Vantage Transition to Work

08/20/2026

Today was the first day back to school! Over the summer, TTW Senior, Isaac, qualified to go to the national level with his painting of our very own School Therapy Dog, Tillie. He earned a SUPERIOR rating!🌟🤩

Today he brought in his painting so we could get a picture with him, his painting and Tillie! We are so proud of you, Isaac. Welcome back!

07/09/2026

I spy some awesome students showing everyone about our program! Look at them SHINE🌟

Transition to Work (TTW) is designed to teach basic employability s...

06/10/2026

Our one and only…Jaden! What a special surprise!
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*** CONGRATULATIONS TO JADEN VINCENT!!! ***

I have an amazing story to share with y'all this evening and grab those tissues boxes because you may need it!

This incredible young man in the picture is Jaden Vincent of Delphos. Jaden just recently graduated from Delphos Jefferson (Delphos City Schools) and attended Vantage Career Center in Van Wert. About a month ago, a Delphos gentleman, Jim Fisher, emailed me asking if I could do him a small favor. Jim shared with me that Jaden has Autism and is being raised by his grandparents. Jim informed me that Jaden is a huge fan of mine, saying Jaden is obsessed watching my weather reports each day I am on television. Jim ended the email asking me if I could print and autograph a picture of my headshot so that he and his wife could gift it to Jaden on his graduation party.

Of course, I said yes!!!! I printed out a nice copy of my professional headshot picture. I autographed it, and I wrote Jaden a personal message on the backside of the picture. I congratulated Jaden for his incredible accomplishment and not letting any challenges to prevent him from achieving this major milestone! I told him to always pursue your dreams, no matter how difficult the journey will be.

This past Saturday, Jaden had his graduation party at Lake Cody Campground in Allen County, and this was the exact moment Jaden was gifted the picture!

From the bottom of my heart, it was a true honor of mine to help make this outstanding young man's day!

Congratulations Jaden!

05/07/2026

A few more special orders completed! The end of the school year may be near, but the students aren’t slowing down yet!

05/02/2026

Just look at some of our newest creations! The students have been working super hard to get these done and out the door…we have had so many orders for them. The school year may be winding down, but they are still working at max capacity. We have a few extra made up at the school, but make sure to stop by Limitless Sale by PC Workshop in Paulding to grab one or two of these!

04/26/2026

Not only do our students do amazing work in lab, but also rock it outside of the classroom.

Isaac has taken an interest in art and his mom shares his talented paintings with us. This weekend he entered his painting of our Therapy Dog, Tillie, at the Ohio Youth Ministry Fine Arts Festival and received a SUPERIOR! He will now get to participate in Missouri in August.

Fine arts helps students discover, develop and deploy their creative gifts through areas like media, music , visual art and writing. We are SO PROUD of Isaac! If you see him around be sure to give him a big high five and tell him congratulations!

04/10/2026

Each year we are always grateful that we are asked to try our hand at making something for the Vantage All Boards Dinner and Hall of Fame Induction. This is a very special year for Vantage Career Center as we celebrate 50 years!

We decided to celebrate GROWTH…and it was fitting in so many ways! Our local school board members over the years have helped support Vantage in so many ways. They have helped us grow immensely and have been there for numerous changes over the years. We also get to see our TTW students shine in the community and celebrate their GROWTH. I mention frequently that we only have them in our building for two years, but they grow into confident young men and women who are ready to tackle their next chapter in life.

So as the seniors were helping to put the red germaniums they grew on the table for the guests, I couldn’t help but reflect on how much we witnessed from them the last two years. Their time with us is winding down, but their growth will stay with them for a lifetime.

Thanks to our District Office for allowing our students to be a part of this special event!

04/07/2026

Our juniors have been getting plenty of practice with their culinary and safe food handling skills.

They made their monthly “Working Lunch” and invited a few more support staff, put in a spread for our Advisory Board meeting and prepared a meal for our Resource Room staff….on 3 consecutive school days.

And they somehow managed to keep up with their regular commitments. That is what makes them so awesome. They are gaining such great skills that will serve them well after high school.

04/01/2026

Let me start off by saying that our students love helping out anywhere they can! They are not afraid to pitch in and do anything that was asked of them.

Recently, they’ve been busy little bees, and have been helping out with jobs that have been popping up around the school. For their work, they have been getting spoiled and receiving some extra treats. The tech department treated all of them to pizza recently, and Mrs. Brill brought them in some yummy cookies to have during break.

While treats are certainly not expected, they sure do enjoy them as you can see by the look on their faces! A huge thanks to our staff who always treat our kids so great! 

03/24/2026

The Juniors were busy making their TUESDAY DRINKS that they sell to the staff each week and the Seniors had a LOT going on! Their projects consisted of
*working on replenishing their supply of scented freshies for the store
*preparing desserts for TWO luncheons later this week
*spending some time working on their next round of certifications
*working on signage for the plants they are growing for a school event
*a new concoction that is under construction (if all works out, we will debut it soon!!)
*and of course….cleaning up after all of our projects!

All in a days work in the TTW lab! These kids are always willing to pitch in and help wherever they are needed!