Day 28: Thank you for choosing Ohio Hi-Point Career Center

Signs hung throughout the high school during the month of February in honor of National Career-Technical Education Month thanking the students and staff for choosing OHP.  Over the past month this blog has given you a look inside Ohio Hi-Point--Adult Education, career-technical programs, our alumni, our partnerships, our satellites and more.  Hopefully if you followed along you learned more about our school district and more about career-tech and the life-changing impact it makes on student after student.

Day 27: Find Your Hi-Point, Restart Tomorrow

This year you may have seen our television commercials promoting our high school and adult education either on Time Warner Cable throughout our five county region or online on YouTube or Facebook.  We invited people to "Find Your Hi-Point" or "Restart Tomorrow" in the spots.  Here you can get to see inside the high school and adult education divisions a little better with these two mini-documentaries, produced by 1978 alumnus Carol (Smith) DelGrosso's Ozone Studios in Columbus.

ADULT EDUCATION:



HIGH SCHOOL:

Day 26: Showing appreciation for choosing OHP

Last week the high school administration wanted to show the students and staff how much they appreciated them and to thank them for choosing Ohio Hi-Point Career Center.  So, in honor of National Career-Technical Education Month they created certificates of appreciation and passed them out to all students, staff and even the board of education at the monthly meeting.  Instructional Supervisor Glenn Smith (right) is shown presenting a certificate to Auto Collision Instructor Bob Newland (left).

Day 25: Partnerships, collaborations abound between OHP, communities

A cornerstone of career-technical and adult education schools, and big part of OHP, are strong partnerships with businesses and organizations and collaborations amongst the programs to give students real-world experiences or to contribute to the betterment of the community.
Business and industry and education are three areas that combine to make OHP unique and innovative.  These partnerships are highlighted in each and every program at the school district, as each program is shaped by an advisory committee of industry experts, business owners and community leaders.  Their expertise helps each program know exactly how to shape curriculum and practical experiences for the students to create the kind of real-time educational experiences that make career-technical education highly effective in preparing students for life after their program.

Here are some examples of partnerships/collaborations at OHP:

• Construction Trades at the Bellefontaine campus partners with Dave Duff's companies in Logan County each year to design, plan, and construct a full-scale house that then is sold.  Students work on every facet of the project and it is possible because of this partnership with Duff
• The Health Technology and Teaching Professions Academy Satellites in Marysville were recently featured for their collaboration and their partnership with the Union County Health Department to teach 4th and 6th grade students about healthy eating and the importance of exercise to combat obesity
• The Nancy J. Knight School of Nursing, part of OHP's Adult Education Division, launched one of the first dual-enrollment LPN to RN Program through a partnership with Clark State Community College.  The program, which is offered in Marysville allows students to earn their STNA and LPN certifications at OHP and then seamlessly transition into the community college setting to obtain an associate's degree in preparation for RN licensure
• The Adult Education's Diversified Industrial Training program partners with Honda of America and provides an instructor to train Honda employees at the manufacturer's site. OHP's DIT lab on the Bellefontaine campus is modeled after the Honda training facility and provides training to workers as well
• The Architecture and Mechanical Design program in the high school designed the Urbana Skate Park last year
• Due to the economic downturn the last few years, job loss has hit the area hard.  Adult Education worked with Logan County Job & Family Services to house the JFS Transition Center on the OHP campus providing students with a full-service location for the unemployed to explore career and college opportunties
• OHP has partnerships with many colleges and universities, but actually hosts branch campuses on it's Bellefontaine campus for Urbana University and Clark State Community College
• The Construction Technology Satellite in Marysville is housed in U-Co Industries. The partnership allows students in the program to build a full-scale home on-site over two years for a family with disabilities
• Just this week, OHP became the site of Logan County's 11th recycling center, a partnership with the Logan County Solid Waste District (see ribbon cutting picture above).  This continues OHP's commitment to becoming a "Green" campus, as the campus already has embraced solar and alternative energy solutions and recycles and uses composting in the Animal Management program

And these are just some of the unique partnerships and collaborations. There are many more throughout any given school year in all divisions at OHP!  

