September 26, 2008

Well, we’re wrapping up another week and another month! Hard to believe we’re almost into October. This past week has been a busy one with a lot of excitement around OHP.

Tuesday we hosted our first Staff Breakfast for the year, and I want to thank all of you who attended and all of you who signed up to serve on OHP Congress Committees. These committees are the “backbone” of a lot of the improvement efforts in our district, and the time you commit to the work of these committees really makes a difference! I also want to thank all of you for your consideration of supporting United Way. Together we can make such an impact in helping those in need in our community, which ultimately helps us all.

Wednesday I heard State Senator Karen Gilmore speak and was happy to hear what an advocate she is for young people in our region. She stated her beliefs about the value of assuring that all students complete high school and move on to higher education, and she recognizes that “higher education” takes many forms. She commented to me that she has attended several community events in our facilities and has been very impressed. I told her I’d love to have her visit while our students are here and assured her she’d be even more impressed!

Thursday I attended a meeting of the Buckeye Association of School Administrators (BASA) Board of Regents Committee. I volunteered to serve on this committee in light of all that is happening with dual enrollment, CT2 articulated credits, and the transfer of Adult
Workforce Education to the Board of Regents. The committee is made up of several superintendents from both K-12 districts and career-technical districts. As the group talked about the importance of academic rigor, raising standardized test scores, and improving ACT and SAT scores in order to get students into college, I asked them not to lose sight of the fact that we want students to go on to college (which isn’t always a four-year college) for a reason. I think we in career-tech really have a handle on realizing that higher education is a means to an end and not an end in itself. Discussions such as this make me proud of the impact we have on students’ lives and the impact we have on economic development.

As I drove onto campus coming from a meeting Friday morning I saw a fire truck in our parking lot, which always makes me a little uneasy. But then I saw the preschoolers from our Early Childhood Education Program exploring the truck (with their teachers, of course!) What a great opportunity for them! It’s nice to see our community public safety services folks partnering with us to give these students the thrill of getting up close and personal with the “big red truck” and no doubt teaching them a lot in the process!

One of the added benefits of our student laptop program and student e-mail accounts is that I occasionally hear from our students. Friday (which happened to be the last day I could call myself “40-something”) a student e-mailed me:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! We share the same birthday. I thought it was cool that I share the same birthday with two of the OHP staff Members. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. I am sorry if I have inconvenienced you with this email. Thank you for your time.

I’m not sure what little birdie told him it was my birthday (sure hope age wasn't discussed!) And I’ll keep the “other staff member” anonymous. But what a nice gesture! I thanked this young man and told him I was not only not inconvenienced by his e-mail but was delighted to receive it.

This week Robin Curley, Animal Technology teacher, shared with me an e-mail she had received from the father of one of her students:

Ruth and I are very excited and proud about (our daughter’s) opportunity to attend college and truly appreciate all the efforts you personally and the rest of the Marysville and Ohio Hi-Point staff have spent in support of (her). Without everyone's dedication and belief in her, this wouldn't have been possible. We know college will be a struggle for (her) but believe the Marysville schools and Ohio Hi-Point have provided (her) the best education for her needs and provided her a strong base on which to continue her education. It is difficult to say, but starting next year it is up to (her) to finish the journey we all helped her start. Thank you very much for your continued support of (our daughter) and please pass along our thanks to everyone else that has supported (her) over the past 12 years.

This is a perfect example of how we "partner" with our partner schools to help students achieve success, and we rely on the foundation they give these young people. Thanks for sharing, Robin!

We also have a lot of satisfied customers as a result of the customer service many of our programs provide. Diana Payne, English teacher, shared with me an e-mail she had sent to Rodney Peterson and his Auto Technology class:

Just wanted to thank you and your students again for such a FANTASTIC job on my mom's car. My mom is now in a nursing home, but I had to take her out Friday evening to see her car - it looks brand new! That car hasn't looked that good in YEARS! She was tickled, and I am amazed at the job your students could do in such a short amount of time! Thank you again! You guys are great!

Rodney and students—you made someone’s day!

I’ll be away on vacation next week cycling in Vermont. Right now the weather forecast looks cool and potentially rainy, but I’m sure it will be beautiful even still. For those of you familiar with the Stephen Covey principles, I’ll be doing some serious “saw sharpening”! But I know I’m leaving our students and district in good hands. Have a great week!