I had the opportunity to sit in on Mr. Matt Miller’s Physics class Monday. He was doing an excellent job of teaching it. All of the students are engaged and correctly answering his questions. Yet I had NO idea what was going on in the first few minutes of class. Mr. Miller was using trigonometry to help teach the students about gravity, force, and acceleration. I kept thinking about my physics professor in college who taught me about these concepts only by making me wonder how gravity might force my head to accelerate toward the desk as I started to fall asleep. Mr. Miller, however, did not make me wonder about that. He was using the example of a snowboarder being pulled up a ski-ramp. Even though science and math have been an uphill battle for me since I can remember, I couldn’t help but be engaged in what was going on around me.
My strong points have always been reading, history, and writing (well, you can be the judge of that after reading this). However, as I listened to every student take his or her turn answering or asking a thoughtful question to continue to drive the discussion; I wondered how many of them had always felt like science and math weren’t their strong points before they came to Vantage and joined this class. By virtue of sheer numbers in the class, several students almost certainly had to be of a similar mindset as me, yet all of them were now understanding a fairly complex problem on many levels. That says a lot about the type of students and staff we have here at Vantage Career Center.
Throughout the year, I’ve been in multiple classrooms where all of the students were engaged and asking real questions that drove discussions even further. When that’s happening, it is obvious that learning is taking place. Even if they may not necessarily enjoy what’s being taught, or if they find it extremely difficult, they’re not afraid to take on the challenge. That says a lot about who our students are. It also says a lot about what our teachers try to do on a daily basis.
For example, in Mr. Miller’s problem, the students eventually discovered that the force pulling the snowboarder up the hill simply wasn’t as strong as the forces pulling him down. Therefore, the snowboarder was actually still sliding down the hill. However, the way they solved the problem also provided a clear path for them to be able to figure out just how much force would be needed to make sure the snowboarder started moving back up the hill. To me, that’s a great metaphor for everyone involved. No matter what forces might be pulling us down a bit, there’s always a way that we can start pulling ourselves back up. No matter how complex that path might be, our teachers and staff are always going to do their best to help our students find it. I’ve never worked with a more helpful and positive group of people.
For that, everyone in the Vantage community deserves a big “THANK YOU”! It’s been an excellent start to the school year.
Finally, a quick update to remind everyone of exactly why Vantage is the fantastic place it truly is. This weekend is the 3rd Annual Quarterless Auction to benefit the “Hey Buddy” Scholarship in honor of former Vantage and Wayne Trace welder Robbie Seffernick. The event is Sat, October 15 at Wayne Trace High School, starting at 11AM. Our students, staff, and communities have done an amazing job in building and donating some awesome items for this benefit. The hunting themed table pictured below was created by our Industrial Mechanics lab, (led by Senior Alec Murphy). Robbie was a hard-working student who always kept a positive attitude. We are proud to say he was a Vantage student and look forward to seeing support for his scholarship continue to grow in his memory. Thank you all for your time! 
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