Career center graduates honored
COSHOCTON – One hundred and three Career Center seniors took part in a special awards assembly to honor the completion of their career-tech program of study and the presentation of their Career Passports from the Coshocton County Career Center. In attendance to celebrate with the students were family, friends, career center students, staff and school board members, as well as representatives from Ridgewood, River View and Coshocton City school districts.
During the assembly, various academic and industry awards were presented. The Presidential Academic Achievement awards were distributed to students maintaining a 3.5 or higher grade point average all year. Eight seniors were recognized for this achievement: Brittany Bullock, Cierra Elwood, Stacie Grudier, Erin Kennard, Kelsey Maple, Danika Prince, Ashley Tolliver and Kelly Towner. After this, presentation of the competitive awards began. Seventeen students captured individual monetary scholarship awards during the assembly, and another 17 took home Dollars for Scholar scholarships, previously awarded. Others earned scholarships as a result of skills contests this spring. In total, CCCC program completers have captured more than $40,000 in scholarships and awards.
Kathy Thompson of the Coshocton Foundation awarded three prizes to worthy recipients. The $1,000 Harmon & Norma Robinson Memorial Scholarship went to Danika Prince, an Early Childhood Education program completer from River View. The $500 Walter H. Pomerene Scholarship went to Cory Johnson, an Automotive Technology program completer from River View. Finally, the $500 R.R. Casey and Mary Jones Memorial Scholarship was presented to Brett Fry, an Automotive Technology program completer. All three students are from River View High School.
Thompson also presented a $500 Coshocton Rotary Scholarship to Tevis Whitt, an Automotive Technology program completer from Ridgewood High School.
Stephanie Conrad presented a $1,000 Coshocton County Board of Realtors scholarship award to Brittany Bullock, an Early Childhood Education program completer from River View.
Coshocton County Memorial Hospital’s Mary Ellen Given awarded two $500 scholarships to two seniors in the Career Center’s Health Technology program, Kelsey Maple and Ashley Tolliver, both from Ridgewood.
On behalf of the Coshocton County Nurses Association, Mark Nelson awarded a $500 scholarship to Morgan Bradford, a Health Technology program completer from Ridgewood.
On behalf of the Coshocton County Career Center Employee Education Association, Dennis Wilson, math instructor at the career center, recognized two students with a $100 award each. “The money is offered to help you with incidental costs you have while pursuing your career,” explained Wilson. Morgan Bradford and Damion Phelps, a Metal Fabrication program completer from Ridgewood, took home those awards.
Student newspaper advisor, Megan Staron, awarded two $50 prizes to two news team members who had contributed “above-and-beyond” assistance in the team’s efforts to produce the monthly Career Center Chronicle student newspaper. Those recipients were Mikayla McGough, a Health Technology program completer, and Chase Reveal, a Culinary Arts program completer. Both are from Ridgewood.
Jessie Tubbs, a former West Lafayette Homecoming queen, presented a $400 scholarship award to Morgan Bradford, who was chosen last summer to represent the village’s homecoming celebration as queen.
Craig Border recognized Electronics program completer Jacob Blank with this year’s Ray Border Memorial Scholarship, in the amount of $100. The scholarship is only available to those who plan to serve in a branch of the U.S. armed services. Blank, who will graduate from Coshocton High School, will depart for basic training with the U.S. Navy in mid-June, where he will train for a career in nuclear weaponry.
CCCC Superintendent Deborah Kapp-Salupo then awarded a $700 Ohio University Zanesville Superintendent’s Scholarship award to River View senior Courtney Alford, who recently completed the Early Childhood Education program at the Career Center, and plans to attend school at OUZ this fall.
Seventeen CCCC seniors were given Dollars-For-Scholars scholarship prizes this year, totaling $9,000. Those recipients are: Kaysland Barber, Electronics program completer Austin Barron (River View), Morgan Bradford, Criminal Justice program completer Kylie Brown (Coshocton), Culinary Arts program completer Janie Cayton (River View), Natural Resources program completer Shelbie Frederick (Ridgewood), Brett Fry, Cosmetology program completer Kaityn Hill (River View), Kelsey Maple, Danika Prince, Electronics program completer Austin Reveal (Ridgewood), Culinary Arts program completer Chase Reveal (Ridgewood) and Tevis Whitt.
Before the seniors received their Career Passports, Principal Eddie Dovenbarger asked for a moment of silence to honor Zach Jungling, a CCCC student who had been killed the prior summer and would have been graduating this spring with his fellow Automotive Technology program completers. Up on the stage was an empty chair, a folded gown and cap, along with a photo of Jungling.
At this point Career Passports were presented to all program completers by Coshocton County J.V.S. school board president Tad Johnson. Career Passports contain each graduate’s career-tech program completion certificate, resume, program competencies, certificates or cards for earned industry credentials, special awards or professional letters of recommendation, as well as a flash drive with copies of important documents that each completer can use to update his or her information. The Career Passport is meant to be used as a portfolio of student achievement which can be shared with potential employers or college or military recruiters.
Principal Eddie Dovenbarger then recognized those seniors who had been chosen to receive a 2014 Senior Student Award. Each career-technical program instructor is invited to nominate their best senior candidate for this distinction. Candidates honored must have maintained a 3.0 or higher grade point average throughout both their junior and senior years. They may miss no more than five days of school, must exhibit involvement in student associations and community service, and must be an exceptional representative of both their career-technical program and the Career Center in general. This year, nine students were selected: Austin Barron (Electronics/River View), Jannie Cayton, Thomas Clark-Jarvis (Electronics/Coshocton), Shelbie Frederick, Braxton Hillegass (Building Trades/River View), Casey McCoy (Metal Fabrication/River View), Danika Prince, Ashley Tolliver and Tevis Whitt.
Finally, the 2014 Outstanding Career Center Student award – the highest honor awarded to a Career Center senior – was presented to Tevis Whitt. Whitt is a top academic performer at the Career Center, having maintained a 3.5 GPA or higher and accumulating five or fewer absences during both his junior and senior year of school at the Career Center. He also placed third in the state for the annual Ford-AAA High School Automotive Service Challenge, earlier this month, earning close to $9,500 in scholarships for his performance.
Whitt will be attending school at Universal Technical Institute in Mooresville, NC, this fall, followed by Ford Motor Company’s FACT specialized training program. He plans to pursue a career in automotive service, possibly specializing in high performance engines.
For his award, Whitt receive an engraved plaque, a $1,000 cash award and will have his photograph permanently displayed at the Career Center.
The Career Center congratulates all graduates who worked so hard this year to complete their career-technical training and wishes them success in their future career endeavors.
Category: Education, Multimedia, Photo Galleries
