It is with a sad heart that all of us at Vantage Career Center have to say good-bye to Mrs. Mary Jo Wilhelm as she will be leaving us at the end of the school year to begin a well deserved retirement. I have worked at a lot of places throughout my career and I have met a lot of people. I have also been through a lot of retirements and people leaving for other jobs. One of the first statements that usually comes up is "they are going to be really hard to replace". I have learned over the years that most people can be replaced and the business does quite well even without them. When I left the engineering firm that I was at, I was serving as Vice-President/General Manager. I humbly admit that at the time I thought "I sure hope they will be okay without me". Well they made it quite fine and ended up going global. So much for getting a big head. However, when I say this about Mary Jo, I truly mean it and believe in my heart that she will be tough to replace. I realize someone will come along and they will do an awesome job and we will welcome them. Mary Jo however is a different type employee. Mary Jo truly gives 100% of herself to her job and has always loved what she was doing.Just a sample of some of the things that Mary Jo has done for Vantage over the years. Mary Jo is the first contact for any outside people that visit Vantage. She is the person who sends out all the messages on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. She alerts all of us about school delays, cancellations, special meetings and any other important issues. Our levies have passed because the people believe in our school and have seen results, a lot of this is because of the hard work and effort Mary Jo has put into it. She keeps a large part of our web page updated. Mary Jo has to contact all the newspapers and inform them of activities and special events that are going on here at Vantage. She runs the open house every year, student orientations, ice cream socials, student ambassadors, a big part of the graduation ceremony and is involved in the FFA banquet and NTHS banquet. This is just a small part of her duties and she will be the first to tell you that she gets a lot of help (thanks Annette). It's not just that she does so much around here but the fact that she does it with such a big heart. Whenever she puts a picture of an event in the newspaper, she makes sure that whatever town the newspaper is in, that there are students from that home school in the picture. A little detail but it is important to Mary Jo. When we have dignitaries from Columbus visit the school she makes sure Vantage is looking in top notch shape and we are all at our best. It's important to her that her "family and home" look great to all who visit. I think the way Mary Jo looked at Vantage is about the same way my mom, and yours, looked at their family. Our parents were proud to pull out the wallet or purse and show pictures of how the children have grown and brag about them a little bit. Well Mary Jo liked to show how much Vantage has grown and brag on our school also.
I envy Mary Jo a little bit now. She is going into retirement at a time in her life when she knows it is the right thing to do. She will spend time with her beautiful grandchildren, children and even put up with John a little more. I will miss the many conversations that we have had over the years. The many "counseling sessions" when we both needed to let off some steam or discuss family issues.
Yes they will find someone to sit in your chair and perform your duties but you will never be replaced. You are truly one of a kind Mary Jo and I will miss you. Thanks for all you have done and for making Vantage a better place to work. Keep in touch and God Bless.
