This has been such a busy week here at Ohio Hi-Point! We really got off to a roll late last week as 10th graders from our partner schools visited for Sophomore Career Days. We had some make-up days this week for 10th graders who couldn’t visit last week due to fog. And last evening we invited them all back, along with parents and other community members, for our annual Career Preview/Taste of the Future open house. WOW is all I can say! The turnout was fantastic (we’re waiting for final estimates), the labs were full of visitors, the media coverage was terrific, and the food for Taste of the Future was yummy! I know we had many, many students make the decision to enroll as a result of this event. The teamwork in pulling off such a successful event was obvious—thanks to all of you for the extra time and effort you put in!
Seeing our potential students (of all ages) visiting and selecting one of our programs (or thinking about it) reminds me of the courage it takes to take this major step. Adults choose to go back to school to improve skills or take a totally new direction in life, on top of the challenges of families, work, and life. And high-school students leave their comfort zones and venture off, many to an entirely different facility, to take advantage of our career-tech programs. Reminds me of a quote I saw recently: “It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” (J.K. Rowling) The choices these students are making will impact both their abilities and their quality of life for a lifetime!
I held my quarterly Superintendents Meeting on Tuesday; and for our “Spotlight on Students” segment, several students from our Electronics Engineering Technology Program spoke to the superintendents about their current lab projects, their involvement in SkillsUSA, and their plans for the future. They did a great job sharing their enthusiasm for engineering and their excitement about entering the field! Many thanks to LaRanda (Mikki) Pickering, Taylor Allen, Brandon Gamble, and Robert Smayda for taking time to share with us—and thanks to Mike Kouse, their instructor, for allowing them to do so!
We had some of our alumni from North Carolina stop in for a visit a week or so ago (a married couple who met at OHP), and they each wrote us a note requesting to be included in our Alumni & Friends Association. Thought you’d be interested in seeing some of their comments:
In June 1979 after graduating I entered the Army as an Electronics Technician and retired in 1998. My current position is Assistant IT Manager for an herb company. I am responsible for 8 servers, 70 desktops, 20 laptops, network switches, and the phone system. I have fond memories of Hi-Point and the people here. I see many additions!
Doug Myers
Printing & Graphics, 1979
The school has changed so much! I notice the curriculum has changed. When I came here, English and Government were the only extra classes. Hi-Point “JVS” as it was called started my career in office management. After attending JVS, I went to Clark Tech for a year and then transferred to Edison State Community College where I earned an Associate’s of Data Processing.
Tami (Saul) Myers
Office Machines, 1979
Well, you’re at it again showing your generosity for a worthwhile cause! Darlene Roll, our Intervention Coordinator, shared the following this past week:
My husband is delivering 11,513 pairs of eyeglasses to the Lions International Eyeglass Recycling Center in Upland, Indiana today. About 100 pairs of those glasses have come from Ohio Hi-Point Career Center employees and students. It’s just another example of how wonderful and giving our staff and students are!
Great job in supporting this project!
We have a mid-year retirement coming up, and I’d like to close by wishing Nancy Decker, GRADS Instructor, many happy, healthy years of retirement. Thank you, Nancy, for your 16½ years of caring and service to our students at Ohio Hi-Point. You will be missed—and know that you’re always welcome to visit!
Enjoy your weekend!
Friday, November 20, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
November 13, 2009
We end another week with some great activities on campus! Not being prone to superstition, I think this Friday the 13th is shaping up to be a beautiful one.
Our Sophomore Career Days have taken place Thursday and Friday, and it’s been really fun to have 10th graders from our partner schools here to visit our programs. The fog on Thursday morning threw a couple of wrenches into the schedule, but as always we regrouped and went on with the show! 
I had the chance to get into most of the labs and see what our current students had cooked up for the visitors. They did a terrific job! Charlie in Building Maintenance oversaw the “Cookie Challenge” quiz on basic tool identification. I won a cookie for identifying the bonus tool—a socket wrench. But identifying some of the other tools took a little help from instructor Doug Limes! (See photo at right—recognize all those?)
