Superintendent Goals are Important to Planning

Each year I set goals for myself and share them with the Board of Education.  We review my progress toward these goals quarterly and at the end of each fiscal year.  I like to challenge myself each year and do my best to reach each and every goal set.  My objective is to set goals that are challenging but realistic and attainable.  They should ultimately help our district improve. This year my Academic Performance Objective in the emerging trends category is a goal that I am extremely passionate about.  It is so critical that each of our students has a career path and idea of what their passion is before leaving school. Getting to know our students, developing positive relationships, personalizing our instruction and making every student college and career ready is a lofty but worthwhile goal. 

All Vermilion employees are expected to accept responsibility for the mission and vision established for our district.  I will continue to be committed each day to keeping students as the focus of every decision we make, and to the vision of working with our staff to inspire each of students to be leaders and lifelong learners.  My commitment to these methods of improvement is shown in the full list of my goals for the 2016-2017 school year (see separate article). 

In July I will complete 8 years as Superintendent in the Vermilion Local School District. Prior to coming to Vermilion I held positions as an assistant principal, principal and assistant superintendent.   The experience gained was helpful, but could not prepare me for all of the aspects encountered in a new job.   Paul Kalanithi, in his book, "When Breath Becomes Air"* talks about this phenomena.  Paul was a neurosurgeon who passed away at the young age of 36.  Before he passed he described the process it took to go from the brutal hours of a resident doctor to becoming a full-fledged surgeon.  He described the residency as being a relatively protected and isolated environment, without total responsibility.  After completing the residency he felt the weight of complete responsibility as he described to patients and their families the possibility of a lifetime of severe pain, life support and even death as a result of a one millimeter miscue with a scalpel during an upcoming operation.   While my decisions are often difficulty, the role of Superintendent is not comparable to the decisions a neurosurgeon must make.  It is almost unimaginable to me to that I would literally have the responsibility of a life in my hands each time I went to work! 

People have often commented to me that they wouldn't want my job because of the number of decisions that must be made and the fact that they can't make everyone happy.  That is true and I have learned that I can never make everyone happy with decisions I make.  Fortunately, I rarely have to make instant decisions and have the luxury of time to consider all of the ramifications of the issue before making a decision. I believe the education profession parallels the medical profession in a many ways, and I consider myself very grateful to be working in a career that makes an impact on the future lives of young people.   It is very gratifying to watch our students come in as young boys and girls, proceed through young adulthood into high school graduation then be ready to go out into the world with a  passion for what they love to do.  I believe that student success is a largely the result of being taught by our talented teachers and being supported by loving families.  It is a very humbling and gratifying to be able to come to a place that I get to see students make progress every day.  

The past 8 years in the district have been a whirlwind and I reflect back with fond memories on how much has changed in my life, both personally and professionally.  I was in the 27th year of our marriage when I first began in Vermilion and am now in the 33 year of marriage to my beautiful wife Nahid who is supportive, loving, is a terrific mother and even better grandmother!  During this time I watched both of my sons get married and now have 3 terrific grandchildren with another on the way.  My younger son, Matthew, has been in the teaching profession for 7 years in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. His wife, Kristen, is an Ohio State graduate in nutrition, but is a doing the valuable job of being a stay at home mom for our granddaughters Madyson, age 6 and Lilia, age 2.  My older son, Michael, runs a successful business and his wife Lindsay is a teacher at CMSD.  They both take care of our 2 year old grandson Jaxson. We are so excited about the arrival of our new grandson who is set to arrive in March. Below are some photos of the family.  As you can see I have much to be thankful for.

I would like to thank the community for your ideas, commitment and support during my time here in Vermilion, and look forward to our continued collaboration as we guide children and grandchildren to successful lives and careers.  As always, I value your input, and hope that you will contact me if you have ideas or suggestions to share. 

* “When Breath Becomes Air” by Paul Kalanithi is available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 

Nahid and Mady

Mady and Grandpa

Matthew, Kristen, Madyson, Lilia

Michael, Lindsay, Jaxson

Jaxson and Dad

Lilia and Dad

Jaxson

An Important Message About School Bus Safety

In order to continually improve safety on Vermilion School Buses, this article is a reminder to parents and students about bus safety expectations. 

