TGIF April 23, 2009
Welcome to another Friday—and a beautiful one at that! I hope you’ve had a good week; and I can safely assume it’s been crazy busy for all of you. And we’re not even to “May Madness” yet!
The administrative team and I have been out and about the state this week at various teacher recruiting events. It’s a difficult time to be away from campus, but this is such an important opportunity to talk to and recruit the very best teachers for our students. (That’s how we’ve found many of you!) I always enjoy the chance to talk with young people (and some more “veteran”) who are seeking teaching positions and listening to their teaching philosophies and experiences. Takes me back to when I was seeking my first teaching job (too many years ago to mention!) I can sense their excitement, nervousness, and anticipation. How wonderful that we still have so many young people who consider teaching to be the ultimate career.
At both of the two recruiting events I attended (Ohio University and University of Findlay), I had candidates approach me (academic teachers) and tell me they had done or were doing their student teaching at career centers and they absolutely love it! They were specifically seeking opportunities to teach in a career center. This is a huge pat on the back to career-tech in Ohio because it’s obvious these young teachers have realized the value of relevant academic instruction tied to career pathways. Good for them for taking notice!
Speaking of outstanding teachers, I’m sure most of you have heard or read that our very own Deb Purcell, Health Technologies Teacher, was selected as a 2009 recipient of the Rotary Excellence in Teaching Award. Deb, who was nominated by a student, is one of three teachers selected from a very distinguished group of nominees. We’re proud of you, Deb; and thank you for the excellent work you do for students every day!
We held our final meeting of the year for the Student Advisory Council on Thursday and celebrated with ice cream. (Most of them said they’d never had Graeter’s Ice Cream before, and I just didn’t feel they could go through life without that experience!) This has been a great group of students to work with—they’ve brought us concerns of the student body, worked to solve problems within the school, and served as spokespersons for communicating administrative decisions to students. And, a little selfishly on my part, they give me an opportunity to connect with students, which is a rare treat in my position. I look forward to forming a new group and continuing the discussion next year.
Next week will be chock-full with activities for our 35th anniversary! I hope you’ve all taken notice of the promotion of scheduled events in the various media and through Shane’s communications. Please join us for as many events as you can to celebrate the tremendous contribution this school, and the many staff members over the years, have made to the region.
Enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend, wear your sunscreen, and get some rest!
Friday, April 24, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
April 17, 2009
First, welcome back from spring break! I hope you all enjoyed some time away from work and were able to relax and renew. It was mighty quiet around here without staff and students—it’s good to have all the activity back! We certainly had a typical “Ohio smorgasbord” of weather during the break—snow, rain, sun, a little bit of everything. I hear some of you escaped to warmer climates—good for you!
Last Wednesday I met as part of an Ohio Association of Career-Technical Education task force to write a formal response to legislators regarding replacing the Ohio Graduation Test with the ACT as a measure of academic attainment for high-school graduation. The group discussed several pros and cons. What we came to agreement on is that:
· Ohio ACTE supports the four components of the proposed graduation requirements as a more representative and complete assessment of all students. Implementing graduation requirements that include a standardized test, community service, senior project and end-of-course exam is a better way to measure students’ attainment of 21st Century Skills and a more reliable indicator of future success, whether a student is entering college or the workforce.
Ohio ACTE recognizes the significance of a nationally standardized assessment, such as the ACT, as one part of an overall assessment for graduation.
· Career-technical education has a tradition of project-based learning and community service. Our students are well prepared to enter college or the workforce upon graduation and have a positive impact on Ohio’s economy.
· Many career technical programs have in place excellent models of project-based learning and senior projects, and we would be happy to share those with you and all members of the State School Board.
· We offered our assistance and support as legislators plan, design, and assess the four-part components for graduation requirements that are essential to the attainment of 21st Century skills.
Tuesday morning I had an opportunity to meet with Jeff Tomko, Vice President of Honda Transmission Manufacturing of America. I also had a chance to tour the plant at Russell’s Point. As I’m sure you’ve heard or read in the news, all of Honda’s production facilities are facing difficult times and making cutbacks in order to weather the current economic tough times. But the mood as I spoke with Mr. Tomko was optimistic. It’s amazing to me how complex organizations such as Honda are and yet how relatively quickly they can respond to changing economic conditions. I think they set a great example for those of us in education. I look forward to having Mr. Tomko tour our facilities to view our engineering/manufacturing programs and academic offerings.
