A huge thank you to Wellington Implement!! Dave Roser, Detailer at Wellington Implement delivered a Case IH Tractor to the JVS Industrial Equipment Mechanics (IEM) lab on Friday, October 7^th.

Mr. Greg Hendricks, IEM lab instructor, stated that Wellington Implement has been delivering a tractor to his lab for the past 5 years. "Having this tractor in the lab for the school year, exposes the students to a new piece of equipment," said Hendricks. "Along with having the tractor in the lab, Wellington Implement will send out two technicians three times throughout the year to go over the engine itself, review all the features of the tractor, and how it is used on the farm, among other things."

JVS thanks Wellington Implement for allowing our students to receive this specialized hands-on training.

The Lorain County JVS, in cooperation with the Safety and Education Department of AAA East Central/NE Ohio Region, recently hosted the 8^th annual Lorain County Young Driver Competition. This local competition is held every year to reward students for positive driving behaviors.

Each high school in Lorain County was invited to send two of their best drivers. These students needed to have a valid driver’s license, a crash-free/ticket-free driving record and be a positive representative of their school and community.

The top three finishers in the competition were Trey Minnich (Keystone), Makenzie Tallman (Oberlin) and Justin Layne (North Ridgeville). These students received $500, $250, and $100 respectively.

Local law enforcement was on hand to judge the competition, which included a low-speed maneuvering obstacle course with tight turns and parallel parking. The competition also included a written test on Ohio driving laws, plus a test gauging how many obstacles or potential threats the students remembered from glancing at slides of complex road conditions.

Lori Cook, Safety Advisory of AAA East Central/NE Ohio, stated “Good drivers take their time and think about what they are doing. Doing things fast doesn’t always win the race. This is the message this competition sends.”

According to Sargent Paul March, from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Lorain County has already had 27 driving related fatalities this year.

“JVS School Resource Officer, Deputy Anthony Pluta and I work year round to encourage students to drive safely,” stated Jill Petitti, JVS Principal. “We work very closely with law enforcement officials to determine which of our students have received tickets for driving infractions. They are counseled and generally correct their dangerous driving habits before an accident occurs.” She continued, “because of our commitment to safe driving practices, we look forward to hosting this event annually.”

The JVS officially unveiled a new school sign on Saturday, October 8^th during a presentation ceremony conducted by JVS students, as part of the JVS Community Appreciation Day festivities. Kaylie Holliday, senior Carpentry student from Midview and Josh Newman, senior Masonry Trades student from Columbia delivered their personal reflections about the project. “This project means a lot to me, my class and this school and hopefully will mean a lot to the community as well,” stated Newman.

Students from numerous programs worked tirelessly for many months, dating back to last school year, designing, planning and constructing the sign.

JVS students from the following programs had a hand in making the sign become a reality; Carpentry, Industrial Electricity, Landscape & Greenhouse Management, Masonry Trades, Web & Graphic Design, Collison Repair along with students in our Career Connections Academy.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, a special plaque was presented to JVS Carpentry Instructor Mr. Jason Rodriguez. Brandon Harris, senior Carpentry student from Amherst, delivered a few special remarks on behalf of the 2016 Carpentry Class. “We are honored you believed in us and in our abilities,” said Harris as the plaque was presented.

The new sign is located at the front entrance of Lorain County JVS located on State Route 58 in Oberlin.

JVS student members of the National FFA Organization recently participated in the ‘Food For America’ program at the Lorain County Fairgrounds in Wellington.

Approximately two hundred 3^rd and 4^th grade students from local school districts were in attendance. Numerous interactive displays were set up to engage the students and to provide them with knowledge and understanding of the agricultural industry.

Maggie Lieb, senior Landscape & Greenhouse Management student from Avon, worked the interactive corn display at this year’s event. Maggie enjoyed asking for volunteers to lift the information panels on the large wooden corn cutout. Once a panel was selected, she would explain all the different facts about corn and its different and unique uses.

JVS student members of FFA are actively involved in FFA activities, programs and competitions on a monthly basis.

Food For America is a nationwide educational program that focuses on agricultural literacy in elementary schools and communities. It is a program developed to assist FFA members and all agricultural education students in leadership skill development as they reach out to youth, peers and their entire communities by sharing the world of agriculture.

The JVS Adult Career Center is now registering students for the State Tested Nursing Assistant Class. To register, individuals should call the JVS at 440-774-1051 ext. 22254 to schedule an information session, which is the first step in the registration process.

