positive feedback from our partner schools on their visits here. Jon Comer, Guidance Counselor at Graham High School, e-mailed the following:
Just a brief note to let y'all know how much our students and chaperones enjoyed their day on the Hi-Point campus yesterday. The activities and hospitality were beyond expectations, as usual! Thanks again for your last-minute flexibility in light of our transportation difficulties. I have already taken a number of completed applications just this morning.
It must be working!!
Jon, Mindy and the GHS staff
JoEtta Spain, Recruiting and Placement Specialist, also coordinates visits to some of our middle schools. Janet Dunn, Marysville Middle School, recently wrote to JoEtta:
Thank you so much for visiting MMS yesterday. My students had very positive comments to share today. They enjoyed hearing the information you share. Several had questions about the application process. I encouraged them to keep in contact with their guidance counselors at the HS level and to take advantage of opportunities to visit the campus.
Breanne is a wonderful ambassador. She brought a great message. The students appreciated her comments.
JoEtta tells me the student Janet is talking about is Lead Ambassador Breanne Gamble, in our Administrative Office Specialist Program and a post-secondary student.
On Monday and Tuesday, I attended the Ohio School Boards Association annual conference, which includes a breakfast for career-tech board members and superintendents. At the breakfast Tuesday morning, Eric Fingerhut, the new Chancellor for the Board of Regents, which oversees higher education in Ohio, spoke to the group and emphasized the critical role career-technical education plays in workforce development. He stated that the ultimate measure of success for our adult education system in Ohio is not the number of degrees earned or the number of students enrolled; the measure for success is the improvement of the quality of economic life for everyone in Ohio. He also stated the direct need in Ohio is a skilled, technical workforce; and he acknowledged that our Adult Workforce Education system can best provide that.
As of January 1, 2009, all of our Adult Workforce Education programs, including ABLE, will be moved to the Board of Regents for governance (as opposed to the Ohio Department of Education.) While the details of administration and funding have not all been worked out, career-tech administrators are an integral part of the Transition Team which will put the new system into place. We see this as an opportunity to strengthen our programs and simplify the system of higher education in Ohio to make it more user-friendly for students.
Tuesday evening OHP hosted the first (and we hope annual) Transition Fair for special needs students and their families in Logan County. I had a chance to talk to representatives from several of the agencies represented, and I was really impressed with the scope of services available to these young people. Mary Jo Alstaetter, our ProjectSEARCH teacher, coordinated the event and did a super job! Her program is one of those opportunities for special needs young adults in our District, and I’ve heard many expressions of appreciation for the tremendous job she does. Thanks, Mary Jo!
I stopped by to see our evening Practical Nursing class in action on Wednesday evening and to welcome that group of students. These are adults who typically also work full time and have family responsibilities in addition to completing the very challenging curriculum of our PN program. They appeared very eager to learn and up to the challenge, and I know they have the best PN faculty in the State to support them! I had to chuckle—after I let myself into the building and stood at the doorway of the classroom, several of the students looked at their instructor, Tara Rhodes, and said “There’s a stranger here!” Tara explained to me that they had been notified their lockdown drill is coming soon, and the students are somewhat on “high alert.” Good for them for being so aware! (And I explained I wasn’t the intruder they’ve been waiting for!) Mostly, I hope not to be a “stranger” next time I see them. Best wishes to all of them in their studies!
I understand there’s some big football game going on in Columbus tomorrow? Hope it turns out as everyone hopes! Have a great weekend!
I know it’s been an extremely busy, exciting, and probably exhausting week for all of you! Our Career Preview/Open House event last evening was absolutely wonderful—I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many parents and potential students visit to learn more about our programs! The weather certainly didn’t keep people away, which shows how much you truly piqued their interest in our programs. As I did a “fly-by” through all of our labs, I was so proud of our current students and Student Ambassadors for the part they played in making the evening a success. Their pride in their programs and our school just “oozed” from every pore—and they truly are our best salespeople! No doubt the success of last evening’s event was due largely to the tremendous effort that went into our Career Days visits for 10th graders and the committee of high-school and adult staff who worked to organize Career Preview. So, many thanks to all for a great job—I hope you’re as pleased with the results as I am! The data will soon be compiled as to the number of visitors, number of applications received, and other information we collected—I can’t wait to see the results! Be sure to check www.ohiohipoint.com for photos of the evening.
Speaking of Career Days and 10th grade visits, we received a lot of positive feedback from our partner schools on their visits here. Jon Comer, Guidance Counselor at Graham High School, e-mailed the following:
Just a brief note to let y'all know how much our students and chaperones enjoyed their day on the Hi-Point campus yesterday. The activities and hospitality were beyond expectations, as usual! Thanks again for your last-minute flexibility in light of our transportation difficulties. I have already taken a number of completed applications just this morning.
It must be working!!
