Adopt-A-Class Christmas

Libby coordinates Adopt-A-Class at Rockdale Academy in Avondale, Ohio. With her colleagues at Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati (FHLB), Christmas came early for these 4th grade students. Throughout the year FHLB volunteers work with the students and are pen pals to each of the students. They learn about banking, good study habits, and letter writing.


Mrs. Cheron Reid - Principal, Mrs Linda Williams-Teacher, & Bill Burwinkel-Founder of Adopt-A-Class

'Finding What Matters' Interviews

Our interview list begins. We have commitments from the following: a toy inventor, a music studio producer, the inventor of the Swifer mop, an aerospace design engineer, a graphic designer, a commercial photographer/videographer, the founders of CincinnatiWorks, an Air Force General, a business mogal, and a master craftsman woodwork artist. And this is just the beginning.

Better Than I Deserve

While some believe that the year 2012 will be the 'end of the world,' Libby and I see it as the beginning of our finest hour. Leaving behind all the challenges that have faced us, we will begin our journey to 'Find What Matters.'

Among our activities will be to provide action research projects for kids in school who will track our travels via the Internet. We will provide live Internet broadcast to classrooms where students will be able to participate in various team projects.

For the next 12 months I will be establishing contact with individuals in 24 U.S. cities who will act as our hosts as we swing across America.

Student Career Planning

In my continued focus on helping students remain in college, I provided a two-hour work-session with fifteen students to map out their strategy for successful college participation. Our friends at the Warren County Area Progress Council provided their boardroom and gave the students a 'business environoment' to work. I provided them with a seven-step process to align their expectations with the realities of the global marketplace. In Ohio the college drop-out rate is over 55%, hence the sense of urgency to engage these students in planning their college career with an outcome of a job upon graduation.

As a past High Schools That Works Advocate, I provided them with a fact book http://www.sreb.org/main/EdData/FactBook/factbookindex.asp that supports the trends in higher education in America.