Vantage hires new adult education director

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent writer

Vantage Career Center has a new adult education director.

Angie Fahy will replace Kit Tyler, who’s retiring June 30. Fahy currently serves as financial aid and program assistant at Four County Career Center in Archbold. She was given a two-year contract during Thursday night’s Vantage Board of Education meeting.

In other personnel moves, the board approved a three-year contract for High School Director Michael Knott, along with a four-year intervention specialist Heather Brickner. Contracts were also approved for criminal justice instructor Zacharia Miller, cosmetology instructor Susan Smith, electricity instructor Mel White, construction equipment technology instructor Christopher Miles, and auto collision instructor Daniel Edwards.

The board also approved a two-year contract for Community Relations Coordinator Miriam Owens and a three-year contract for Student Services Coordinator Tonya Temple.

Board members accepted the resignation of EMS Coordinator Douglas Edelbrock, effective April 9.

Superintendent Rick Turner informed the board that the annual Senior Awards ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 18, in the Van Wert High School gymnasium. 500 people will be allowed to attend, along with staff and students.

Turner also said current enrollment for incoming juniors is 318.

“We’re running right on target of what we would normally have,” Turner explained. “We have excellent collaboration with our associate schools and it’s made recruiting successful through this pandemic. We appreciate each of our schools and we thank them for supporting us and helping us with some of the challenges this year.”

Turner said there are currently zero cases of COVID-19 at Vantage and just two high school students are quarantined. He also said 70 percent of Vantage staff members have been fully vaccinated.

“We don’t have a precise number because some people got vaccinated outside of Vantage,” Turner stated.

He added a number of students are currently involved in various state competitions.

During her report to the board, Treasurer Laura Peters said a resolution to refinance bonds will be on the May agenda. She also said real estate tax money is coming in and she said she’s looking for better interest rates on Vantage’s investments. She added she’d like to keep the money local.

A College Credit Plus memorandum of understanding with Rhodes State College was approved by the board, along with a satellite agreement with the Van Wert City Schools.

Board members also approved travel requests for Theresa Mengerink and Susan Carr to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, July 10-15 for the 2021 Freedoms Foundation Civil Rights Movement-Heroes and Heroines Summer Workshop, and one for Mengerink to Omaha, Nebraska, September 9-13 to attend the Teach American History Workshop on American Government Foundation and the Founders.

The board graciously accepted a $150 donation from Alan Post for the Vantage FFA program.

Following the meeting, the board hosted the 43rd annual Vantage All Boards Dinner and Alumni Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Turner told associate board members and administrators that Vantage has sustained face-to-face instruction five days per week during the 2020-2021 school year and he said the career center started two new high school programs — Transitions to Work and Sports Exercise Therapy.

He also noted Practical Nursing students have helped administer COVID-19 shots and he said an RN program will be offered starting in the fall of 2022. In addition, the superintendent said Vantage has acquired 15 acres of land from the Marsh Foundation for future development.

The two Hall of Fame inductees were Kelly (Walls) Lloyd (Mendon Union, 1977) and John Schimmoeller (Ottoville, 1991).

The next meeting of the Vantage Career Center Board of Education will be 7 p.m. Thursday, May 6.