Thanks For The Memories

 Well this is it, my final blog post after writing my very first one on November 10th, 2014. I have written 233 blogs counting this one, and this is probably the hardest. As I look back on my career here at Vantage, I can't help but think of all the wonderful people I have come into contact with and who have been such an inspiration in my life. I hope you will be patient with me as I thank them.

First of all, I want to thank each and every parent who has trusted us here at Vantage to educate their child and help them on their path into adulthood. I imagine I have seen close to 5000 students during my time here and I have so many great memories and so many conversations. Thank you

To every student who have passed through these halls, I want to thank you. Thank you for teaching me about resilience, self-reliance, overcoming adversity, living through tough times, laughing at life and working hard. You have been an inspiration to me throughout my career. I truly believe the future looks bright because of all of you. Thank you 

To every single staff member, both past and present who have made my time here so pleasant and have helped me whenever I needed it. You have always been so accommodating and understanding. Thank you.

To all the administration, both past and present. Thank you for taking a chance on me and for your strong support throughout the years.

I want to send out a special thank you to some former co-workers who have impacted my life in such a positive way; Kent Taylor, Dave Myers, Tom Mershman, Mary Jo Wilhelm and Shirley Jarvis. Words can't explain how much each of these people have meant to me. Thank you

Certainly all of my direct supervisors; Tom Mershman, Ben Winans, Mike Knott and Tonya Temple. You have allowed me to do my job and trusted me enough not to look over my shoulder. Thank you

To everyone in Student Services, especially Mickey McConahay who has helped me more than she will ever know. To Stephanie Hanneman who made my last year so enjoyable and who will have a positive impact around this school for a long time. To Kayla Cross, oh my, you have no idea how nice it is to have a full time school nurse. You have been a real blessing. To Lisa Yearling, now this is a tough one to say good-bye to. Lisa and I have worked together for 19 years now. We know more about each other and our families than most relatives do. Thank you Lisa for always being such a great support and friend for all these years, You never once complained when I had you do something and you did it to perfection. Thank you for all the laughs, the tears, the great conversations and our true friendship. You are a true sister in Christ and I will always be thankful for that.

To all the home school counselors whose support and ideas made me a better counselor. A special thanks to Kerry Koontz and Dave Springer, who both have taught me how to love the students with an unconditional love and to make sure the students had whatever they needed to be successful. Both of you led by example and taught me so much. Thank you

To Ashley Cline and Angie Shellabarger: you both have been a God send. Your compassion and love for your students made me work even harder and examine my own empathy skills. You took such a burden off of me and my workload, and always made sure your students were well taken care of. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I think of all the conversations I had every week and how these two have no idea how much they really helped me when I needed it the most. Thank you Pam Knodel and Miriam Owens for some very fun, interesting and much needed conversations.

To the front office staff who put up with my EMIS questions, attendance issues and anything else I needed help with. Gail Gillett, Alaina Ellis and now Samantha Turnwald, thanks so much for all you do.

To Paula VanTilburg, thanks for so many kind words of inspiration and encouragement and for always making me feel like I had an impact around the school. Thank you

To Darrell Miller, for changing the culture around Vantage and instilling respect and accountability in all of our students. I wish you truly knew how much that has made my job so much easier. Thank you

To Ted Verhoff and Kevin (Beav) Van Oss. There aren't enough words to explain how important your friendship is to me. Both of you have made my job so enjoyable and memorable. I have the utmost respect for you and your families. I am a better person because I have known both of you. I hope there will always be "one more business meeting".

I by no means want to leave anyone out. All of you have meant so much to me and my family. All the lab teachers, academic teachers, teacher aides, maintenance and of course the kitchen staff. Thanks for the conversations and smiles. You never know how a cheerful face can change a bad day. All of you are the best at what you do and all of you should be proud of how many students you have impacted.

Finally, to my Lord and Savior. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to honor you and serve you here at Vantage. I pray that I have not failed you, and will someday hear you say, "job well done my good and faithful servant".

I know the time is coming quickly when I will say my good-byes. However, I don't think we really ever say good-bye. I believe once you have worked here at Vantage, Vantage always stays a part of you. We may separate physically, but the people and the students will always stay in our hearts.

Thanks for the memories,