Home stretch

Well I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and enjoyed the days we had off of school. I am sure many of you were out on Friday, fighting the crowds and enjoying the rush and madness of Black Friday. I for one have never ever gone out on black Friday nor did I ever intend to, until this year. Actually my wife and I went over to Lima about 10:30 in the morning and went straight to Toys-R-Us to get a great deal on a pak-n-play playpen for our future grandchild. The baby is due in March but we couldn't pass up this deal. We were back home by 11:30. That is my black Friday experience and actually it wasn't bad at all. Of course, I would only do this for that future bundle of joy.

Well with the Thanksgiving holiday behind us and a few days of rest, I hope everyone is re-charged and ready for the final stretch of the first semester. There will be a lot of stuff going on in the next three weeks, yes I said the next three weeks. Can you believe that is all we have left until the Christmas break. During the next three weeks, we will be starting the toys for tots campaign, a whole school assembly (Dec 4th), National Technical Honor Society banquet (Dec 9th), and our Christmas Buffet on December 11th. I will be having a FAFSA presentation for any interested seniors coming up the week of the 8th. I encourage the seniors to continually check out the scholarship page on our website. I also have a link to the scholarship page on this site. The Elks MVP Scholarship is due this Friday, December 5th. A reminder to any student that is working on their virtual learning credits, they have until after Christmas break to finish their assignments. After Christmas break, there will be a cost for the on-line course. And finally, we will be having our semester exams the third week of December before the break.  

I know it sounds like there is so much to do and so little time but please don't stress out. Take it one day at a time, enjoy each and every day for the gift that it truly is and everything will work out. If you need help with organizing your daily schedule or starting to feel overwhelmed, please stop by my office and we can chat. I will cover more on the Financial aid presentation that I am putting on for the seniors in my next blog along with the home school dates for their financial aid meetings.

Haiti Interact

Monday afternoon we will be having our Haiti Carnival. This is an annual project we always do on the Monday right before Thanksgiving. The carnival starts shortly after lunch and will go right up to the end of the day. There will be activities that should entertain everyone. We will be hosting a dodgeball tournament in the auto body lab, a wii dance off, refreshments and snacks, and several other events. The event that I am really excited about is the Oculus Rift, sponsored by the Network Systems group. If you are not familiar with the Oculus Rift, it is a virtual reality headset for 3D gaming. I have messed around with this in their lab and it is something you have to try. Make sure you are sitting down for some of the games. If they hook up the roller coaster for you, I guarantee you will feel like you are at Cedar Point. Just don't get motion sickness. LOL. Seriously, this is one exciting gaming system.

So what is all this for and why do we have the Haiti carnival? Tomorrow is generally a fund raiser for our Haiti Interact club. All the events tomorrow will charge a small fee to participate, so be sure to bring some extra money to spend. All the money will go towards our Haiti Interact project. So the next question I'm sure is; "What is the Haiti Interact Project"? Eight years ago, after hearing Marius Turienne, Superintendent of the Bordes School in Haiti, speak to the Vantage social studies students about Haitian culture, the Vantage student body voted to "adopt" the Bordes School and work hand-in-hand with them to provide vocational services to its students. They would organize this endeavor through a student formed Haiti Committee. This original committee began with two advisors and twelve students. During the second year of its existence, the Haiti Committee partnered with the Van Wert Rotary Club and associated itself as a Rotary Interact Club. While the primary purpose of the Interact club was to strengthen the partnership between Vantage and the Bordes School, they also agreed to tackle service project that would benefit local constituents. To date, the Vantage Interact Club has 125 members and is the largest high school Interact Club in the state of Ohio.

One major accomplishment of the Interact Club was establishing and maintaining a carpentry program at the Bordes School. By creating a carpentry program at the Bordes School, Vantage has taken an integral role in helping teach Haitians skills that will benefit them for their entire lifetime. Over the last six years, Vantage students have raised nearly $30,000 for the Bordes carpentry program, while also making annual trips to Haiti. Peg Bollenbacher, retired American Studies teacher at Vantage, said "Adopting the school at Bordes was a student-led initiative. Our Vantage students wanted to reach out and work with Bordes students to provide opportunities that they otherwise would not have." The group continues to meet and hold fundraisers for the Bordes School. In April, 2014, Mr. Matt Miller, Ms. Bollenbacher and 1 student traveled to Haiti for a week.

Have a great Thanksgiving and rest while you can (per Mr. Darrell Miller)!

