Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
New Digital Arts and Design Program Prepares Laurel Oaks Students for Competitive Career
By Dana Dunn
For Laurel Oaks Career Campus
WILMINGTON, OHIO —
December 8, 2015 — The inaugural class of students in the new Digital Arts and Design
program at the Laurel Oaks Career Campus already has a taste of how competitive
that field will be if they ultimately decide to pursue it as a career.
The 22 juniors were
chosen from more than 50 candidates from the district’s 10 home schools in
Clinton, Fayette and Highland Counties.
The job market also promises
to be competitive though lucrative. The number of employment opportunities for
graphic designers and similar vocations will continue to grow with higher than
average starting wages, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, but job
seekers will also continue to outnumber job openings.
Digital Arts and Design
is a two-year program in which students are taught a wide range of technical
skills used in today’s print and multi-media markets—graphic design, web
development, photography, video and audio production, and basic two-dimensional
and three-dimensional animation.
Instructor Brandan Ellars
says his students get a head start on their future competition, particularly
since they are schooled in fundamentals of design and creativity, two skills
that stick out as most important to many employers in the field.
They will learn to use
the accepted tools of the trade such as Adobe Creative Cloud that contains
programs such as Illustrator, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Flash, InDesign, After Effects,
and Premiere Pro.
Students are given the
opportunity to validate their Adobe skills by completing the Adobe Certified
Associate certification in five different areas. If passed, students separate
themselves from their peers and expand their career opportunities, according to
Ellars.
“The credentials they
could walk out of with in this program could put them maybe two years ahead of incoming
college freshman,” Ellars said. “Some may not go to college, but will have
employable skills that will allow them to get good jobs in a design center,
photo lab or print facility. Others might become artists, art directors or go
into marketing or work at an advertising agency.”
Students get to show
off their work on an internal television monitor and in other ways. They created
the posters for the district’s first “zombie run” this fall and Ellars was
handed a poster project for his students during the course of this interview.
“They will get right on
this,” Ellars told the student courier.
It is those types of
assignments and independent projects that Ellars says attract many of the
students to the new program as well as those at the other Great Oaks Career
Campuses that have been around a few years.
“Students are always
working on projects of their own out of the classroom,” Ellars said. “And we
are always looking for projects with the other Laurel programs. We have
discussed working on a project with our welding class for them to fabricate
signs that my students design.”
One of Ellars’ students
pulled him aside after class recently to share some photos he took at a car
show. “He knows he wants to be a photographer and he wanted to show me some images
he snapped over the weekend that he was editing,” Ellars said. “One in
particular could almost be used in an ad as is. That is the neat part of this
program in that that they can learn a lot on their own but also have the
benefit of my experience and the best equipment and resources.”
Ellars happens to be a professional
photographer and taught visual arts at his hometown school in Washington Court
House before coming to Laurel Oaks to help start a program he knew would be
popular.
“Many of our students
have been asking for a program here that allows them to be creative in the
visual arts,” said Mike Thomas, dean of the Laurel Oaks Career Campus.
Students also spend
time on traditional arts techniques that are not in the digital realm. “We know
firms like P&G still want us to encourage students to draw,” Ellars said.
“We don’t abandon those traditional skills. We strengthen their drawing and
creativity skills through various sketching assignments that are given on a
daily basis.”
Ellars has even
considered developing an “old school” photo lab for his students so they can
get a taste of what it is like to work in the non-digital world of film.
Thomas and Ellars
expect to have success stories with these students like recent ones from an
established program at Scarlet Oaks Career Campus, a sister school.
“One student was ready
to fail out of his home school,” says Scarlet Oaks instructor Libby Sills. “He
came to Scarlet Oaks and found a subject, design, he was passionate about;
turned his grades around, and graduated at the top of the entire Scarlet class.
He received a scholarship to UC-Blue Ash and started studying electronic media.
“Another student took
as many of the dual credit classes offered at Scarlet as possible and became
certified in Photoshop and Flash. She started Kent State with 19 credit hours.”
Like many programs in
the Great Oaks' system, students are members of educational organizations,
which sponsor competitions that enhance their learning experience.
Digital Arts and Design
students also take field trips to museums, art institutes, design firms and
businesses, some of which will provide the students with job shadowing and
intern opportunities.
“We are definitely
looking to connect with business and industry in the area,” Ellars said. “We are
working on creating a committee that will meet a couple of times a year to
discuss curriculum to make sure I am teaching what is needed out in the work
place.”
To watch an informative,
brief video on the program, go to www.greatoaks.com/digitalarts. You can also contact Laurel Oaks Career
Specialist Bill Davis at 937.655.5407.
