16 And Counting

Can you believe it? That's right, the seniors have 16 days of school left this year. It has been officially announced that May 23rd will be our seniors awards assembly at 9:30 am at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center here in Van Wert. I think that is going to be so exciting for our students and their families. I want to thank Mr. Winans for spearheading this and always trying to make our awards ceremony a very special and classy celebration. I also would like to thank Van Wert high school for working with Mr. Winans to make this happen. With all the extra room we will have this year, I would hope you would invite your parents/guardians, grandparents or anyone else that has helped you along this journey that started almost 13 years ago.

Sixteen days! Wow, that means you have just 16 days to soak up and enjoy your high school career. Yesterday interim grades were made official. If you have any classes that you are not passing at this point, you better figure out what needs to be done in the next four weeks so that you can graduate with your class. Please don't give up and please come see me if you are not sure or if you need some help. I guess it's time for the sports analogies now; ladies and gentleman, many football games have been lost in the final minute, you must play the entire 60 minutes. Don't ease up even for a minute. Or if you are into baseball; ladies and gentleman, some of the greatest comebacks in baseball have been in the final inning. Don't quit playing hard now, finish strong. Well, you get the idea, I hope you will finish your senior year strong. 16 days is all you have left to complete. I know all of you can work hard for just 16 days.

I have reviewed the senior surveys and I am so pleased that there are so many of you who have plans for next year. Some of you will be going off to college, work or to the military. I hope that whatever you do, that you work very hard next year and in the future. For those of you who indicated that you do not have any plans, Mr. Knott has gone above and beyond what we have done in the past for you select few. I believe there are 22 students at this time who do not have plans for next year. Mr. Knott has invited Interim Personnel Temp Agency into our school to meet with those students and try to get a job for everyone of you. Listen to the announcements for this future date.

Well sixteen days is going to go fast. Make the final push to have a strong finish and you will never regret it. Take care and have a great weekend!

P.S. I noticed that this was my 100th blog today. I really enjoy writing this and have enjoyed so many of the kind comments from so many. I appreciate everyone of you who take the time to read this. It humbles me when I see the number of readers. Thanks again, your the best!

My Wish for the Class of 2016

This is a post that I first ran last year but would like to repeat it for the class of 2016. I hope all of you will take the time to read it and please take it to heart. We will miss you!

My Wish

As the school year is winding down, I don't want to miss the opportunity to say goodbye to the graduating class of 2016. Whenever I have been invited to a graduation party, I have tried to make a point of including in the card, the lyrics to one of my favorite songs, "MY WISH" by Rascal Flatts. The song was written and released in 2006 and I have always thought it had the perfect words to say to the students leaving Vantage. It also has been my ringtone for a long time. I guess now that I have a blog, I will use this opportunity to pass it on to all of our seniors who will soon be leaving us.

   I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow, and each road leads you where you wanna go, and if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose, I hope you choose the one that means the most to you. And if one door opens to another door closed, I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window, if it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile. But more than anything, more than anything... My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to, Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small, You never need to carry more than you can haul, and while you're out there getting where you're getting to, I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too, Yeah, this is my wish.

As the words say, I really do hope you enjoy life, take it one day at a time and don't get upset by some of the little things you will face. I hope you never give up when you run into trouble. Please don't give up on your dreams, use them as motivation. I also want you to know that wherever you end up or whatever you end up doing, I do care for you and I do want the same thing for you. My door is always open after you leave. Feel free to call or email me anytime. I welcome it.

   I hope you never look back, but you never forget, All the ones who love you, in the place you live, I hope you always forgive, and you never regret, And you help somebody every chance you get. Oh you find God's grace in every mistake, and always give more than you take.

Some pretty simple rules that will help you as you head out into the "real world". Don't hold on to grudges or hold on to your anger just because someone may have made you upset. You will find that when you forgive, you will be released and set free from an invisible prison. You will be a better person because of it. Please continue to give back to the community in which you live. You will not believe how good it feels when you reach out and help someone. Many of you have volunteered while you were in school, keep it up every chance you get.
I know that some of you reading this may have been in my office because you were upset about a mistake you made or something you regretted doing. Remember that I have always told you that you learn from your mistakes. We all make them but it is the mature person who learns from it and grows as a person. Hold on to this bit of advice and don't forget it. I guarantee you will need it again some time in the future. We all make mistakes. Finally as the lyrics above started out with, I hope you never forget. Come back and visit us or send us a quick e-mail to let us know how you are doing. Mrs Wilhelm is always looking for an alumni story to write.

