The Dayton City Council chambers were nearly bursting Tuesday night, as the council prepared to hear Dayton Independent School District’s superintendent Rick Wolf deliver his second State of the Schools address.
Instead, he let the students speak for themselves.
Dayton senior Hailey McVey is enrolled in two Gateway dual credit classes; sociology and entrepreneurship. She will attend Berea College to major in communications with a broadcast journalism minor.
Fellow senior America Gonzalez has been participating in Northern Kentucky University’s Young Scholar’s Academy for the past two years. She’ll be graduating with an associates degree in May, and attending NKU for two years to finish a bachelor’s degree in human resource management.
Dayton junior Kailee Garcia Lopez is currently taking classes with Campbell County Area Technology Center, focusing on the fire science track.
“I see that as my future, my career and my pathway.” she said.
After graduation, Garcia Lopez plans to attend Eastern Kentucky University to further study paramedics and firefighting.
Kevin Vasquez Wilson is also a junior, and enrolled in Enzweiler Building Institute’s new “Introduction to the Trades” program. His favorite part? Recently, he was named shop foreman of the carpentry class.
“I’m the boss of everybody. I get to yell, fire people.” Vasquez Wilson joked.
Junior Elias Lopez is attending the welding program at Gateway, where he’s currently learning to stick weld.
Brooke Dant is a sophomore, though she plans on attending Campbell County ATC to study fire science her junior year.
Fellow sophomore Brooklyn Tillett instead plans on attending Gateway her junior year.
Freshman Gabriel Richardson participates in Dayton High School’s Student Technology Leadership Program. Richardson is currently taking an introductory course in cyber security with the program, but plans to branch out into data networking at the encouragement of his teachers.
“We have some amazing leaders in our school. These are students that show up every day, they work hard, they’re kind, wonderful human beings; and they work through adversity.” Superintendent Wolf summarized, explaining his pride in the students’ achievements in and out of the classroom.