Well Christmas is just a few days away and I know many of you are looking forward to the time off of school and spending time with friends and family. I hope that all of you will find the time to relax and soak in the spirit of this beautiful holiday. I realize it is also a sad time for many as we think about loved ones who are no longer with us. My wish is that you would be able to think about all the wonderful memories you shared with that special person and also remember how lucky you were to have known them. One thing that Christmas reminds us of is the fact that life goes by pretty fast. Many of us remember when our children were young and so excited to see the toys on Christmas morning and then in a blink, they are raising children of their own. I don't think that is a bad thing, it is just the way life goes. I plan on spending time with my granddaughter who is almost three years old now. I want to watch the excitement in her eyes as she bakes cookies, watches the Christmas lights and opens her presents on Christmas Eve. I am certain I will be thinking about my parents who provided so many great Christmas memories for our family but are no longer around to see their great-grandchildren grow. I will chat long distance to my brothers and sister and share memories all over again. Most of all however, I will remember the real reason for the season and count my blessings. I hope you will do that also. Have a very Merry Christmas and see you back here on the 3rd of January.
Wednesday, December 20, 2017
A Very Merry Christmas
Well Christmas is just a few days away and I know many of you are looking forward to the time off of school and spending time with friends and family. I hope that all of you will find the time to relax and soak in the spirit of this beautiful holiday. I realize it is also a sad time for many as we think about loved ones who are no longer with us. My wish is that you would be able to think about all the wonderful memories you shared with that special person and also remember how lucky you were to have known them. One thing that Christmas reminds us of is the fact that life goes by pretty fast. Many of us remember when our children were young and so excited to see the toys on Christmas morning and then in a blink, they are raising children of their own. I don't think that is a bad thing, it is just the way life goes. I plan on spending time with my granddaughter who is almost three years old now. I want to watch the excitement in her eyes as she bakes cookies, watches the Christmas lights and opens her presents on Christmas Eve. I am certain I will be thinking about my parents who provided so many great Christmas memories for our family but are no longer around to see their great-grandchildren grow. I will chat long distance to my brothers and sister and share memories all over again. Most of all however, I will remember the real reason for the season and count my blessings. I hope you will do that also. Have a very Merry Christmas and see you back here on the 3rd of January.
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Joy of Giving
Today at school we had a beautiful example of what it really means when we say there is joy in giving. Over the last few weeks, Mrs. Grothouse has led the charge like she does every year and ran our Toss a Toy program. Through various fund raising activities, Mrs G has motivated and inspired the staff and students here at Vantage to give to this wonderful cause. The very first fundraiser was the mani/pedi day we held at our school. Students can sign up to receive a manicure and/or a pedicure for a couple dollars and then they get out of a class for that day. This project raised $896.87 for purchasing toys. We also held a "change stall" day. This is where the students bring in any loose change they have and dump it on their teachers desk, causing the class to be "stalled" until all the change is counted. This project raised $1138.32 for purchasing toys. Each class also has a fund they can spend on various activities. They raise money throughout the year to have money in this fund. All the labs in total, donated $3166.82. Finally, the cosmetology program held a jeans day ($1. to wear jeans that day) and they sold hair extensions for $2 each. This project raised over $600.00. There was also a generous donation from a previous student that Mrs G had in class years ago. The grand total that our school raised was $6,632.67. Yesterday Mrs G and some of her "elves" went shopping to buy all the toys they could with that money. Well today, the stage in the commons area was filled to the brim with toys for the children in our area. What a beautiful site to see.
I would just like to say thank you to Mrs G for spearheading this program every year. However, she will be the first to tell you that this is not her or her class. This is the entire student body and staff here at Vantage. Every year they step up to the plate and hit a homerun. It always amazes her how generous and kind and caring the students are. Mrs G. was a little choked up as she spoke about the children that will receive these gifts. She stated that we will not see their faces when they get the gifts but all of us can know in our hearts that we made someones Christmas very special. And that is truly the joy of giving. Thank you all!