Wednesday I had the absolute pleasure of judging the Business Department’s Etiquette Luncheon. (The luncheon, by the way, was a delicious meal prepared and served by Culinary Arts!) How fun it was to sit and have a “business lunch” with four students: Cody from Bellefontaine and Devon from Marysville (Information Technology students), and Chelsea from West Liberty-Salem and Ashley from Triad (Business Administrative Technology students). The time just flew by as we talked about why they chose to come to OHP, what their plans are for the future, what they like most about their career-tech programs, what their “dream job” would be—even what their favorite fast food is! These young people are well on their way to being successful in interviewing situations and on the job. Many thanks to Amanda Blackburn and Heather Reed for organizing this wonderful learning experience for these students and allowing me to participate.
The Logan County Chamber of Commerce Safety Committee meets monthly at our facility, and I had a chance to sit in on the meeting Thursday. The topic was identity theft, and Jim Ball from Fifth Third Bank was the presenter. Scary stuff—and something we all need to be concerned about. Long story short—check all your statements carefully every month; if you receive offers that seem too good to be true, they probably are; don’t open e-mails from sources you don’t know; and keep those passwords carefully protected!
This morning I had the privilege of welcoming secretaries from our 14 partner school who attended Ohio Hi-Point’s District Secretary’s Workshop. This is the fourth year we’ve extended an invitation to these office professionals to attend this event. It’s one very small way we can thank those who take care of us day in and day out for all they do to keep our schools running smoothly. Next Wednesday is Administrative Professionals Day—hint, hint! Don’t forget to recognize those who do so much to support you in your work.
Another income tax filing day has come and gone—I hope it wasn’t too unkind to you. Did you know that Abraham Lincoln signed the U.S. income tax into law in 1862 to help pay the expenses of the Civil War? Somehow the tax has stuck around long after that war ended! Old Abe did so much good for our country, I guess we have to forgive him this one slip-up.
Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the sunshine!
Last Wednesday I met as part of an Ohio Association of Career-Technical Education task force to write a formal response to legislators regarding replacing the Ohio Graduation Test with the ACT as a measure of academic attainment for high-school graduation. The group discussed several pros and cons. What we came to agreement on is that:
· Ohio ACTE supports the four components of the proposed graduation requirements as a more representative and complete assessment of all students. Implementing graduation requirements that include a standardized test, community service, senior project and end-of-course exam is a better way to measure students’ attainment of 21st Century Skills and a more reliable indicator of future success, whether a student is entering college or the workforce.
Ohio ACTE recognizes the significance of a nationally standardized assessment, such as the ACT, as one part of an overall assessment for graduation.
· Career-technical education has a tradition of project-based learning and community service. Our students are well prepared to enter college or the workforce upon graduation and have a positive impact on Ohio’s economy.
· Many career technical programs have in place excellent models of project-based learning and senior projects, and we would be happy to share those with you and all members of the State School Board.
· We offered our assistance and support as legislators plan, design, and assess the four-part components for graduation requirements that are essential to the attainment of 21st Century skills.
Tuesday morning I had an opportunity to meet with Jeff Tomko, Vice President of Honda Transmission Manufacturing of America. I also had a chance to tour the plant at Russell’s Point. As I’m sure you’ve heard or read in the news, all of Honda’s production facilities are facing difficult times and making cutbacks in order to weather the current economic tough times. But the mood as I spoke with Mr. Tomko was optimistic. It’s amazing to me how complex organizations such as Honda are and yet how relatively quickly they can respond to changing economic conditions. I think they set a great example for those of us in education. I look forward to having Mr. Tomko tour our facilities to view our engineering/manufacturing programs and academic offerings.
Wednesday I had the absolute pleasure of judging the Business Department’s Etiquette Luncheon. (The luncheon, by the way, was a delicious meal prepared and served by Culinary Arts!) How fun it was to sit and have a “business lunch” with four students: Cody from Bellefontaine and Devon from Marysville (Information Technology students), and Chelsea from West Liberty-Salem and Ashley from Triad (Business Administrative Technology students). The time just flew by as we talked about why they chose to come to OHP, what their plans are for the future, what they like most about their career-tech programs, what their “dream job” would be—even what their favorite fast food is! These young people are well on their way to being successful in interviewing situations and on the job. Many thanks to Amanda Blackburn and Heather Reed for organizing this wonderful learning experience for these students and allowing me to participate.
The Logan County Chamber of Commerce Safety Committee meets monthly at our facility, and I had a chance to sit in on the meeting Thursday. The topic was identity theft, and Jim Ball from Fifth Third Bank was the presenter. Scary stuff—and something we all need to be concerned about. Long story short—check all your statements carefully every month; if you receive offers that seem too good to be true, they probably are; don’t open e-mails from sources you don’t know; and keep those passwords carefully protected!
This morning I had the privilege of welcoming secretaries from our 14 partner school who attended Ohio Hi-Point’s District Secretary’s Workshop. This is the fourth year we’ve extended an invitation to these office professionals to attend this event. It’s one very small way we can thank those who take care of us day in and day out for all they do to keep our schools running smoothly. Next Wednesday is Administrative Professionals Day—hint, hint! Don’t forget to recognize those who do so much to support you in your work.