Reach out

Many of you may not be aware that May is national mental health awareness month. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has worked hard to spread the word on Mental Health and the month of May has provided the opportunity to raise the awareness of mental health issues. I realize we are exactly six months away from National Mental Health awareness month, however I feel with the holidays coming upon us, it may be a good time to address the issue in my blog. I usually don't like to fill up a paper with a bunch of statistics but I think it is important for our topic today. Please bare with me. These are all statistics from the NAMI website: One in four adults experience mental illness in a given year. Approximately 20% of youth ages 13 to 18 experience severe mental disorders in a given year. Bi-polar disorder and depression are the two biggest illnesses. The statistic that bothers me the most is that approximately 60% of adults and almost one half of youth ages 8 to 15 with a mental illness received no mental health services in the previous year. Despite effective treatment, there are long delays (sometimes decades) between the first appearance of symptoms and when people get help.

This then brings us to the question of why aren't people getting the help they need? "Many people feel embarrassed or ashamed of symptoms because our society places illogical taboos on mental health issues over physical conditions," said clinical psychologist Nikki Massey-Hastings, PsyD. It is nothing for a student to walk in to school with a cast on his leg, because of a broken bone, and immediately everyone will run up to the student to offer sympathy. When a student has been out of school because of the flu bug, people will welcome him back and ask how he is feeling. Students will not talk about their mental health issues because they feel they will be labeled as "crazy" or some other derogatory comment. They are also afraid of what their parents will think. When they do bring it up, many people don't know how to respond and end up saying something "stupid". The cartoon shows things that we obviously wouldn't say to someone who was sick, but we often tell someone with mental health issues to "just get over it" or "suck it up". With all these barriers the students are surrounded by, it is no wonder that mental health so often goes untreated.

I just want the students to know that they can talk to any staff member, teacher or myself if you are suffering from what you believe is a mental health concern. If you have been feeling really down lately, crying a lot, can't sleep or any other concern that is bothering you, please know that there is help. Don't be afraid to seek help, people will understand. There are plenty of resources out there for you. If you have any questions, please stop in the office and just chat. I look forward to it.

Self Esteem

I hope all the staff and students enjoyed the presentation we had in the commons last week with LeDerick Horne. Labeled as neurologically impaired in third grade, LeDerick defies any and all labels. He's a dynamic spoken-word poet. A tireless advocate for all people with disabilities. An inspiring motivational speaker. LeDerick spoke about overcoming obstacles, self-advocacy and self acceptance. He also spoke about self-esteem.

Personally, I believe self-esteem or the lack of self esteem in our students is a major problem in today's society.  It effects each student in so many ways. First of all, let me explain self-esteem. Taken from the California State Task Force to Promote Self-Esteem, they say self-esteem is: Appreciating my own worth and importance and having the character to be accountable for myself and to act responsibly toward others. Self-esteem is not loving ourselves and thinking we are great. It is how we perceive ourselves, our self concept. Self-esteem and emotional intelligence have a direct correlation to the issue of academic achievement.

Why is low self-esteem such a problem today? How did we get this way? Well, according to research done by the Quest Foundation in Columbus, Ohio, students encounter the equivalent of 60 days each year of reprimanding, nagging and punishment. During 12 years of schooling a student is subjected to 15,000 negative statements per year. That is three times the number of positive statements received. Is it any wonder that students feel they are "bad", "incapable,""losers," etc.? The good news is that all of us can help. Students, parents, teachers, staff, etc... Students can engage with other students in a positive manner. Stop the put downs and insults. Quit the bullying and making fun of others. Say good things about the other students or don't say anything at all. Believe in yourself. Think positive thoughts. Henry Ford once said, "whether you think you can or you think you can't, you are right". As for the parents, teachers and staff. Let's model what we want to see from our young adults. Let's be positive with them. When they are absent, tell them we missed them, don't ask why they are always missing school. Encourage the smallest accomplishments. Help them set goals and push them to reach them.

This blog could go on and on. I will touch on self-esteem again in the future. If you would like further information on it, there is a great book called "Self-Esteem and Emotional Intelligence. The Necessary Ingredients for Success" by Sandi Redenbach. Now would be a great time to order it from the Media Center as Mrs Knodel prepares for our big upcoming book sale. Also, remember we start our Toys for Tots drive soon. Stay tuned for announcements on this great school wide event. Haiti Carnival is this coming Monday before Thanksgiving break. WOW! We are going to be busy and then Thanksgiving break. Take care!

The 2-1-1

I know that if I asked almost any student "what does the 4-1-1 mean?", they would be able to answer by saying, "oh that is slang for information, like give me the 4-1-1 on what's going down next week". I also know that I could ask almost everyone "what number do I call in an emergency?" and they would answer 9-1-1. Well I have a new number for you that I also hope you remember. It is 2-1-1.

