DME Design winners

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Winners of the Digital Media & Entertainment Bottle Design Contest were: first place, Tiarra Covrett; second place, Brian Osborne; third place, Carolyn Amos and honorable mention, Isaac Sword.

TRCC Makes A Difference!

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Tri-Rivers Make A Difference Day was Sept. 17. Approximately 275 students and staff members from Tri-Rivers Career Center participated in the school’s second annual Make A Difference Day.

The event was a collaborative project with the United Way of Marion and Downtown Marion Inc.  Among many activities, participants spruced up landscaping in parks and downtown, visited residents of two local nursing homes, restored and painted park benches, cleaned up graffiti, and created signs and ornamental artwork for the downtown area.

Many of the projects were based on students’ career interests and skills. For example, women from the local homeless shelter were treated to a “spa” day conducted by Cosmetology students, while Automotive Tech students winterized the their vehicles.

Floral Design students decorated front windows of vacant businesses, Culinary Arts students worked in the Salvation Army soup kitchen, and CNET students cleaned hard drives and repurposed old computers. Digital Media and Entertainment students documented the day’s events on You Tube. Congratulations Tri-Rivers and the Marion community for this highly successful community service event! TRCC students do MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!

Peace, Love & Popcorn

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Tri-Rivers high school and adult students participated in the 2010 Popcorn Festival Parade—Peace, Love & Popcorn was the theme this year. From floats to tie dye shirts Tri-Rivers students were creative in their designs.
The students also will be busy throughout the festival at Kiddie Korner offering fun children’s games with prizes. This is the school’s annual fundraiser for Career Technical Student Organizations. Click here to see the video.

Ohio Attorney General visits TRCC

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Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray visited Tri-Rivers Level 1 Public Safety Services students Wednesday, Sept. 8. He commended the students for being part of an accelerated demanding program. One he said provides a valuable service to the area. Sheriff Tim Bailey also visited. PSS student performed formations.

Tigers & Bears, Oh My!

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Mascots TR and CC were busy Saturday, Sept. 4. They visited the Hickory Grove Lake Campground Parade in the morning and then were off to Saturday in the Park for the afternoon!!

Entries in the Hickory Grove Parade, 805 Hoch Rd, Marion, included Popcorn  Royalty, cool cars, and more. TR and CC got to ride on a neat golf cart.   Their chauffeur was  a graduate of Tolles Career and Technical Center. So there was lots of career tech talk!!  The event raised funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

From Hickory Grove, TR and CC headed to Saturday in the Park, at Lincoln Park in Marion. The crowd was huge and the wind was something else!! However, it didn’t stop kids from having a great time. Tri-Rivers’ area was busy with kids playing our “hillbilly” golf and looking  through our program and levy materials.

Thanks to all the students who were mascots and assisted at the events: Kaitlyn Kerr, Ray Wilson, Sierra Easterday, Aaliyan Keith, Kyle Hopkins, Alivia Young, Kennedy Burroughs and Shaylee Wilson. (And all the others who may not have signed in) It was a fun day!!!

Vex Robotics incredible training

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“VEX Robotics is an incredible way to learn basic robotic programming and manufacturing techniques. It is erector sets meet computer programming. They are simple to build and can be made and can also be used to solve complex science and mathematics problems.

Thirteen teachers met for two days this summer on August 9 and 10 to learn how to build and program robots using “Easy C” programming language. Each teacher earned more than $700 worth of robotics equipment and hardware for their school. Area students will be the big winners because of the teachers dedication to their craft.

Attending the training at held at TRECA were; John Kuzio-Elgin, Jill Eyestone-Upper Sandusky, Scott Jones, John Seibel, Jon Crothers, and Ritch Ramey  – Tri-Rivers Career Center, Mark Robinson –Harding, Drew Mosely –Bowling Green State University, Tad Douce & Ed Goodwin – River Valley, Rick Fryman – Cardington, Kurt Grunert & Kristi Matlack of North Union.

These schools all participate in the National Robotics Challenge. Vex Robotics is an integral part of Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEMS) education. The Vex Robotics equipment and training was provided by Depco trainer Rob Smith and staff. They did a great job demonstrating how the software can be used to solve complex STEM project in our class rooms.

This training will help prepare the teachers to instruct programming and manufacturing concepts.  The training was provided for by the Marion Area STEM grant through TRECA and the Marion Community Foundation with a $80,000 grant Tri-Rivers Engineering Instructor Ritch Ramey was awarded to provide STEM training for area schools by Honda of America.

TRCC Tech Prep Engineering and Harding graduate Drew Mosley attended the session to learn how to student-teach robotics to his classes at Bowling Green State University. He has helped judge at the NRC the last two years and plans to use them in the class room this winter.

“This was very strenuous training. We plan on using these in our engineering program at Elgin. We know it will help prepare our Engineering students for the real world and help those that will be attending Tri-Rivers and Marion Tech better transition into their robotics classes,”
said Elgin Engineering and TRCC CAD teacher John Kuzio.

The TRCC staff will be using the robots we earned in our 1st after school Robotics Club. We plan to use these robots in our career technical labs, math and science class rooms and to enhance students education. Mr. Seibel and Mr. Crothers have extensive experience in the engineering field and have completed 8 days of Math Machine and Vex Robotics summer classes to add robotic projects to their math classes to promote hands on learning using robotics. Mr. Jones has many years experience in the machine trades field and is using Vex robotics in his Manufacturing Transition program.

You can find out more information on the vexrobotics.com website.