Great Oaks, which
specializes in career development and technical training for high school
students and adults in southwest Ohio, has campuses in Wilmington (Laurel
Oaks), Sharonville (Scarlet Oaks), Dent (Diamond Oaks) and Milford (Live Oaks).
Great Oaks offers the
chance for high school students to prepare for careers and college and for
adults to get training and certification to begin a new career or advance in a
current career.
-End-
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Monday, December 7, 2015
Friday, November 27, 2015
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Friday, November 6, 2015
Friday, October 30, 2015
Thursday, August 27, 2015
A Leading Expert On The Ohio Opiate Battle Featured Speaker at Special Forum Tuesday, Oct. 6
WILMINGTON,
OHIO—August 27, 2015—A leading expert on the opiate epidemic in Ohio will be
the featured presenter at a special public forum to be hosted by the “You-Turn”
Recovery Docket in the Clinton County Common Pleas Courtroom the afternoon of
Tuesday, Oct. 6.
Judge J.W. (Tim) Rudduck established the specialized docket for drug offenders in the fall of 2014 within the Clinton County Court of Common Pleas. It was certified by the specialized dockets section of the Ohio Supreme Court in June of this year.
Orman Hall, the manager of the specialized docket section of the Ohio Supreme Court, will speak at 3 p.m.—focusing is comments on the nature of opiate addiction, the scope of opiate addiction in Ohio, and the role of medication-assisted treatment for addicts.
Hall is the former director of the Governor’s Cabinet Opiate Action Team and the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services. He also served as the executive director of the Fairfield County ADAMH Board and chairman of the Fairfield County Opiate Task Force.
He has more than 25 years experience in the management, planning, monitoring and evaluation of public mental health and substance abuse services. A graduate of Marshall University, Hall holds a master’s degree in social science education and a bachelor’s degree in education.
Hall’s presentation last 15-20 minutes, leaving plenty of time for questions, Judge Rudduck said.
Preceding Hall’s talk will be a regular status review hearing for drug court participants at 1:30 p.m. and a 2:30 meeting of the docket’s steering committee, one of two a year required for certification.
Following Hall’s presentation at 4 p.m. there will be updates on the local opiate prevention coalition and the Hope for Heroin Event planned for Oct. 9-10 in Wilmington.
The general public is invited to attend any or all of the events. Physicians, law enforcement officers, emergency medicine technicians, pharmacists, attorneys, and treatment providers are particularly encouraged to attend because of Hall’s topic, Rudduck said.
“We encourage anyone to attend who is concerned about the opiate epidemic and have thoughts and concerns they wish to share,” Judge Rudduck said. “It is obvious no one organization or person will solve this epidemic in our community or any community. We want to continue the dialogue and progress since the court held a forum on this issue in the summer of 2014.”
For more information on the “You-Turn” Recovery Docket, go to www.you-turn-drug-docket.com and social media sites Twitter (YouTurn@Uturndrugdocket) and Facebook (You-Turn Recovery Docket).
For more information on drug courts, go the National Association of Drug Court Professionals site at www.nadcp.org.
Judge J.W. (Tim) Rudduck established the specialized docket for drug offenders in the fall of 2014 within the Clinton County Court of Common Pleas. It was certified by the specialized dockets section of the Ohio Supreme Court in June of this year.
Orman Hall, the manager of the specialized docket section of the Ohio Supreme Court, will speak at 3 p.m.—focusing is comments on the nature of opiate addiction, the scope of opiate addiction in Ohio, and the role of medication-assisted treatment for addicts.
Hall is the former director of the Governor’s Cabinet Opiate Action Team and the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services. He also served as the executive director of the Fairfield County ADAMH Board and chairman of the Fairfield County Opiate Task Force.
He has more than 25 years experience in the management, planning, monitoring and evaluation of public mental health and substance abuse services. A graduate of Marshall University, Hall holds a master’s degree in social science education and a bachelor’s degree in education.
Hall’s presentation last 15-20 minutes, leaving plenty of time for questions, Judge Rudduck said.
Preceding Hall’s talk will be a regular status review hearing for drug court participants at 1:30 p.m. and a 2:30 meeting of the docket’s steering committee, one of two a year required for certification.
Following Hall’s presentation at 4 p.m. there will be updates on the local opiate prevention coalition and the Hope for Heroin Event planned for Oct. 9-10 in Wilmington.
The general public is invited to attend any or all of the events. Physicians, law enforcement officers, emergency medicine technicians, pharmacists, attorneys, and treatment providers are particularly encouraged to attend because of Hall’s topic, Rudduck said.
“We encourage anyone to attend who is concerned about the opiate epidemic and have thoughts and concerns they wish to share,” Judge Rudduck said. “It is obvious no one organization or person will solve this epidemic in our community or any community. We want to continue the dialogue and progress since the court held a forum on this issue in the summer of 2014.”
