Photo provided Harry VandeVelde, left, co-founder of the Springboard youth initiative will share his expertise when JCESC Virtual Learning Academy staff member Brant Starkey welcomes him on an upcoming webinar April 30. They have partnered to offer the Play of the Day program through VLA. Play of the Day invites students to look closely at successful figures and think about the qualities young people could build and apply in their own lives.

STEUBENVILLE — The Jefferson County Educational Service Center Virtual Learning Academy is giving a boost to partners who have helped VLA expand its wide range of offerings to school districts across the state and beyond.

During his next webinar at 11:11 a.m. April 30, VLA staff member Brant Starkey will showcase Harry VandeVelde, co-creator of the Springboard youth initiative with VLA. VandeVelde is an accomplished educator and friend of VLA who has partnered with the program for nearly three years. Recently retired as a professor at Purdue University, his advice has been sought by schools seeking to improve. He has dedicated himself to opening new doors for students.

“Harry’s a great individual,” Starkey said. “The webinar we’re going to be hosting next week is about a course that we have created alongside him called Play of the Day.”

VLA has offered Play of the Day for about two years. JCESC administration introduced VandeVelde to VLA Director Mark Masloski, who quickly saw the potential of the program in helping young people explore new possibilities. Starkey said the course has 36 units and is primarily geared toward high school students.

“It’s a series of lessons designed to help students and people in general think beyond themselves, looking at people from different walks of life who were successful and then looking at some of the traits they had that people can apply to their own lives.”

These include athletes such as Jesse Owens, authors such as Zig Ziglar and leaders such as Thomas Jefferson. Play of the Day breaks down their internal motivations and asks students to examine them through the lens of achievement, goal pursuit, interaction with others, impact and legacy.

“It’s available for school districts to use,” Starkey said. He added Play of the Day has applications during the school day and at athletic camps during the summer.

VandeVelde provided a list of prospective figures, past and present, with biographical information and quotes attributed to each to give students a picture of who each figure is, what they accomplished and what drove them.

Starkey said Play of the Day goes far beyond memorizing information. The goal is for students to engage with the material and apply it to help them achieve their own goals.

“There is a section that actually talks about goals and goal setting,” he said. “The student actually has to take some time and think about things, think about decisions that they’ve made and decisions they may have coming up. So, it’s not just sitting there reading about somebody else. There’s an element to each lesson where the student needs to apply what they’ve read.”

VLA will highlight the program during the April 30 webinar.

“The focus of the webinar is going to be more on Harry and Springboard,” Starkey said.

“It’s been a very, very positive relationship,” he said. “He appreciates what we do. We appreciate him and his vision of what he wants Springboard and Play of the Day to be. It’s been a very healthy relationship for both sides.”

This year’s webinars have been highlighting different partners.

“Harry is another one of our partners. I want folks who watch the webinar or listen to it to get a better idea of who Harry is and why he felt it necessary to start something like this,” Starkey said.

He added there is value in putting a face to the program.

“We want people to see that the curriculum we offer extends beyond just us. We want them to see the partnerships we have and the people behind them.”

The presentations have also strengthened VLA’s ties, as partners are eager for the opportunity to be interviewed.

VandeVelde’s expertise was also welcomed when VLA attended the Ohio Educational Technology Conference Feb. 10-12 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. He participated in one of seven presentations VLA gave.

Starkey noted the importance of such conferences, adding one of VLA’s missions is to stay current with rapidly advancing technology such as generative AI.

“We use it daily here in VLA. We use it for questions and courses,” he said. Starkey added all results are proofed. “The fact that we use it daily and it’s advancing so quickly tells us that we need to make sure we do what we can to stay in front of it.”

Play of the Day is available through the VLA platform. The webinar can be accessed through a QR code or via Zoom at jcesc-org.zoom.us/j/5587795858?omn=89193437642.

Located in the R. Larry George Training Annex at 1913 Estelle Ave. in Steubenville, the VLA serves all students including those who are credit deficient, homebound or homeschooled. JCESC VLA can serve as a stand-alone program or be implemented within a district’s existing curriculum. To learn more, visit jcesc.k12.oh.us/vla.aspx or contact VLA staff at vla@jcesc.org or 740-283-3347, ext. 100.