Welcome

Let me start by saying welcome to a new school year here at Vantage Career Center. We just finished our orientations for all new students. We held the Trade & Industry program orientation on Monday night and the Business & Service orientation on Tuesday night. We have also had the seniors coming in and picking up their schedules. Wow! What a busy last couple of days but it has been nice to see the seniors again and have the chance to chat with them and see how their summer has been going. It always amazes me how hard so many of them worked over the summer. Some of the students told me they held down two jobs over the summer. I hope many of you were able to take some time off and relax and get ready for your final year of high school.

The last couple of nights I had the chance to welcome our new students to Vantage. That is always an interesting time as they are getting measured for uniforms, meeting their instructors and trying to find their classrooms. So many commented that the building is so big that they will never find their way around. That's funny because we hear that every year and within a week or two, the juniors feel like this is home already. I promise you that you will feel the same way. Don't worry about stumbling around the school for a week or so or being late for your classes, we understand and the staff will be in the hallways to help you find your way.

I hope every student will take the opportunity that you have when you come to Vantage. I have always said that when you choose Vantage, "the slate is clean". By that I mean, whatever you have done in the past at your home school, is in the past. You come here with all new teachers and staff. We don't care if you missed a lot of days before you came here, if you found yourself in trouble or if you struggled earning good grades. What we care about is your attitude when you come to Vantage. We are hoping you will see the awesome opportunities you have by coming here and start a brand new path. Come to school willing and ready to learn, be here everyday and work hard to stand out in your class. Remember, if you miss a day of school here, you are missing 2.5 hours of lab time; that is like missing 3.5 days of your academic class. You can't afford to miss a lot of time in a career school. We are preparing you for college and a career, so we treat you that way. We always get the comments from past students that they really felt they were treated as adults here and they liked that.

For both the Seniors and Juniors, I wish you the best while you are here. There are a lot of employment opportunities available to our graduates. I hope you will stop in and see me during the school year. I look forward to seeing you and helping you with your academics, college or career choices and any social or personal problems you may have. My door is always open. If you see me wandering around your lab, feel free to stop me and talk about your summer break, etc...

Well I realize that you still have another 12 days or so before you return to school. Take time to enjoy those days and re-charge yourselves for the upcoming school year. I look forward to blogging throughout the year and hope that you will continue reading. I will try to keep you updated on important dates and issues around the school and I am sure I will also mention my summer break, my new granddaughter (5 months old) and other things that grab my interest. Have a great year!!!