TRCC staff hear America’s Educator

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At the invitation of the North Central Ohio Education Service Center the Tri-Rivers Staff kicked off the school year’s professional development activities with a trip to Tiffin to hear Ron Clark, known to many as “America’s Educator.”

TRCC staff members were energized after hearing Clark talk about his innovative teaching techniques. Clark has pioneered projects in rural North Carolina and in Harlem. Oprah Winfrey has dubbed him as her first “Phenomenal Man.”

His bestselling book, “The Essential 55” was one of Oprah’s book picks. It includes 55 expectations of students—as well as all individuals—young and old.

Most recently he founded the Ron Clark Academy, an inner-city school serving students from across metro Atlanta. The privately-funded institution is unique for its creative teaching methods and curriculum based on worldwide travel. You can learn more at his website.

Tri-Rivers Engineering Technologies Instructor Ritch Ramey was one of four lucky winners of a scholarship to attend the academy to observe the “out-of-the-box” methods of achieving success.

“I won because Tri-Rivers was proactive in professional development and was innovative enough to bus our staff to see Ron at the Ritz Theatre through sponsorship of the North Central Ohio Educational Center. I am definitely going to slide down the slide that Oprah went down, ” said Ramey. “We met Clark at a convention last year, he is amazing. Wow! I still cannot believe I won!”

Ramey and the other scholarship recipients will travel to the Academy this Fall during COTA weekend. Ramey plans to share his experiences with colleagues when  he returns.

 

New Student Orientation Aug. 10

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Tri-Rivers New Student Orientation is Tuesday, August 10 starting at 6 p.m. New students—Transitions and Level 1 students—and their parents are encouraged to attend this important event.

From 6pm to 6:30pm there will be social time with free hotdogs, cookies and punch. During this time students are also encouraged to pick up their schedules, have their ID photos taken, register for parking permits, purchase warehouse items and visit information stations on Teen Institute, Robotics Club, Learning Center, Dean of Students, School Nurse and Technology Resource Center.

At 6:30pm there will be a Welcome Session in the Multi-Purpose Room. Superintendent Chuck Speelman and Executive Director Larry Hickman will provide important information and updates.

At 6:45pm parents and students will have the opportunity to visit labs. Transitions students and parents will stay in the Multi-Purpose Room for additional information. Following the informational session, Transitions students and parents are encouraged to meet with instructors to receive specific program information and to visit various labs.

Sometime during the evening students are invited to pick up two free T-shirts in the Auditorium.  Instructors will have students’ pre-ordered uniforms in their labs and if a student still needs to order unforms, a Dyenamo representative will be available to assist them.

The first day of school for Transitions students, all students in Level 1 programs, all students in satellite programs and all grade 12 students in Job Training is August 17. Level 2 students’ first day is August 18.

For additional information and questions, contact Student Services at 740-389-4681, Ext. 421.

 

Nursing Graduation 2010

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The Tri-Rivers School of Practical Nursing and Tri-Rivers School of Nursing LPN to RN Diploma Program Graduation celebrated the successes of the 2010 graduates at a formal ceremony held at the historic Palace Theatre in Downtown Marion. LPN to RN graduate Aaron Windbigler received the Judith Ryan Higel Award; PN graduates Crystal Black, Nicole Marie Evans, Robin Keaton and Kathleen Denton were recipients of  Margaret Helen Gast Awards.
LPN to RN students graduating with honors included: Jaime Phillips and Aaron Windbigler. Windbigler also received a Perfect Attendance Award.

Practical Nursing students graduating with honors included: Heather Blair, Kathleen Denton, Andrea Schofield and Heather Stiger. PN students with Perfect Attendance included: Blair, Denton, Lindsey Lovett, Deborah Rush, and Ashley Thompson.

Eula Doering gave the LPN to RN student address. Heather Blair gave the PN Day Class Address and Amy Eversole gave the PN Evening Class address.

The Soloist was Jennifer Schaeffer, 1995 School of Practical Nursing graduate. Flowers were presented to each graduate by Twig V. The organist was Angie Carbetta.

Teachers Build Robots

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Teachers are on vacation, right? Wrong. Several area math, science and technology teachers are attending a Math Machines Workshop at Tri-Rivers June 14-18—Connecting Math, Science and Technology. They are using algebra and geometric formulas to build a calculator-controlled Science And Math (SAM) vehicle and two other math machines  for use in their classrooms.

The participating instructors are learning to use the SAM vehicle and other materials in activities where students apply mathematics and science concepts to authentic, work-related tasks, explained Ritch Ramey Tri-Rivers Engineering Technology Instructor.  “The SAM vehicle and other math machines give an immediate, physical expression to mathematical functions.”

Ramey said, “The training is the result of a Martha Holden Jennings Foundation Grant and funds from the National Robotics Challenge. The goal is to develop an integrated math curriculum to prepare students for college.”

The overall  mission of Math Machines is to improve the quality of mathematical education, enhance the transfer of mathematical thinking into other classes, and increase students’ ability to apply rigorous mathematics outside the classroom.

Teachers attending  include: Ramey, John  Seibel, Jon Crothers, Michelle Rawlins, Kathleen Reinhard, all of  Tri-Rivers; Shawn Wilhelm from Highland; Kurt Grunert from North Union; Heather Smith from Moapa Valley, NV; Robin VanSickle and Amy Wilson from Grant Middle School; and Amy Washburn from River Valley Middle School. The instructors are Bob Chaney and Fred Thomas.

To learn more about Math Machines visit: mathmachines.net