Jon, Mindy and the GHS staff
JoEtta Spain, Recruiting and Placement Specialist, also coordinates visits to some of our middle schools. Janet Dunn, Marysville Middle School, recently wrote to JoEtta:
Thank you so much for visiting MMS yesterday. My students had very positive comments to share today. They enjoyed hearing the information you share. Several had questions about the application process. I encouraged them to keep in contact with their guidance counselors at the HS level and to take advantage of opportunities to visit the campus.
Breanne is a wonderful ambassador. She brought a great message. The students appreciated her comments.
JoEtta tells me the student Janet is talking about is Lead Ambassador Breanne Gamble, in our Administrative Office Specialist Program and a post-secondary student.
On Monday and Tuesday, I attended the Ohio School Boards Association annual conference, which includes a breakfast for career-tech board members and superintendents. At the breakfast Tuesday morning, Eric Fingerhut, the new Chancellor for the Board of Regents, which oversees higher education in Ohio, spoke to the group and emphasized the critical role career-technical education plays in workforce development. He stated that the ultimate measure of success for our adult education system in Ohio is not the number of degrees earned or the number of students enrolled; the measure for success is the improvement of the quality of economic life for everyone in Ohio. He also stated the direct need in Ohio is a skilled, technical workforce; and he acknowledged that our Adult Workforce Education system can best provide that.
As of January 1, 2009, all of our Adult Workforce Education programs, including ABLE, will be moved to the Board of Regents for governance (as opposed to the Ohio Department of Education.) While the details of administration and funding have not all been worked out, career-tech administrators are an integral part of the Transition Team which will put the new system into place. We see this as an opportunity to strengthen our programs and simplify the system of higher education in Ohio to make it more user-friendly for students.
Tuesday evening OHP hosted the first (and we hope annual) Transition Fair for special needs students and their families in Logan County. I had a chance to talk to representatives from several of the agencies represented, and I was really impressed with the scope of services available to these young people. Mary Jo Alstaetter, our ProjectSEARCH teacher, coordinated the event and did a super job! Her program is one of those opportunities for special needs young adults in our District, and I’ve heard many expressions of appreciation for the tremendous job she does. Thanks, Mary Jo!
I stopped by to see our evening Practical Nursing class in action on Wednesday evening and to welcome that group of students. These are adults who typically also work full time and have family responsibilities in addition to completing the very challenging curriculum of our PN program. They appeared very eager to learn and up to the challenge, and I know they have the best PN faculty in the State to support them! I had to chuckle—after I let myself into the building and stood at the doorway of the classroom, several of the students looked at their instructor, Tara Rhodes, and said “There’s a stranger here!” Tara explained to me that they had been notified their lockdown drill is coming soon, and the students are somewhat on “high alert.” Good for them for being so aware! (And I explained I wasn’t the intruder they’ve been waiting for!) Mostly, I hope not to be a “stranger” next time I see them. Best wishes to all of them in their studies!
I understand there’s some big football game going on in Columbus tomorrow? Hope it turns out as everyone hopes! Have a great weekend!
Thursday, November 8, 2007
November 9, 2007
Well, the snowflakes have been flying here at the Peak of Ohio this week!! And to think that just one month ago it was 94 degrees. Only in Ohio!
We’ve had a busy, active week with a lot of great energy and activities in our programs! Last Friday, I visited the Supply Chain Management Program at Urbana High School to participate in a visit from Toledo Public Schools. Toledo is considering starting a SCM program, and the Department of Education recommended our program as the model in the state to take a look at! (You may have caught the article about this event on the front page of the Urbana Daily Citizen on Saturday.) The presentation was student-driven, and I was so proud of the way our students represented themselves and our program. They were very appreciative of the technology and learning experiences they’ve been exposed to, and they repeatedly stated how much they admire the industry experience their teacher, Annette Bertke, brings to the classroom. (I know this is a feeling shared by many of our students in all of our programs!) Congratulations to Annette and her students for a fantastic presentation!
Once our teachers are in the classroom, I know you work hard to keep your skills sharp. Bob Newland, Auto Collision Technology teacher, recently shared a professional development experience with Nila Marquard, our Career-Technical Director:
Nila, I wanted to thank you for your part in making it possible for me to go to the NACE conference. It was something I'd always wanted to do. I went to some excellent classes on waterborne paint. This is cutting edge technology in automotive refinish and something I can pass along to my students. While I was there I made contact with a representative from Mitchell Estimating Software who assured me he would set my program up with a computer estimating software program free of charge to the school. This normally is $300 a year, so I was very excited about this. I also talked to a lady from American Honda of California who happened to be from St. Mary’s, Ohio. She got my information and told me she would set my class up with a tour of the Marysville Honda Plant. During the opening session, they introduced a speaker by the name of Chris Gardner. This is the man the movie The Pursuit of Happiness was written about which starred Will Smith. I haven't seen the movie, but after listening to his story of triumph in the face of overwhelming odds, I really would like to see it. His story was such an inspiration, it was unbelievable. To top it off, I got to see the SkillsUSA auto collision national winner get his gold medal award. That was cool!
Bob, thank you for your commitment to professional development and to bringing the very best in learning experiences to your students!
