EDUCATION

Hailey Anderson and Levi Knott will travel to Washington D.C. in July as part of their prize. Zanesville is one of only five districts in the state that currently participates in the initiative. ZANESVILLE −Hailey Anderson and Levi Knott will travel to Washington D.C. in July as part of their...

PHILO − Colleen Piccone, 17, who graduated from Philo High School on Friday, will be the first to tell you that she struggled mightily after losing her father to a motorcycle crash in fifth grade.“It was sudden,” said the Philo High School marching band tuba player. “After it happened, I was like ‘I really don’t care about school.’ I did my work, but I just didn’t care that much.”Once the summer between the crash and the next school year had passed, she felt like people started treating her normal again. So, when she entered middle school, it was a new beginning.

MUSKINGUM COUNTY − Callie Baker has worked hard for everything she’s got.At just 18 years old, she’s earned her electrical technologies certification from Mid-East Career and Technology Centers and graduated from her home school of Tri-Valley High School with honors. She’s blazing new trails as the first woman to work in the field of her full-time job at TWC Enterprises Electrical and she just bought her first home in the New Lexington area. Throughout her high school...

CAMBRIDGE − Six area students received Christopher R. Kuhn Memorial scholarships this year. They are Matthew Vascura, Brea Wilfong, Rebecca Spohn, Savannah Flanigan, Lundyn Miller and Emily Clark. Matthew Vascura, of New Concord, is a 2024 graduate of John Glenn High School and will attend Muskingum University, majoring in...

NEW CONCORD − Phase two of Muskingum University’s multifaceted project to enhance its campus and programming for faculty and students is underway in the Quad Center, transforming the current student lounge space on the second floor into a career-focused space called the Impact Center.The work is expected to be completed by Aug. 26.“This phase will renovate the top of the Quad Center to create a space for centralized career development, community connections, and workforce partnerships,” said Molly Dunn, executive director of the Impact Center.“The end goal is to prepare our students for meaningful employment.”The overall project was awarded a $2.2 million Title 3 Strengthening Institutions grant from the Federal Department of Education in October 2020, according to Dunn. Phase one took place in 2021 and saw capital improvements focused on accessibility and mobility, including an elevator installed at the Quad Center. It also addressed programming issues and added Financial Literacy programming for students as well as a Center for Teaching and Learning, which enhanced faculty learning opportunities, said Dunn.The grant also initially funded Dunn’s position which oversees the development of the Impact Center and its programming tendrils. The Impact Center will see the bulk of the phase two capital improvements this year.“The space (for renovation) as it exists today is not being used efficiently,” said Dunn.Currently, the Quad Center houses the bookstore on the ground floor, with Student Life offices and a student lounge above it on the second floor. Also attached to the Quad Center on the ground floor is the Bait Shop, which is home to a Starbucks and a grab-and-go dining facility.The renovations will see the student lounge only turned into the new centralized Impact Center.“We currently have most of the elements of the Impact Center, they’re just located in different areas of the campus,” said Dunn. The renovations will bring all the parts and pieces into one space formally referred to as the Impact Center. “It will demonstrate to regional partners that the University is committed to this work to prepare students for the workforce. And we’re committing to it with physical space and a staff that is dedicated to this work.”The renovations will include adding office space, a virtual interview room, a conference room, relocation of the career clothing closet for students to the new space, and other career-focused items such as specialized programming and upgraded technology including new software that aids students with career planning.“Our tagline for the Impact Center is ‘Offering a rich variety of experiences that expertly prepare students for the future,’” said Dunn. The new centralized Impact Center is imperative to Muskingum’s work in measuring post-graduate outcomes, she added.“A lot of our students have the competencies that employers want, but the challenge is that they don’t know how to articulate it into the terms that employers understand, or how what they do translates into career competencies,” said Dunn. “That’s what we’re looking to do with the space.”Dunn said Muskingum’s investment into career prep and planning makes the University stand out among competitors.“We’re eliminating those (professional and career) barriers,” said Dunn, who added that another key component of the Impact Center is breaking down the silos that exist between faculty and the career office. “We are catalyzing these conversations around campus and looking at ways in which we can embed experiences into curriculum, but also serve as a partner to connect students with these experiences on their own.”These experiences are termed “high impact experiences,” said Dunn.“High impact experiences are proven to retain students,” said Dunn. “And they contribute to student success.”Dunn said Muskingum is focused on six high impact learning areas including: Civic Engagement; Work Related Learning (internships, clinicals, etc.); Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Faculty/Student research; Leadership; and Study Away.“Then we help students translate and use a high impact experience to show how it makes them a good employee,” said Dunn, citing traveling abroad as an example of being an employee who is adaptable and a calculated risk taker.“That’s the power of high impact experiences. They show critical thinking, risk taking, adaptability — and we help students tie it all together and show an employer how the skills translate.”Dunn said the physical space will become the central hub for all this work to continue and grow, making Muskingum a leader in preparing students for their futures.“As a higher education institution, it’s our responsibility to align with the needs of our regional workforce partners, as well to ensure our students are prepared and have the career competencies that complement their degrees.”

DUNCAN FALLS — Aidan Mahon took plenty of mental notes as a freshman. The Philo High School sophomore admittedly arrived to the top of the Muskingum Valley League track scene a little earlier than expected, surpassing the expectations of himself and coach Kris Hayes. He often adjusted on the fly to a heavy workload that tested his wherewithal — and sapped his drive. ...