So there it is, my wish for all of you seniors who are leaving us in a few short weeks. I thank you for trusting me with your friendship, your troubles and your last two years of high school. Good luck in all you do. 

There is a Season

I always find this time of year to be very interesting around the school. It seems to be a time of excitement and a time of sadness, a time of laughter and a time of crying, a time to dance and a time to mourn. For some of you that are older, you may recognize these words from an old song by the Byrds, "Turn, Turn, Turn", or if you read the Bible, you may recognize Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. No matter how you recognize those words, they certainly ring true around here as summer approaches.

I think there are a lot of reasons for those feelings and I would like to share them with you and maybe all of us can learn a little more about our classmates and friends. For so many of the seniors, all the excitement of graduation, no more high school classes and freedom from teachers also brings the thoughts of getting a job or applying to college, new responsibilities and loss of some good friends. If you think about it, the seniors have been getting up and going to school for thirteen years now. It is a routine that they have done since they were five or six years old. They know no other way and are comfortable with that. Oh sure, they like to complain about school and getting up in the morning but the truth is, they are "in their zone" and feel at ease here. Now, within a few short weeks, we will send them out into the real world and their life will no longer be the same. This is a very scary thought for so many seniors.

I realize many of you are thinking, "I can't wait to get out of here and start working". I understand that, but I also want you to realize many of your classmates don't feel that way. For many of them, school has been a safe place. They can come to school and be around friends and people who care. They are guaranteed a warm lunch and a friendly smile. This might be something they never get at home. Think about this next time one of your classmates states that they are nervous or scared about graduating. Also try to understand when one of your friends seems a little more agitated or frustrated than normal. They could be going through these same thoughts. Several of the students don't have a job or aren't sure what they want to do, so this causes panic.  Talk with them and have them come see me in student services so we can work together to come up with some solutions. I also know that a few of our students will be missing a parent, grandparent or loved one at graduation. Someone they loved very dearly but they passed away in the last few years and won't be there to see them graduate. These are just a few examples of the range of emotions for our seniors.

Like I said earlier, the senior year is a strange year and emotions ebb and flow. As we near the end of school, be a little more understanding if someone is grumpy, agitated, emotional or quiet. Try to understand that not everyone may have it as good as you do, or maybe you are in the same position as that person and you might be able to help each other out. Whatever the circumstances, just realize people and classmates are more than what you see on the outside. Sometimes there are a lot of layers covering things up. Remember, life and people are like onions, you peel them off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep.

New Student Ambassadors

I would like to congratulate and welcome our new student ambassadors for the 2016-2017 school year. This is quite an honor and privilege to be selected for this position. These students will be the face of Vantage and will be out in the public arena quite a bit. First of all these students were recommended by either their lab instructor or academic teachers. Once they are selected, they then must go through an extensive interview with one of the three advisors. The advisors then get together and discuss each student and how the interview went along with other criteria like grades, citizenship, leadership ability, etc.

These ambassadors will represent Vantage throughout the school year in 2016-17. They will attend various parades in all the towns represented here at Vantage. They will also work the United Way Day of Caring and the Blood drive. There are a number of events around our school that they will be working at such as; Student Appreciation Day, Open House, Haiti Carnival and just about anything Mrs. Wilhem needs them for. It is a very active group but they do have a lot of fun. If you happen to see any of these members, please congratulate them on this great honor.