These past two weeks have seemed to be my “meeting weeks”—I’ve been off campus more than I would prefer! But I realize it’s an important part of my position to represent Ohio Hi-Point in all of our communities and to “be at the table” when strategic decisions are being made that position us as the premier choice for career-technical training. One such meeting was the Logan County Chamber Board of Directors strategic planning session on Wednesday. It was an all-day, intense session of evaluating the needs of business/commerce in Logan County and outlining a strategy for meeting those needs. Without my prompting, education and workforce development rose to the top as a critical need; and Ohio Hi-Point’s high-school and adult programs were cited as an extremely valuable resource for meeting those needs. Specific goals included in this part of the plan include educator and student internships for all schools in the County as well as working to develop and support programs that connect academics to the workplace. I realize this sounds so familiar and natural to us; but it’s gratifying for our school to be seen as the leader in these initiatives!
Thursday morning, I attended the Logan County Convention and Tourism Bureau Annual Meeting and had even more reason to be proud of our school and our students! As most of you know, the Honda Homecoming Vendor Fair was held on our campus this past July; and the committee couldn’t say enough about the excellent facility and wonderful volunteers from our staff. Also, the current Welcome Center project, which is a structure to hold materials welcoming people as they drive into Logan County, was featured. Our Building Maintenance, Carpentry, and Masonry programs are working on the Welcome Center as we speak, and it’s expected to be completed by the end of December. Watch for it to be erected at the Park-and-Ride just west of State Routes 33 and 540 soon!
Wednesday evening, I sat in on an Adult Basic Literacy Education (ABLE) monthly staff meeting. Wow, what a difference these dedicated staff members make in the lives of adult learners! I was so impressed with the enthusiasm of the instructors about resources they’ve used, success stories they’ve experienced, numbers of adults served at a wide range of locations, and plans they have for assisting adults in gaining literacy skills and/or passing the GED exam. Thanks to all of our ABLE staff for your tireless work!
It struck me as I sat there that Ohio Hi-Point staff members really do provide for the needs of learners from “cradle to grave.” With our Early Childhood Education daycare center caring for infants and toddlers all the way up to adults learning for new or renewed careers or just personal enrichment—think about the impact you’re having as a staff on so many lives!!
Thursday and Friday have brought over 1,200 10th graders to our campus for our annual Career Days. Thursday I was able to get around to all of our labs and see our students in action demonstrating skills to the visitors, assisting them with hands-on activities, and proudly promoting their programs! The labs looked terrific, and the students and teachers had obviously worked very hard to incorporate a “WOW” factor into their presentations! Thanks to everyone involved in making this a hugely successful event—the payoff will be in the excited students we have coming to our campus next fall. Be sure to check out our website at www.ohiohipoint.com to view photos of this event and many others!
This Sunday is Veteran’s Day—please take time to thank anyone you know who has served our country and played a part in protecting the freedoms we enjoy. Have a terrific weekend!
We’ve had a busy, active week with a lot of great energy and activities in our programs! Last Friday, I visited the Supply Chain Management Program at Urbana High School to participate in a visit from Toledo Public Schools. Toledo is considering starting a SCM program, and the Department of Education recommended our program as the model in the state to take a look at! (You may have caught the article about this event on the front page of the Urbana Daily Citizen on Saturday.) The presentation was student-driven, and I was so proud of the way our students represented themselves and our program. They were very appreciative of the technology and learning experiences they’ve been exposed to, and they repeatedly stated how much they admire the industry experience their teacher, Annette Bertke, brings to the classroom. (I know this is a feeling shared by many of our students in all of our programs!) Congratulations to Annette and her students for a fantastic presentation!
Once our teachers are in the classroom, I know you work hard to keep your skills sharp. Bob Newland, Auto Collision Technology teacher, recently shared a professional development experience with Nila Marquard, our Career-Technical Director:
Nila, I wanted to thank you for your part in making it possible for me to go to the NACE conference. It was something I'd always wanted to do. I went to some excellent classes on waterborne paint. This is cutting edge technology in automotive refinish and something I can pass along to my students. While I was there I made contact with a representative from Mitchell Estimating Software who assured me he would set my program up with a computer estimating software program free of charge to the school. This normally is $300 a year, so I was very excited about this. I also talked to a lady from American Honda of California who happened to be from St. Mary’s, Ohio. She got my information and told me she would set my class up with a tour of the Marysville Honda Plant. During the opening session, they introduced a speaker by the name of Chris Gardner. This is the man the movie The Pursuit of Happiness was written about which starred Will Smith. I haven't seen the movie, but after listening to his story of triumph in the face of overwhelming odds, I really would like to see it. His story was such an inspiration, it was unbelievable. To top it off, I got to see the SkillsUSA auto collision national winner get his gold medal award. That was cool!
Bob, thank you for your commitment to professional development and to bringing the very best in learning experiences to your students!