The STNA class begins on Monday, October 31st and goes through November 23rd.

The JVS jobs board posts great STNA opportunities on a regular basis. This is a job field and a career path that is in high demand right now!

State Tested Nursing Assistants (STNAs) work in both nursing homes and long-term care facilities. The JVS Adult Career Center class will prepare students for entry level positions in the healthcare field and are designed for students with or without previous medical experience. Students will learn the latest trends and practices with a hands-on approach. Graduates of this course are eligible to take the Ohio STNA exam.

 The cost for the class is $775 and includes 75 hours of course work and training. Funding may be available. Call 440-774-1051 ext. 22254 for more information and to register for this class.

JVS students in the Collision Repair program and 9^th grade students in the Career Connections Academy are getting creative and painting snow plows that will be seen and used all over Lorain County.

For the 4^th consecutive year, Lorain County JVS has signed up to participate in the Ohio Department of Transportation District 3’s Paint A Plow Program.

Mr. Lonnie Higey, Collision Repair Instructor stated, "This year we wanted to do something a little different, so we invited the freshman to get involved and help paint the designs on the plows. It is a great way to get them involved early; plus they are having a good time working with the junior class on this project."

The plows need to be ‘road ready’ by October 31^st. The artfully painted blades will be mounted on plow trucks and displayed in holiday parades and events in November and early December, barring any operational needs.

JVS students and staff once again helped LifeShare Community Blood Services complete a very successful blood drive. Students and staff took time out of their day to donate blood to those in need.

"During the two day drive, 122 units of blood were collected," commented Susan Wallace, Allied Health Sciences Instructor and Blood Drive Coordinator.

"Lifeshare will award one $500 scholarship to JVS graduating seniors for every 35 units of blood collected. For this drive, three $500 scholarships were made available with 17 units of blood to save toward the upcoming spring drive being held on February 8th and 9th, 2017. Last year's Lifeshare Scholarship Grants totaled $4,000 and was distributed among 5 JVS graduating seniors," stated Wallace.

Additionally, donors received a free t-shirt, window cling, a Hero red cookie and seniors who donate at the fall and spring drive will earn a red honor graduation cord.

JVS student members of the FFA Organization recently attended the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana.

More than 60,000 FFA members and guests from across the country gathered for the 89th Annual Convention. The streets were flooded with a sea of blue jackets as students assembled in celebration of their organization. 

JVS FFA members from the Landscape and Greenhouse Management and Industrial Equipment Mechanics programs participated in general sessions, competitive events, educational tours, leadership workshops and much more. 

Beth Berthold, Landscape and Greenhouse Management Instructor and FFA Advisor stated, “This trip is a great opportunity for students to get a chance to meet people from other states, hear motivational speakers, and explore future careers.”

During the trip, students took part in a ‘National Days of Service’ event where they redesigned a greenhouse, completed landscaping around the structure and planted flower beds at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

Some other highlights were a tour of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which ended with a stop on the famous “kiss the bricks” finish line, and a ‘Civil War Journey,’ which took the students on a trip through time and showed them what the town looked like and how the troops acted during the Civil War.

Berthold also stated, “Students come back invigorated and motivated in both school and FFA after attending the convention. Also, it was amazing to see the look in some students eyes when we crossed into Indiana. Some students have never been out of the area before, let alone a different state.”

In the spring of 2016, Keara Kilbane, then senior at Lorain County JVS from North Ridgeville High School, began scanning photographs, newspaper articles, advertisements, and other long-lost historical media to the digital database (Biblioboard) of Grafton-Midview Public Library.

As part of the JVS programs, students who meet certain qualifications are eligible for a summer internship inviting the individual to grow their professional experience, meet corporate challenges, and build a network of contacts. Keara, who completed the two-year career technical program in Digital Media Arts (DMA) at the JVS, was an excellent choice for the Grafton digital project.

Shari Bowers, Grafton-Midview Public Library Adult Services Manager, reached out to JVS DMA instructor Marc Macaluso, with the thought that this project could be a perfect job for a student to produce scans, JPEG and TIF images, for the library to use and be able to access for local history materials.

“Keara was valuable to have intern with us. She’s worked hard scanning many copies and provided both the JPEG and the TIF files for us,” stated Bowers.

