JVS BOARD — The Jefferson County Joint Vocational School Board of Education restarted for the new year and returned Steve Bezak III and Ron Smyth as board president and vice president, respectively, during the organizational meeting on Jan. 20. The board includes, from left, front, Julie Ault, board President Steve Bezak III, board Vice President Ron Smyth and Toni Jean Dondzila; back, Lee Gillison, Barry Gullen, Ruth Ann Bruzzese, Stephen Cowser and William Hendricks. -- Contributed

BLOOMINGDALE — The Jefferson County Joint Vocational School Board of Education hit the reset button for the new year and learned about opportunities for one of its programs.

The board held organizational and regular sessions on Jan. 20, where Steve Bezak III, Ron Smyth and Barry Gullen were sworn into office to complete another three-year term, while Bezak and Smyth were respectively returned as board president and vice president. Officials named Bezak as delegate for the Ohio School Boards Association annual conference with Ruth Anne Bruzzese as alternate and approved a series of operational items.

During the subsequent regular session, leaders heard an overview of happenings within the auto collision technology program from instructor Russ Achhammer and student Katie Rivers.

Achhammer said he was in his ninth year with the program and thanked the board and administrators for their support and dedication. He also explained the program’s curriculum with a focus on the top five skills for Collision Repair Education Foundation: Metal work and dent repair, paint prep, R&I bolted-on body parts, plastic repair and detailing.

“Among our accomplishments this year were an advisory committee meeting in November, which is a yearly meeting with local shops,” he continued. “We have one student employed at TEAM Collision Center, two students employed at Spell’s Automotive and one student employed and Rick & Di’s Collision.”

He mentioned the $5,000 CREF grant the program received this fall to upgrade tools and equipment, saying the funds will help purchase equipment needed to use a UV primer and radiant Trisk drying lamp. In addition, he said three juniors earned Automotive Service Excellence certifications with four seniors obtaining several ASE and Inter-Industry Conference in Auto Collision Repair certifications. Achhammer concluded by saying his students participated in the Spotlight on Skills Competition, particularly in the collision repair technology and auto refinish technology contests, and the two top students in each event move on to the SkillsUSA Ohio Southeast regionals at the Tri-County Career Tech Center in Logan on March 13. They will compete for a chance to advance to the state competition in Columbus on May 6, and last year three students participated and yielded a fifth-place finish in the automotive refinish contest.

Rivers, a junior who is based at Steubenville High School, led a PowerPoint presentation and discussed the various opportunities students had inside and outside the school.

“ACT, or auto collision repair, is a profession that specializes in the restoration of damaged vehicles,” Rivers said, adding that she was very fortunate to have a school such as the JVS which offers students various opportunities to succeed in a career. “In our lab, we have the freedom and flexibility to lean into what you enjoy about the vocation.”

Those opportunities range from the SkillsUSA Leadership Conference, where she recently acted as a delegate to help get a student elected to the organization’s southeast regional board; the Spotlight on Skills Competition, field trips, school groups such as Sources of Strength and Student Council, and the ability to obtain a boating license. Rivers added that students also have the chance to take part in work-based internships and apprenticeships that provide experiences that are hard to duplicate in a school setting while still learning and making an income, and she referred to involvement with TEAM Automotive and Elm Grove Collision Center.

Among the job-specific skills students gain to succeed are painting and refinishing, welding, and dent repair, in addition to soft skills such as integrity, respect, problem solving, productivity, time management, and goal setting. Rivers noted lab projects from painting an ODOT snowplow to assisting the power mechanics program with an armored vehicle.

“Auto collision requires many fields of expertise, from an understanding of basic auto service and welding to chemical coating. Auto collision has many skills combined into one job,” she concluded.

Rivers said upon graduation, she hoped to work in the industry and possibly own her own business, plus she wanted to be involved with the fire department.

Among other matters, the board:

• Heard from Supervisor/Principal Heather Hoover, who said students took part in the annual Spotlight on Skills Competition with top finishers moving on to regional events with the potential to advance to state and national contests. Hoover added that she also spoke with FFA adviser Emily Moore about having the school organization take part in more activities, while heavy equipment operation instructor Anthony Materna was also looking have his students take part in FFA activities. She noted that students would undergo testing during the next week and she and guidance counselor Shellie Henderson were also reviewing requirements and certifications for graduation;

• Approved the resignation of Supervisor/Assistant Principal Gabrielle Saltsman, effective Dec. 31;

• Approved the resignation of building cleaner William Trimmer, effective Friday, and posted the position for part-time cleaner for the remainder of the school year;

• Approved Piper Eckenrode as part-time adult education special interest receptionist on a one-year limited contract and Aubri Bane, Kevin Campos, and Haley Friend to the substitute teacher list for the 2025-26 school year;

• Recognized February as Black History Month;

• Approved field trips for FFA Leadership Conference in Columbus on Feb. 18-19 and HOSA Leadership Conference in Toledo on April 15-17;

• Scheduled the next regular meeting for 5 p.m. Feb. 17.