Day 24: Teaching Professions students get to experience Texas during FEA trip

Several Teaching Professions Academy Satellite students had the opportunity of a lifetime when they were able to travel to San Antonio, Texas, earlier this month to take part in the Future Educators' Association (FEA) National Conference.  The students from the Marysville TPA Satellite were accompanied by their instructor, Mrs. Judy Fletcher, who submitted this report about the trip:

The students, Amber Short, Allie Mazza, Halie House, Danika Morse, Brady Pickford, visited The Alamo and learned a bit about the history of Texas. We enjoyed the sight-seeing boat ride along the San Antonio River, which runs right through the downtown area.  There were many beautiful things to see on the River Walk. The San Fernando Cathedral was breath-taking!

Of course, the Future Educators Association National Conference was the Main Event and we got to the Opening General Session early enough to get third row seats! Grant Baldwin was the first featured speaker.  He was motivational and very funny.  He reminded us that we need to take action and make a difference in the world.
Dr. Marcus Nelson was the second featured speaker.  He is a young superintendent in the Texas school system, who believes that “hard work pays off” and inspired us (and made us laugh) with his life story.  Since he was determined in the 4th grade to become a "principal and a rap star," he proved that dreams can come true with hard work.  Not only was he a principal by the age of 28, but frequently raps with students to help them learn!
We also attended a variety of breakout sessions, where we learned about things like:  Strategies to Keep Groups Actively Engaged; Uplifting Projects; Approaches to Diversity in Classrooms; Tapping IntoYour Heart Song—bringing personality to the classroom; So You Want to Be a Teacher. Why; Getting to Know Your Students Better. 
Brady Pickford already applied something he learned and stated, “I have been teaching my intern teachers' Consumer Science class. I have been wanting some activities to do with them [the students]. The unit we are about to go into is about Self Confidence and Communication skills. Today, I did the 'knot game' that we played at nationals in one of the sessions.”
Many schools from around the country didn’t make it to the conference because of weather complications and flight cancellations.  While the students pretended for the camera to be sad because of a plane delay in Atlanta, in all honesty, the students represented Ohio Hi-Point, their home schools, and themselves very well with their positive attitudes and willingness to meet people and participate.  Though from different home schools, they bonded with each other and had a great time.  They met students from all over the country and enjoyed doing the familiar, “O . . H” cheer, hoping for that happy response of “I . . O."  They even went above and beyond to cheer up and help a distressed young mother and her baby at the airport after their flight was canceled.

Day 23: Where Are They Now?

In the final post highlighting several alumni of Ohio Hi-Point, we would be remiss not to showcase some of our staff members who once graced the hallways, classrooms and labs of the Career Center as students.  Here is a look at a few of them:

Ryan Mulholland/Class of 2004, Animal Management/Current Educational Aide at OHP and College Student
I wanted a head start on a great career and a great future, and I made many new friends, had an instructor who took her job seriously in making her students succeed, and am now a successful college student. I am still in college majoring in education and plan on taking some addition agricultural classes.  I also am now employed by OHP in which I am an assistant for the program, Animal Management Technology, in which I came out of.  It is great to be able to refresh my mind on a daily basis with things that I had learned when I was a student and new things now that I am a staff member.
OHP gives people from all over the chance to get a head start on a future career or even start over.  In the high school setting, you feel that you are welcomed by all the staff, get to make new friendships, and get the help that you need.  There is always someone that is willing to help out to see that a student who has potential to succeed exceeds that goal and this is still evident years later as a staff member.  You feel a sense of accomplishment and self-worth knowing that people take their time to ensure that you reach the top.  OHP impacted my life tremendously and motivated me to want to do the same for others who attend the facility."

Cindy (Coleman) Harlan, Class of 1991, Cosmetology/Current Cosmetology Instructor
"I graduated from Cosmetology in 1991.  I went on to college right after graduation and graduated from Urbana University with a bachelor's degree in business administration, with fields of emphasis in marketing and human resource management, and I also played softball on a scholarship while at UU.   Hi-Point was a place that allowed me to focus on my career goals and learn something of interest.  Looking back, it was also a way for me to get recognized for my strengths, which in turn boosted my confidence, and that has been something that stayed with me throughout college and the workplace.  I came back to work at OHP because I wanted to influence others in a positive way.  It feels like home."