Fred Backstrom, Adult Services Librarian, was also able to design a brochure and presentation titled “Memories of Grafton School” because of the work Keara did. Backstrom shared, “All of the content will be used in a multitude of ways… I can’t tell you how valuable it’s going to be.”

Continued Backstrom, “Social media is another way we can share Keara’s work with the public. Perhaps we can spark an interest in a historical event or a memory and it’s another way to invite our patrons to enjoy our online historical resources.”

The JVS Allied Health Sciences students put their first aid and safety skills to the test in a mock disaster drill scenario. Students had to assist patients at eight different stations where injuries and trauma scenarios varied from burns, choking, broken bones, lacerations and even a car accident.

“In lab, the students are taught and tested on all items related to first aid and safety, but this mock disaster drill puts them on the spot and prepares them for real life scenarios,” commented Allied Health Sciences Instructor Holly Sofia. “Even though the day's activities were a drill, the students saw the important implications of being prepared for a major event."

Students were observed and graded by LCCC staff, EMT Paramedic students from LCCC, and paramedics from Southern Lorain County Ambulance Service.

This exercise was the students’ final assessment for their first aid and CPR certification. Students who earned the certification will also receive two college credits for the coursework taken at the JVS.

The staff and students of Lorain County JVS would like to sincerely thank you for your support of Issue 26 on the November 8 ballot. As you know, it renews the current 0.75 mill levy and will not increase taxes for homeowners.

For the last 44 years, the JVS has provided quality technical training and education and helps keep our local employers competitive by training and preparing skilled workers.

The JVS is proud to partner with 13 area school districts. More than 1,000 high school students receive career-technical training annually with college credit options and industry credentials.

We also work closely with Lorain County Community College and hundreds of local employers to provide high quality training programs for today’s jobs right here in Lorain County. Each year, hundreds of adults receive comprehensive training and retraining for new jobs or advancement opportunities.

The JVS also plays a major role in the revitalization of our region’s economy by offering the resources required to prepare the workforce of the future.

Again, we say thank-you for joining with us to pass Issue 26 and for allowing us to continue to provide “Education that Works!”

The Lorain County JVS is pleased to announce the 1^st Quarter Honor Roll. The JVS Honor Roll recognizes students who have achieved a GPA of 3.5 or higher for the first 9-week term.

Amherst - Samuel Bastian, Gabriel Bullock, Cathryn Dobias, Mackenzie Duta, Victoria Eppler, Ricky Fantauzzi, Branyan Frederick, Arianna Gatlin, Brandon Harris, Madilyn Helwig, Austin Hembree, Nicole Hilliard, Justin Horvath, Madalyn Hutchinson, Lauren Jenkins, Alex Jones, Samantha Kachure, Mya Koler, John Krutkiewicz III, Angela LaRosa, Kaitlyn Lemaster, Cameron LoPresti, Logan Mack, Meghan Mott, Madison Murphy, Mercedes Murphy, Domonic Pratt, Michael Resor, Melanie Ritter, Robyn Ruffner, Don Sabella III, Andrew Shaffer, Andrew Waldrop, Logan Wearsch, Kane Wiersum

Avon - Jerrad Arkley, Justin Bingham, Mariah Cash, Sarah Clauson, Megan Doman, Michael Gill, Andrew Griffiths, Miranda Johnson, Maggie Lieb, Thomas Maki, Sean Murphy, Nicholas Safos, Zachary Shutsa, Jack Wagner

Avon Lake - Daniel Castillo, Corey Cerny, Caitlin Cindric, Trevor Cogar, Kyle Compton, Tristan Hansen, Amanda Hopkins, Aidan MacKeigan, Victoria Scherry, Alyssa Smith, Gabriella Sterling

Brookside - Nicole Baisden, Colin Beale, Lindsey Boykin, Donald Fugate, Samantha Glass, Edward Gundran, Jacob Klein, Salvatore LaCavera IV, Lillian Magee, Elissa Matthews, Eric McElheny, Julia Mohrbach, Levi Moore, Tyler Nagy, Cameron Norris, Bryce O’Neal, Emily Perry, Kylee Sherrill, Jeffery Taylor, Robert Thorne, Alexis Valentine, Bryana Wallace, Hunter Weinbrandt