Another income tax filing day has come and gone—I hope it wasn’t too unkind to you. Did you know that Abraham Lincoln signed the U.S. income tax into law in 1862 to help pay the expenses of the Civil War? Somehow the tax has stuck around long after that war ended! Old Abe did so much good for our country, I guess we have to forgive him this one slip-up.
Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the sunshine!
Friday, April 3, 2009
April 3, 2009
We’ve finished another week and started a new month! I hope you escaped any April Fool’s pranks—and I’m glad that our computers escaped the “worm” that was supposed to hit on April 1. (I’m sure our Tech Department is happiest of all!)
There’s a lot in the news lately about the economic stimulus money, and I’m hearing about several local projects that have been submitted for this funding. One initiative which is underway is Connect Ohio, Governor Strickland’s plan to bring reliable high-speed connectivity to all of Ohio. Meetings are being held in each county, and I’ve recently attended meetings for Hardin and Logan Counties to give input on local needs. This project is on a “fast track” (as much of the stimulus money dictates), and I think we’ll see results pretty quickly. In order to give input as far as our needs and our students’ needs, I’ve called in the experts (John Case and Matt Heaston from our Tech Department) to represent us at future meetings. I know they’ll represent us well—and I appreciate their help!
Last Thursday I had the pleasure of transporting our March Students of the Month, Lindsey Kelly (Cosmetology, Bellefontaine) and Spencer Wolfe (Carpentry, Bellefontaine) to Kiwanis for their monthly recognition. What neat kids! They were pleasant, conversational, and a delight to have lunch with. I enjoyed hearing their plans for the future—Lindsey will be working for Charles Penzone’s Studio, and Spencer plans to start his own construction business. As I listened to the students from all over Logan County introduce themselves and share their plans for the future, I was so proud of how articulate and focused Lindsey and Spencer were. They both said to me, and they’re absolutely right—Ohio Hi-Point has prepared them so well for their futures and they’re excited about what lies ahead of them. I know we all wish them both the best!
I visited our Architectural & Mechanical Design lab last week to see the model the students built of a skate park which will be constructed in Urbana. The students did an amazing job! And this Thursday afternoon I saw them loading the model into a van to deliver to Urbana. The primary sponsor of the skate park (who wishes to remain anonymous) thought of our students when she needed a model built to show community members what they’re donating to when they donate to the skate park. Our AMD students can be very proud of the part they’ve played in inspiring the community and securing funds to make this project happen!
I met with our Student Advisory Council this past week, which is always a treat. One thing I can say about this group—they’re always thinking! They’ve made suggestions for everything from curbing computer viruses to eliminating restroom vandalism to providing a microwave for student use at lunchtime. I’ve been impressed all year with the maturity and passion of this group! They consider the needs and wishes of the entire student body rather than just their own, and they’re very thoughtful in working through problem solving. They’ve even designed their own Student Advisory Council t-shirts—so be watching for them soon so that you can identify our SAC members. (I’ll give you a hint—think “tie dye”!)
The administrative team and I have recently attended regional updates from the Office of Career-Technical and Academic Education. A lot of good information was shared—and we’ve definitely got our work cut out for us! On the adult education side, new performance measures have been established and targets are being set—all while resources are being cut. On the secondary (high-school) side, we’ve added several new performance measures for next year; and academics are definitely the primary focus. I liked what one ODE staff member said—“Decide what needle you want to move in your performance, and then focus resources on moving that needle.” It will be more important now than ever that, in times of limited resources, we focus our school improvement efforts not on activity but on results—or “moving the needle.” Your Director and Supervisors will be updating you on the new performance measures soon.
We received a letter a couple of weeks ago from Kim Wolverton, School Counselor at Urbana Junior High. Kim said:
Thank you so much for inviting Urbana Jr. High School students to your center. The students and staff really enjoyed visiting your site. I was very impressed with your campus and educational offerings. What a wonderful opportunity for juniors and seniors in high school! Our future 8th grade students look forward to visiting the Ohio Hi-Point Career Center next year!
I appreciate that Kim took time to write, and I’m so thankful that Urbana sends their junior high school students to visit. We send literature to students and make visits to their schools. But as Kim’s letter makes clear, seeing is believing; and when we can get prospective students (and partner school staff) onto our campus, we make believers out of them!
Hard to believe we’re into April already. The rest of this school year will be a blur with all the spring and year-end activities. But I know you’ve been long awaiting next week’s much-deserved Spring Break! As we get into the “Season of Marshmallow Peeps,” I ran across some facts I thought you might find interesting:
· It takes six minutes to make one Peeps chick.