For more information on the “You-Turn” Recovery Docket, go to www.you-turn-drug-docket.com and social media sites Twitter (YouTurn@Uturndrugdocket) and Facebook (You-Turn Recovery Docket).
For more information on drug courts, go the National Association of Drug Court Professionals site at www.nadcp.org.
-U-
Friday, July 10, 2015
Allison White Awarded Harris Scholarship That Honors Late 1971 Wilmington High School Veteran
WILMINGTON, OHIO—July 2015—Recent
Wilmington High School (WHS) graduate Allison White, of 450 Farmers Road, was
awarded the Randall J. Harris Scholarship in graduation ceremonies this spring.
Randall
James (Randy) Harris, a 1971 graduate of
WHS, was a staff sergeant for the United States Army, who was killed in a
non-hostile, peace-time incident in Honduras on June 13, 1987 at the age of 34.
Harris was shot by a Honduran
solider while on duty at the Palmerola Air Base, which was used to stage
training exercises for about 1,200 U.S. regular, reserve and National Guard
forces.
Ironically, Harris was killed on the
nine-year anniversary of beginning his military career at Fort McClellan, Ala.
Ms. White was a multi-sport athlete
and class valedictorian at WHS, with a 4.0 grade point average. She will be
attending The Ohio State University where she plans to major in bio-chemistry
and attend dental school. She is the daughter of David and Noreen White.
The Harris scholarship is awarded
annually to a WHS senior whose qualifications include being in the upper third
of the graduating class; one who exhibits positive attributes of leadership,
service and character; and someone who may or may not demonstrate financial
need.
Contributions to the fund can be
made to the scholarship in care of the Clinton County Foundation, POB 831,
Wilmington, Ohio 45177.
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Laurel Oaks, Tanger Outlets Collaborate On Spring “Dress for Success” Fashion Show
WILMINGTON,
OHIO——Students from the Laurel Oaks Career Campus were the models
in a recent fashion show at the campus where they wore the latest fashions
available from stores at Tanger Outlets in nearby Jeffersonville.
CareerX, a skills-focused program for special needs students designed to assist them in making career choices, hosted the show. Models were students enrolled in CareerX, cosmetology, aviation maintenance and sports medicine and rehabilitation.
Students also acted as stage hands and handled the sound and lighting for two different shows in front of students and faculty at the Laurel Oaks Career Campus. Students from the computer service technician and networking program made a DVD of the show.
CareerX teacher Kelly Keeton and job coach Lisa Hollingsworth along with Tanger Outlets general manager Kristen E. Hauer helped produce the shows which earned rousing applause, cheers and show-ending standing ovations. Hauer was also the master of ceremonies for the shows.
CareerX students learn skills that make them immediately employable and soft skills such as interpersonal communication, office etiquette and how to dress appropriately.
Student models were Emily Loch, Justin Rohrich, Mariss Eckley, Nathaniel Butler, Alex Whaley, Alexandria Reed, Jared McKeever, Deric Schryver, Ashley Nois, Kali Renner, Alizz Davis and Kobe Ford.
Other students who helped with the show were Donna Knaub, Teri Noble, Jacob Dalton, Adrianna Moore, Jake Lindsey, Cordell Meddock, Gavin Sturgill, Ashleigh Sell and Bryce Mingo.
Participating Tanger Outlets stores were Brooks Brothers, Casual Male XL, Christopher & Banks, Haggar, Kate Spade and Wilson’s Leather.
A copy of the DVD of the program can be obtained by contacting Keeton at keetonk@greatoaks.com.
Laurel Oaks is part of Great Oaks Career Campuses and draws junior and senior students primarily from Clinton, Highland and Fayette Counties. For more information about Great Oaks programs for students with disabilities, contact Tom Wheeler, manager of disability education, at wheelert@greatoaks.com or at 513.612.3652.
More information about all Great Oaks program can be found at www.greatoaks.com, by liking Great Oaks on Facebook or following/subscribing on YouTube and Twitter.
For more information about Tanger Outlets, contact Hauer at 740.948.9090 or at kristen.hauer@tangeroutlets.com.
CareerX, a skills-focused program for special needs students designed to assist them in making career choices, hosted the show. Models were students enrolled in CareerX, cosmetology, aviation maintenance and sports medicine and rehabilitation.
Students also acted as stage hands and handled the sound and lighting for two different shows in front of students and faculty at the Laurel Oaks Career Campus. Students from the computer service technician and networking program made a DVD of the show.
CareerX teacher Kelly Keeton and job coach Lisa Hollingsworth along with Tanger Outlets general manager Kristen E. Hauer helped produce the shows which earned rousing applause, cheers and show-ending standing ovations. Hauer was also the master of ceremonies for the shows.