These past two weeks have seemed to be my “meeting weeks”—I’ve been off campus more than I would prefer! But I realize it’s an important part of my position to represent Ohio Hi-Point in all of our communities and to “be at the table” when strategic decisions are being made that position us as the premier choice for career-technical training. One such meeting was the Logan County Chamber Board of Directors strategic planning session on Wednesday. It was an all-day, intense session of evaluating the needs of business/commerce in Logan County and outlining a strategy for meeting those needs. Without my prompting, education and workforce development rose to the top as a critical need; and Ohio Hi-Point’s high-school and adult programs were cited as an extremely valuable resource for meeting those needs. Specific goals included in this part of the plan include educator and student internships for all schools in the County as well as working to develop and support programs that connect academics to the workplace. I realize this sounds so familiar and natural to us; but it’s gratifying for our school to be seen as the leader in these initiatives!
Thursday morning, I attended the Logan County Convention and Tourism Bureau Annual Meeting and had even more reason to be proud of our school and our students! As most of you know, the Honda Homecoming Vendor Fair was held on our campus this past July; and the committee couldn’t say enough about the excellent facility and wonderful volunteers from our staff. Also, the current Welcome Center project, which is a structure to hold materials welcoming people as they drive into Logan County, was featured. Our Building Maintenance, Carpentry, and Masonry programs are working on the Welcome Center as we speak, and it’s expected to be completed by the end of December. Watch for it to be erected at the Park-and-Ride just west of State Routes 33 and 540 soon!
Wednesday evening, I sat in on an Adult Basic Literacy Education (ABLE) monthly staff meeting. Wow, what a difference these dedicated staff members make in the lives of adult learners! I was so impressed with the enthusiasm of the instructors about resources they’ve used, success stories they’ve experienced, numbers of adults served at a wide range of locations, and plans they have for assisting adults in gaining literacy skills and/or passing the GED exam. Thanks to all of our ABLE staff for your tireless work!
It struck me as I sat there that Ohio Hi-Point staff members really do provide for the needs of learners from “cradle to grave.” With our Early Childhood Education daycare center caring for infants and toddlers all the way up to adults learning for new or renewed careers or just personal enrichment—think about the impact you’re having as a staff on so many lives!!
Thursday and Friday have brought over 1,200 10th graders to our campus for our annual Career Days. Thursday I was able to get around to all of our labs and see our students in action demonstrating skills to the visitors, assisting them with hands-on activities, and proudly promoting their programs! The labs looked terrific, and the students and teachers had obviously worked very hard to incorporate a “WOW” factor into their presentations! Thanks to everyone involved in making this a hugely successful event—the payoff will be in the excited students we have coming to our campus next fall. Be sure to check out our website at www.ohiohipoint.com to view photos of this event and many others!
This Sunday is Veteran’s Day—please take time to thank anyone you know who has served our country and played a part in protecting the freedoms we enjoy. Have a terrific weekend!
Friday, November 2, 2007
November 2, 2007
We’ve made it to Friday again! I hope you’ve all had a great week. I occurred to me as I was getting ready to come to work today that we’ve been extremely fortunate not to have fog issues this fall. I know—some of you may be missing those delays! But I don’t miss making all those phone calls! We’ve really had some beautiful fall weekend weather, and it looks like this weekend will be no exception.
Monday I visited the Construction Trades Academy project house in Huntsville and really enjoyed watching all the students in action. They had just finished setting trusses and were starting on the plywood for the roof. It’s amazing what these students can accomplish in just 10 weeks of school! They were obviously proud of their work (as they should be) and seemed to be anxious to tell me all about it. There was certainly a lot of teamwork and cooperative learning going on, and they looked like little “worker bees” all over the place! Thanks to Mr. Hedges, Mr. Lawrence, Mr. Limes, and Mr. Marsteller for guiding our students through this major undertaking! We’ll look forward to seeing the finished product in the spring.
As we work to become a more data-driven district, we’ve made efforts in many areas to collect and analyze more data. Shane Haggerty, Communications Coordinator, shared with me some data from a recent student survey he conducted to determine the effectiveness of various marketing strategies. He had 148 students respond, and there were some interesting results:
· They most prefer to receive communication via their cell phones (as opposed to e-mail), and 84 percent have a cell phone.
· They spend far more time on the Internet than watching TV, listening to radio, or reading.
· 40 percent visit our website more than 5 times a week, and 88 percent visit at least once a week.
· They want to see video, podcasts, and blogs on our website.
· The biggest factor in their deciding to attend OHP (37 percent) was Career Days and other visits!
I know we have Career Days coming up soon, and this data underscores the importance of your hard work in getting ready for those student visitors. I know they’ll experience the “WOW” factor, just as our new students did this fall!
Darlene Roll, Intervention and Testing Aide, shared some data related to our recent OGT testing:
· Total tests proctored – 576
· Total staff members (and subs) who at one point or another helped with OGT during the first week – 41.
· We needed to employ a Russian translator for the first time!
This testing is a huge effort on the part of many, and we’re faced with higher numbers of students needing to pass the OGT when they come to us each year. But I know you’re all committed to helping them be successful, and I thank you for your tremendous effort!