In the next few weeks the Transportation Department will provide all students and parents with an updated copy of safety rules which will include a description of penalties for disruptive behavior.  Bus rules are also stated in the Student Handbook at each school. 

The following behaviors are considered to be extremely disruptive to the driver, and create an unsafe environment for all students:

1.   Disrespectful behavior – bullying, hitting, punching, yelling, screaming, failure to obey the driver

2.   Vulgarity – inappropriate language or rude gestures to other students, drivers or the public

3.   Disruption at the railroad tracks – Ohio law requires students to be silent at railroad crossings until the bus is safely across the tracks.

4.   Inappropriate behavior, including, but not limited to throwing items within or outside the bus, using sprays on or near others, vandalism (writing on or damaging seats, floors, walls, etc.)

Principals and bus drivers will strictly enforce these rules.  Violations will result in immediate removal from the bus beginning with one day off the bus for the first offense, and progressive steps for additional violations up to and including expulsion from the bus.

The following behaviors are safety rules that are put in place by the Ohio Department of Education Transportation Section, and will be enforced by the driver and administration:

5.   Eating / drinking / chewing gum / littering

6.   Legs in aisles and/or arms, hands, etc. sticking out of the windows

7.   Sitting in an unassigned seat or standing while the bus is moving

8.   Violation of bus stop rules, including not remaining in the safety zone, repeatedly late to bus stop, and getting on or off at an incorrect bus stop without permission.

Violation of these rules will result in a letter being sent home.  Additional violations will be referred to the principal for action up to and including suspension from the bus. 

Safety continues to be the #1 priority of our Transportation Department.  We maintain a high standard of training and accountability for our bus drivers and mechanics.  Our goal is to work with students, parents and administrators to provide our drivers with as little disruption as possible as they navigate their buses throughout our community.  Enforcement of rules is one tool in reaching this goal. 

Thank you for your continued support and cooperation in keeping students and community safe. 

Philip M. Pempin, Superintendent

Vermilion Schools Welcome Therapy Dogs

Therapy dogs are being used in many industries to help comfort and support individuals with emotional or learning difficulties.  We are fortunate to be able to offer the services of two therapy dogs who are owned by our staff members.  Therapy dogs can provide a calming effect to young learners who are struggling, or who have emotional and learning difficulties.  This is partially due to endorphins that are released while petting a dog.   I wanted to take this opportunity to share some information about the dogs and the service they provide. 

Janelle Molenaar’s family pet, Jameson, was rescued from the Lorain County Dog Pound in April of 2014.  He was roughly 19-pounds underweight, and showed signs of depression due to lack of human interaction and affection.  After Jameson reached normal weight, he began working on basic commands. Within a few months, it was clear that Jameson had qualities that made him stand out from other dogs.  He naturally gravitated toward people with physical or emotional difficulties.  He leans his head on them for affection.  Friends and family often comment on how great Jameson makes them feel when he is around.  Many people experience this effect after interaction with a pet.

After seeing this response time and time again with friends and strangers alike, Mrs. Molenaar looked into canine therapy.  Jameson met with two trainers who did an evaluation on his temperament and energy level.  Jameson took the Bright and Beautiful Therapy Dog evaluation test in 2015, and passed with flying colors.  Prior to coming to Vermilion, Jamison worked with veterans at the nursing home who look forward to his visits, claiming he is the “best part of our day”.

Jameson began a new chapter in his therapy dog career in January, working at Sailorway Middle School one-to-two days a week.  He is available for students to read to, complete homework with, talk to, and socialize with.  In the school setting Jameson provides comfort and love to students via petting and affection.  The goal is for Jameson to help students build confidence, improve literacy skills, bolster self-esteem, increase self-confidence, reduce self-consciousness, and provide a nurturing friendship.  Below is a photo of Jamison at work helping to relieve test anxiety.

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Moose is a Husky/Golden Retriever mix owned by the Kurt Habermehl family.  He is enrolled in a two-year therapy training program.  Moose has mastered puppy obedience and canine good citizen courses and is still working to earn the therapy dog certificate.  Moose has been visiting Vermilion High School with Cara Habermehl approximately one day per week.  His job is to lift the spirits of students who may be down or are upset by something at home or school.  Mrs. Habermehl finds that the presence of Moose can help start conversations with students that often lead to more serious dialogue about school issues.