Clearview - Noah Bennett, Marissa Blackiston, Jalissa Brown, Samantha Brown, Alicia Burnworth, Luis Camacho, Victor Castillo, Isabella Castro, Erica Coburn, Tyria Dower, Delucas Garcia, Victor Goncalves I, Victoria Gunter, Tonja Hannibal, Brittney Kovacs, Jacob Kuzak, Lyndsey Loar, Emily Smith, Jacob Stavesky

Columbia - Hailey Delzeith, Madalyn East, Clea Gonzalez, Jeffrey Hershey, Katelin Hughart, Raquel Hysong, Amelia Jessen, Alexis Jones, Joseph Kobiloinsky, Kyle Lester, Russell Madak, Casandra McDowell, Joseph Meyers, Nolan Miller, Joshua Morlock, Anthony Muncie, Jordan Nash, Matthew Olah, Rebecca Pierce, Dylan Risdon, Rachael Sprouse, Stephen Stansberry, Dylan Vandal, Genevieve Wetzel, Nathaniel Wetzel

Elyria - Kareem Abouelhana, Devin Barbee, Nathaniel Carter II, Ashley Church, Kaytie Corbett, Olivia Coward, Eric Cray, Armoni Emery, Charles Evans, Anna Hale, Carolyn Harmon, Gavin Hennigan, Alaya Hill, Rebekah Hollan, Kamieo Linden, Armonni Nixon, Keith Oliver, Serena Oskins, Austin Patton, Brandon Perkins, Shelby Reaser, Curtis Reid, Kristen Reid, Kearsten Robinson, Ashleah Scott, Kayla Shobey, Kayla Stearns, Tiara Surry, Cheyenne Thacker, Michael Toy

Firelands - Isabella Barnes, Benjamin Bickel, Cameron Bolyard, Jessica Buchdrucker, Douglas Childers, Christopher Dennis, Abigail Hill, Savannah Klingman, Casey Koepp, Hailey Koster, Zachary Kreider, Kailey Kudela, Tyler Miller, Kyle Riggs, Nicholas Salva, Sydney Sexton, Jacob Shaffer, Brandon Sherrard, Brian Smith, Julia Smith, Nicolette Stefanski, Joy Vaughn, Ryan Wilhelm, Andrew Williams

Keystone - Curtis Bacsi, Jared Bacsi, Hailey Blackburn, Kelly Bustance, Ashley Collins, Taylor Daniels, Ziqui Gao, Abigail Green, Roy Grissom, Zachary Grissom, Macie Hecock, Summer Hundt, Olivia James, Kyle Jarvis, Gage Kinkoph, Alec Kurz, Jordyn Likes, Gavin Lincicome, Destiny Maruna, David McCullough, Jonathan Miller, Caitlin Nedley, Bradley Novak, Panteera Pansubkul, Genevieve Papagna, Brittany Paxton, Skylar Pettibone, Toby Pfeifer, Kimberly Pinkerton, David Rak, Heather Rising, Madeline Rising, Sirena Rym, Mary-Kay Sanchez, Maybeline Sanchez, Haley Schmitt, Cheyanne Shepherd, Patrick Shippy, Ciarra Thompson, Dylan Woodcock, Elizabeth Worthington, Holley Ziemba

Midview - Joshua Abood, Benjamin Babel, Michara Blue, James Buchko Jr., Brittany Carte, Chloe Clark, Caleb Cole, Alex Conrad, Madison Coughlin, Kelli Datlenko, Michael Deal, Samantha Downs, Jamie Gallagher, Nicolas Hoon, Bradley Hurlbert, Jacob Hwodeky, Thomas Keller, William Keller, Evan Keyse, Brandon Kilgore, Jennifer Kluding, Alexander Leppert, Tyler Lottman, Shelby Marks, Ashley McCall, Jody McElwain, Shayna McIntyre, Alexis Mellott, Killian Moore, Nicolino Nardo, Summer Noles, Brennan Novak, Hunter Palider, Skye Paredes, Justine Ratusz, Stephanie Scott, Kyle Sidwell, Benjamin Sipes, Christopher Stanard, Devinn Stender, Mason Thomson, Nathan Von Seggern, Kathryn Weaver, Julie Wells, Marissa Ziegler, Alyssa Zurowski