I also got
to see the new Bobcat in Professional Turf and Landscaping being demonstrated—I had no idea that thing had heat and windshield wipers! (See a 10th grader checking it out at left.) And a student in Cosmetology very graciously offered to give me some hair extensions (in hot pink). I told her I didn’t think I could pull it off quite as well as she does. But the wax hand dip was heavenly!
Finally, I got to witness along with the 10th graders visiting Auto Services what happens when jumper cables aren't hooked up properly. Mr. Lindsey and his students had a very entertaining (and memorable) presentation! It certainly stressed the importance of getting it right. (See photo at right)
I had the chance to get into most of the labs and see what our current students had cooked up for the visitors. They did a terrific job! Charlie in Building Maintenance oversaw the “Cookie Challenge” quiz on basic tool identification. I won a cookie for identifying the bonus tool—a socket wrench. But identifying some of the other tools took a little help from instructor Doug Limes! (See photo at right—recognize all those?)
I also got
to see the new Bobcat in Professional Turf and Landscaping being demonstrated—I had no idea that thing had heat and windshield wipers! (See a 10th grader checking it out at left.) And a student in Cosmetology very graciously offered to give me some hair extensions (in hot pink). I told her I didn’t think I could pull it off quite as well as she does. But the wax hand dip was heavenly!Finally, I got to witness along with the 10th graders visiting Auto Services what happens when jumper cables aren't hooked up properly. Mr. Lindsey and his students had a very entertaining (and memorable) presentation! It certainly stressed the importance of getting it right. (See photo at right)
What a pleasure it was to see our students in action sharing their enthusiasm about their programs! Thanks to all teachers and other staff who made our Sophomore Career Days such a great success. We hope to see all of those 10th graders back for our Career Preview/Taste of the Future on the evening of November 19!
Monday and Tuesday I attended the Ohio School Boards Association Capital Conference for Board Members and Superintendents. On Tuesday morning, the Ohio Association of Career-Technical Superintendents hosted a breakfast meeting for board members, and we had over 181 career-technical board members in attendance representing 42 career centers! I think that demonstrates the tremendous support we have from our board members to assure that our programs remain strong. We appreciate that they took time out of their busy conference schedules to hear state and national updates on career-technical education.
Thursday evening I attended the annual Union County “Salute to Leaders” Dinner. I love that this community takes time each year to formally recognize leaders in several areas, including health care, culture & arts, environmental, military/patriotic, and education. This year’s winner in the education category was Jim Kaufman, who taught science at both West Liberty-Salem and Marysville for a total of 38 years. I thought some of you might know him. He also coached multiple sports and remains active in his community in retirement. What an inspiration!
A belated Happy Veterans Day to all of you who have served our country in the armed forces. We’ve been reminded through recent events how our soldiers put themselves at risk every day, and sometimes danger comes from the most unlikely and unthinkable sources. We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to all who have served and are serving—take time to thank a veteran every chance you get!
Have a great weekend!
Monday and Tuesday I attended the Ohio School Boards Association Capital Conference for Board Members and Superintendents. On Tuesday morning, the Ohio Association of Career-Technical Superintendents hosted a breakfast meeting for board members, and we had over 181 career-technical board members in attendance representing 42 career centers! I think that demonstrates the tremendous support we have from our board members to assure that our programs remain strong. We appreciate that they took time out of their busy conference schedules to hear state and national updates on career-technical education.
Thursday evening I attended the annual Union County “Salute to Leaders” Dinner. I love that this community takes time each year to formally recognize leaders in several areas, including health care, culture & arts, environmental, military/patriotic, and education. This year’s winner in the education category was Jim Kaufman, who taught science at both West Liberty-Salem and Marysville for a total of 38 years. I thought some of you might know him. He also coached multiple sports and remains active in his community in retirement. What an inspiration!
A belated Happy Veterans Day to all of you who have served our country in the armed forces. We’ve been reminded through recent events how our soldiers put themselves at risk every day, and sometimes danger comes from the most unlikely and unthinkable sources. We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to all who have served and are serving—take time to thank a veteran every chance you get!
Have a great weekend!