Brittany Batten (Paulding - Health Tech), Lexie Bennett (Antwerp - Medical Office), Noah Breece (Van Wert - Precision Mach), Alex Burgei (Ottoville - Ind. Mech.), Joe Callow (Crestview - Ind Mech.), Cooper Clouse (Parkway - Precision Mach), Josiah Dealey (Crestview - Ind Mech), Josh Fowler (Van Wert - Carpentry), Kaleb Hanicq (Ottoville - Network Systems), Halie Hileman (Parkway - Cos), Bryce Hoehn (Ottoville - Network Sys), Ryan Hoersten (Ft. Jennings - Prec. Mach), Julie Holbrooks (Wayne Trace - Health Tech), Andrea Kremer (Paulding - Interactive Media), Aubrey Kremer (Paulding - Interactive Media), Kyle Maag (Ft. Jennings - Ind Mech), Wyatt Miller (Paulding - AG Ind. Power), Alexa Plescher (Delphos Jefferson - Health Tech), Zoey Porter (Delphos Jefferson - Early Childhood), Levi Priest (Wayne Trace - Ind Mech), Kelsey Shaffer (Van Wert - Early Childhood), Angela Simpson (Van Wert - Auto Body), Daniel Sinn (Wayne Trace - AG), David Slagle (Parkway - Ind Mech), Allison Smith (Paulding - Building & Grounds), Jessica Smith (Van Wert - Medical Office), Nathan Soto (Continental - Carpentry), Bailey Stegaman (Crestview - Welding), Trisha Kay Summers (Crestview - Network Systems), Michael Taylor (Antwerp - Electricity), Angela Tenwalde (Kalida - Early Childhood), Jayden Thomas (Van Wert - Auto Tech), Wyatt Tuttle (Parkway - Int. Media), Thomas Waldick (Ottoville - Network Systems), Raymond Wood (Parkway - Welding).

In closing, I would like to thank Mrs. Wilhelm, Mrs. Keith and Mr. Unverferth for all the time and effort they put into selecting these fine students. Like I said earlier, there are countless interviews and a lot of follow-up that they must do to make sure they have a good representation. This is not an easy job, but as the advisors, they excel at it. Thanks again!

What Are You Doing Prom Night?

What are your plans for prom night? I hear all the talk lately about the upcoming proms and who is going with who and what they will be wearing, etc. I know this is an exciting time of year for the seniors. There is so much going on as the seniors near the end of their high school career and prom night can be one of the more exciting nights. It is a chance for some of the guys to trade in their jeans and cowboy boots for one night and put on a tuxedo. For the girls, it's a chance for them to get out of the school uniforms and have their hair done, nails done and dress up in a beautiful evening gown. I know that the cost of a prom today is a lot more than it was when I was attending high school. However, I get it and totally understand the importance of prom night for so many of you. But, I would still like to ask you the question, "What are you doing prom night?".

I hope that if the school where you are attending prom has a pre- and post-prom party, that you would attend. I encourage you to go to these events because they are alcohol free parties and will provide a safe and fun evening for both you and your date. It seems that prom night, in recent years, is seen as a drinking rite of passage for some adolescents. I'm not here to lecture any of you but I want you to know that I truly care about you and your safety. There are so many consequences of drinking - diminished judgement, becoming more uninhibited, nausea, vomiting, hangovers, irritability and sleep disturbances. Drinking too much too rapidly can cause alcohol toxicity that leads to loss of consciousness and even death. I know you have heard all this and I will bet there are some of you even rolling your eyes or laughing. Well it will not be funny if you get sick, run into problems with the law or even end up in the hospital. Please think about the trouble you could get into and don't even be tempted.

One of the hardest things is facing peer pressure. I know some of your friends may keep asking you to take a shot or party with them before or after prom. The best way to handle peer pressure is to simply say " I don't like the way alcohol affects me." Or simply tell them that you just don't want to deal with that tonight. No matter how you say it or what you say, just don't cave into the pressure. You will be glad you didn't drink. Trust me. It is also important that you keep your pop or soft drink with you. Never leave it out of your sight or set it down. Too many times adolescents have had their drinks spiked without them ever knowing it.

Finally, please don't ever get into a car with someone who has been drinking. I don't care if it is the date that you went to the prom with or with someone else, never get into a car with someone who has been drinking. I hope you have a great prom night, I truly do. I hope you make some great memories and share a lot of laughs, dances and fun. Just remember that you will have a lot more fun sober than you ever will drinking. I want you to know that I care about you and want to see all of you safe this year. Thanks!