Dear Vandalia CUSD 203 Community,

Some places are just schools. But Vandalia is something more—it’s a family. It’s a place where history lives not only in textbooks, but in the stories of parents and grandparents who once walked the same halls, sat in the same classrooms, and cheered from the same bleachers. It’s a place where traditions don’t fade, they grow—woven into the fabric of our lives and passed down from one generation to the next. This issue of Vandalia ONE celebrates that unbreakable bond, honoring the remarkable families who remind us that being a Vandal isn’t just a moment in time—it’s a lifelong connection.

We see that connection in Ava and Michele Satterthwaite, two generations called to education, where a grandmother’s dedication to Vandalia Schools lives on through a granddaughter ready to shape young minds. We see it in Randy and Brandy Protz, a father and daughter linked not only by the classrooms of Vandalia but by the roar of an engine at the racetrack—a shared passion that bridges generations. And we see it in Huck and Melissa Elliott, a boy who watches his father’s welding torch spark to life, knowing one day, he’ll be the one holding the torch, carrying on a craft passed down with love and skill.

These are not just stories—they are the heartbeat of Vandalia. They are the moments when parents see their children chasing the same dreams they once had. When teachers find themselves guiding the sons and daughters of former students. When a mother and daughter, like Misty and Saige Philpot, share the same passion for education and leadership, each shaping the next generation in their own way. When Jill and Norah Doyle prove that the love of learning runs in the family, echoing from one classroom to another. When Rachel Holman and Shawn Hill remind us that sometimes, the best teachers aren’t just found in schools—they are found at home, in the warmth of a bond between an aunt and her nephew.

These stories, these legacies, these moments of pride—this is what it means to be a Vandal. It is the realization that what we do here isn’t just for today, but for tomorrow. It is knowing that no matter where life takes us, Vandalia will always be home.

Thank you for being part of this incredible family, for carrying on these traditions, and for making Vandalia Schools a place where generations continue to grow, learn, and love. Because once a Vandal, always a Vandal.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Dr. Jennifer Garrison
Superintendent, Vandalia CUSD 203