CareerX students learn skills that make them immediately employable and soft skills such as interpersonal communication, office etiquette and how to dress appropriately.
Student models were Emily Loch, Justin Rohrich, Mariss Eckley, Nathaniel Butler, Alex Whaley, Alexandria Reed, Jared McKeever, Deric Schryver, Ashley Nois, Kali Renner, Alizz Davis and Kobe Ford.
Other students who helped with the show were Donna Knaub, Teri Noble, Jacob Dalton, Adrianna Moore, Jake Lindsey, Cordell Meddock, Gavin Sturgill, Ashleigh Sell and Bryce Mingo.
Participating Tanger Outlets stores were Brooks Brothers, Casual Male XL, Christopher & Banks, Haggar, Kate Spade and Wilson’s Leather.
A copy of the DVD of the program can be obtained by contacting Keeton at keetonk@greatoaks.com.
Laurel Oaks is part of Great Oaks Career Campuses and draws junior and senior students primarily from Clinton, Highland and Fayette Counties. For more information about Great Oaks programs for students with disabilities, contact Tom Wheeler, manager of disability education, at wheelert@greatoaks.com or at 513.612.3652.
More information about all Great Oaks program can be found at www.greatoaks.com, by liking Great Oaks on Facebook or following/subscribing on YouTube and Twitter.
For more information about Tanger Outlets, contact Hauer at 740.948.9090 or at kristen.hauer@tangeroutlets.com.
Left to right on stage at the
show, Jacob Dalton (Fairfield), Justin Rohrich (Blanchester), Nate Butler (East
Clinton), Jared McKeever (Hillsboro), Kobe Ford (Wilmington) and master of
ceremonies Kristen Hauer.
-Laurel Oaks-
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Clinton County (Ohio) Drug Court Already Has Reasons To Celebrate National Drug Court Month
WILMINGTON, OHIO—May
2015—The treatment team for the participants in the six-month-old Clinton
County Drug Court already has reasons to celebrate National Drug Court Month
this month, according to Clinton County Common Pleas Court Judge, John W. (Tim)
Rudduck who helped establish the local court in the fall of 2014.
The court has proven a positive alternative for a growing number of participants and it was recently recommended for final certification by the Supreme Court of Ohio’s Commission on Specialized Dockets when it meets again June 12, Judge Rudduck said.
Drug courts have been around for 25 years and Judge Rudduck became convinced in 2014 that it was worth trying to combat the growing number of drug addiction crimes and fatal overdoses in the county.
The Ohio Department of Health just reported that Clinton County has the sixth highest per-capita rates of unintentional drug overdose death rates among Ohio’s 88 counties. There were 16 unintentional drug overdose deaths in Clinton County in 2013, the latest year for which data is available.
Judge Rudduck initiated the application process mid-2014 and the innovative docket won preliminary certification in November. “During our site visit in April, the Ohio Supreme Court representative was impressed by the collaboration of the treatment team members and with the community representation and participation at one of our twice-monthly status review hearings for participants,” Judge Rudduck said. “She told those in attendance that our court is performing like one that is been in business for several years as opposed to one just starting up.”
More than 20 defendants have been referred to the program--mostly by the Clinton County Public Defender’s Office--and there are currently seven who officially started the 18-month long program and are progressing with varying degrees of success.
Many of the others that have been referred to the program are still being considered for acceptance and the judge thinks the program can handle up to 40 participants at one time.
Judge Rudduck named the program the "You-Turn" Recovery Docket because the goal is to have participants turn their lives around by providing them an opportunity to address their substance dependency/addiction issues with support from the judge, probation officers, substance abuse counselors and others.
“Though there has been a lot of interest among offenders, the program is not for everybody,” Judge Rudduck said. “The docket is a highly structured program that requires responsibility and demands accountability from participants. They have to be willing to admit to their addiction and be willing to comply with a highly-structured program that calls for frequent drug tests and encounters with the treatment team--which includes myself, local mental health and drug treatment providers and our probation department.”
The National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) celebrates National Drug Court Month in May to encourage these specialized courts to celebrate successes and to share them with the communities they impact.
The community support and interest shown for the local drug court over the last year indicates it is needed and wanted. “Starting with the public meeting last summer that was attended by more than 100 people interested in confronting the opiate epidemic, the support has been overwhelming,” Judge Rudduck said. “Since that time, we have talked to the faith-based community, job-training centers and educational organizations and others to begin laying a future foundation of programs for those currently in the docket and those who participate in the future.”
Members of the drug court treatment team are also participating in a local coalition formed to combat the opiate epidemic in the county, the judge said.