Friday, November 6, 2009
November 6, 2009
Was that the “solid stuff” I saw falling from the sky Wednesday morning!? We had such a nice fall without any serious fog, I guess I had been lulled into a sense of immunity from weather woes. I’m sure the upcoming winter will have some challenges for us, but we’ll get through it as we always do at the Peak of Ohio!
I want to share with you two examples of public acknowledgement of the fine work you’re all doing with our students. Monday I attended a lunch of local leaders and heard a presentation from our State Representative Dave Burke as he gave us an update on the current “state of the state” from his perspective. In addition to budget shortfalls at the state level, he expressed a real concern for workforce development. He motioned to me and asked the group, “Why aren’t we sending more people to Ohio Hi-Point to get the training that will get them ready for the jobs that are available?”
Wednesday morning the Logan County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors met to set our course for the coming year. As we worked through our strategic planning, we focused on the areas of member services, communication, data-driven decisions—but the conversation kept coming back to workforce development and the importance of a well-trained workforce to attract and retain businesses. Ohio Hi-Point, and in particular our partnerships with higher education, was mentioned repeatedly as an underutilized asset that is positioned to provide the skills training needed for our community. I always sit a little bit taller when our school is recognized in groups like these—and I do it on behalf of all of you who make great opportunities happen for our students! Know that your hard work is recognized and acknowledged in our community.
Wednesday at lunchtime I was able to briefly join our OHP Student Bloggers at lunch at Bob Evans (a well-deserved reward for them!) It was fun to sit with them and hear their perspectives on technology today and how kids prefer to communicate. (I’ve included photos of the group at the right--you'll have to forgive me, I don't know how to rotate them!) If you haven’t taken time to read our student blogs on our website, you’re missing a treat! They’re doing a terrific job of journaling their experiences as OHP students.
Thursday morning I ran into the right person (Earl LeVan, Adult Education Diversified Industrial Trainer) at the right time in the front lobby. He shared with me that DIT’s from around the state were on our campus for a meeting and invited me to join them for lunch in the Inn. He didn’t have to twist my arm! I really enjoyed hearing about the training they do with adult students in a variety of areas, including manufacturing maintenance, HVAC, and power line maintenance. I don’t remember the exact figures, but Duke Energy reports that about 75 percent of their line maintenance employees will be retiring within the next few years—which points to huge training needs in this area! We also heard an interesting story from one of the visitors about how he, as a young bachelors-trained engineer, was given a complex project to work on early in his career that became a 30-day valuable learning experience. It made me think of the problem-based learning we challenge our students with regularly. I think it’s the best way to learn, because students use critical thinking and apply knowledge to real-world problems as opposed to textbook simulations. And it’s more fun!
Thursday afternoon as I was walking into the Main Building for a meeting, two students were on the benches out front after school working intently on their laptops. I told them “Good for you—working on homework while you wait for your ride! That is what you’re doing isn’t it?” One of them looked up sheepishly and said, “Uh . . . yeah.” (Not very convincingly.) The other one said without missing a beat, “I’m not!” I told him at least he’s honest. Those kids sure are tuned into the technology; and even though it would be foolish to think they’re always engaged in their studies, at least they’re engaged!
This afternoon, Doug Cox from Bruner Corporation, Robert Walker, and I had the honor of receiving a rebate check for just over $34,000 from Dayton Power and Light as a result of our energy-saving projects on campus. A nice chunk of change to offset some of the costs! And the savings we’re realizing from these energy updates will continue for many years to come—a great investment in the future, I think!
I don’t know how many of you realize, but we have many visitors from all over the country to Campbell Hill (Ohio’s highest point) every month. We provide a log at the landmark for them to sign and make any comments they’d like. This past month we’ve had visitors from Massachusetts, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Washington, New York, Minnesota, California, and even the Czech Republic! Occasionally someone brings the logs to me to read, and we get some funny comments. A couple from Kansas said, “Glad we found it! Hurray for the GPS.” A visitor from California wrote, “Here for USC vs. Ohio State. Decided to visit this unassuming and obscure state high point, but it is rather nice in its own way.” And a clown who didn’t identify his origins wrote, “Wow! Aspen King! Get me down!” OK, so we’re not Mt. McKinley—but I am proud of the beauty of our campus and the fine manner in which our highest point is maintained!
