Teachers Accepting the Challenge at Sailorway

Some of you may be aware that, for the past three years, Sailorway Middle School has had an ongoing Reading Challenge for teachers and students. As I have visited the classrooms at Sailorway Middle School, I have taken note of the title, and book display covers that indicate what our staff members have been reading on their own time. I am amazed at the diversity of the titles of books each teacher has read, as well as the number of books they have completed since the beginning of this school year. Each of the book titles and covers is prominently displayed at the entrance window or can be easily seen when walking into each classroom.

I believe this has been one of the most valuable initiatives that our middle school teaching and administrative team at Sailorway could have provided for our students. This is true modeling and a demonstration of love for reading in action! When students know that our staff have interests outside of school, and those interests are reflected in the title of the books they are reading, it opens up a whole new avenue and possibility to get to know students on a more personal level. Sharing thoughts and ideas about books with students make reading more relevant for them. Reading can bring such pleasure and comfort into our lives or can make us think about life differently.

Looking back at my school life, I am now so grateful for having been “taught” by my teachers the importance of reading. Without this basic knowledge, my life would have been totally changed. By gaining knowledge through reading, we can solve problems and make sense of a chaotic world. At first we “learn to read”, then later, as we become older and hopefully wiser, we begin to “read to learn.” Our students have embraced the reading for pleasure initiative at Sailorway and have been reading books for the past three years in record numbers.

The book circulation in the Sailorway library has dramatically increased for all three years! Recently the SMS library was awarded a generous grant from James Patterson through Scholastic. This allowed our library to offer several new and updated titles to our students. Next time you visit Sailorway, please take a moment to notice the books that our staff is reading. Our teachers are doing a wonderful job of proving that “for our children the road to happiness is usually paved by our example”. I challenge you, too, to get involved and model reading for the children in your life. Talk with them about the books they are reading, and encourage them to learn more. Reading opens up so many doors to our imagination, passions, and dreams. Without this valuable skill, life would certainly be less fulfilling.

All Are Welcome!

Over the last couple years, the Vermilion School District has undergone some massive improvements. One of the most recent being the completion of our field house, which was dedicated to local veterans this fall.

Our field house includes a weight room, gym, and a large storage area that can be utilized in the future for expansion if needed. The weight room is 3,020 sq. ft. and is outfitted with top-quality, high-end weight equipment that rivals most small college weight rooms. The gym is over 9,000 sq. ft. and features a 100m walking track, college size basketball, volleyball, and tennis courts, six retractable and adjustable basketball hoops, and two retractable batting cages.

If you have yet to go see the field house, you really should. It is as impressive as it is useful. Virtually every athletic team at VHS has had the opportunity to utilize the field house. In the short time it has been open, it has already become a significant asset to our athletic programs and will no doubt aid in the ongoing development of our student-athletes.

VHS athletes aren’t the only ones benefitting. Several community organizations including the YMCA have started using our gym space. The YMCA has used it for their youth basketball program, and will continue to use it for their winter basketball program as well as their volleyball program.

Making the fieldhouse accessible to the community is a significant priority to the district. We are excited the YMCA has been able to expand their programs by using our building, and we welcome other organizations to do the same. Any organization or group interested in using the field house can contact the Vermilion High School Athletic Office to get more information and availability.

We have also worked with the coaches to create a schedule that allows community members to take advantage of our wonderful indoor walking track. You can access the open gym schedule through the Vermilion Schools Website HERE We have open gym hours 4-5 days a week most weeks, and we have worked to provide both morning and evening open gym hours to accommodate as many people as possible.

We can’t talk about the field house without taking a minute to thank Pat O’Brian and The Vermilion Athletic Booster Club for their generous support. Pat O’Brian donated $50,000, which was used to purchase weight room equipment. The Booster Club has donated $25,000 ($5,000/year) over the course of 5 years to purchase equipment. They’ve also donated $5,484.68 for the engravable brick pavers in the main walkway and $4,239.92 for upgraded flooring in the weight room. In total, the Booster Club has donated $34,724.60.

This past fall, our field house was officially names The Veterans Memorial Field House with complete support of our board of education, the athletic boosters, and Pat O’Brien! This wonderful facility could never be possible to use or even talk about if it had not been for the bravery and valor of Vermilion Veterans!! 

