In June 2009 the Public Service

Training component of RESA 3 capi-

talized on an opportunity to enhance

the training of regional first respond-

ers We entered into a contract with

Bayer Crop Science a chemical man-

ufacturer located in Institute WV to

assume training operations at a facili-

ty that had been constructed by a

previous entity The center functioned

in the capacity to train local emergen-

cy response agencies with a primary

focus in firefighting and hazardous

materials incidents This center had

been built and operated by Rhone-

Poulenc Bayer Crop Science had in-

herited the facility with the acquisition

of Rhone-Poulenc RESA 3 Public Ser-

vice Training adjunct faculty had con-

ducted training sessions at the facility

and was fully prepared to jump into

new opportunities

RESA 3 Emergency

Preparedness

Training Center

1

Safety Training

Begins at Home

3

Gifted Writer

Shares Poem

4

RESA 3 Welcomes

New Employees

5

Mingo ABE Hosts

Fall GED Recogni-

tion Event

6

RESA 3 Continues

Efforts to Provide

a Positive Work

Environment

6

Herersquos to Your 7

Emergency Pre-

paredness Word

Search

8

Whatrsquos inside

RESA 3 Emergency Preparedness Training

Center

Volume 1 Issue 4 October 2013

by John Smoot RESA 3 Public Service Training

RESA 3

501 22nd Street

Dunbar WV 25064

304-766-7655

The Emergency Preparedness Train-

ing Center better known as EPTC

provides facilities to train emergency

responders attached to fire depart-

ments law enforcement emergency

medical services and technical rescue

groups which include fields of high

(Continued on page 2)

The three story Tactical Training Building

(Old shipping containers were used to fabri-

cate this building)

Team members preparing to search for

victims

A team moving a victim from a third story

window

RESA 3 Emergency Preparednesshellip

Page 2

angle rope rescue confined space

rescue and vehicular rescue

Enrollment during calendar year

2012 brought nearly 1000 stu-

dents to the

EPTC They

came mostly

from the fire-

fighting commu-

nity with the

highest percent-

age coming from local fire depart-

ments located in RESA 2 and 3 dis-

tricts The remaining enrollments

represented the industrial commu-

nity with a primary focus on fire-

fighting hazardous materials and

confined space rescue

The EPTC provides two classrooms

and a maintenance center There

are two buildings onsite to offer

firefighters a controlled environ-

ment to undergo live fire training

conditions The first building is a

two story facility primarily con-

structed for industrial firefighting

(Continued from page 1) and rescue training This building

was built when the EPTC first

opened in 1995 The second build-

ing added in 2013 is a three story

building constructed for the pur-

pose of both municipal and indus-

trial firefighters to hone firefighting

and rescue

skills in a

multi-look

building

A Fire Be-

havior Lab is

attached to the three story build-

ing This provides firefighters the

opportunity to participate in hostile

fire events in a controlled setting

A hostile fire event is a condition

firefighters are finding themselves

in more and more due to our

homes being loaded with plastics

and synthetics It is not uncom-

mon for firefighters to be intro-

duced to heat environments of

1500o F We are able to produce

these conditions with little risk to

students due to the construction of

the lab Not only does the lab pro-

duce the look of a hostile event it

allows firefighters to develop skills

necessary to prevent and survive

an event should one occur The lab

also provides a heat and smoke

system that serves the three story

building with a furnace for stu-

dents to work in a realistic setting

without the danger of direct con-

tact with flames

There are six propane fueled

props to simulate fires in industrial

scenarios The propane storage is

contained within two 1000-gallon

vessels To add to the props listed

there are several large vehicles to

be used to create vehicle rescue

incidents hazardous materials

props for teams to refine their

skills essential to mitigate a haz-

ardous materials incident and a

confined space rescue simulator

for operating in a confined and

contaminated air space

There are three fire trucks that

have been donated to the EPTC

over the past couple of years

(Continued on page 3)

Observing a hostile fire event in the lab Industrial firefighters attacking a flammable gas fire

