Van Buren Local Schools

The latest episode of the Joust About Careers podcast features a conversation with Kristina Rowles, a 2008 Van Buren High School graduate who is now the Director of Home Repair for Appalachia Service Project (ASP) in Tennessee. Kristina shares about what she does as the Director of Home Repair, how her experiences with ASP during the summer while in high school and college helped lead her to this career, how she started her career journey as a music therapist, internship opportunities with ASP for young adults, and much more. Anyone interested in a career with a service organization or in music therapy will find information related to getting started down those paths in this episode, so feel free to share it. To watch on YouTube, visit bit.ly/JoustAboutCareers. To listen on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or other podcast platforms, simply search "Joust About Careers" to find the podcast and listen to this episode and others. Have a great week!

Here is an update on our Toys for Tots drive! Deputy Crouch's office is getting pretty full but there is always room for more. As a reminder, Wednesday, December 14 is the last day for our Toys for Tots drive. If you would like to donate to this cause, bring in new, unwrapped toys to Deputy Crouch's office! #BeABlackKnight

VB student Avery Heitkamp is using a blog in her English class to explore a potential career in family psychology. If you would like to read her first post, titled "How Being Raised Can Shape Your Future Family," visit bit.ly/Ahblog. Feel free to bookmark the blog to see new posts when they are published.

This Thursday some Van Buren NHS members teamed with the Community Foundation to make Christmas cards for those in need. KLA also had an amazing performance that night at the Community Foundation! #BeABlackKnight

Congrats to our December Knights of the Round Table and Positive Behavior Referral Knights! #BeABlackKnight

The Penguins Saved Christmas 🎄 tonight 🙌! Thanks for coming out and big thanks to Miss Van Vlerah, 2nd/3rd teachers, and all staff who helped! #BeABlackKnight

Hope to see everyone for the 2nd/3rd grade Christmas 🎄 Program tonight at 7PM in the HS Auditorium! #BeABlackKnight

With winter sports getting into the swing of things, let's take a look at wrestlers and basketball players of ’05! #TBT #BeABlackKnight

2-hour delay for Dec. 7. 2022.

VBES teachers volunteered for Coats for Christmas this evening! #BeABlackKnight

Congrats to Ava for her Positive Behavior Referral! #BeABlackKnight

Say hello to Mr. Roman Williams! Mr. Williams is our 9th grade English teacher. This is his second year of teaching, coming from Ridgemont High School. He’s very excited to be a Black Knight, and we are excited to have him! #BeABlackKnight #TeamTuesday

Van Buren was recently awarded two grants, totaling $10,000, from the Ohio STEM Learning Network. One of the grants will be used to support elementary STEM education, and the other will be used to purchase a Glowforge to expose students in grades 4-12 to printing and engraving.

If you know of any students who are interested in learning more about healthcare careers, the Cleveland Clinic's Career Connected Rounds resource could provide them with valuable information about those careers. Each episode contains an on-demand video about the topic of the episode and testimonials from people in the careers discussed in the episode. The first five episodes of Career Connected Rounds were on the following topics/careers and are now available on-demand: "Bad Blood: The Surgical Team That Wants to Save a Dying Leg" - careers as a Cath Lab Nurse, Physician Assistant, Radiology Technician, Surgical Technologist, Ultrasound Technician (sonographer), Vascular Surgeon "Essential Support: Non-Clinical Caregivers" - careers as a Patient Transporter, Environmental Services, Sterile Processing Technician, Data Analyst "Diabetes and Those Who Treat It" - careers as a Dialysis Technician, Medical Assistant, Registered Nurse "Pharmacy: Not Just Pills" - careers as an Inpatient Pharmacist, Outpatient Pharmacist, Pharmacy Technician "When Life Takes Us Down: The Emergency Room" - careers as an Emergency Room Physician, Respiratory Therapist, Registered Nurse, EMS Coordinator, EMT/Paramedic, Emergency Dispatcher Future episodes will focus on what happens in an operating room (available December 13), the results of vaping (January 10), working in cardiology (January 24), working in a pathology lab (February 7), and finding cures through research (March 7). To access the resources, go to the Cleveland Clinic Healthcare Education and Training page (https://healthcareedu.ccf.org/login/index.php). When there, students can log in as a guest (see image - do NOT create an account). If students have any questions about these opportunities in healthcare, they are welcome to reach out to Brian Bratt at bbratt@vbschools.net or set up a meeting with him at bit.ly/VBCareerAdvising.

VBHS Student Council is hosting a Parents' Night Out on Saturday, December 10 from 6-9 pm for district residents who are potty trained through age 10. Use the link for more information and to pre-register! https://forms.gle/934ah3iWbFgjjw5U8

This week's episode of the Joust About Careers podcast features the 10-minute highlights of the interview with Matt Mutchler, a 2002 Van Buren High School graduate who is an architect with F5 Design. The highlights include how a typical day looks for an architect, the surprising number of architecture graduates who actually become licensed, Matt’s goal to “make cool stuff,” and much more. If these highlights make you want to learn more about Matt’s career journey, check out the full interview. To watch full interviews and highlights on YouTube, visit bit.ly/JoustAboutCareers. To listen to full interviews on your favorite podcast platform, simply search "Joust About Careers" to listen to this episode and others. Have a great week!

Had a lot of fun with our staff and students at the winter pep rally today! Good luck to our winter sports teams. #BeABlackKnight

Congrats to our Positive Behavior Referrals! #BeABlackKnight

Let's see how fast we can fill Deputy Crouch's office with toys! Bring your new, unwrapped toys to Deputy Crouch's office between December 2 and December 14 for our Toys for Tots drive. #BeABlackKnight

Sophomore Parents - Millstream Career Center is holding an open house on Thursday, December 1, for sophomores and their parents so parents can learn more about the opportunities Millstream offers before the January 15 application deadline. The early session runs from 5:00-5:30, and the late session runs from 6:00-6:30. You are welcome to attend whichever session works best for your schedule. This is a great opportunity to ask questions and learn about the various programs offered, including Automotive Technology, Business Essentials, Computer Networking & Cybersecurity, Computer Programming & Software Engineering, Construction Skills, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Engineering & Design, Health Professions, Hospitality & Restaurant Services, Job Training, Media Production & Visual Design, Performing Arts, Teaching Professions, and Welding. Depending on the program, students could have the opportunity to earn college credit and/or certifications, which can give them an advantage when they graduate.