August 29, 2008

Well, we’re off and running with a brand new school year! It was great to welcome our new staff last Monday and our entire staff back last Tuesday. And it’s always great to have our high-school students back both on our Main Campus and in our Satellite programs. We’re glad to have a breather during the summer to get caught up on work and prepare for the coming school year, but it’s great to have the hallways filled with the smiles and voices of our students again.

Of course, our adult education students are with us year-round, with start-ups and graduations at various points in the year. With new programs being started here on Main Campus and out in our communities all the time, it’s tough for me to keep track of (I know the adult ed. staff probably tire of my asking and re-asking when classes are starting, who’s teaching where, and when classes finish!) One big event that’s coming up for adult education is our Practical Nursing graduation which will take place on Thursday, September 7, at 7 p.m. in the Seminar Center. Join us if you can—it’s a very moving ceremony as these adults of all ages embark on their nursing careers!

I’ve had a chance to be in our Main Building and interact with students a little bit over the past week, which is always a treat. Somehow I’ve managed to hit the lunch line three days in a row at the same time and have had lunch with Megan from Professional Turf and Landscaping. She’s been so good to sit and talk with me on those days, and I’ve learned a lot from this young lady. One thing I learned is that the idea of putting a penny in your hanging flower baskets to keep bugs off is a myth. So don’t waste your pennies! Thanks for clearing that up, Megan. I also talked with Brittany from Early Childhood Education II in the lunch line one day. When I asked her how her program as going, she said, “I love this program. It’s my life!” She has big plans for winning at state competition this year; and judging by her determination, I think Brittany will make that happen!

On Wednesday, Doug Limes presented me with a copy of a drawing (framed and all) that one of his students, Robert, had done titled “Battle for High Point.” This young man is quite an artist and likes to sketch various historical battles. He created this one depicting a battle to defend our campus, and it’s really amazing. You’re all invited to stop up and see it. Thank you Robert for the drawing, and thank you Doug for sharing!

If you’ve been on campus I’m sure you’ve noticed the many facilities improvements we’ve made this past summer. Summer is always a real rush to get these projects started and completed at least to the point where we can function within such a short time. The new flooring and furnishings have made a huge improvement, and our Facilities & Grounds staff pulled off a miracle moving all of that lab equipment in and out during the project. I appreciate everyone's patience as we put the finishing touches on some of the work and wait for some back-ordered items to come in. In the end, it’s well worth it and ultimately benefits our students. As we’ve worked in phases over the past several years to upgrade our campus, I’ve been so pleased with the gratitude our students have expressed for the improvements and for their maturity in taking care of the new items. Just goes to show, I think, that if you expect great behavior out of students you usually get it.

I’m on a mailing list with the Ohio State University Learning Center, and about once a month I receive an e-mail called “Leadership Moments.” This week I got one that reminded me so much of all of you and the excellence you demonstrate every day:

The opportunities for excellence are all around us. They come in many different forms: emails requesting help, demands for an unexpected report, a fellow employee facing a problem with new software, a customer calling with a billing problem, a guest showing up early and in desperate need of a room, a new deadline for a proposal, a leaking faucet, a hysterical patient in need of medical help, or a lost person seeking directions. All around us are people who need and seek our help. They are a burden if we choose to see them as such; alternatively, they are also opportunities to create masterpieces. It is up to us to choose how to view and to respond to them.

We do not need to wait for tragic events, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, or legendary occurrences. Every new day brings opportunities to transform tedious mechanical work to fine art in a moment of Daily Choice. Rather than planning to do excellence one day in the future, or waiting for opportunity to knock on the door, we need to discover excellence in everything we do. The opportunities are numerous as the people we meet and communicate with every day. The people who are impacted by the results of our work are our opportunities for excellence.
Reference: Arussy, L., (2008). Excellence every day: make the daily choice – inspire your employees and amaze your customers. Medford, NJ: Information Today, Inc.

I see examples of excellence every day in our district in the way you serve our students, deal with the public, take care of our facilities, and work collaboratively to be the best career-technical school we can be. We’re off to the start of another great year, and I look forward to celebrating excellence even more than ever.

As summer starts to near its end, the nights get cooler, and the crickets get louder, I’m trying to take advantage of as much great summer food as I can. I think the sweet corn this summer has been absolutely out of this world! I was reading an article about “corn on the cob facts” (I know, I need to expand my reading repertoire), and I learned that each ear of corn has about 600 kernels, and there is one strand of silk for each kernel. Who knew?

As much as I’d like to say enjoy the beautiful weather we’re going to have this weekend, we could really use rain instead! But enjoy the warmth and sunshine—before we know it the snow will be flying. Have a great weekend!