North Ridgeville - Amber Arauz, Andrew Baracz, Megan Beals, Brooke Bird, Austin Casey, Matthew Chandler, Jamie Clesh, Sidney Coleman, Jordan Dobransky, Alyssa Elswick, Lillian Farner, Hailey Ferry, Lauren Fox, Jacob Goodman, Bridget Gray, Jenna Hilson, Johnathan Hollingsworth, Gabriella Hughart, Austin Jackson, William Kerley, Brett Kiekisz, Zachary Koberna, Amanda Latto, Justin Layne, Joel Lee, Austin Lenz, Nicolle Lesiw, Mason Louis, Alexandra Lyons, James Mason, Amber Moravcik, John Owen, Emily Pajer, Alvira Pashkovskaya, Nathan Pawlak, Abigail Reye, Mason Roberts, Troy Sexton, Erika Shaft, Julie Taylor, Haylie VanSickle, Miles Varga, Benjamin Ward, Tyler Yamasaki

Oberlin - Maxine Baggett-Redd, Amelia Bates, Matthias Bates, Angel Bishop, Jourdan Brooks, Brian Buffington, Jeremy Burnside, RuthAnn Freeman, Kaitlyn Fury, Samantha Green, Donte Jackson, Phillip LeFebvre, Marquis Walker

Wellington - Trey Bealer, Marisa Beatty, Jason Biddinger, Sarah Bremke, Brianna Davis, Katelin DeZee, Steven Dickason, Lindsay, Ryan Greene, Garrett Harmon, Eva Hartwig, Joshua Henly, Spencer Horvath, Isabella Jackson, Caleb Kiser, Michael Koubeck, Trenton Lyon, David Mann, Dylan Meadows, Jessica Mileski, Kristen Mileski, Zoey Moore, David Park, Sarah Park, Taylor Petti, Trevor Porter, Savannah Roby, Sara Roman, Kiley Smith, Jacob Snyder, Anastasia Struhar, Matthew Teehan, William Wagner, Kayla Wohleber

Online Schools - Jessica Bonds, Ashley Hock, Julia Spondike

The Masonry Trades lab is feeling the holiday spirit. Once again, the junior Masonry Trades students are building displays that will be a part of the‘Holiday Lights’ at the Carlisle Visitor Center.

The theme this year is classic holiday movies, and our movie choice is “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”. The students are busy creating a Christmas tree that will showcase the Grinch ‘popping’ out of it, Cindy Lou Who and of course presents to go under the tree! Last year’s sleigh and Max, the reindeer-dog, will be part of the display as well.

You won’t want to miss these spectacular pieces designed and built by JVS students! The Holiday Lights at the Carlisle Visitor Center takes place November 25 - December 23.

The Lorain County JVS PTA is hosting a "Dine to Donate" fundraiser at Pizza Hut in Oberlin on Monday, November 28th, 2016 between 5:00-8:00pm.

Anyone wishing to support the PTA can present their waiter with a special JVS coupon (click "Pizza Hut Dine to Donate coupon" under LCJVS PTA tab). You can also contact info@lcjvs.net and a coupon can be delivered to you by email.

Pizza Hut will donate 10% of the cost of your order to the PTA. The event takes place between 5:00-8:00pm.

Pizza Hut is located at 14920 State Route 58, Oberlin OH 44074.

The Lorain County JVS PTA was established as a means of encouraging community involvement and raising funds to support student scholarships and activities that promote student achievement. More information about the JVS can be found on the school's website at http://bit.ly/LCJVSPTA.

Allied Health Sciences students, serving as teen volunteers for Hospice of the Western Reserve, recently participated in a Veteran Pinning Ceremony at O’Neill Healthcare Center in North Ridgeville.

The ceremony began with Mr. Gregory Weiss, a veteran volunteer at Hospice of the Western Reserve, addressing the veterans in the room saying, “This is your moment. You all are our heroes.” Weiss then led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance, a short prayer and read out loud a poem entitled “What is a Veteran”.

JVS Allied Health Sciences senior Ashley McCall stated she was honored to pin a veteran during the ceremony and to be able to thank him for his service.

Twenty veterans, all residents at O’Neill Healthcare Center, received a certificate of appreciation for their service, a special State of Ohio pin that showcased a Veteran and U.S. flag along with a small personal American flag. The ceremony concluded with a 21 gun salute performed by the VFW Color Guard.

Marketing and Management students recently attended a marketing workshop held exclusively for DECA students. The workshop was held at Quicken Loans Arena and included presentations from Sales and Marketing Executives, along with challenging the students to create a marketing campaign for the Cavaliers Calvary Group, a teen fan club.

