Ohio Hi-Point announces future North Campus in Kenton

KENTON – Less than one year after opening a branch campus in Urbana, Ohio Hi-Point Career Center signed a three-year lease agreement with Kenton City Schools to open a new North Campus location at the Eastcrest Elementary School site, located at 409 Madison Avenue.
    “We are very excited to announce the opening of our North Campus in Kenton,” offered Superintendent Kim Davis. “Our initial program offering at this site will be our Adult Education Practical Nursing Program.  This now completes our ‘network of opportunity’ for healthcare training with programs provided in Logan, Champaign, Union, and now Hardin Counties—bringing training close to home for busy adults seeking to gain competitive skills for one of the fastest growing sectors of the job market.”
    The expansion into Hardin County is a positive move for the Career Center. It will not only benefit Ohio Hi-Point and Kenton City Schools, but it will also bring learning and training opportunities closer to the residents of Hardin County.  Since the district’s adult education division will be hosting their nursing program beginning in July the lease will be paid from their budget.
    “There are numerous benefits to both of us [Ohio Hi-Point Career Center and Kenton City Schools],” said Russ Blue, the Ohio Hi-Point board representative for the Kenton City Schools Board of Education.  “It benefits Hi-Point to have a location that is conducive to education, as it is a school building.  It offers plenty of space now and for future usage, along with ample parking for students.  It also gives Hi-Point the opportunity to add adult education classes to Kenton, which benefits our community by having the classes locally. It benefits Kenton City Schools by not having to spend funding on an empty building.”
    When the Nancy J. Knight School of Nursing, part of Ohio Hi-Point Career Center’s Adult and Continuing Education Division, received an Ohio Board of Nursing Grant for $200,000 to expand the program into Hardin County, a location for classes needed to be found.  Blue, who was aware that the Eastcrest building would be closing, approached Davis and Adult Education Director Darlene Chiles. 
    “When I knew that Kenton City Schools was going to close the elementary building, I mentioned it to Kim [Davis], and it took off from there, and now it has come to fruition.  I feel it is a win-win for both entities,” offered Blue.
    While the site will only host the adult nursing program initially, Davis feels there is potential to further expand the school district’s high school satellite and adult education opportunities.  The district services Kenton City Schools, Upper Scioto Valley Schools and Ridgemont Local Schools in Hardin County at the high school level, while any adult can take advantage of the nursing program and future opportunities offered by the adult and continuing education division.
    “We have seen from the success of our Urbana South Campus that the community embraces the opportunities an educational facility like this can offer, both at the high school and adult levels,” said Davis.  “We know that bringing learning closer to our constituents can only mean positive things for the student and for the economic development of the community.”
    Blue echoes Davis’ sentiments.
    “It gives Ohio Hi-Point a stronger presence in Kenton and Hardin County. It lends itself to great opportunities for our local students to attend their classes locally and not have to travel elsewhere. I think it will also strengthen the relationship with the nursing program and our local hospital.  As I stated before I see this merger as a win-win situation for everyone and with the additional space available at Eastcrest I feel it affords Hi-Point great possibilities for satellite programs in the future.”
   
ABOUT OHIO HI-POINT CAREER CENTER
    The Ohio Hi-Point Career Center develops our most valuable resource –people-- by providing quality career-technical and academic education programs.
    The two-year career-technical high school serves junior and senior students from 14 school districts and offers more than 30 career training programs at the Hi-Point campus and satellite locations. Hi-Point also provides adult and continuing educational programming, ABLE/GED programs and Project SEARCH.