Since most of the active participants in the local drug court are addicted to heroin, the most telling statistic might be that none have tested positive for heroin since starting the program, the judge said.
The Clinton County Drug Court is not a separate court but a specialized docket within the framework of the Clinton County Common Pleas Court. The goals of the program are to divert these defendants into court-monitored treatment and supervision that reduces the need for them to be incarcerated.
Judge Rudduck agrees with the NADP’s assertion that drug courts demonstrate that a combination of accountability and treatment can transform the lives of seriously addicted offenders. Treating chronically addicted offenders in drug court can save vast amounts of money, continue to protect public safety, reunite families and significantly reduce crime and drug abuse in the community, the judge believes.
To ensure accountability, participants are regularly and randomly tested for drug use, required to appear frequently in court for the judge to review their progress, rewarded for doing well and sanctioned for not living up to their obligations.
“Research continues to show that drug courts work better than jail or prison, better than probation, and better than treatment alone,” Judge Rudduck said. “We know overcoming addiction is tough and admittedly a few of our participants have had minor setbacks. But we deal with those on an individual basis with sanctions that do not automatically mean jail time. It is most important that participants be honest with the treatment team in order for them to succeed.”
The judge encourages those interested in the court to attend the participants’ status review hearings in the Common Pleas Court at 1:30 p.m. the first and third Fridays of each month.
The hearings are less formal than typical court proceedings and the judge encourages comments and observations from those attending at the end of every session.
The court has proven a positive alternative for a growing number of participants and it was recently recommended for final certification by the Supreme Court of Ohio’s Commission on Specialized Dockets when it meets again June 12, Judge Rudduck said.
Drug courts have been around for 25 years and Judge Rudduck became convinced in 2014 that it was worth trying to combat the growing number of drug addiction crimes and fatal overdoses in the county.
The Ohio Department of Health just reported that Clinton County has the sixth highest per-capita rates of unintentional drug overdose death rates among Ohio’s 88 counties. There were 16 unintentional drug overdose deaths in Clinton County in 2013, the latest year for which data is available.
Judge Rudduck initiated the application process mid-2014 and the innovative docket won preliminary certification in November. “During our site visit in April, the Ohio Supreme Court representative was impressed by the collaboration of the treatment team members and with the community representation and participation at one of our twice-monthly status review hearings for participants,” Judge Rudduck said. “She told those in attendance that our court is performing like one that is been in business for several years as opposed to one just starting up.”
More than 20 defendants have been referred to the program--mostly by the Clinton County Public Defender’s Office--and there are currently seven who officially started the 18-month long program and are progressing with varying degrees of success.
Many of the others that have been referred to the program are still being considered for acceptance and the judge thinks the program can handle up to 40 participants at one time.
Judge Rudduck named the program the "You-Turn" Recovery Docket because the goal is to have participants turn their lives around by providing them an opportunity to address their substance dependency/addiction issues with support from the judge, probation officers, substance abuse counselors and others.
“Though there has been a lot of interest among offenders, the program is not for everybody,” Judge Rudduck said. “The docket is a highly structured program that requires responsibility and demands accountability from participants. They have to be willing to admit to their addiction and be willing to comply with a highly-structured program that calls for frequent drug tests and encounters with the treatment team--which includes myself, local mental health and drug treatment providers and our probation department.”
The National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) celebrates National Drug Court Month in May to encourage these specialized courts to celebrate successes and to share them with the communities they impact.
The community support and interest shown for the local drug court over the last year indicates it is needed and wanted. “Starting with the public meeting last summer that was attended by more than 100 people interested in confronting the opiate epidemic, the support has been overwhelming,” Judge Rudduck said. “Since that time, we have talked to the faith-based community, job-training centers and educational organizations and others to begin laying a future foundation of programs for those currently in the docket and those who participate in the future.”
Members of the drug court treatment team are also participating in a local coalition formed to combat the opiate epidemic in the county, the judge said.
Since most of the active participants in the local drug court are addicted to heroin, the most telling statistic might be that none have tested positive for heroin since starting the program, the judge said.
The Clinton County Drug Court is not a separate court but a specialized docket within the framework of the Clinton County Common Pleas Court. The goals of the program are to divert these defendants into court-monitored treatment and supervision that reduces the need for them to be incarcerated.
Judge Rudduck agrees with the NADP’s assertion that drug courts demonstrate that a combination of accountability and treatment can transform the lives of seriously addicted offenders. Treating chronically addicted offenders in drug court can save vast amounts of money, continue to protect public safety, reunite families and significantly reduce crime and drug abuse in the community, the judge believes.
To ensure accountability, participants are regularly and randomly tested for drug use, required to appear frequently in court for the judge to review their progress, rewarded for doing well and sanctioned for not living up to their obligations.