I would just like to say thank you to Mrs G for spearheading this program every year. However, she will be the first to tell you that this is not her or her class. This is the entire student body and staff here at Vantage. Every year they step up to the plate and hit a homerun. It always amazes her how generous and kind and caring the students are. Mrs G. was a little choked up as she spoke about the children that will receive these gifts. She stated that we will not see their faces when they get the gifts but all of us can know in our hearts that we made someones Christmas very special. And that is truly the joy of giving. Thank you all!
Thursday, December 7, 2017
Fine Young Men
I am writing this blog today to let you know how proud I am of two young men who attend Vantage. Both of these fine young men have worked hard over the last year to earn the highest rank in the National Boy Scout organization, an Eagle Scout. I am talking about Alex Myers and Dylan Schimmoeller, both from Kalida High School and attending Vantage Career Center. Alex is in our Senior Auto Tech program and Dylan is in our Senior Carpentry program. According to the National Eagle Scout Association, only about 5% of all Boy Scouts earn the rank of Eagle Scout. To become an Eagle Scout, you must earn a total of at least 21 merit badges, including the following: First Aid, Citizenship in the Community, Citizenship in the Nation, Citizenship in the World, Communication, Personal Fitness, Emergency Preparedness, Environmental Science, Personal Management, Swimming (Hiking or Cycling), Camping, Cooking and Family Life. They are also required to complete a service project.
Alex Meyers did his service project at the new Kalida park by the Pony League diamond. Alex built a batting cage that will be able to be used by all the youth in the area. Alex stated that he has about 500 hours into the project and had to raise between $6000 - $7000. Alex had a lot of the equipment donated and also had to send out letters and visit various businesses trying to raise the money. He mentioned to me that he received $1500 from the Cincinnati Reds organization. The entire idea for this project and all the planning was Alex's idea. I hope if you are in the area, you would stop by and see what a great job Alex did and all the hard work that was put into this awesome project. Congratulations Alex!
Dylan Schimmoeller also did his service project at the Kalida park. His project is a beautiful sitting area that is shaped like a gazebo but has four swinging benches surrounding the edges. Please look carefully at the picture as words cannot describe this beautiful project. Dylan has spent almost five months on the project and raised $10,000. Dylan also did this through sending letters to companies, donations and any other means he could to help pay for this. This sitting area also was Dylan's own idea and he planned the entire project. You can tell his work in the Carpentry lab really paid off when you see this project in person. Congratulations Dylan!
Like I said, I am so very proud of both of these fine young men. If you had a chance to speak with them on a regular basis like I do, you would see that these projects aren't surprising. These are two of the kindest, most polite and outstanding young men that you will ever meet. It is my pleasure that I have gotten to know them both over the last two years. I hope if you see them around the school, you will ask them about their projects and congratulate them on achieving the rank of Eagle Scout. Once again Alex and Dylan, congratulations on your new Eagle Scout ranking.
Alex Meyers did his service project at the new Kalida park by the Pony League diamond. Alex built a batting cage that will be able to be used by all the youth in the area. Alex stated that he has about 500 hours into the project and had to raise between $6000 - $7000. Alex had a lot of the equipment donated and also had to send out letters and visit various businesses trying to raise the money. He mentioned to me that he received $1500 from the Cincinnati Reds organization. The entire idea for this project and all the planning was Alex's idea. I hope if you are in the area, you would stop by and see what a great job Alex did and all the hard work that was put into this awesome project. Congratulations Alex!
Dylan Schimmoeller also did his service project at the Kalida park. His project is a beautiful sitting area that is shaped like a gazebo but has four swinging benches surrounding the edges. Please look carefully at the picture as words cannot describe this beautiful project. Dylan has spent almost five months on the project and raised $10,000. Dylan also did this through sending letters to companies, donations and any other means he could to help pay for this. This sitting area also was Dylan's own idea and he planned the entire project. You can tell his work in the Carpentry lab really paid off when you see this project in person. Congratulations Dylan!
Like I said, I am so very proud of both of these fine young men. If you had a chance to speak with them on a regular basis like I do, you would see that these projects aren't surprising. These are two of the kindest, most polite and outstanding young men that you will ever meet. It is my pleasure that I have gotten to know them both over the last two years. I hope if you see them around the school, you will ask them about their projects and congratulate them on achieving the rank of Eagle Scout. Once again Alex and Dylan, congratulations on your new Eagle Scout ranking.