The Inter-Mountain photos Several pieces of glass on display at Weston’s West Virginia Museum of American Glass.

The maintenance shop at the Randolph County Technical Center.

A line worker hard at work.

In keeping with tradition, travels usually take me to either caloric or colorful events, and this year has been no exception. I had occasion in February to participate in Weston’s Annual West Virginia Museum of American Glass “Valentine’s Chocolate Lovers Feast” where at least 300 people consumed for two hours tables of homemade chocolate treats.

During this time, looks around the almost city-block-sized-room revealed hundreds of uniquely designed hand-blown and decorated glass pieces from all parts of our country, with special attention being given to the many glass plants that dotted West Virginia for many years, accenting the imagination and skills of our people.

This showplace is certainly symbolic of skilled trades and caused me to realize the significance of our children’s training programs. Being one who was always focused on college attendance, it never occurred to me in my youth that trades require just as much study and preparation. In many cases, skilled trades provide as much monetary reward or more salary than college completion.

It has been refreshing to see several recent newspaper articles reviewing activities of area counties promoting their vocational programs. Tucker County Schools had a High School Career Day April 4 and Randolph County, as well, invited parents and students to their Tech Center in mid-April for an evening to review class offerings and meet potential instructors.

Additionally, I learned from reading our local paper that several current Tech students were inducted into the 2023 National Technical Honor Society. This will certainly open important doors for them as they consider additional training or workplace employment.

These kinds of events and publication of them are exactly what is required to stimulate interest in our skilled trades. And, unless we have young people learning how to provide for many of our daily living needs in the areas of office management, mechanics, food production, electrification and other basic requirements, it will be difficult to keep areas populated.

These are just a few of the very important education-system components that have faced so many challenges in the last few years. And, I can give assurance that the teachers have been well-aware of the difficulties parents and other family members have had coordinating home activities to fit schedules and ensure student daily attendance. Likewise, our communities must know what school personnel have faced every day schools opened their doors. All in all, we trust we have survived the worst of it.

It is truly a moment in time when our school programs and personnel need to be on the forefront of receiving support and assistance wherever necessary. And, it is certainly not a time when we can abandon schools to exist on regular kinds of help. If left to their usual resources, in many cases, they will fall short of meeting basic objectives of smaller classes, well-trained teachers, adequate transportation and facility repair.

We all recognize that school administrators, teachers, parents, and churches have sacrificed mightily to get past this period and help our children land on their feet. I can only hope we will stay focused on community recovery and I pray most will agree our schools are the heart of it.

We find several area Boards of Education hiring new superintendents after scheduled retirements. Some will, no doubt, go to their residents for passage of needed levy monies. Others will continue searches for qualified teachers and bus drivers who do not now seem to exist. While our State Department of Education has initiated a quick-training program to get new teachers available for hiring, efforts must continue to keep salaries and benefits as high as possible so our instructor and service workforces will not be tempted to move to other regions.

If there ever was a time to band together to strengthen our school programs, it is now. Many would look at a piece of glass and not see much there. But I can attest that glass is strong, durable, useful, dependable and versatile. These are the exact traits we need to find in our education systems that depend largely on public financing.

We cannot get the job done by having only a championship ball team. Athletics are wonderful and they are necessary, but we have so many in our school populations who are not part of sport programs. We must be aware that a major responsibility of our schools is to prepare all students to someday care well for themselves and a family, if they choose. Their many skills and talents will contribute to building a capable society.

We must not lose sight of the fact that our youth depend on adult wisdom and direction, and because of our understanding and conclusions, there will be the community of the future. It is in our hands to mold.