“Research continues to show that drug courts work better than jail or prison, better than probation, and better than treatment alone,” Judge Rudduck said. “We know overcoming addiction is tough and admittedly a few of our participants have had minor setbacks. But we deal with those on an individual basis with sanctions that do not automatically mean jail time. It is most important that participants be honest with the treatment team in order for them to succeed.”
The judge encourages those interested in the court to attend the participants’ status review hearings in the Common Pleas Court at 1:30 p.m. the first and third Fridays of each month.
The hearings are less formal than typical court proceedings and the judge encourages comments and observations from those attending at the end of every session.
According
to the NADCP:
· Over
the past 25 years, drug courts have served more than 1.3 million seriously
addicted people.
· There
are now more than 2,900 drug courts nationwide and they are located in every
U.S. state and territory, as well as 23 other countries.
· Drug
courts now serve 145,000 seriously addicted, prison-bound individuals a year.
· Drug
Courts annually refer more people to treatment than any other system in
America.
· Drug
courts save money, cut crime and serve veterans in need of substance abuse and
mental health treatment.
· Drug
courts are a critical component of criminal justice reform.
· Drug
courts are the nation’s most successful criminal justice program.
· Drug
courts have bipartisan support in Congress.
· Drug
courts save up to $27 for every $1 invested.
· Drug
courts save about $13,000 for every individual they serve.
· 75% of
drug court graduates are never arrested again.
· The
most recent Government Accountability Office report (2012) found that drug
courts save money and reduce substance abuse and crime
· Drug
courts are the nation's most effective strategy in reducing recidivism--
especially among drug-addicted offenders with long criminal histories.
· Today,
more than 2,900 Drug Courts are in operation in all 50 states and U.S.
territories successfully treating 142,000 drug-addicted individuals a year.
· Since
1989, drug courts have saved more than 1.3 million lives and billions of tax
dollars.
-Drug
Court-
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Friday, March 27, 2015
Live Oaks Senior Girls Running With Stand-Up Idea To Enhance Education, Health, Fight Obesity In Youth
Sydney Payne, Ashley Collin and Grace Hornsby (pictured left to right above) are champions of stand-up school desks—desks that students can stand at instead of being forced to sit at for long periods of time. The seniors in the Sports Rehabilitation and Therapy Program at Live Oaks became believers in stand-up desks when they saw a podcast last October extolling their benefits.
The podcast said that encouraging and enabling students to stand during class may curb obesity, improve the environment for learning and may even help them avoid back and other debilitating and costly health issues later in life.
The Live Oaks trio adopted the stand-up desk movement as their required senior project and it has become a rewarding community service/collaboration project with Batavia Elementary. The girls hope to have six of the desks (which do come with stools) in three different fourth grade classrooms at Batavia Elementary by the end of the school year.
They have already had a couple of desks donated for their project and believe they are among the first to be used in any Ohio classroom. They are seeking business sponsorships for others and have also done fundraisers, with more planned.
Prof. Mark Benden is the first person the girls contacted to get information on stand up desks. An associate professor and director of the Texas A&M Ergonomics Center, Prof. Benden has conducted studies on stand up desks to learn their benefits. “This project by the students at Live Oaks is very exciting,” Prof. Benden responded in an email. “To date, most of the push for this type of change in schools has come from researchers, superintendents and a few early adopter teachers and parents.”
He said researchers initially began to see this as something to help get kids moving more for health reasons, but soon discovered that active kids perform and behave better in school, which improves the atmosphere for learning.
“To see it moving among the students themselves is very promising as that type of grassroots change is exactly what is needed to see a reduction in sedentary behavior during the school day.” Prof. Benden wrote. “Students working in other districts have conducted contests, produced rap songs and even written grants to receive money for or to communicate about standing desks. This is the first time that I have seen a student led research study with the intent to both increase awareness and potentially influence policy. Very impressive!”
“Stand Up Batavia: A Solution You Can Stand Behind” will also be the trio’s entry in the annual SkillsUSA Championships. SkillsUSA is a showcase for the best career and technical students in the nation, which starts with state competition in Columbus in April. Outstanding career tech students are recognized for their ability to present and design a display and the application of skills and education brought about through career and technical training.
“The showcase encourages career technical students to promote their schools’ career preparation program to their community and industry,” says Scott Proscia, Jr., the girls’ sports rehabilitation and therapy instructor. “They develop a learning-based project that will benefit their school, industry or community with a focus on their career preparation. They will then develop a display to use in their community to explain the project, their studies and its benefits.”
