Eighty-eight community, education and business leaders met for our second AOP-20 meeting held on November 14, 2014 at Paul R. Brown Hall in Cambridge located at Zane State College’s campus. A welcome and overview of the AOP-20 work was given by David N. Branch and Chris Keylor, Muskingum Valley ESC and Ohio Valley ESC Superintendents, respectively. We also welcomed Ray Chorey, Southeastern Med Chief Operating Officer to share comments about the importance of seeking opportunities for education, community and business to partner.
Highlights of the meeting included:
- An update on High School Graduation requirements by Terry Dunn and Angela Dunn.
- A mayor’s panel facilitated by Greg Adams, Mayor of New Concord and other small town mayors, Tom Johnson of Somerset and Gary Goosman of Amesville.
- Strategic planning efforts led by the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs.
An outcome of this day was to continue conversation about what is important to the communities located in the 9 counties served in this region. Small table groups were charged with the tasks of discussing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that face the 9 counties. Several priority areas emerged from the table groups: the need for more business and education partnerships, more parent involvement and “soft skills” training.
Excitement, passion and an interest in continuing the discussion and creating an AOP-20 plan were evident as attendees shared their comments in small groups.