Wynford's inaugural Royal Signing Day celebrates seniors' plans for the next step

Rock music played, a spotlight flashed and the crowd cheered as an announcer introduced each member of the Wynford High School Class of 2023 — and shared where each is heading next.

Wynford's inaugural Royal Signing Day on Thursday morning was all about acceptance, Superintendent Forrest Trisler said — "acceptance to the next level in their future, whether it's college or career, the military, apprenticeship."

"I had this program at other schools where I was principal at, and wanted to make sure we brought it here as superintendent so that our community can see that we are focused on the whole person — not just get them to graduation, but having the diploma in one hand and that acceptance to where they're going next in the other," he said before the event started.

"We're focused on empowering our kids for career, college and life readiness," Trisler said. "We want to make sure that our kids are ready for success."

As high school Principal Julie Miller welcomed the crowd of students, family members and guests to the ceremony in the high school gymnasium, she said the day was an opportunity to "celebrate our seniors who are taking the next step in their academic, athletic, military or workforce journey."

In addition to representatives of schools, programs, employers and the armed forces, the event was attended by Tim Ley and Larry Schmidt, Crawford County commissioners; David Zak, executive and economic development director for the Crawford Partnership; Averee Richardson, executive director of the Bucyrus Area Chamber of Commerce; and representatives of the district's board of education.

'There's a lot of be said for those entering trades'

Sarah Lester, mother of Wynford senior Austin Dornbirer, was one of many family members who attended the event.

She said her son plans to join the workforce.

"He's excited about that. He wants to save some money and then try to make plans for the future," she said. "He's been taking some college classes already, through the CCP (College Credit Plus) program that's offered here at Wynford, so he already has some college credits. He decided he wants to see what the workforce has to offer and then decide if he wants to kind of try to do both."

Lester said she was "kind of excited" about Royal Signing Day.

"I don't know exactly what to expect, but I think it's neat that they're recognizing students going multiple paths," she said. "I think a lot of times, there's so much focus on just the college-bound students, but there's a lot of be said for those entering trades and into the workforce."

The seniors entered the gym two by two and were seated as a group on bleachers at the far end. As each senior's name and next step was announced, the student walked to one of 26 signing tables that had been set up on the gymnasium floor. Once all of the seniors had been introduced, they signed special letters of intent, signifying their acceptance.

"This is an incredible accomplishment, and you should be very, very proud of yourselves," Miller told the seniors. "But today is not just about signing a piece of paper. It is about the years of hard work, dedication and sacrifice that have brought you to this moment. It is about the support and encouragement of your family, your friends, your coaches, your teachers, who have all helped you along the way. It's about the excitement, the anticipation and the nervousness of taking that next step after graduation."

'Diploma plus acceptance is a huge focus for us'

Students from sixth-grade up were in the gym to watch what Trisler called a "historic day" for Wynford and Crawford County.

"We want you to be able to see what acceptance is like," he told the younger students. "We want you to be able to see all the options that are out there."

Trisler said he believes that educators must prepare our students not just for the next school year, but for what happens after graduation. "And so diploma plus acceptance is a huge focus for us as a school district and I hope will continue to be a strong focus for us into the future," he said. "It's something that I want us all to have a laser-light focus on."

After the event, Wynford senior Melanie Johnson said she's looking forward to attending the University of Toledo, where she plans to study nursing.

"They have a really good nursing program, and it's not too far away from home — but just far enough away," she said.

Melanie said she enjoyed Royal Signing Day.

"It's definitely really cool; definitely very different. I think it's good to have this now for our seniors," she said.

Jordyn Alspach also plans to study nursing, but she will attend the University of Akron. With Cleveland Clinic being near the university, she felt the nursing program there was her best choice, Jordyn said.

"I think it was awesome," she said of Royal Signing Day. "It was great to have a celebration of all of our seniors."

ggoble@gannett.com

419-559-7263

This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Wynford introduces Royal Signing Day to recognize seniors' readiness