May 2, 2008

Looks like we’re going to end this week on a cloudy, rainy note. But we actually can use the rain, so can’t complain.

This morning I saw a group of students loading into a van to undoubtedly head out to another event of some sort, and I know we’re still in that “sprint to the end” of the school year with almost too much going on to keep track of! But it’s important to take time to fully appreciate all the great happenings in our programs.

I serve on the Urbana University Foundation Board of Trustees, and Tuesday evening I had an opportunity to meet and speak with one of the candidates for the presidency at the University. While I’m not at liberty to discuss anything related to him personally, I can say that he and his wife are very familiar with career-technical education in Ohio and value the partnerships that have been forged with higher education in recent years. Whether he is ultimately selected for the position or not, it’s gratifying to know that CTE is very naturally a part of the conversation with candidates for a position such as this. We’re definitely putting ourselves on the “map” of educational pathways!

On Wednesday morning, Logan County TechStart hosted a meeting here on our campus. This is the parent agency for initiatives such as TechColumbus, a technology industry incubator which you might have been reading about in the Dispatch. One of the presenters mentioned a partnership between a technology start-up and the local career center in producing a prototype of a new product. I spoke with him afterward and he shared how very impressed he was with our facilities and asked for an opportunity to learn more about our programs. Of course we’ll give him that opportunity! I can think of a multitude of ways our students could be a valuable resource to entrepreneurs in our area, as well as becoming the entrepreneurs of the future! I look forward to this partnership developing.

Wednesday evening I attended the West Central Ohio Tech Prep Consortium awards dinner along with several other staff members and students. Two of our students (Katie Hoying from Indian Lake in Health Technologies and Dustin Roosa from Urbana in Auto Technologies ) received Rhodes State Scholarships, and Shelly Swaney presented Terri Nichols and Doug Weeks from Honda with a Distinguished Business Partner Award. How great to see Ohio Hi-Point’s outstanding student performance and business partnership initiatives recognized! I know we were all very proud.

Thursday I was able to stop in briefly to hear some of the staff presentations during our early release. It was really gratifying to hear the level of discussion and implementation that our teachers have reached with our High Schools That Work program. And it’s especially exciting to hear how this work is impacting student learning! In the short time I was there, I heard about:
· Academic students taking pride in displaying their work
· Aligning instruction with content standards (tedious but important work!)
· Closing the gap for our students in preparing them for college-level expectations
· Providing duel-enrollment courses
· Collecting data around concerns so that solutions can be targeted and effective



On the technology side, I also heard and saw:
· Second Life application in Printing & Graphics
· A Professional Learning Community related to our TOOLS program focusing on technology integration, the value of technology, and having all students reach technology literacy
· Student podcasting projects and their pride in putting their work out there “for the whole world to see”
· Using graphing calculators to allow students to visualize math concepts.
· E-mailing our daily announcements and the “value added” of including educational information and trivia
· Training for all students on cybersafety, cyberethics, and intellectual property laws (has curriculum changed over the years or what?!?)

What a rich sharing experience for our staff, and I thank all those who participated!

Thursday evening I “graduated” from the Union County Leadership Institute. This was my fourth (and final!) county leadership program since I’ve been in this position. While these programs have required considerable time away from the district and playing “catch-up” upon return, they have also been a tremendously valuable networking and learning experience for me. The biggest benefit I have seen is in these programs is the chance to share the great news about Ohio Hi-Point Career Center throughout our counties and to make connections for our staff and students. The common thread has been the eagerness of businesses and community groups to work with us, which I know is entirely due to the professionalism our students and staff show when they interact within our communities. Thank you!

This TGIF message is a little late today because I’ve had a very busy day with some really great activities. This morning, we hosted a breakfast for the first meeting of our OHP Alumni & Friends Association, a group which has formed to further the “cause” of Ohio Hi-Point in our communities, build a network for alumni and supporters, and strengthen support for our students. We had a wonderful turnout of folks truly committed to these goals. The leadership will be turned over the group at this time, but certainly we will be called upon as staff to assist them in many ways—so stay tuned! Many thanks to Shane Haggerty for conceiving of such a group and organizing this kickoff event.

After that meeting, I met with Bill Russell from the Ohio Board of Regents regarding the transfer of our Adult Education programs to the Board of Regents. Mr. Russell is visiting all 49 career centers in Ohio, and we’re number 36! He took great interest in the variety and scope of programs we offer to adults and was particularly impressed with our industry and higher-education partnerships. He commented that it was like driving onto a college campus to come to OHP, and he noted both the beautiful facilities and the fact that three colleges are housed on our campus. I shared with him concerns we have about the assurance of funding and reasonable credentialing for instructors; but overall we’re very positive about this move. He assured me that he and Chancellor Fingerhut have become keenly aware of the value that our adult workforce programs at career centers bring to Ohio, and their intent it to leverage that network to reach the goal of increasing enrollment in Ohio’s colleges by over 230,000.

After handing Mr. Russell off to Darlene Chiles (thanks, Darlene!) I attended the National Technical Honor Society induction luncheon in the Inn. What a wonderful ceremony! It’s such a pleasure to honor those of our students who have achieved “at the top of the pack” and met very rigorous induction criteria. It was especially nice to see so many parents, grandparents, and other supporters of the students there to share in the celebration with them. Thank you to Mrs. Beale and her students for a delicious lunch, and many thanks to Serena Neer and Melissa Rofe for serving as advisors to NTHS and organizing such a wonderful ceremony!

I’ve said many times that we have an amazing staff and I never cease to be amazed at the talents they exhibit outside of their jobs. One such talent is that if Suzie Knox, an avid runner who has organized a running club among our staff. Suzie recently ran her second Boston Marathon and gave me permission to share her experience stating that it’s one of her proudest personal achievements (no doubt!)

Boston is certainly a tough course with all its hills, but it is the most amazing experience with the hundreds of thousands of spectators cheering you on along the entire course. In my typical running fashion, I looked in awe at my fellow runners and saw how they come in all ages, shapes, cultures/races/nationalities, abilities, and sizes. I looked around and even in the late miles I was running side by side with people with obvious physical handicaps, and people way older than my 48 years. Of course I was running with the best of the best in Boston since you have to meet a rather challenging qualifying time based on age and sex; with the exception of several thousand charity and invited runners, but even if the runners I mentioned previously were in that category – they were running with me, and many probably faster. My purpose for relaying this is not to necessarily to get you to think about running 26.2 miles, but to encourage and inspire and remind that some things take time and dedication. Six years ago when I started running, I never imagined I could run a marathon, let alone 10 – with two Boston qualifiers and two Boston Marathons. My mantra this year was “believe and you shall achieve” and of course the Adidas “impossible is nothing” :-)

Suzie, you’re an inspiration to us all—thanks for sharing!

Another staff note: Next Wednesday is National School Nurse Appreciation Day. While we have one “official” school nurse (Amy McCarthy, our Health & Safety Coordinator), we are blessed to have many nurses on our staff as instructors and administrators. I don’t know about you, but I’ve always had a sense of assurance knowing I’m surrounded by so many medical professionals! Please take a moment to express your appreciation to Amy and the others for the expertise and care they bring to us and to our students.

It’s FRIDAY!!! Have a wonderful, restful weekend.