It is not uncommon for

firefighters to be introduced to

heat environments of 1500o F

RESA 3 Emergency Preparednesshellip

Page 3

They came from the Tornado Vol-

unteer Fire Department the Ripley

Volunteer Fire Department and

the Putnam County Fire Service

Board

(Continued from page 2) The training curriculums delivered

to the emergency response com-

munity is provided by a cadre of

highly-trained adjunct instructors

They are credentialed by the West

Virginia Department of Education

and represent a wide array of ex-

pertise

If anyone has questions about the

facility or would like to schedule a

visit please contact John Smoot at

304-766-7655 ext 221 If he is

unavailable you can speak with

Jim Shedd at ext 120 or Tammy

Norman at ext 122

Firefighters practice rescuing an unconscious firefighter Developing the critical skill of self-rescue

It has been said that the toughest

crowd to sell is under your own roof

but Jim Shedd RESA 3rsquos own Direc-

tor of Public Service Training led ap-

preciative groups of RESA 3 employ-

ees through a safety class and left

them asking for more As part of

aligning Septemberrsquos Emergency Pre-

paredness Month with our RESA 3

Safety Plan the Dunbar employees

were trained on September 17 and

the Nitro employees completed train-

ing on September 23 If you were

unable to attend contact Jim Shedd

at ext 120 because you donrsquot want

to miss this pertinent information

Jim will schedule a make-up session

in October

Be safe Check out these tips

Do not plug a refrigerator or

microwave (of any size) into a

power strip Itrsquos a fire waiting

to happen

Space heaters are the greatest

fire hazard Dress warmly and

minimize their use

Do not store paintsflammable

liquids near boilershot water

tanks Unnoticed vapors are

explosive

Itrsquos not just good housekeep-

ingmdashkeep exits clear

Check smoke heat and CO2

detectors periodically and

change batteries twice a year

Do drills at work and at home

Know your nearest exits

wherever you are

Report suspicious-looking peo-

pleitems

(Continued on page 7)