While I’m on a “data kick,” I wanted to share that the statewide 2006/2007 Secondary CTE performance data was recently released. Two measures we can be very proud of are the number of students we reach for follow-up (Status Known), and OCTCA test results (Technical Skill Attainment)—we are above the state average on both and also made significant gains over the previous year. We still have some work to do in other areas, but the data shows we’re moving in the right direction. We haven’t received the Adult Workforce Education performance measures yet, but we’ll be sharing those as we get them. Nila Marquard, Darlene Chiles, Julia Barton, Lisa McCullough and I have recently attended Ohio Department of Education updates on the new Perkins IV legislation and requirements, and one thing is certain—we will be seeing significant changes in the performance measures themselves and the way they are calculated. As the new requirements are finalized, we will share the information with you and begin to formulate our strategy for helping our students be successful. I’m confident we can meet the challenge!
I hope you all have a great weekend!
Monday I visited the Construction Trades Academy project house in Huntsville and really enjoyed watching all the students in action. They had just finished setting trusses and were starting on the plywood for the roof. It’s amazing what these students can accomplish in just 10 weeks of school! They were obviously proud of their work (as they should be) and seemed to be anxious to tell me all about it. There was certainly a lot of teamwork and cooperative learning going on, and they looked like little “worker bees” all over the place! Thanks to Mr. Hedges, Mr. Lawrence, Mr. Limes, and Mr. Marsteller for guiding our students through this major undertaking! We’ll look forward to seeing the finished product in the spring.
As we work to become a more data-driven district, we’ve made efforts in many areas to collect and analyze more data. Shane Haggerty, Communications Coordinator, shared with me some data from a recent student survey he conducted to determine the effectiveness of various marketing strategies. He had 148 students respond, and there were some interesting results:
· They most prefer to receive communication via their cell phones (as opposed to e-mail), and 84 percent have a cell phone.
· They spend far more time on the Internet than watching TV, listening to radio, or reading.
· 40 percent visit our website more than 5 times a week, and 88 percent visit at least once a week.
· They want to see video, podcasts, and blogs on our website.
· The biggest factor in their deciding to attend OHP (37 percent) was Career Days and other visits!
I know we have Career Days coming up soon, and this data underscores the importance of your hard work in getting ready for those student visitors. I know they’ll experience the “WOW” factor, just as our new students did this fall!
Darlene Roll, Intervention and Testing Aide, shared some data related to our recent OGT testing:
· Total tests proctored – 576
· Total staff members (and subs) who at one point or another helped with OGT during the first week – 41.
· We needed to employ a Russian translator for the first time!
This testing is a huge effort on the part of many, and we’re faced with higher numbers of students needing to pass the OGT when they come to us each year. But I know you’re all committed to helping them be successful, and I thank you for your tremendous effort!
While I’m on a “data kick,” I wanted to share that the statewide 2006/2007 Secondary CTE performance data was recently released. Two measures we can be very proud of are the number of students we reach for follow-up (Status Known), and OCTCA test results (Technical Skill Attainment)—we are above the state average on both and also made significant gains over the previous year. We still have some work to do in other areas, but the data shows we’re moving in the right direction. We haven’t received the Adult Workforce Education performance measures yet, but we’ll be sharing those as we get them. Nila Marquard, Darlene Chiles, Julia Barton, Lisa McCullough and I have recently attended Ohio Department of Education updates on the new Perkins IV legislation and requirements, and one thing is certain—we will be seeing significant changes in the performance measures themselves and the way they are calculated. As the new requirements are finalized, we will share the information with you and begin to formulate our strategy for helping our students be successful. I’m confident we can meet the challenge!
I hope you all have a great weekend!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
TGIF October 26
Welcome to another Friday! It’s amazing that we’re looking at Thanksgiving just around the corner (and don’t even ask me how many shopping days there are until Christmas!) This is my second week putting my TGIF message into a blog, and I thank you for taking time to read it. Shane Haggerty, Communications Coordinator, told me that when he started his blog and told staff no one showed much interest; but I launched my blog and now everyone wants to blog. I told him not to take it personally—it’s most likely that people thought, “If Kim can do it, how hard can it be?!?”
This past summer, I attended a technology conference in Boston with several of our staff members and it was excellent. One of the ideas I brought back (OK, I stole it) from another district was the concept of an Administrative Technology Academy. I really felt convicted that if our administrators are going to be the “lead learners” in integrating technology into our classrooms and district work processes, we needed to become fluent in today’s technology. Tracy Franck, Assistant Technology Coordinator, very graciously worked with me to put together a syllabus of monthly sessions from October through May including such topics as virtual conferences, 21st Century digital literacy, anytime/anywhere learning, digital imagery, podcasting, social networking, and effective web searching. Our sessions will include hands-on activities, reading assignments, and homework!! (I’m sure some of our students would consider that poetic justice!) We had our first session this past Tuesday and Tracy had us visit the virtual K-12 Online Conference. We’re excited about the skills we’ll be mastering and look forward to demonstrating and using them in our work!
