December 19, 2008

Well, the day that many of you have been waiting for is finally here! Any even those of us who work some over Winter Break are looking forward to a little down time coming soon. I think we all could use some rest—including our students! But I know you’re also aware that it’s a very stressful time for many of our students and you’ve been very sensitive to that. They may not admit it—but many of them miss you and the supportive environment you provide while they’re away.

There’s never a good day for bad weather to hit, but our calamity day Wednesday seemed to hit at a particularly inconvenient time. Of course, a lot of testing got thrown off schedule; and I know there were a lot of holiday activities planned. But one planned event came off without a hitch regardless of the weather, and I think this story is a perfect example of the work ethic we instill in our students and the respect that our staff earns from those students.

Our annual Board Christmas Dinner, prepared and served by our Culinary Arts Students, was scheduled for Wednesday evening prior to the Board Meeting. When I had to cancel school, I didn’t call Donna Beale, Culinary Arts Teacher, right away because I thought she might want to enjoy a couple extra hours of sleep. I figured I could always order pizza for the Board! But soon Donna was on the phone to me telling me that her students who had worked so hard to plan the dinner were text-messaging her like crazy asking her what was going to happen, telling her they still wanted to go ahead with the dinner, and begging her to let them come in. She and I talked and decided that, if they were willing to put in that effort and felt that strongly about it, we certainly didn’t want to stand in their way! So later that afternoon, 11 of our Culinary Arts students (and Mrs. Beale!) arrived to begin cooking, setting up, and decorating for the dinner. I can’t tell you how proud I was of that group of kids. How many high school students do you know that would give up an afternoon and evening when their school was closed in order to carry out such a commitment? Our Board of Education was also tremendously impressed and appreciative, both with the students’ commitment and the wonderful meal. My heartfelt thanks to Donna and her students!

Thursday afternoon, Urbana University hosted an open house here in the Sloan Inn to bring together educational leaders in Logan County and make them aware of the opportunities for our students both on their Urbana campus and here at OHP. University staff outlined several fantastic new scholarship opportunities specifically for Logan County high-school graduates. Nancy Sweeney, Director of UU’s Nursing Programs, noted for the group that two graduates of their nursing program are employed here at Ohio Hi-Point—Lori Ludwig, Adult Ed. HIT Program Coordinator, and Mari Stormer, Adult Ed. HIT Instructor. UU President, Dr. Steve Jones, expressed publicly his appreciation for allowing his institution to have a “home base” here, and he is excited about expanding partnerships with our county schools.

Thursday evening was another great highlight of the week—I had the privilege of giving the welcome at our Adult Education Health Information Technology graduation ceremony. Twelve adults completed the program and received their certificates. As is always the case, there were many children of the graduates in the audience. The front row was entirely filled with youngsters who cheered on their moms. I couldn’t tell if they were more excited when their respective mothers walked across the stage or when it was announced that cookies and punch would be served afterward—but their enthusiasm was fun to watch! Thanks to Lori Ludwig, Program Coordinator, and Instructors Mari Stormer, Tanya Knief, and Alyce Kalb for the invitation and for their dedication to helping these students achieve their dreams.

We’re often reminded what a small world it is, and one of our staff members shared with me one such reminder this week. I received notification that our Early Childhood Education Program had passed its licensing inspection with flying colors, and I made a point to congratulate Angie Walls, ECE teacher. Angie shared with me that the very next day the same inspector (who is known to be pretty tough) visited a program run by her sister (but the inspector didn’t know it was Angie’s sister). Her sister shared with Angie that the inspector talked about having visited OHP the day before and just went on and on about what a top-notch, high-quality program Ohio Hi-Point runs. Having four sisters of my own, I know that sometimes a little competitiveness and jealousy can creep up when one of us get a little too much praise! So Angie’s sister finally had to tell the inspector that Angie was her sister and that she knows all about our program. Hey, there’s nothing wrong with setting the standard! Congratulations again to Angie, her aides Stacy Colwell, Barb Hopkins, and Deb Vermillion, as well as our ECE students for the great job they do every day to provide top-notch childcare.

I’ll close with a wish to all of you for a beautiful holiday season. I got a free box of Christmas cards from a magazine I subscribe to, Real Simple. (I love that magazine—it’s like Better Homes and Gardens for Dummies!) The verse on the card says, “Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are.” While we could worry ourselves crazy with all that’s going on in our world, I hope you’ll all take time to relax, rejuvenate, enjoy family and other loved ones, and appreciate how good things really are.

We’ll see you in the New Year!