April 18, 2008

Welcome to the end of another great week! I don’t know about you, but this gorgeous weather gives me such an energy boost; and I always appreciate the promise of renewal that spring brings. My daffodils area blooming—life is good!

This is a time of the school year that I know we all have a problem “fitting it all in.” But it’s also a time that gives me more opportunities to interact with students through various spring activities. On Wednesday, I got the chance to “preview” the presentation that our Early Childhood Education team would be making at state FCCLA competition. After they did a terrific job presented a beautifully designed lesson and I assured them the judges would be very impressed with the content, they informed me they wouldn’t be presenting that lesson—they would have to create a whole new lesson in 45 minutes at competition the next day. Oh my goodness!! I was floored--but they were absolutely calm and confident that they could do it and do it well. (They attended competition on Thursday, and I’m anxious to hear how they did.) I never fail to be amazed at what our students demonstrate with such competence at their competitive events. These young ladies from ECE will also be presenting at my Superintendents meeting next Tuesday and I very much look forward to that.

Tuesday I attended the Ohio Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting. I’ m happy to share that Walt Davis, a member of our Aviation Occupations Advisory Committee and faculty member with the Aviation Department at Sinclair Community College, was elected to the Board of Directors. That’s quite an honor, and we’re fortunate to have Walt share his expertise with us. Also, Edward Jones, with local offices, was honored as one of the top 10 best employers in Ohio. The keynote speakers were Karl Rove (the “architect” of the Bush campaign and former Deputy Chief of Staff for President Bush) and Max Cleland (former U.S. Senator and Vietnam war veteran). They had some interesting insights on the U.S. economy and were both confident in the resilience of our workforce and our country, and I was glad to have heard that part of the presentation. Most of their conversation, however, became a debate on the war in Iraq, and I won’t go into those politics!

I met Wednesday with superintendents from Logan and Hardin Counties and Dr. William Smith from Bowling Green State University. BGSU is seriously considering bringing a physical presence to Logan County. Dr. Smith asked us what we saw as needs for college programs in our County, and we all shared a desire to see greater opportunity for undergraduate and graduate programs in education. (I also mentioned the need to bring programs for Route B licensure programs for career-tech teachers to our area.) With our campus being centrally located, we’re being considered as a site. I’m a little biased—most of you know I’m a BG alum—but I’m excited about this opportunity! I’ll keep you posted on the discussions.

Congratulations are in order for two of our staff members! The River of Life Christian Church in Urbana holds a Teacher Appreciation Sunday every spring, and our Urbana board member Warren Steven shared with me that two of OHP’s own—Pam Clark and Heather Reed— were nominated by students and honored this year. I always say that honors coming from our students are the most meaningful. Congratulations to Pam and Heather!

I’ll end with a comment that came from one of our students at this week’s Straight A Breakfast. Jeremy (a carpentry student) and I were talking about what he has learned about the expectations of employers. He told me, “One thing I’ve learned is that they really want you to have hustle!” What a great insight Jeremy has learned at a young age! We’re fortunate to have a staff at OHP that has “hustle”—and I appreciate that!

Have a great weekend!