Safety Training Begins at Home by L J Bittle PreK-12 Services Secretary RESA 3

PST Training Director Jim Shedd

provides safety training for RESA

3 employees

Gifted Writer Shares Poem

Page 4

By Pam Young Instructor Putnam Adult Learning Center

Imagine

By Michael McGraw

Imagine yourself

Alone in your head

Yoursquore hanging dangling

From a silver thread

Empty alone

With the monsters within

Internally screaming

You just want to give in

Now imagine thatrsquos you

Every day every hour

Forever sinking

Like a wilting flower

You try to tell your dad

And you try to tell your mom

But they say yoursquore being silly

Yoursquove just got to move on

Because teens donrsquot know sorrow

Nor the hardships of life

Theyrsquore just kids with imaginations

Just looking for attention right

You think that therersquos none

Who know how you feel

Yoursquore just so alone

But the feelingsmdashtheyrsquore real

Useless

Neglected

Forgotten

Distressed

Alone

Afraid

But mostly

Depressed

And yoursquore friends

They go on

Like nothing has changed

ldquoThey must not carerdquo

Your thoughts whisper

The lies in your brain

You canrsquot escape it

Trapped in your own skin

Yoursquore ugly

Yoursquore hated

But you mask it with a grin

You hate what you feel

So instead you feel nothing

Your insides are numb

Your confidence crumbling

You look to other things

To stop the pain

Cutting pills

But it gives you no gain

And the people around you

Shout abuse your way

ldquoYoursquore hurting yourself stop itrdquo

Thatrsquos all they ever say

No matter how you plead

That yoursquore broken inside

They turn the other way

They run they hide

They say yoursquore just foolish

Itrsquos all in your head

What they donrsquot know is inside

Yoursquore already dead

Michael McGraw is a student at the Putnam Adult Learning Center

located at the Putnam Career amp Technical Center in Eleanor West

Virginia He is working on obtaining his GED by the end of this year

Michael lives with his mother and brother in Buffalo

We learned this year that Michael is an avid poetry writer You will

find his poetry both eloquent and poignant Below is his poem enti-

tled ldquoImaginerdquo

Michael McGraw student at Put-

nam Adult Learning Center is

working on obtaining his GED by

the end of the year

RESA 3 Welcomes New Employees

Page 5

RESA 3 has some new faces this

fall Three new colleagues have

recently joined our family Mike

Carte Jennifer Miller and Mandy

Flora

Mike comes to RESA 3 from Kana-

wha County Schools where he

served as a chemistry teacher for

16 years He will serve as the

College and Career ReadySTEM

Coordinator

Mike is a graduate of West Virginia

State College and Marshall Univer-

sity He and his wife Caroline re-

side in Charleston They have two

childrenmdashAaron age 11 and

Jonah age 7

After earning a BS degree in Or-

ganizational Leadership Jennifer

joined a company in the wireless

telecommunications industry Dur-

ing her 11-year tenure she held

many leadership roles Her last

and longest tenure position was as

a District Manager of retail sales

Jennifer joined RESA 3 on August

21 as an E-rate coordinator where

she will provide support to coun-

ties for all E-rate processes

Jennifer lives in Hurricane with her

husband and three children She is

extremely excited to be a part of

the RESA 3 team and wants to

thank everyone for being so help-

ful during her transition

(For more information on the E-

rate program please visit the

WVDE webpage at http

wvdestatewvustechnology

eratemanualbeginnerhtm)

Before joining the RESA 3 team

Mandy taught 4th grade at Guyan-

dotte Elementary which is located

on the Ohio River in Cabell County

While teaching at Guyandotte

Mandy says that the school was

under a school improvement plan

for three years This experience

allowed her the opportunity to

grow as a teacher As a result of

teaching in a school that was un-

der a school improvement plan ldquoI

bring with me that challenging

stretching experience which made

me a better educator and leaderrdquo

Mandy also spent three years

working with tri-state teachers for

Marshall Universityrsquos Writing Pro-

ject as well as two years training

student teachers in the areas of

student engagement classroom

management and project-based

learning

Mandy currently lives in Hunting-

ton which has been her hometown

for most of her life She lives with

her husband Greg and her new-

born daughter Alice who was

born in August Mandy goes on to

say ldquoOur cute dog Jerry also

lives with us though he gets sig-

nificantly less attention these

daysrdquo

Mandy expresses her excitement

about her new position at RESA 3

ldquoI am thrilled to be a part of the

amazing RESA 3 team to serve

Boone Kanawha Clay and Putnam

counties as a teacher mentor and

school improvement coordinator

This is my dream job as I feel

called to come alongside educators

to determine and deliver what is

best for the students of West Vir-

giniardquo

We are excited about these new

additions to our RESA 3 family and

look forward to getting to know

them better

Mike Carte College and Career Ready

STEM Coordinator RESA 3

Mandy Flora Teacher MentorSchool Im-

provement Coordinator RESA 3 Pictured

with husband Greg and daughter Alice

Mandy amp Gregrsquos

dog Jerry

RESA 3 Emergency Preparednesshellip

Page 2

angle rope rescue confined space

rescue and vehicular rescue

Enrollment during calendar year

2012 brought nearly 1000 stu-

dents to the

EPTC They

came mostly

from the fire-

fighting commu-

nity with the

highest percent-

age coming from local fire depart-

ments located in RESA 2 and 3 dis-

tricts The remaining enrollments

represented the industrial commu-

nity with a primary focus on fire-

fighting hazardous materials and

confined space rescue

The EPTC provides two classrooms

and a maintenance center There

are two buildings onsite to offer

firefighters a controlled environ-

ment to undergo live fire training

conditions The first building is a

two story facility primarily con-

structed for industrial firefighting

(Continued from page 1) and rescue training This building

was built when the EPTC first

opened in 1995 The second build-

ing added in 2013 is a three story

building constructed for the pur-

pose of both municipal and indus-

trial firefighters to hone firefighting

and rescue

skills in a

multi-look

building

A Fire Be-

havior Lab is

attached to the three story build-

ing This provides firefighters the

opportunity to participate in hostile

fire events in a controlled setting

A hostile fire event is a condition

firefighters are finding themselves

in more and more due to our

homes being loaded with plastics

and synthetics It is not uncom-

mon for firefighters to be intro-

duced to heat environments of

1500o F We are able to produce

these conditions with little risk to

students due to the construction of

the lab Not only does the lab pro-

duce the look of a hostile event it

allows firefighters to develop skills

necessary to prevent and survive

an event should one occur The lab

also provides a heat and smoke

system that serves the three story

building with a furnace for stu-

dents to work in a realistic setting

without the danger of direct con-

tact with flames

There are six propane fueled

props to simulate fires in industrial

scenarios The propane storage is

contained within two 1000-gallon

vessels To add to the props listed

there are several large vehicles to

be used to create vehicle rescue

incidents hazardous materials

props for teams to refine their

skills essential to mitigate a haz-

ardous materials incident and a

confined space rescue simulator

for operating in a confined and

contaminated air space

There are three fire trucks that

have been donated to the EPTC

over the past couple of years

(Continued on page 3)