Nila Marquard, High-School Director, Julia Chiles, Adult Ed. Supervisor, and I attended a hearing with the Ohio Department of Education on Thursday to learn about the latest draft of the Perkins IV State Plan (which will drive our federal funding). The plan is not in its final draft, but the Department is seeking input from people in the field as they finalize our state plan. It’s too soon to say exactly how the plan will be written or implemented, but I can tell you that there is a very concerted emphasis on higher standards for all students, all programs being held to Tech Prep outcomes (not entrance requirements), guiding more students to postsecondary education, and reduction in remedial coursework at the postsecondary level. Positive Post-Program Placement at both the high school and adult levels is also still a key performance measure. In addition, at the high school level, OGT passage and technical skill assessment passage (currently OCTCA) will be measures which will result in financial sanctions if unmet for three years. I don’t tell you this to worry you—we’re doing a terrific job on our performance measures and will continue with our targeted improvement efforts. But we need to stay mindful of the importance of our performance data and the impact on our district and students. Keep up the good work!
Mike Kouse, Electronics Technology teacher, shared with me on Thursday an invitation he received to attend a former student’s graduation from DeVry University with a bachelor’s degree in engineering. Mike told me this is a student who was told that he wouldn’t be able to go to college if he attended Ohio Hi-Point. Our numbers of alumni completing two- and four-year degrees is growing, as well as those completing other post-secondary training, and we’re happy to debunk the myth that career-technical students can’t or don’t go on to higher education. Thanks, Mike, for sharing!
Earlier this week, Mary Jo Alstaetter, ProjectSEARCH teacher, shared with me the following update on her students and their job rotations at Logan Acres:
Today, the students begin their second rotation. They have mixed emotions about leaving the security of the support group each developed in the first rotation . . . I've learned you can't make someone accept our students. The students are usually the ones who win the staff members over. It's all about transition. Yesterday, I took the opportunity to thank a staff member for working with one of our students . . . She said, "Once I started to accept the fact that this student would be here for two months, my attitude changed. I will never look at people with disabilities with such a negative attitude. Being around this group of students has changed the way I look at life." Now, who am I teaching--the Project SEARCH students or the staff? Just don't ask me to write lesson plans for teaching the staff!!!
Mary Jo, I’d say you and your students are teaching a lot of people valuable lessons about the abilities and value that every person has, and I thank you for the work you’ve done in launching and growing this tremendous program!
Are you checking out our website lately? Shane Haggerty, Communications Coordinator, is doing an awesome job of keeping information up to date and sharing the latest happenings at Ohio Hi-Point. There’s new content nearly every day—so make it a habit to visit www.ohiohipoint.com!
Have a great weekend!
This past summer, I attended a technology conference in Boston with several of our staff members and it was excellent. One of the ideas I brought back (OK, I stole it) from another district was the concept of an Administrative Technology Academy. I really felt convicted that if our administrators are going to be the “lead learners” in integrating technology into our classrooms and district work processes, we needed to become fluent in today’s technology. Tracy Franck, Assistant Technology Coordinator, very graciously worked with me to put together a syllabus of monthly sessions from October through May including such topics as virtual conferences, 21st Century digital literacy, anytime/anywhere learning, digital imagery, podcasting, social networking, and effective web searching. Our sessions will include hands-on activities, reading assignments, and homework!! (I’m sure some of our students would consider that poetic justice!) We had our first session this past Tuesday and Tracy had us visit the virtual K-12 Online Conference. We’re excited about the skills we’ll be mastering and look forward to demonstrating and using them in our work!
Nila Marquard, High-School Director, Julia Chiles, Adult Ed. Supervisor, and I attended a hearing with the Ohio Department of Education on Thursday to learn about the latest draft of the Perkins IV State Plan (which will drive our federal funding). The plan is not in its final draft, but the Department is seeking input from people in the field as they finalize our state plan. It’s too soon to say exactly how the plan will be written or implemented, but I can tell you that there is a very concerted emphasis on higher standards for all students, all programs being held to Tech Prep outcomes (not entrance requirements), guiding more students to postsecondary education, and reduction in remedial coursework at the postsecondary level. Positive Post-Program Placement at both the high school and adult levels is also still a key performance measure. In addition, at the high school level, OGT passage and technical skill assessment passage (currently OCTCA) will be measures which will result in financial sanctions if unmet for three years. I don’t tell you this to worry you—we’re doing a terrific job on our performance measures and will continue with our targeted improvement efforts. But we need to stay mindful of the importance of our performance data and the impact on our district and students. Keep up the good work!
Mike Kouse, Electronics Technology teacher, shared with me on Thursday an invitation he received to attend a former student’s graduation from DeVry University with a bachelor’s degree in engineering. Mike told me this is a student who was told that he wouldn’t be able to go to college if he attended Ohio Hi-Point. Our numbers of alumni completing two- and four-year degrees is growing, as well as those completing other post-secondary training, and we’re happy to debunk the myth that career-technical students can’t or don’t go on to higher education. Thanks, Mike, for sharing!