Ashley Collins, from Glen Este, plans to study exercise science at Ohio State University, and aspires to get her doctorate in physical therapy. She thinks her experience with the stand-up desk project can be the basis for research she continues throughout her academic years.
Grace Hornsby and Sydney Payne, both from Goshen, are undecided about their future career choices but know the education, research and collaborative experience they have gained on this project are impressive resume builders no matter what the future holds for them. Payne is also working as an assistant for a local chiropractor based on her experience at Live Oaks.
On Wednesday, March 25, the girls were scheduled to meet with the Clermont County Health Department and the local Collation for Activity and Nutrition. “We are presenting to help think of ways to promote the plan and raise money for our project,” Collins said.
Hornsby also made a connection with the Clermont County of Commerce, who put a link on its website about the project to spread the word and help raise money.
Each desk costs $435 and stools are $205. Total project cost is $11,520 to equip all three classrooms.
The girls calculated that the average student at Batavia Elementary School will sit in a classroom for 60,000 minutes during the school year—triple that of three decades ago.
“Stand up desks are ergonomically designed to get children upright and will promote burning an extra 350 calories per day,” they wrote in their project summary. “Sitting at the standard desk promotes bad posture and could lead to musculoskeletal ailments. Traditional sitting posture has been shown through laboratory results to produce an additional 60 pounds of stress on the spine. The duration of sitting has chronic musculoskeletal repercussions such as higher incidence of muscle strains, herniated disks, lumbar degeneration, and disc disease. Giving children access to the stand-up desk intervention will promote reduction of these chronic conditions and combat a future of chronic pain avoidance.”
The research shows that children with learning disabilities could be those who benefit most from this stand-up movement. In particular, students with Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder have difficulty sitting still, listening quietly, and concentrating. “Restricting these students to traditional desk contributes to an increase in their symptoms and disabilities, which may have behavior consequences,” their summary reads.
”The stand-up desks will improve their learning quality by giving them a space where they can fidget and release energy without disturbing the classroom environment.”
For more information and to find out how to donate to the project, go to www.standupbatavia.wordpress.com
-Live Oaks-
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Senior Girl Trains For Career In Male-Dominated, Job Secure Field of HVAC
MILFORD,
Ohio—As a petite, young woman who has real-life experience and education in
a male-dominated vocation, Maddy Horton may have some “small” advantages in her
intended career.
The
soft-spoken 18-year-old senior from Anderson is the only girl among 30 enrolled
in the two-year heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) program at the
Live Oaks Career Development Campus.
HVAC instructor Brad
O’Donnell says Horton’s diminutive stature will give her an edge over some of
her male peers because “she has small hands and can get into tight spaces.” But
he says the more important advantage Horton will have on many of her cohorts
male or female is that she is very good at her chosen vocation.
“She is one of the best
brazers (pictured above) I have and a very good student,” said O’Donnell, who is in his second-year
as an instructor after spending 21 years in the HVAC field. Brazing is a
process similar to welding in which a lower-heat flame is used to coat metal
with a film of protective brass.
Another
positive trait Horton has, according to O’Donnell, is that she “is very
clean”—knowing the importance of creating and maintaining a spotless work
environment.
When she graduates in
May from Live Oaks’ accredited program, Horton will be considered an HVAC commercial
and residential repair technician, qualified to build ductwork troubleshoot
and repair gas, oil, and electric furnaces; hydronic boilers; and air
conditioners and heat pumps.
Horton is certified in
aerial lift equipment through Bobcat as well as CPR/First Aid as part of her
curriculum. She will be able to take the Environmental Protection Agency Refrigerant
Recovery Certification exam and is a couple of hours away from getting her OSHA
10 card with the rest of her classmates.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 10-hour
online Construction Industry Outreach Training program provides entry-level
workers with critical knowledge about a variety of OSHA-regulated safety and
health topics to ensure on-site safety.
Upon graduation, Horton
will also likely have something many soon-to-be college graduates will not
have—a fulltime job.
The U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics reported that employment for heating, air conditioning and
refrigeration mechanics and installers would increase 34 percent from 2010-2020,
much faster than the average for all occupations. Job prospects for
the field are expected to be excellent, particularly for those who have
completed training from an accredited career-technical school such as Live
Oaks.
O’Donnell says the industry
tends to thrive no matter the overall economy and most students can expect to
start in entry-level jobs at between $10 and $14 an hour. Ohio’s median hourly
wage for the industry was more than $21 in 2010, with growing opportunities in
management, inspection and green energy.
Horton, who also plans to join the
National Guard, is interviewing with a downtown Cincinnati sheet metal company
because she enjoys building ductwork in homes. She can also probably find temporary
or part-time work with her step-father, who is an electrician, or her
grandfather, who took her on plumbing jobs when he baby-sat her as a pre-teen
and planted those career seeds.
