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The Tri Star complex along state Route 703 east of Celina.
CELINA - Since its formation in 1983, Tri Star has evolved from being a provider of vocational education with a certain type of student in mind to a sophisticated, multifaceted career and technical institution preparing area youth for college and careers.
Today, Tri Star offers 17 student programs ranging from interactive media to marketing education to teaching professions, as well as adult education courses, at its $25 million, 101,170-square-foot, two-story complex on State Route 703.
Tri Star Assistant Director Paula VanTilburg, halfway through her first year at Tri Star, offered an update on the career compact at this month's Celina City Schools Board of Education meeting.
"Vocational education was a wonderful thing. It served its purpose. It was for a specific person," VanTilburg said. "It was probably for somebody who was not interested in college. It might have been somebody who was struggling with grades, struggling with school, struggling with attendance, only interested in maybe ag or trade."
Tri Star did an amazing job of cultivating successful people through vocational education. However, over the course of 40-plus years the career compact serving nine school districts in Auglaize and Mercer counties has transformed into career and technical education.
"While we're doing great, we still have a lot of layers to peel back on that because we still have people that aren't educated into what career tech is, and career tech … it's for everybody," VanTilburg insisted. "It's for all students. It's for your 4.0 student and below, it's for students that want to go to college, it's for students that don't want to go to college, that want to get a job right away, that have no idea what they're doing."
Board members then heard from two Celina High School seniors in the teaching professions program that prepares students for careers in teaching, school administration and guidance counseling.
Students in the program study children of various ages and abilities and learn how to devise appropriate activities and write lesson plans utilizing the Ohio Department of Education Learning Standards. Qualifying students are placed in various classrooms within the nine local districts to gain practical teaching experience.
"Our teaching profession students are constantly engaged with activities throughout our school districts, as well as doing events they've hosted," VanTilburg said. "In November, they hosted a scavenger hunt to second graders that got to come over to Tri Star and spend the evening with us and a parent or an adult. And again, it's just another way of career exposure."
One of the seniors said the program will give him a leg up when he goes to college.
"I get to go to the classroom two days a week. It's really allowed me to be hands-on with the students and really learn what it's going to take to be an educator, and I feel that has really given me a better chance of getting my name out there and getting a job in the future as I go through college," he said.
Another student said she entered the program because she was passionate about becoming an elementary teacher. Though she has since decided against pursuing a career in education, she's sharpened her communication, leadership and organizational skills.
Those skills, she said, will be valuable in any career and help her work effectively with others.
"Even though … she's not going to go into education, the program still prepared her for many different opportunities," VanTilburg pointed out. "And that's what it's all about - no matter what programs students go into and wherever they decide to go after that."
Board member Jon Clouse, a former Tri Star teacher, seconded those sentiments.
"I always thought a student that didn't go into the program that I was teaching, at least they found out in high school instead of doing one or two years in college, just to find out so," Clouse said.
Tri Star students come from nine school districts in two counties. They attend half-days at Tri Star and the other half at their home schools.
This year, there are 430 students enrolled in Tri Star programs.
During the first semester, Tri Star hosted eighth-grade tours and Sophomore Day as part of its recruitment and placement efforts.
"Back in October we brought in 800 eighth graders over a three-week span, and they spend 10 minutes in each of our programs to get that exposure. And then in December we brought in roughly 600 sophomores," VanTilburg noted. "Some of the schools sent all of their sophomores, some of the schools sent sophomores that chose to come over."
The sophomores each selected two Tri Star programs.
"In those two programs they spend 45 minutes going through hands-on activities and getting that exposure of what that program will do for them when they graduate," she said.
A little under 280 sophomores have applied to enroll in Tri Star next school year via a new online system.
"It gave our in-house staff instant data as students were applying to come to Tri Star," VanTilburg said of the switch from paper to digital. "Our teaching staff can keep their eyes on the numbers in their programs."
