City of Springboro Assistant City Manager Greg Shackelford and Business Retention Specialist Nick Motto are integral partners in connecting WCCC to the Springboro business community. WCCC Workforce Development Coordinator Yvonne Kaszubowski nominated the City of Springboro as a Valued Community Partner for their referrals and connections of area business and industry which have employee staffing and training needs to WCCC services. One specific example is how WCCC was connected with Accelevation in Springboro by Shackelford and Motto, a partnership that resulted in a summer internship for three WCCC Welding students in between their junior and senior year.

“What an honor it is to be recognized as valued community partners,” Greg Shackelford said. “Yvonne has been an energetic and enthusiastic resource partner for the City of Springboro since we started working together in 2018. The partnership is mutually beneficial as it certainly takes two organizations working together to make a team. Nick is our initial point of contact for the businesses in the community, and he and I typically work together to go out for regular visits with many of our small, medium and larger businesses. In many cases, we hear similar concerns from our businesses about the shortage of labor, and workforce available. We will also try to gather enough information to pass along to Yvonne, and other workforce partners in the region to try to assist. Nick and I are just trying to make the connections that can have a positive impact, and add value to our working relationships.”

Pictured, Superintendent Rick Smith, Treasurer Cathy McMonigle, Springboro City Manager Chris Pozzuto, Yvonne Kaszubowski, and Greg Shackleford.

Drive-Through Appreciation Breakfast

2021 Sports and Exercise Science alumnus Andrew (AJ) Wagenknecht, Franklin, sees his future as an athletic trainer and is working toward that goal, studying Sports Science at Wright State University and interning at Franklin High School with Head Athletic Trainer John Dynes.

“I chose to go to WCCC because I saw a good way to have an advantage going into college, and having fun in school again doing something that I truly like,” he said. “The Sports and Exercise Science program at WCCC prepared me for the future and college by giving me a step ahead in getting some background knowledge into the profession, such as learning about taping, different rehab methods, and all around healthcare work.”

Read more HERE.

Nov. 19, 22, 23

Sophomore Open House Dec. 7, 5-7 pm

Dave Guinn, Advanced Manufacturing Technology Coordinator, is the 2021 WCCC Adult Education Coordinator of the Year, an award sponsored by Area Progress Council of Warren County. He is pictured with APC Director Arla Tannehill.

Mr. Guinn coordinates the adult Advanced Manufacturing, HVAC and AWS Certified Welding programs. He began coordinating the three programs in 2013, and has built all three by adding to the certifications students are able to earn. One of the first improvements he made was to take all three programs to computer-based theory lessons, which, combined with the hands-on skills lessons, increased the students’ grade point averages by 88 percent. Also, the three programs have not had a student failure since implementation, and the job placement rate is 98 percent.

Read more HERE.

The WCCC Aspire program recognized high school equivalency diploma graduates from the 2020-21 school year recently with a ceremony at Armco Park. Eleven graduates in caps and gowns attended and were congratulated by Aspire staff and Superintendent Rick Smith, Adult Director Kim Gates, and WCCC board members, President Bobbie Grice and Vice-President Esther Larson. Ohio Department of Higher Education Senior Vice Chancellor Gary Cates was also present to give the students his congratulations.

A total of 276 adults, ranging in age from 17 to 71, were enrolled in Aspire programs last year, and 44 earned high school credentials including GED, HiSET and Ohio Adult Diploma. The Adult Diploma Program offers adults a chance to earn an Ohio high school diploma along with an industry credential, all at no cost to the student. This past school year, six ADP graduates in Warren County earned credentials through WCCC Adult Education, including two in Welding, two in Robotics and 2 in State Tested Nursing Assistant.

The English for Speakers of Other Languages classes served students from 41 countries. Languages spoken included Albanian, French, Spanish, Korean, Arabic, Japanese, Chinese, Czech, Kyrgyz, Russian, Tajiki, Gujarati, Portuguese, Turkish, Farsi, and Ukrainian.

Among the 2020-21 Aspire students, 32 earned a credential from the ODE Industry Recognized Credentials while enrolled or within one year of exit, and 18 have self-reported that they are enrolled in postsecondary education.

Our Digital Media Arts students from Main Campus helped with the 20th Anniversary of 9/11 Ceremony in Warren County by documenting it in video and photos. Two students, Kendall Boggs and Reagan Blunt, observed a recent episode of the Lebanon City Show on Channel 6 being produced, and their instructor, Justin Deeter, was interviewed on the show. Mr. Deeter hopes to continue a great partnership with Lebanon Channel 6 for internships and collaborations in the future. Watch HERE!

WCCC students from Lebanon Michael Wynkoop, senior Sports Medicine; Isabella Gliatti, junior Pre-Nursing; and Mackenzie Glancy, senior Surgical Technology; volunteered to serve on the new Lebanon Youth Chamber of Commerce, which also includes students in grades 9-12 from Lebanon High School and Lebanon Christian School. About 30 students are participating in this first year of the project, begun by Lebanon High School teacher Bunny Brooks.

Sign up for an information session HERE!

Aspire student Mary Hatfield earned her HiSET credentials in 2020-21 and is now in college. She had been out of school almost 20 years when she finally could return and finish her high school degree, after leaving school in her junior year. She was set to graduate in 2002 when circumstances prevented her from graduating, but she never lost the desire to complete her education. She said her Aspire teachers kept pushing and worked with her, and everyone in her classes, in many different ways to make sure they understood whatever it was they were struggling with.

“IT FELT AMAZING!” she said about earning her credentials and applying to college. “I want to thank Beth and Karen at Aspire and my family, friends, and boyfriend for sticking by me. I am currently enrolled at UC Blue Ash for Pre-Mortuary Science. I am working on my 2-year degree there and from there I will finish my last two years at Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science.” Read more of her inspiring story HERE.