Beautiful Conversation

Every once in awhile you get that opportunity in life where you realize you're in a special moment exactly at the same time you are living that moment. I was blessed to have that opportunity this past week. I had the pleasure of meeting and sitting down with Mrs. Van Oss (Industrial Mechanic Instructor, Kevin Van Oss' mother). As I have mentioned in a previous blog, Mrs Van Oss is a dedicated reader of my blog and in her own words states, "I never miss a single one". I have heard so many nice things about Kevin's mother that I was really looking forward to meeting her some day.

Well like I said, that day came last Friday and I am the better person for having that sit down conversation. As I sat in this very comfortable kitchen setting with Ted Verhoff, Kevin Van Oss and his mother, I couldn't have felt more at peace. Mrs. Van Oss is 94 years young and gives off such an aura of peace and kindness that it can be felt just in her smile. You would think that a woman who has lived through a World War, Korean War, Vietnam, the Great Depression, and 16 Presidents would have a lot to complain about. However, not once did she ever give the slightest hint that she was bitter or angry at life, it was just the opposite. She talked about how blessed she has been in her life. How she was happily married to a great guy and a hard working husband who always provided everything her family needed. How blessed she was for having four wonderful children who are still around and love her so much. I asked her if she thought the world was a lot better back when she was younger than it is today. She answered very quickly and said, "no, I don't think it really was. I look at all the things available today like the internet, and modern conveniences and I think we are still doing good today". What a great attitude. I did not expect that response because of all the bad news we hear about on the television, internet and newspapers everyday, but this is how Mrs Van Oss looks at life. I believe that her outlook on life is one of the main contributions to her long life. I believe we can all learn from looking at life in a more positive way rather than focusing on the negatives.

Often times I talk with students about avoiding negative people because they will bring you down. I tell them to find friends that you really enjoy being around. To hang out with friends who lift you up and encourage you rather than friends who bring you down by their actions or words. Often times in life we feel that we need "things" to make us happy, when really it comes down to what type of person are you. Do people want to be around you? Are others attracted to you because you build them up and encourage them? If you think about everything Mrs. Van Oss has gone through and then see the wonderful spirit she carries with her, you begin to look at your own life differently. As many of you are getting ready to graduate and go out into the world, I hope you will check yourself and see if you are pleasant to be around, do you look at the positive side of life, are you laughing more than complaining. I need to check myself daily and hope that someday I will be able to share peace, contentment and love all with a smile and some kind words. Thanks Mrs. Van Oss for doing that for me.

Teens & Tires

Recently I had the opportunity to preview and judge a Business Professionals of America (BPA) project that was done in our Interactive Media class. Three students from that class, Andrea Kremer, Aubrey Kremer, and Alex Foust, put together a public service message on the danger of car tire wear and accidents that are caused by worn out tires. These three students competed at the district level and then went on to compete at the state level. Unfortunately they did not finish high enough to move on to the Nationals in Florida but nonetheless, they did an awesome job.

I have included the youtube video of their project. I hope you will take the time to watch it and pay attention. There are some very good tips and some interesting statistics that are provided. After watching the video, I went out and checked my tires and noticed that they were worn out badly. I took advantage of our day off this past Tuesday and purchased four new tires for my vehicle. I thanked each one of these students for reminding all of us about the importance of checking our car tires.

Not only is the video a great message for everybody, but it is well worth watching just to see the awesome work that Mrs Jill DeWert is teaching our Interactive Media students. This video is a first class presentation. While watching the video, notice all the different camera angles, the different visuals and the great job they did with the interviews. Also, notice the last scene when the blue car is driving away. Alex hooked up a Go-Pro camera to his vehicle with duct tape and drove down the road. It came out pretty cool looking and I'm glad to say, the duct tape held. I am very proud of Alex, Andrea and Aubrey and I hope you will be too after watching "Teens & Tires". Great job and congratulations to all three.

Click here to watch the video.

Sticks and Stones

I'm sure everyone remembers the old saying "sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me". Well that isn't necessarily true when it comes to bullying and name-calling. I recently read an excellent article by Sherri Gordon on the "Very Well" website. Sherri mentions name-calling is a particularly harmful way of bullying because it labels another person and attempts to define who they are. It leaves victims with negative messages of who they are.  Sherri states that when someone is called "fat", "retard", or "nerd" enough times, this ruins their self-esteem, sense of self worth and self-concept. Basically the person begins to tell themselves that they are not good enough or they don't measure up.

The article mentions nine ways that a person can become affected by name calling. I want you to take a close look at these and truly grasp the damage that can be done to a person. Here they are:

1) Name-calling erodes a person's sense of self
     - eating away at self esteem
2) Name-calling causes kids to compromise their beliefs and values
     - if called a "goody-goody", student's may try to shake that image by doing things that go against their belief system.
3) Name-calling affects a victim's sense of well being
     - victims make excuses to miss school and avoid outside activities
4) Name-calling impacts a person's identity
     - a hurtful label can become a part of who that person is
5) Name-calling opens the door to violence
     - many hate crimes begin with name-calling
6) Name-calling encourages internal criticism
     - if a person is called a "loser", they begin to call themselves a "loser"
7) Name-calling impacts mood
     - changes in sleeping habits and moods
8) Name-calling affects mental health
     - research shows name-calling leads to depression and possibly suicide
9) Name-calling affects physical health
     - upset stomachs, headaches, stress disorders, ulcers, etc

I can't imagine that a person would wake up and say to themselves "whose day can I ruin today?". I tend to think that a person may make comments that they seem are innocent and not realize how much they may hurt someone. I hope this article will help people understand how words can definitely hurt worse than sticks and stones. If you are a student who makes fun of others, I hope you will realize the immense pain you are causing the other student. I hope that you will think before you speak. If you are a student who hears another student name-calling, please stop them and explain how they are hurting that person. Maybe you could show them this article. Finally, if you are a victim of someone else's name-calling, please know that you are not at fault. You are not those "names" they are putting on you. You are special, you are important and you are loved. The staff here at Vantage care about you and we will be there for you. Please stop down to my office so we can talk about what is going on. You have lived with that pain long enough, it is time to take back your life. I would love to walk that journey with you and allow you to see how great and wonderful you really are.