Star Beacon
May 04, 2006 07:30 am
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MANDY WEED & MELISSA BORDEN
JEFFERSON - As the school year comes to an end, seniors at the Ashtabula County Joint Vocational School are anxious and excited to graduate. Many plan to attend college, while others are eager to work in a career for which their vocational program prepared them.
The assumption that career/technical students do not pursue higher education is incorrect. Justin Draeger of Culinary Arts will attend the Pennsyl-vania Culinary Institute in Pittsburgh. He hopes to one day become an executive chef and own a restaurant.
Also headed to Pitts-burgh is Kristie Lane of Graphic Arts who will study at the Art Institute and eventually work in a print shop. Lane says that she's glad she chose ACJVS as the experience seriously changed her life. "I've gained knowledge and skills. I've grown into a completely different person," she said.
Nick Otto, a state-level competitor in our Com-puter Networking program will continue his computer/electronics engineering education at ITT Tech in Strongsville.
Ashley Szalai from Health Care Technologies will study nursing at Kent State University. Mike Kutner will also attend KSU Ashtabula for an associate degree in sound and stage lighting.
Holly Nolin will work at a newspaper. She said she's learned a lot about the graphic arts industry and about life in general at ACJVS.
Lydia Smith will study at Lakeland Community College to become a registered nurse. Brianna Dudley will major in business marketing at Cleveland State Univer-sity. Tony Brand of Masonry will join the union and work in that field and Katie Collins will join the Navy to study graphic arts.
Final projects are occupying the minds of students waiting for the last day of school May 26. Lab instructors are assigning projects related to career areas. Graphic Arts seniors are preparing a memory book to share pictures and quotes from the past year. Culinary Arts students are creating a restaurant plan complete with a formal menu, em-
See ACJVS, Page D1
employee schedule, equipment costs and a floor plan. They will also participate in a class-wide competition preparing a four-course meal with a teammate in one hour. Marketing and C-Net have been given the task of doing a research project about their programs.
The end of the year isn't just a time for serious studies and college planning. For seniors at ACJVS, it is a time for reflection on the past two years of their lives. Memories of activities at our school will always be held as some of the best times in high school. Moments like regional, state and national competitions, our annual talent show, karaoke Friday, softball games and being in lab every day will be memories for years to come.
Nick Otto said he will miss spending time at lunch with his friends. Tony Brand will miss going on the jobsite and learning from instructors. Melissa Borden and Mandy Weed, this column's reporters, will attend Bowling Green State University and Edinboro University, respectively. Our favorite time was competing in culinary state contests and being given the chance to become best friends.
Lydia Smith of Health Care Tech has mixed feelings about graduating. "I want to live my life," she said. "For the past 12 years this has been my life, but it's time to move on."
The decision to attend ACJVS resulted in being a positive experience for us seniors. Audra Wolff states that coming to our school was the best decision she ever made. "I've made a lot of friends, and all the teachers and administrators work hard to give us the best education," she said.
Many feel that nothing can be compared to the skills they have received and the lifelong friendships they have created. For next year's seniors and incoming juniors, the upcoming years could be some of the best of their lives. For this year's graduating class, this is another step toward achieving our goals.
The annual senior awards ceremony will be 7 p.m. May 26 at Lakeside High Ball Gymnasium. Juniors' last day is June 7.
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