“A lot of my family were
doing this kind of work around me and liked it growing up,” Horton says. She
started in the Live Oaks welding program, which might explain her skill level
in brazing, but thought a HVAC career offered the chance to learn a bit more
diverse skills.
She has not been
intimidated as the only girl in the HVAC program. “They treat me like them,”
says Horton and she is okay with being one of the guys. She gets plenty of
female-bonding in her other Live Oaks classes—which include English, government
and advanced algebra.
Although she knows she
will have to apprentice as worker bee for several years, she envisions owning
her own company someday.
Students in the HVAC
programs at Great Oaks can also earn college credits for a number of Ohio colleges
and post-secondary schools and can eventually pursue advanced degrees in fields
such as engineering, an option Horton is also considering.
Live Oaks also offers
an adult HVAC program in which only one woman is enrolled.
-Live Oaks-
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Friday, February 27, 2015
High Schoolers Grow Into Leaders of Tomorrow At Teaching Professions Academy
Students Like
Brandi Norman Grow Into Classroom Leaders
In Great
Oaks’ Teaching Professions Academy
MILFORD,
Ohio—February
27, 2015—When the snow finally stops dropping and the temperatures begin to
stay above freezing on a regular basis, Great Oaks Career Development Campuses
will be wrapping up another successful year of training the teachers of
tomorrow.
“Great Oaks’ Teaching Professions Academy (TPA)
programs are flourishing and our kids are proof!” says Jenn Norsworthy, a
satellite instructor for the program for juniors and seniors at Milford High
School.
The TPA program is
designed for those students who are seeking a career as educators in schools
and will continue on a collegiate path to secure teaching licenses. Students in
the program can earn college credit at all public Ohio universities upon
passage of the state portfolio for the Introduction to Education course that is
mandatory for all education majors.
“TPA programs from Milford,
Anderson and Turpin have all been chosen as break out presenters at the FEA
National Conference 2015 and I could not be more proud,” says Norsworthy. “Great
Oaks programs will be on display for all to see and bring honor and acclaim as
a result of the students’ hard work!”
FEA is the Future
Educators Association, a national student organization dedicated to supporting
young people interested in education-related careers. “The TPA programs at Great
Oaks are without a doubt making an impact in the FEA arena and I am honored to
be on this team,” says Norsworthy. “Watching students grow from students to
leaders before my very eyes is truly an experience I cannot put into words.”
One
student who has done just that is Milford senior Brandi Norman, who Norsworthy
says “pretty much runs the entire” TPA Whiz Kids weekly tutoring program for
first through third graders at Mulberry Elementary in Milford. The after school
tutoring program for high-risk students was started by the Milford TPA this
school year.
The targeted curriculum
is designed to increase reading ability in students behind at a young age to
counteract the negative impacts poor reading ability can have in later years
academically.
This
Whiz Kids site was created in collaboration with Milford Schools, Eastside
Christian Church and City Gospel Mission of Cincinnati.
Norman prepares
tutoring materials for each of her fellow student and adult tutors and also
analyzes improvements in their students’ reading ability. “Brandi volunteers at
least five hours per week just preparing for each week's session,” says
Norsworthy. “The other tutors put in at least an hour and a half of actual
tutoring and preparation time each week.”
To prepare for this
program, Norsworthy said 15 seniors received three hours of training on the
reading curriculum and many students had an additional three hours of training
on the impact poverty has on education.
“I do it for the love
of the kids,” says Norman. “I know some teachers like to teach for the love of
the subject or for the school system, but I like being there for the kids.”
Mulberry principal Brian
Zawodny considers the program a win-win. "While this is a great
opportunity for some of our high school students, our students at Mulberry are
the real winners,” Zawodny says.
Norman said her parents
did not go to college but her experience through the TPA program at Milford and
a push from her mom convinced her to pursue her early childhood education
degree at Bowling Green (Ohio) State University after graduation.
“My mom said I needed
to figure out what I wanted to do and said I would be a good teacher because I
am so patient,” says Norman.
She would highly recommend
her two years in the Great Oaks’ teaching professions program because she has
had more hands-on experience and teachers that “pushed me outside my comfort
zone.”
Juniors in the TPA programs
at Great Oaks’ schools focus on a teaching curriculum and the Ohio Department
of Education Teaching Standards while seniors focus on the senior writing
portfolio and internships in local schools that Norsworthy says allows them to
see a classroom from a different perspective and determine if a teaching career
could be right for them.
(Photo cutline:
Mulberry Elementary second graders, left to right, Maddox Smithson, Logan
Sadler and James Swick with tutor Brandi Norman.)
-GOCDC-
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Friday, January 16, 2015
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
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