The Van Wert County Courthouse

Thursday, Mar. 28, 2024

Vantage board looks at personnel actions

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Vantage Career Center Board of Education looked at some personnel actions and other business during a brief December meeting Thursday prior to the board’s annual Christmas dinner.

Board member Pat Baumle was appointed as president pro tempore for the January organizational meeting, with the status of Board President Lonnie Nedderman unclear at this point. Although Nedderman was defeated in the November general election for a seat on the Crestview Local Board of Education, he could still be appointed to represent Crestview on the Vantage board.

Vantage Superintendent Rick Turner talks about the school’s citizenship instruction during Thursday’s December board of education meeting. Dave Mosier/Van Wert independent

During the meeting, the Vantage board approved the hiring of Janet Crummey as an Ohio Technical Center (OTC) instructor for the Medical Assistant adult education program, Gary Cearns was hired to replace Brent Wright as a Welding program instructor, and Christopher Kerns was hired on a one-year limited contract for the remaining 96 teacher contract days in the 2017-18 school year.

During his report, Superintendent Rick Turner said he is proud of Vantage students and their citizenship activities throughout the community and beyond.

“I’m just so impressed with the citizenship instruction that the students her get,” Turner said. “The activities are building a culture here that emphasize giving back to the community.”

Turner used the Haiti project, where Vantage students raise money to provide a carpentry class and tools for needy Haitian students. That program has raised more than $1,800 so far this year.

The superintendent also noted that Vantage also participates in the Toss A Toy program, which is the successor for the former Toys for Tots program, and students and staff have already raised $5,400 for that program, $1,000 more than last year’s total.

Turner also talked about how a couple of Vantage students created a truck parade to honor veterans on Veterans Day. “That video [of the parade] on Facebook generated over 27,000 views and 691 shares, jusdt on our Facebook page alone,” he noted.

OTC Director Pete Prichard also talked about a ribboncutting being held today for the Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) class at Vantage, and also answered a question from Baumle on the status of the LPN program.

Prichard noted that the LPN program is still pending, with several items still to be completed, but that it should be operational by spring.

During superintendent’s consent items, the board also approved an out-of-state trip for Carpentry instructor Jerry Robinson and his class to Frank Miller Lumber in Union City, Indiana, and also accepted a donation of 1,042 pounds of powder coat materials from Kennedy Manufacturing Company in Van Wert for instructional use in the Industrial Mechanics program. The materials are valued at $5,210.

The board then adjourned for its annual Holiday dinner in the commons area.

The next Vantage Board of Education meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, January 11, 2018, in the district conference room.

POSTED: 12/08/17 at 8:03 am. FILED UNDER: News