I hope you all enjoy your weekend and stay healthy!
I want to share with you two examples of public acknowledgement of the fine work you’re all doing with our students. Monday I attended a lunch of local leaders and heard a presentation from our State Representative Dave Burke as he gave us an update on the current “state of the state” from his perspective. In addition to budget shortfalls at the state level, he expressed a real concern for workforce development. He motioned to me and asked the group, “Why aren’t we sending more people to Ohio Hi-Point to get the training that will get them ready for the jobs that are available?”
Wednesday morning the Logan County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors met to set our course for the coming year. As we worked through our strategic planning, we focused on the areas of member services, communication, data-driven decisions—but the conversation kept coming back to workforce development and the importance of a well-trained workforce to attract and retain businesses. Ohio Hi-Point, and in particular our partnerships with higher education, was mentioned repeatedly as an underutilized asset that is positioned to provide the skills training needed for our community. I always sit a little bit taller when our school is recognized in groups like these—and I do it on behalf of all of you who make great opportunities happen for our students! Know that your hard work is recognized and acknowledged in our community.
Wednesday at lunchtime I was able to briefly join our OHP Student Bloggers at lunch at Bob Evans (a well-deserved reward for them!) It was fun to sit with them and hear their perspectives on technology today and how kids prefer to communicate. (I’ve included photos of the group at the right--you'll have to forgive me, I don't know how to rotate them!) If you haven’t taken time to read our student blogs on our website, you’re missing a treat! They’re doing a terrific job of journaling their experiences as OHP students.
Thursday morning I ran into the right person (Earl LeVan, Adult Education Diversified Industrial Trainer) at the right time in the front lobby. He shared with me that DIT’s from around the state were on our campus for a meeting and invited me to join them for lunch in the Inn. He didn’t have to twist my arm! I really enjoyed hearing about the training they do with adult students in a variety of areas, including manufacturing maintenance, HVAC, and power line maintenance. I don’t remember the exact figures, but Duke Energy reports that about 75 percent of their line maintenance employees will be retiring within the next few years—which points to huge training needs in this area! We also heard an interesting story from one of the visitors about how he, as a young bachelors-trained engineer, was given a complex project to work on early in his career that became a 30-day valuable learning experience. It made me think of the problem-based learning we challenge our students with regularly. I think it’s the best way to learn, because students use critical thinking and apply knowledge to real-world problems as opposed to textbook simulations. And it’s more fun!
Thursday afternoon as I was walking into the Main Building for a meeting, two students were on the benches out front after school working intently on their laptops. I told them “Good for you—working on homework while you wait for your ride! That is what you’re doing isn’t it?” One of them looked up sheepishly and said, “Uh . . . yeah.” (Not very convincingly.) The other one said without missing a beat, “I’m not!” I told him at least he’s honest. Those kids sure are tuned into the technology; and even though it would be foolish to think they’re always engaged in their studies, at least they’re engaged!
This afternoon, Doug Cox from Bruner Corporation, Robert Walker, and I had the honor of receiving a rebate check for just over $34,000 from Dayton Power and Light as a result of our energy-saving projects on campus. A nice chunk of change to offset some of the costs! And the savings we’re realizing from these energy updates will continue for many years to come—a great investment in the future, I think!
I don’t know how many of you realize, but we have many visitors from all over the country to Campbell Hill (Ohio’s highest point) every month. We provide a log at the landmark for them to sign and make any comments they’d like. This past month we’ve had visitors from Massachusetts, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Washington, New York, Minnesota, California, and even the Czech Republic! Occasionally someone brings the logs to me to read, and we get some funny comments. A couple from Kansas said, “Glad we found it! Hurray for the GPS.” A visitor from California wrote, “Here for USC vs. Ohio State. Decided to visit this unassuming and obscure state high point, but it is rather nice in its own way.” And a clown who didn’t identify his origins wrote, “Wow! Aspen King! Get me down!” OK, so we’re not Mt. McKinley—but I am proud of the beauty of our campus and the fine manner in which our highest point is maintained!
I hope you all enjoy your weekend and stay healthy!
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