Earlier this week, Mary Jo Alstaetter, ProjectSEARCH teacher, shared with me the following update on her students and their job rotations at Logan Acres:
Today, the students begin their second rotation. They have mixed emotions about leaving the security of the support group each developed in the first rotation . . . I've learned you can't make someone accept our students. The students are usually the ones who win the staff members over. It's all about transition. Yesterday, I took the opportunity to thank a staff member for working with one of our students . . . She said, "Once I started to accept the fact that this student would be here for two months, my attitude changed. I will never look at people with disabilities with such a negative attitude. Being around this group of students has changed the way I look at life." Now, who am I teaching--the Project SEARCH students or the staff? Just don't ask me to write lesson plans for teaching the staff!!!
Mary Jo, I’d say you and your students are teaching a lot of people valuable lessons about the abilities and value that every person has, and I thank you for the work you’ve done in launching and growing this tremendous program!
Are you checking out our website lately? Shane Haggerty, Communications Coordinator, is doing an awesome job of keeping information up to date and sharing the latest happenings at Ohio Hi-Point. There’s new content nearly every day—so make it a habit to visit www.ohiohipoint.com!
Have a great weekend!
Thursday, October 18, 2007
TGIF October 18, 2007
Welcome to my first blog posting! Thank you for visiting, and thanks to Shane Haggerty, Communications Coordinator, for getting me started on my first blogging experience. It really was a piece of cake!
I’ve been playing “catch up” ever since I got back from vacation, and there’s been a lot of good news to catch up on. From reading volumes of e-mails and snail mail upon my return, I can see that I missed a lot!
I’m told we had over 100 grandparents here for our Grandparents Day on October 3—what a great turnout! And this event got terrific coverage in the Bellefontaine Examiner with a really nice front-page photo! Thanks to Darlene Roll, JoEtta Spain, and Amanda Blackburn for all their efforts in organizing this very worthwhile event. Not only did we honor our students’ grandparents, but we enlisted a whole new group of “ambassadors” to spread the good word about Ohio Hi-Point!
I was also gone during Spirit Week; but I could tell from the e-mails outlining the week’s activities that it was surely a lot of fun! What a shame I couldn’t be here—I’m just sure I could have won that “Worst School Photo” contest! (How could my mother ever have let me leave the house looking like that?!?) I know a lot of you worked hard to make it a special week for our students, and I’m sure they had a great time.
I have to share a really cute story. I walked into the Main Building one morning just before I left on vacation and saw a student learning through the window at the front counter giving Joyce Furlong, our Attendance Secretary, a hug. I asked Joyce later what she had done to deserve such an honor, and she said the student was thanking her because she got ahold of his grandparents so quickly. I’m not sure what all the circumstances were, but I thought it was just great that a student took time to express his gratitude so sincerely. You made a difference for that young man, Joyce!
JoEtta Spain, our Recruiting and Placement Coordinator, has been busy taking students out to our partner schools to share their experiences with their students. She wrote to me after her visit to Marysville:
Kim, as I was watching our students present today at Marysville, I thought to myself how proud I was of them. The students do such an outstanding job. They believe in their programs and have a love for the Career Center. Each year I see the quality of our students grow and this year it really shows. I wanted to thank you for allowing me to be their advisor. It has truly been an honor to work with such fine young adults. They are our voice for recruitment. When we went to Marysville, they cautioned us that they were not going to bring all the students as they had in the past and we would not have many sign up to attend. We have been there for two days and did four sessions. After the students and I were finished, we brought back 215 registrations for Career Days out of 310 students we talked with. I think that is really great and says a lot about the recruitment job done by the students.
That does say a lot about our students, JoEtta, and we should all be proud of them! Thanks for working with them and giving them this opportunity.
Ben Stahler, our former Board President, stopped by last week to have lunch with me in the Inn. He thoroughly enjoyed the food and service provided by our Culinary Arts Students, and he expressed several times how good it was to be back at OHP. He stated how much he appreciates everyone going out of their way to greet him when he’s in the building and taking time to tell him about what’s going on. He said this isn’t something he necessarily experiences in all schools. It was obvious to him that we take a lot of pride in what we do! Thanks to everyone for making him feel welcome.
It’s election time, and I’m sure a lot of you have been following the candidates for various positions. Annette Bertke, Supply Chain Management Teacher in Urbana, shared with me a clipping from the Urbana Daily Citizen in which Al Evans, candidate for City Council, was quoted in answering a question about how to bring good-paying jobs to Urbana:
Currently, we’re working with Ohio Hi-Point to bring some workforce development to the area, utilizing the old armory. Hopefully, with a trained work force, we’ll be able to attract high-tech, high-paying jobs to the area. . . Individuals trained at Ohio Hi-Point’s local satellite can be ready for a high-tech employer that wants to come to town.
How about that?!? We’re now considered “clout” by the candidates as they campaign! On the same topic, I attended the Champaign Co. Community Improvement Corporation Economic Development Summit on Wednesday evening. At least five (I lost count after a while!) local leaders approached me to express their support of our adult education and high-school programs both at the new satellites and Main Campus. They really do “get it” when it comes to understanding the impact our programs have on the local economy. I hope you all puff up with pride at this recognition of the important role you play every day—I know I do!