· More than 5 million Peeps are produced each day.
· Peeps have been the most popular non-chocolate Easter candy in the United States for more than a decade.
· Original Peeps have a shelf life of two years. (Now that one’s a little scary! What are those things made of?!?)
Whatever you’ll be eating or doing over break--do your favorite things, get some rest, enjoy family and friends, and if you’re traveling--be safe!
There’s a lot in the news lately about the economic stimulus money, and I’m hearing about several local projects that have been submitted for this funding. One initiative which is underway is Connect Ohio, Governor Strickland’s plan to bring reliable high-speed connectivity to all of Ohio. Meetings are being held in each county, and I’ve recently attended meetings for Hardin and Logan Counties to give input on local needs. This project is on a “fast track” (as much of the stimulus money dictates), and I think we’ll see results pretty quickly. In order to give input as far as our needs and our students’ needs, I’ve called in the experts (John Case and Matt Heaston from our Tech Department) to represent us at future meetings. I know they’ll represent us well—and I appreciate their help!
Last Thursday I had the pleasure of transporting our March Students of the Month, Lindsey Kelly (Cosmetology, Bellefontaine) and Spencer Wolfe (Carpentry, Bellefontaine) to Kiwanis for their monthly recognition. What neat kids! They were pleasant, conversational, and a delight to have lunch with. I enjoyed hearing their plans for the future—Lindsey will be working for Charles Penzone’s Studio, and Spencer plans to start his own construction business. As I listened to the students from all over Logan County introduce themselves and share their plans for the future, I was so proud of how articulate and focused Lindsey and Spencer were. They both said to me, and they’re absolutely right—Ohio Hi-Point has prepared them so well for their futures and they’re excited about what lies ahead of them. I know we all wish them both the best!
I visited our Architectural & Mechanical Design lab last week to see the model the students built of a skate park which will be constructed in Urbana. The students did an amazing job! And this Thursday afternoon I saw them loading the model into a van to deliver to Urbana. The primary sponsor of the skate park (who wishes to remain anonymous) thought of our students when she needed a model built to show community members what they’re donating to when they donate to the skate park. Our AMD students can be very proud of the part they’ve played in inspiring the community and securing funds to make this project happen!
I met with our Student Advisory Council this past week, which is always a treat. One thing I can say about this group—they’re always thinking! They’ve made suggestions for everything from curbing computer viruses to eliminating restroom vandalism to providing a microwave for student use at lunchtime. I’ve been impressed all year with the maturity and passion of this group! They consider the needs and wishes of the entire student body rather than just their own, and they’re very thoughtful in working through problem solving. They’ve even designed their own Student Advisory Council t-shirts—so be watching for them soon so that you can identify our SAC members. (I’ll give you a hint—think “tie dye”!)
The administrative team and I have recently attended regional updates from the Office of Career-Technical and Academic Education. A lot of good information was shared—and we’ve definitely got our work cut out for us! On the adult education side, new performance measures have been established and targets are being set—all while resources are being cut. On the secondary (high-school) side, we’ve added several new performance measures for next year; and academics are definitely the primary focus. I liked what one ODE staff member said—“Decide what needle you want to move in your performance, and then focus resources on moving that needle.” It will be more important now than ever that, in times of limited resources, we focus our school improvement efforts not on activity but on results—or “moving the needle.” Your Director and Supervisors will be updating you on the new performance measures soon.
We received a letter a couple of weeks ago from Kim Wolverton, School Counselor at Urbana Junior High. Kim said:
Thank you so much for inviting Urbana Jr. High School students to your center. The students and staff really enjoyed visiting your site. I was very impressed with your campus and educational offerings. What a wonderful opportunity for juniors and seniors in high school! Our future 8th grade students look forward to visiting the Ohio Hi-Point Career Center next year!
I appreciate that Kim took time to write, and I’m so thankful that Urbana sends their junior high school students to visit. We send literature to students and make visits to their schools. But as Kim’s letter makes clear, seeing is believing; and when we can get prospective students (and partner school staff) onto our campus, we make believers out of them!
Hard to believe we’re into April already. The rest of this school year will be a blur with all the spring and year-end activities. But I know you’ve been long awaiting next week’s much-deserved Spring Break! As we get into the “Season of Marshmallow Peeps,” I ran across some facts I thought you might find interesting:
· It takes six minutes to make one Peeps chick.
· More than 5 million Peeps are produced each day.
· Peeps have been the most popular non-chocolate Easter candy in the United States for more than a decade.
· Original Peeps have a shelf life of two years. (Now that one’s a little scary! What are those things made of?!?)
Whatever you’ll be eating or doing over break--do your favorite things, get some rest, enjoy family and friends, and if you’re traveling--be safe!
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