School Board Members Make a Difference

 

Boards of Education are a mature and tested institution in Ohio. School board members make policy; approve contracts with employees; choose curriculum; adopt budgets; and select a superintendent, treasurer and business manager to administer the district. They do all these tasks with the emphasis on what’s best for the children they serve.

Pictured above are Vermilion Board members (left to right) Michael Stark, Nancy Oates, Chris Habermehl (president), Sara Stepp and Shelly Innes (vice president). 

Being an effective school board member is no easy task, particularly in today’s climate of change and challenge. School board members need to be knowledgeable about many complex education and social issues, and carry out initiatives and directives from both federal and state governments. To face these demands of governing our public schools, they give countless hours of personal time.

A public board of education is a legislative body of citizens elected locally by their communities.  Our school board consists of five members who serve four-year terms of office.  As co-partners with the General Assembly, which created boards of education, school board members are designated to carry out the constitutional mandate to administer the school system of each district. 

Through dedicated, responsible endeavors, school board members serve the public interest in public education — and serve the needs of our kids. They ensure that decisions about public schools are made as close to the needs of our communities as possible. Their public service is an excellent example for young and old alike of the tradition of volunteerism that is a hallmark of American society. 

Each year in January the Ohio School Boards Association encourages communities to honor the contributions and dedication of local school board members — the locally elected citizens who make decisions that affect, influence and direct the education of our youth.  Our school board is just one of the more than 700 boards across Ohio.

Please join us in saying “thank you” to those who participate in what is perhaps the purest form of the grassroots democratic principles upon which our republic was founded.  Our school board members do make a difference in our community, for every child, every day.

One Last Thing...

ONE LAST THING – IDEA FULFILLED! 

In 2009, we went to the community with a proposal for a Reinvention Plan that promised we would not ask for additional operating money for two years.  We are very happy and proud that we were able to keep that promise, not only for two years but all the way through 2016.  Thanks to the hard work and effort of our teachers and support staff, we have kept our schools on a tight budget, despite continual cuts in State funding.  We have been able to reduce spending, and we have not had to request additional operating money to keep our schools running. 

As part of the Reinvention Plan, we also presented the idea of “one last thing”.  This was the creation of a single campus that would, over time, make our district more cost efficient.  We are proud to say that this idea has become a reality, along with 15 other major accomplishments that have made our school district something to be extremely proud of!  While I could name more than 15, these are the most recent improvements:

1. New elementary school
2. Updated VHS auditorium
3. Updated VHS music wing
4. Updated security lighting in parking lots
5. Updated VHS art rooms
6. Updated and refurbished kitchen at SMS
7. Updated and refurbished kitchen at VHS
8. Construction of a field house that will also serve the community
9. Sale of South Street School, the former Lake Elementary (Vermilion YMCA) and Valley View administration building
10. Upgrade in HVAC system at VHS
11. New floors throughout Sailorway
12. Sidewalk and roadway improvement on Sailorway Drive
13. Walkway allowing easy access from VHS and parking lots to athletic fields and field house
14. Updated sound system in VHS gymnasium
15. Updated sound system in VHS auditorium

It is important to note that all of these improvements were necessary as we strove to keep our facilities up-to-date and avoid a state of disrepair that would be costly to recover from.  As you may be aware, many school districts around Ohio have facilities that have reached the point of demolition.  We have worked hard to be faithful stewards of what the community has provided for their children.  With these improvements, we look forward to serving the children and grandchildren of our current students over the next 40 to 50 years.     

One of the greatest benefits of the single campus idea was that no new tax dollars were used to support the changes.  We were able to provide these beautiful and upgraded facilities with cost savings achieved through consolidation into a single campus.  Should you have any questions about district finances or our academic status, please do not hesitate to call my office at 440-204-1723. 

As we enter into 2016, I hope you share my belief that we have much to be thankful for.  We look forward to working with students, families and community members as we continue to improve educational opportunities in Vermilion. 

Check out some pictures of our renovated art rooms, band room, and choir room. Our art and music programs are just two of the program areas Vermilion has to be proud of. Our students work hard and accomplish many amazing things. 

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