Day 22: Teaching Professions/Health Tech Satellites featured on NBC4 news

Editor's Note: This story appeared on NBC 4 Columbus and NBC4i.com on Monday, February 22nd.  Changes were made to accurately reflect that the program is being taught by Ohio Hi-Point Career Center Satellite students, who attend the program at Marysville High School.
 MARYSVILLE, Ohio—Sometimes hearing from one of your peers can make all the difference, even if they’re a bit older. 
That’s the idea behind a new program in Union County. 
Teenagers from Ohio Hi-Point Career Center/Marysville High School are volunteering their time for the program called “5-4-3-2-1-Go! Take off Union County!“  The teens talk to 4th and 5th graders about healthy foods and actually let them taste the foods. Students at Northwood Elementary School tasted fruit and vegetables Monday afternoon. 
Some of them made funny faces when they ate the radishes.  “I didn’t like the radish because it burnt my tongue and it was kind of spicy,“ said Anna Weigand, a 10-year old 4th grader.  She liked the Kiwi though and plans to share that new discovery with her family.  “First, I’ll tell them I found a different fruit and that I want to keep eating it more and I’ll also tell them that I learned more ways how maybe if I don’t like fruit, how to mix it with other fruit to
like it.“ 
Shalyn Cantleberry is one of the student teachers.  She says she is in the nursing program at Ohio Hi-Point Career Center's Satellite in Marysville High School and she likes kids.  She says what the kids learn is more important if the whole family participates. “It makes the kid more happy and it’ll make the whole family more healthy.“  She says they’re also trying to teach the kids to drink more water and watch less television. 
Memorial Hospital of Union County received a $25,000 grant from the Ohio Hospital Association’s Foundation for Healthy Communities. It was awarded to only
four hospitals in Ohio and is being used to provide materials to train local teen leaders and future health care professionals.  The money purchases refrigerated cases for school cafeterias and interactive exercise equipment. 
The goal is to teach and reinforce healthy lifestyles among all children, not just those who are obese or at-risk for obesity.  Families opt-in to the program and so far about half of the 1000 4th and 5th graders in Union County have signed up.

Day 21: Scenes from Ohio Hi-Point

Here are some shots from around Hi-Point taken by our student bloggers:

Day 20: Our students are the model of 21st Century Education

There's a lot of buzz out there in this day and age about 21st Century Learning.  All of the sudden, government leaders are beginning to realize that the "old" way of student learning has gone out the window.  No longer do teenagers learn best by sitting in desks all day, taking notes and listening to lectures.  Now, leaders understand that to compete in a global economy and to create a powerful workforce that balance has to be in place between solid academic preparation for college and hands-on learning and training for a skill.  While some are just understanding this model for education, career-tech schools have been doing it for years.  At Ohio Hi-Point, strong academics mix with practical, hands-on learning in labs that train students in a specific skill set.  Add that mixture to leadership, speaking and teamwork skills learned in extra-curriculars and community service taught through projects in both years at OHP and it is truly 21st Century Education at its best.
Our students showcase it every November when sophomores from our 14 partnering school districts come to visit.  They take the lead and display what they are learning.  Take a look at this slideshow from this past Sophomore Career Days to see them in action:

Day 19: Students get to manage real-world project as new paint booth gets installed

When the time came to replace the outdated paint booth in the state-of-the-art Auto Collision Technology lab in the high school, Facilities and Grounds Supervisor Robert Walker saw the opportunity for OHP students to once again receive hands-on training and real-world experience.  Walker approached the Construction Trades Masonry class about handling the giant hole that would be in the wall of the Auto Collision Lab once the paint booth was removed and the new one, funded by the Sloan Trust, was installed. 
Students were given the opportunity to utilize their training and get to work on the project by placing bids to Mr. Walker.  Students had to estimate costs and project time and Mr. Walker selected the student whose bid was best.  Senior Brandon McCoy was selected and took over the project, including interviewing and selecting crew members, meeting with state inspectors and architects and working with Mr. Walker on planning.  McCoy explains exactly what the project is all about, what other projects Masonry students are working on and what he hopes to accomplish in the future in this video:



You can also see the new paint booth that will be used by students in the Auto Collision program and see the Masonry class at work on their wall project: