Dear Vandalia Families and Friends,

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the Fall issue of Vandalia ONE. This magazine is our shared celebration of the people who make Vandalia Schools such a remarkable place to learn and grow. Each story in these pages highlights the talent, resilience, and creativity of our students, staff, and alumni—and together, they reflect the strength of our community.

You’ll meet students like Addi Sloan, already preparing for a career in healthcare with a head start on college credits, and Dalaney Patterson, balancing AP classes, tennis, and wrestling stat-keeping while aiming for law school. Corynn Taylor is discovering her own path through academics and athletics, while Jack Lewis is turning lessons learned on the pitcher’s mound into a future in sports medicine.

Creativity shines across this issue. Carter Jourdan is sketching characters and worlds that may someday leap into animation, and Jadie Keck, a recent graduate, is pursuing fine art and photography while building her own business. In our classrooms, Brooke Renfro inspires students to see design as a professional path, and Julie Lay is teaching media and coding skills that prepare students for a rapidly changing world.

You’ll also be inspired by the journeys of our teachers. Rita Wakefield brought her background in medical labs into the biology classroom, giving students both knowledge and confidence through dual credit opportunities. Travis Redden continues to model what it means to be a lifelong learner, always reminding his students that growth never stops. And Kameron McNealy’s story of hard work and resilience is a powerful reminder of the role grit plays in shaping futures.

Finally, Dakira Weischedel is blending her business interests with a strong sense of community connection, proving that entrepreneurship begins with values as much as vision.

What unites all of these stories is a sense of possibility. Vandalia is a place where students are encouraged to dream, to take risks, to try again, and to find their own voices. It is also a place where teachers, families, and community members come together to lift those dreams higher.

As you read this issue, I hope you feel the same pride I do in the bright futures unfolding all around us. Vandalia’s story is one of resilience, creativity, and heart—and it is being written every day by the remarkable people you’ll meet in these pages.

With gratitude and pride,

Dr. Jennifer Garrison
Superintendent, Vandalia CUSD 203