As an added bonus this year, students were able to take pictures with the NBA Championship Larry O’Brien trophy and take some shots out on the Cavs court!

DECA is an International Association of marketing students that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe.

We love when alumni come back to visit and are able to share their incredible successes with the students and staff. Michael Boey, Industrial Electricity 2014 graduate from Columbia, recently came back to Lorain County JVS to give the current Industrial Electricity students a hands-on demonstration.

Boey is in the FirstEnergy Lineman Program through The Illuminating Company, in partnership with Tri-C. Boey spoke about his personal journey, explained his climbing belt and tools, and gave an actual climbing demonstration to the students.

The students watched intently as Boey applied all of his gear, ascended up a practice utility pole, circled around it and then descended. Students were also offered the opportunity to try the climb themselves.

David McCullough, Industrial Electricity junior from Keystone, was the first to attempt the climb. With careful guidance from Mr. Jan Ramirez, JVS Industrial Electricity instructor and Boey, McCullough was successful in the climb and learned a great deal.

Boey explained to the class, “I spend 2 ½ days a week in class at Tri-C and 2 ½ days a week in climbing school. It is a rigorous schedule but once I complete the program, I will have an Electrical Technologies Associate Degree. The JVS was my launching point and Mr. Ramirez always had my back.”

Students from the Landscape and Greenhouse Management Program are hosting a holiday wreath and poinsettia sale at the JVS Greenhouse beginning November 28.

Poinsettias range from $3 to $10 depending on size. Paint or glitter can be added for only $1 extra. Wreaths are $10 each.

The greenhouse will be open for sales 8am to 11am and noon to 1:30pm Monday through Friday, through December 16^th, or until they sell out.

Due to the popularity and high demand of this sale, 150 additional poinsettias will be available this year.

The JVS is located at 15181 St. Rt. 58 in Oberlin. For more information contact Beth Berthold at 440/774-1051, ext 22377, or at bberthold@lcjvs.net.

JVS Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Engineering students recently visited and toured the NASA Glenn Research Center. The tour was part of a Manufacturing Month event coordinated by MAGNET; the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network.

The seniors in the engineering program had the opportunity to tour the Simulated Lunar Operations lab where they learned how NASA engineers are testing the next generation of Mars rovers. They were able to personally ask the engineers about the design of a prototype robotic arm that will be used on a new Mars rover and were able to create sample Mars terrain in an enlarged reality sandbox.

Some students had the chance to operate the model Mars rover itself and learned about the time difference in communications between Earth and the moon or Earth and Mars. The students stated they enjoyed being able to talk to and interact with actual NASA engineers.

Brian Iselin, PLTW Engineering Instructor, said “The students were able to see the type of work environment of a NASA engineer. They were also able to learn about the many different types of engineering and manufacturing jobs that are available at NASA.”

In addition, the students had the opportunity to tour the machine shop where they were able to experience firsthand water jet machines, manual and CNC mills and lathes, wire electrical discharge machines, a micro-machining center as well as an industrial 3D printer.

Last fall, students in the JVS Allied Health Sciences (AHS) and Carpentry programs partnered with a local non-profit organization called Operation Rescue, and raised over $2,000 to help Operation Rescue volunteers build a house in El Salvador.

One year later, members from Operation Rescue came back to JVS to update the students on the house they helped build. Marsha Norberg and David Gantz, two of the individuals who lead Operation Rescue, shared with JVS students and staff, that the receiving family, the Gilberto Rivas family, was selected for the house because their current home had an insect infestation which made living there too dangerous.

The Gilberto Rivas family consists of three adults; Gilberto, his wife and their adult son Henry. Norberg was able to share a quote from Mr. Rivas with the students and staff. “These people who live so far away and don’t even know me have provided my family a safe place to live. God has blessed us with these new friends and new home!”

AHS instructor Holly Sofia’s objective was for her students to understand the importance of global humanitarianism. “This project gave the students an awareness of the struggles many people in the world have to endure. They realized that many people don’t have access to basic necessities.”

The final cost to build the house was $2,047.25 and construction was completed in August, 2016. Every house that is built by Operation Rescue has a special plaque displayed showcasing who made the donation. These plaques are created in the JVS Career Readiness 9th and 10^th grade labs. A plaque stating that the Rivas family house was donated by the Lorain County JVS is displayed on the exterior of the house.