I’d like to share a new website which has been developed to provide labor market information for Ohio. It’s really an improvement on other sites we’ve relied on in the past. This site focuses on high-skill, high-demand, high-wage jobs, it’s up to date, and it’s easy to navigate. You can “slice and dice” the statistics related to future labor market demand in hundreds of occupations as well as training programs available in each career field. Ohio is one of only three states featured on the website. The URL is www.occsupplydemand.org Take a look!
Have a great weekend and enjoy this beautiful fall weather—the snow will be flying soon enough!
I’ve been playing “catch up” ever since I got back from vacation, and there’s been a lot of good news to catch up on. From reading volumes of e-mails and snail mail upon my return, I can see that I missed a lot!
I’m told we had over 100 grandparents here for our Grandparents Day on October 3—what a great turnout! And this event got terrific coverage in the Bellefontaine Examiner with a really nice front-page photo! Thanks to Darlene Roll, JoEtta Spain, and Amanda Blackburn for all their efforts in organizing this very worthwhile event. Not only did we honor our students’ grandparents, but we enlisted a whole new group of “ambassadors” to spread the good word about Ohio Hi-Point!
I was also gone during Spirit Week; but I could tell from the e-mails outlining the week’s activities that it was surely a lot of fun! What a shame I couldn’t be here—I’m just sure I could have won that “Worst School Photo” contest! (How could my mother ever have let me leave the house looking like that?!?) I know a lot of you worked hard to make it a special week for our students, and I’m sure they had a great time.
I have to share a really cute story. I walked into the Main Building one morning just before I left on vacation and saw a student learning through the window at the front counter giving Joyce Furlong, our Attendance Secretary, a hug. I asked Joyce later what she had done to deserve such an honor, and she said the student was thanking her because she got ahold of his grandparents so quickly. I’m not sure what all the circumstances were, but I thought it was just great that a student took time to express his gratitude so sincerely. You made a difference for that young man, Joyce!
JoEtta Spain, our Recruiting and Placement Coordinator, has been busy taking students out to our partner schools to share their experiences with their students. She wrote to me after her visit to Marysville:
Kim, as I was watching our students present today at Marysville, I thought to myself how proud I was of them. The students do such an outstanding job. They believe in their programs and have a love for the Career Center. Each year I see the quality of our students grow and this year it really shows. I wanted to thank you for allowing me to be their advisor. It has truly been an honor to work with such fine young adults. They are our voice for recruitment. When we went to Marysville, they cautioned us that they were not going to bring all the students as they had in the past and we would not have many sign up to attend. We have been there for two days and did four sessions. After the students and I were finished, we brought back 215 registrations for Career Days out of 310 students we talked with. I think that is really great and says a lot about the recruitment job done by the students.
That does say a lot about our students, JoEtta, and we should all be proud of them! Thanks for working with them and giving them this opportunity.
Ben Stahler, our former Board President, stopped by last week to have lunch with me in the Inn. He thoroughly enjoyed the food and service provided by our Culinary Arts Students, and he expressed several times how good it was to be back at OHP. He stated how much he appreciates everyone going out of their way to greet him when he’s in the building and taking time to tell him about what’s going on. He said this isn’t something he necessarily experiences in all schools. It was obvious to him that we take a lot of pride in what we do! Thanks to everyone for making him feel welcome.
It’s election time, and I’m sure a lot of you have been following the candidates for various positions. Annette Bertke, Supply Chain Management Teacher in Urbana, shared with me a clipping from the Urbana Daily Citizen in which Al Evans, candidate for City Council, was quoted in answering a question about how to bring good-paying jobs to Urbana:
Currently, we’re working with Ohio Hi-Point to bring some workforce development to the area, utilizing the old armory. Hopefully, with a trained work force, we’ll be able to attract high-tech, high-paying jobs to the area. . . Individuals trained at Ohio Hi-Point’s local satellite can be ready for a high-tech employer that wants to come to town.
How about that?!? We’re now considered “clout” by the candidates as they campaign! On the same topic, I attended the Champaign Co. Community Improvement Corporation Economic Development Summit on Wednesday evening. At least five (I lost count after a while!) local leaders approached me to express their support of our adult education and high-school programs both at the new satellites and Main Campus. They really do “get it” when it comes to understanding the impact our programs have on the local economy. I hope you all puff up with pride at this recognition of the important role you play every day—I know I do!
I’d like to share a new website which has been developed to provide labor market information for Ohio. It’s really an improvement on other sites we’ve relied on in the past. This site focuses on high-skill, high-demand, high-wage jobs, it’s up to date, and it’s easy to navigate. You can “slice and dice” the statistics related to future labor market demand in hundreds of occupations as well as training programs available in each career field. Ohio is one of only three states featured on the website. The URL is www.occsupplydemand.org Take a look!
Have a great weekend and enjoy this beautiful fall weather—the snow will be flying soon enough!
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