Letting Them Play

 As I began to write this post, I just heard word that the Big Ten will now be playing football this fall. I believe the season will start on October 24th. I'm not sure how the season will look yet or how many teams will be involved, but they will be playing football. That brings me back to the title of this post, "Letting Them Play". If you saw my post last week, I showed a picture of our fall sport athletes. It was great to see so many of our students being involved in sports back at their home school. That is why I want to thank the high schools around this area and all their athletic directors, administrators and others that were involved in the decision to let them play and to also make it safe for them to participate.

High school sports is really an important part of a students overall health and wellness. An article I recently read stated that high school sports promotes physical health during arguably the most important time of a young person's life. Multiple studies have been conducted on the physical benefits of high school sports, and the results are largely positive. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that students who participate in high school sports are less likely to engage in activities that could have a negative impact on their health, such as smoking and drinking. It also reduces the chance of obesity or type 2 diabetes. Sports participation also promotes mental wellness. The stress of performing well both academically and socially can be a heavy burden for students. However, by participating in sports, students not only gain an outlet to relieve that stress, but also to improve their mental health.

High school sports also teaches leadership and teamwork skills. I have witnessed this around our school so often throughout the years. The students who are involved in sports most often are great at working with others in groups, teams, etc. I know I am speaking of sports in this blog, but I have seen the same thing in our Eagle scouts, farmers and all students who have learned these skills. There are so many other skills that high school sports teachers our students, such as mentorship, time management, accountability and responsiblity. 

I know our students have worked so hard at their individual sport and really looked forward to just getting out there and competing. I wish we were able to go watch some of the contest but I realize that this year is different. However, I still like following along by reading the papers or staying up to date with facebook or twitter. Right now I would like to congratulate one of our top athletes. Kaylee Buzard, Sr Health Tech. Last night Kaylee was in the North West Conference (NWC) golf tournament for Delphos Jefferson. Delphos Jefferson won that tournament and became NWC golf champions for the third year in a row. Kaylee shot an amazing 44 last night. Congratulations Kaylee and to the Delphos Jefferson golf team. This is the reason I am glad they play. I hope this brings some normalcy to all the student athletes school year. I realize some teams aren't having the greatest year as far as wins and losses go, but in my eye, you are all winners because you are learning and growing. Good luck the rest of the year!

We Appreciate You

 Well this Friday was supposed to be our "Student Appreciation Day" here at Vantage. This is a day that we set aside to show all of our students how much we appreciate them and how much we appreciate them choosing Vantage for their last two years of high school. Once again, the Covid crisis hits us and the health department decides that "Student Appreciation Day" should not be held just yet. We understand their concerns and all of us will do what we can just to remain in school this year. We are hoping that we can hold that special day later in the year.

However, that doesn't mean we still can't let all of you, students and parents, know how grateful we are that you chose Vantage. It takes a lot of courage to leave something that you have been familiar with for the last ten years or so and completely change everything that you are comfortable with. Many of you left friends, classmates or favorite teachers to pursue opportunities that you can't get anywhere else. You have hopes and dreams of landing a great career or moving on to college to further expand your knowledge in your field of choice. Some of you just wanted a fresh start or to make a change in your educational path. Whatever the reason is, all of us here at Vantage want to say THANK YOU! Thank you for trusting us with the responsibility of preparing you for the work force or higher education. Thank you for believing in us to provide you with the tools to make you successful. We don't take that responsibility lightly. We will do everything we can to make your choice of coming to Vantage, the right choice. 

Now I would like to address the parents and guardians of our students. Thank you for trusting us with your most precious possessions. We realize that it was probably a tough decision for some of you to make. This might be your first child you sent to Vantage and you weren't sure of what to expect. Maybe your student has had siblings or cousins come to Vantage and you heard a lot of great things but were still hesitant. Entering a new school with the Covid crisis going on can also be difficult and confusing. I just want all of you to know that your students are in great hands here at Vantage and we will do everything to make him or her successful. I also want you to know that you should be very proud of your student for making the tough choice that they did. I know it has only been a few short weeks that we have been in school but I want to let you know that you should be proud of them for the way the carry themselves and for how polite and kind they are. I have heard from so many staff members that our seniors and juniors this year are some of the best students we have had. I know that our Senior class is such a pleasure to be around and that they are tough and resilient. For all that they had to go through at the end of last year, and to see the positive attitude they came back to school with, is just amazing. We have so many new rules with masks, social distancing, sanitizing, and having four lunches, that to see our students adjust in such a smooth way is a testimony to how you have raised them. For that we say thank you.

In closing, I just want to say a special thanks to all the student athletes, band members, etc that chose to come to Vantage. I am sure you have seen the picture by now on Twitter or our Facebook page, but I also wanted to share it with you. They say a picture is worth a thousand words and when you look at that picture above, you have to be impressed. It takes a lot of discipline and hard work to play any type of sport or cheer or play in band. These are the types of students who are attending Vantage. Leaders, hard workers and students who are committed to a goal. What an impressive picture and what an impressive group of students we have in the Class of 2021 and 2022. Thank you, we truly appreciate it!