2-1-1- is a free, confidential and non-emergency number that is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is a fantastic resource that was started in our area by the United Way. The idea behind the 2-1-1 is to get you connected and to help you get answers with many of the problems our students and adults in this area face. Whether you need to find after school care, counseling, help caring for an aging parent, putting food on the table or simply making ends meet. United Way's 2-1-1 provides confidential, easy-to-use and free access to the information you need. If you know me, you know that I have a folder of resources in my office. I try to keep them updated and organized, but that is not always easy to do. With this tool, you will have immediate access to my "folder" with all that information and so much more. Not only is the service free but it is CONFIDENTIAL. Please, if you need assistance with anything and you are afraid to ask, call 2-1-1. Just a few of the many things they can help you with are:
Basic Needs Assistance
Financial Assistance
Children and Elderly Services
Physical and Mental Healthcare
Volunteer Opportunities

As winter sets in, if you are in need of clothing, food or shelter, please call 2-1-1. If there is anyone you know who needs help during this cold weather, either call for them or tell them about 2-1-1. There is no way anyone should go hungry or without warm clothes. There are just to many agencies willing to help out in our area. They also can help you if you are looking to volunteer somewhere. This would be great for our Student Ambassadors, National Technical Honor Society or any student that is looking to help out in the community. Speaking of volunteering, I would hope all of you would volunteer to help somewhere or someone at one point in your life. There is no greater reward. This is all a part of making you the best person you can be, and you know that is what I want for you in life.

If I can quote author and teacher Ron Clark about being the best person you can be, he said "Throughout life, you are going to be lonely at times, you are going to have your heart broken on occasion, and you are going to feel as if something is missing from your life. No life is lived without some amount of pain and heartache. No matter how bad things get, however, make sure you are always developing into the kind of person you want to be, and the kid of person others will want to be around. It is important not to let external factors keep you from developing who you are and the person you are trying to become. Always make sure there are seven things in your life at all times: laughter, family, adventure, good food, challenge, change, and the quest for knowledge. With all of those things, you will grow, enjoy life, and become the type of person you can be proud of. You will also be in a better position to help others, give advice, and learn from your mistakes, because you will be a stronger, healthier, and happier person."  Take care and thanks for reading!

Giving Thanks

I hope everyone enjoyed the slide show presentation yesterday during the lunch hour. It was really neat to see the staff members and relatives of staff members during their time of service. I think Veterans day is a great time to say thank you to all the wonderful men and women who served in the military to protect us and our country. I am glad we take a day like yesterday to say "Thanks". I had someone ask me yesterday what was the difference between Veterans day and Memorial day. Well Veterans day we honor all service men and women, both living and dead. On Memorial day, we honor those that gave their lives for our country. It is really astounding to think of all those that have died serving this country. This picture has always made me stand back and really think:

 This is called the Freedom Wall at the World War II memorial. The picture is showing the wall with stars on the wall. You have to look close to see that those are actually stars. There are 4048 gold stars and each star represents 100 american service personnel who died or remain missing. The 405,399 dead or missing is second only to the loss of more than 620,000 Americans during our civil war. WOW!
I guess you can see why it is important on a day like Veterans day to say "thank you" to our living service men and women. I hope whenever you see a service man or woman you will say thanks, shake their hand and let them know how proud you are of them. It will go a long way.

Speaking of saying "thanks", can you believe we are only two weeks away from Thanksgiving day? Where is the time going? I hope you will take some time between now and then and really think of all the things you have to be thankful for. I know at times that we all get bogged down with homework, upcoming tests, worries about graduation, etc... but it is important to slow down and think of all you have to be thankful for.
I also want to remind everyone that our upcoming Parent/Teacher conferences are Thanksgiving week. The dates are Monday the 24th from 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm and Tuesday the 25th, from 10:30 am until 8:30 pm. Please call 419-238-5411 ext 2126 to make an appointment. Students are welcome!

Welcome!

Welcome to my first attempt at blogging. What I want to accomplish with this blog, is to keep the parents, staff and students updated on what is going on at Vantage Career Center from the school counselors view point. I hope to be sharing all sorts of information with the students regarding scholarships, test dates, upcoming activities, graduation information and a whole lot of other interesting things. Believe it or not, for the seniors graduation will be just around the corner and there will be a lot of things to take care of.

Students, please remember to check out the scholarship page under student services on our website. There are a lot of scholarships and the due dates will soon be coming up. In December, the Elks scholarships will be due. The dates are also listed on our student services calendar, also found on the web page. Tomorrow we will be meeting with our nominees for the National Technical Honor Society. I am so excited to be meeting with this outstanding group and I wish all of them the best of luck on their nominations. I will be posting more about this great group in the upcoming blogs. I would like to give a shout out to everyone for their help with the 8th grade tours last week. The students seemed to have a great time and many of them seemed interested in what Vantage has to offer. Visit our facebook page to see some great pictures. Don't forget our website Vantage Career Center. Visit it often to see what is going on.