Sit With Us

"One is the loneliest number..." that is an old song by the Three Dog Night released back in 1969. Now I realize that many of you reading this don't know that song but many remember it quite well. I thought those lyrics fit well with the blog today because today's blog is about reaching out to those in our school who may feel like the number one... alone.

I think one of the things that bothers me and really hurts to see, is someone sitting alone at lunch. We are now in week 6 of the school year and I still see a couple students sitting alone in the cafeteria. I don't know if any of you have ever had to sit alone, but it is a very uncomfortable feeling. Just think about the times you have sat down at lunch and your friends are still in the lunch line. You may sit there for three or four minutes alone, but it feels like a life time. Sitting alone is very awkward because you feel that all eyes are upon you. The student who sits alone may wonder "what is wrong with me that no one wants to sit with me?" The student who is alone usually doesn't want to go up to a table and ask to sit down because they fear rejection. It has probably happened to them before and they don't want that lousy feeling again.

I have sat down with some of these students and they are great kids. They have a lot to offer but may be just a little shy. What I am hoping is that some of our student ambassadors or our National Technical Honor students, if you read this, would either ask them to sit with your table or maybe you will be the one that goes over to their table and sits with them. I hope that you would try to imagine being in their shoes for even a day and realize how sad and lonely that situation can be. As leaders of the school, I hope you will make the effort. Reach out and be a friend. You have no idea how much this could impact someones life.

Ms. Wurth showed me a new app for Iphone (not available on Android yet) that was developed by an 11th grader in Sherman Oaks, California. It is titled "Sit With Us". The way that it works is it's a free lunch-planning app where kids can find lunch tables if they feel like they have nowhere to go. Kids can sign up as ambassadors for a Sit With Us club and agree to post open lunches so that anyone who has the app and has nowhere to go can find a table and, hopefully, make some new friends. The student who created this app states that "I tried many times to reach out to someone, but I was rejected many times. And you feel like you're labeling yourself as an outcast when you ask to join a table with someone you don't know. This way, it's very private. It's through the phone. No one else has to know. And you know that you're not going to be rejected once you get to the table".

The app is just an alternative that you may want to try. I really don't care how you go about it, but please, make the effort to reach out to someone who is all by themselves. You may come away with a brand new friendship or at least know that you will have made someones day.

Appreciation

This past Friday, Vantage Career Center held its annual Student Appreciation Day. This is a day we set aside to let all our students know how much we appreciate them. The weather was fantastic, the students were so well behaved and a good time was had by all. I hope the student's realize how much all of the staff really do appreciate them choosing to attend Vantage for their last two years.

Appreciation is really something that I have come to take for granted but was recently reminded of a few weeks ago. To appreciate something is the ability to understand the worth, quality or importance of something, according to Merriam-Webster. I wouldn't want what happened to me a few weeks ago to happen to any of you but I do think there is a good lesson in all of it. I hope the lesson I learned can also be used to get all of you thinking about it too. What happened a few weeks ago was a near miss accident while driving my vehicle. It could have been fatal for the other driver and maybe even for my wife. That incident really shook me up and since that time I have spent a lot of time thinking about it. My life would have changed from that moment on. I don't even want to think about the worst scenario that could have come out of it. However, what it did make me realize is there are a lot of things that we should be thankful for and really appreciate. Sometimes it seems so easy to be negative or complain about situations in our life. You only have to watch the news one evening and you can see all the negativity.

Since that incident, I have become a lot more appreciative about the things in my life. Of course there are the obvious things like appreciating that my wife is still with me and I have my family. What I am talking about, and this could be for all of us, is that I am appreciating the small things in life, the things we may take for granted. I would like you to try a little experiment if you will. See if you can imagine if you were locked up in prison for 10 to 15 years. Think about how that life would be and how most of your freedoms and the things you enjoy would be gone. I thought like this right after that incident and it changed my outlook on life. I now appreciate the drive into work in the morning and watching the sun come up over the horizon. I appreciate my morning cereal and my cup of coffee. I appreciate every friendly smile or big hello. I drive home about 45 miles an hour through the back roads just to enjoy all the sights, sounds and smells (yes, I'm sure I frustrate a few drivers but there really are only a couple a day who pass me). I appreciate my house and all the work that comes with it. I have enjoyed my time even more in the wood shop and even stopped to watch the sun go down. I have shut off the t.v and taped my favorite football games so I could walk or bike ride outside. I even try to leave the phone by the back door the entire time I am home, yes we can enjoy life without social media.

I think you get the point. I hope you will take some time today and try that little exercise. I think you will be surprised at how all the little annoyances that you have in your life, really aren't that annoying. I think you will find the pleasure in peace and quiet. I think you will enjoy a nice fall walk with your boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse or best friend. I believe you will realize that life is short and can end any minute and that appreciating the things we have, whether many or few, are some of the best things life has to offer. I truly do, and I also appreciate you. Thanks for reading.

National Technical Honor Society 2016-17

On Tuesday evening, September 27th, Vantage Career Center will be holding our annual National Technical Honor Society banquet and induction ceremony. The National Technical Honor Society (NTHS) is a way to honor student achievement and leadership in career and technical education, promote educational excellence, award scholarships and enhance career opportunities for the NTHS membership.

To become an NTHS member, a student must first be carrying a 3.5 GPA or above, have 95% attendance for their Junior and Senior years, no discipline problems in both years and have passed all of their Ohio Graduation Tests. If the student meets the above mentioned criteria, then they must write an essay stating why they feel they belong in the NTHS, have four teacher recommendations, submit a resume and complete their application. Once all this is turned in, a committee of teachers and staff meet to discuss each candidate and determine which students best represent the NTHS.

As a member of the National Technical Honor Society, each member has met the seven character attributes, and at the induction ceremony, vow to continue these attributes. They are: Skill, Honesty, Service, Responsibility, Leadership, Citizenship and Scholarship.

I am so proud of these students because they have made so many great choices in their lives. They not only have been successful here at Vantage and their home school, but I know they will be successful in their future college or work careers. If you happen to see these students in the hallway or in your classes, please congratulate them on a great high school career and a great honor in being selected for the National Technical Honor Society. This is a very small percentage of our student body (roughly 5%), but they truly are the best of the best.

CONGRATULATIONS:

Shown in picture front row left to right.

Cooper Clouse (Parkway), Michael Taylor (Antwerp), Joe Callow (Crestview), Daniel Sinn (Wayne Trace), Josiah Dealey (Crestview), Ryan Hoersten (Ft. Jennings), Andrew Foust (Delphos Jefferson), Nathan Klima (Wayne Trace), Kaleb Hanicq (Ottoville), Thomas Waldick (Ottoville), Bryce Hoehn (Ottoville), 2nd row L-R: Alexie Bennett (Antwerp), Trishakay Summers(Crestview), Angela Tenwalde (Kalida), Brittany Batten (Paulding), Julie Holbrooks (Wayne Trace), Aubrey Kremer (Paulding), Andrea Kremer (Paulding), Madison Shepherd (Lincolnview), Halie Hileman (Parkway), Alexa Plescher (Delphos Jefferson), Kenedy Painter (Parkway) (missing Kelsey Shaffer - Crestview)

Need Help? Call 2-1-1

I know that if I asked almost any student "what does the 4-1-1 mean?", they would be able to answer by saying, "oh that is slang for information, like give me the 4-1-1 on what's going down next week". I also know that I could ask almost everyone "what number do I call in an emergency?" and they would answer 9-1-1. Well I have a new number for you that I also hope you remember. It is 2-1-1.

2-1-1- is a free, confidential and non-emergency number that is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is a fantastic resource that was started in our area by the United Way. The idea behind the 2-1-1 is to get you connected and to help you get answers with many of the problems our students and adults in this area face. Whether you need to find after school care, counseling, help caring for an aging parent, putting food on the table or simply making ends meet. United Way's 2-1-1 provides confidential, easy-to-use and free access to the information you need. If you know me, you know that I have a folder of resources in my office. I try to keep them updated and organized, but that is not always easy to do. With this tool, you will have immediate access to my "folder" with all that information and so much more. Not only is the service free but it is CONFIDENTIAL. Please, if you need assistance with anything and you are afraid to ask, call 2-1-1. Just a few of the many things they can help you with are:

Basic Needs Assistance
Financial Assistance
Children and Elderly Services
Physical and Mental Healthcare
Volunteer Opportunities

As winter sets in, if you are in need of clothing, food or shelter, please call 2-1-1. If there is anyone you know who needs help during this cold weather, either call for them or tell them about 2-1-1. There is no way anyone should go hungry or without warm clothes. There are just to many agencies willing to help out in our area. They also can help you if you are looking to volunteer somewhere. This would be great for our Student Ambassadors, National Technical Honor Society or any student that is looking to help out in the community. Speaking of volunteering, I would hope all of you would volunteer to help somewhere or someone at one point in your life. There is no greater reward. This is all a part of making you the best person you can be, and you know that is what I want for you in life.

If I can quote author and teacher Ron Clark about being the best person you can be, he said "Throughout life, you are going to be lonely at times, you are going to have your heart broken on occasion, and you are going to feel as if something is missing from your life. No life is lived without some amount of pain and heartache. No matter how bad things get, however, make sure you are always developing into the kind of person you want to be, and the kind of person others will want to be around. It is important not to let external factors keep you from developing who you are and the person you are trying to become. Always make sure there are seven things in your life at all times: laughter, family, adventure, good food, challenge, change, and the quest for knowledge. With all of those things, you will grow, enjoy life, and become the type of person you can be proud of. You will also be in a better position to help others, give advice, and learn from your mistakes, because you will be a stronger, healthier, and happier person."  Take care and thanks for reading!

We Are Family

I know many of you reading this today probably don't remember the song "We are family" by Sister Sledge. The song was released back in 1979 but it seems to still be played on commercials as their jingle and in various other places, so maybe you are a little familiar with it. One part of the song goes "Living life is fun and we've just begun, to get our share of the world's delights. High hopes we have for the future, and our goal's in sight...We are family".

The reason I write about this song is because we have just reached the two week mark here at Vantage and that means all class changes are complete and all students are here for the rest of the school year. I applaud all of you who decided to stay here and not return to your home school. I have seen the high hopes and goals you have set for yourself. I know you will find it very rewarding and you will not regret it. What I really hope is that you will soon realize that everyone here at Vantage is like family. From the staff, to the teachers to the students.

Now I realize that the one of the actual definitions for family according to dictionary.com is "any group of persons closely related by blood, as parents, children, uncles, aunts and cousins". So I guess we would be more of an extended family. But really the idea of family and what the song is referring to is the idea that family is a close knit group. They care about each other, they have each others best interest in mind, they want to involve them in their activities and they are proud when each other succeeds. This is what I hope the students will realize as they go through this school year. All of us together care about you, we want to see you succeed, we are proud of you and we want to spend time with you and get to know you better.

I realize there are times when family members don't always see eye to eye or always get along. This is a normal part of the family dynamic. But they care about each other to work through the problems and discuss them and become a stronger family because of that. There is nothing as important to someone as family. You may think your money, job, friend or whatever is what makes you happy but when it really comes down to finding true happiness, that is when family (or extended family) steps in.

This Friday we will be celebrating all the students who have made the commitment to stay at Vantage for this school year. We call it Student Appreciation Day. The last hour and a half will be dedicated to food, fun, games, dancing and other activities. I hope all of you enjoy this time and reach out to other students you may not know yet and talk with them. You could meet a friend for life. Let's think of this is a big family reunion party. See you there!