Observing a hostile fire event in the lab Industrial firefighters attacking a flammable gas fire

It is not uncommon for

firefighters to be introduced to

heat environments of 1500o F

RESA 3 Emergency Preparednesshellip

Page 3

They came from the Tornado Vol-

unteer Fire Department the Ripley

Volunteer Fire Department and

the Putnam County Fire Service

Board

(Continued from page 2) The training curriculums delivered

to the emergency response com-

munity is provided by a cadre of

highly-trained adjunct instructors

They are credentialed by the West

Virginia Department of Education

and represent a wide array of ex-

pertise

If anyone has questions about the

facility or would like to schedule a

visit please contact John Smoot at

304-766-7655 ext 221 If he is

unavailable you can speak with

Jim Shedd at ext 120 or Tammy

Norman at ext 122

Firefighters practice rescuing an unconscious firefighter Developing the critical skill of self-rescue

It has been said that the toughest

crowd to sell is under your own roof

but Jim Shedd RESA 3rsquos own Direc-

tor of Public Service Training led ap-

preciative groups of RESA 3 employ-

ees through a safety class and left

them asking for more As part of

aligning Septemberrsquos Emergency Pre-

paredness Month with our RESA 3

Safety Plan the Dunbar employees

were trained on September 17 and

the Nitro employees completed train-

ing on September 23 If you were

unable to attend contact Jim Shedd

at ext 120 because you donrsquot want

to miss this pertinent information

Jim will schedule a make-up session

in October

Be safe Check out these tips

Do not plug a refrigerator or

microwave (of any size) into a

power strip Itrsquos a fire waiting

to happen

Space heaters are the greatest

fire hazard Dress warmly and

minimize their use

Do not store paintsflammable

liquids near boilershot water

tanks Unnoticed vapors are

explosive

Itrsquos not just good housekeep-

ingmdashkeep exits clear

Check smoke heat and CO2

detectors periodically and

change batteries twice a year

Do drills at work and at home

Know your nearest exits

wherever you are

Report suspicious-looking peo-

pleitems

(Continued on page 7)

Safety Training Begins at Home by L J Bittle PreK-12 Services Secretary RESA 3

PST Training Director Jim Shedd

provides safety training for RESA

3 employees

Gifted Writer Shares Poem

Page 4

By Pam Young Instructor Putnam Adult Learning Center

Imagine

By Michael McGraw

Imagine yourself

Alone in your head

Yoursquore hanging dangling

From a silver thread

Empty alone

With the monsters within

Internally screaming

You just want to give in

Now imagine thatrsquos you

Every day every hour

Forever sinking

Like a wilting flower

You try to tell your dad

And you try to tell your mom

But they say yoursquore being silly

Yoursquove just got to move on

Because teens donrsquot know sorrow

Nor the hardships of life

Theyrsquore just kids with imaginations

Just looking for attention right

You think that therersquos none

Who know how you feel

Yoursquore just so alone

But the feelingsmdashtheyrsquore real

Useless

Neglected

Forgotten

Distressed

Alone

Afraid

But mostly

Depressed

And yoursquore friends

They go on

Like nothing has changed

ldquoThey must not carerdquo

Your thoughts whisper

The lies in your brain

You canrsquot escape it

Trapped in your own skin

Yoursquore ugly

Yoursquore hated

But you mask it with a grin

You hate what you feel

So instead you feel nothing

Your insides are numb

Your confidence crumbling

You look to other things

To stop the pain

Cutting pills

But it gives you no gain

And the people around you

Shout abuse your way

ldquoYoursquore hurting yourself stop itrdquo

Thatrsquos all they ever say

No matter how you plead

That yoursquore broken inside

They turn the other way

They run they hide

They say yoursquore just foolish

Itrsquos all in your head

What they donrsquot know is inside

Yoursquore already dead

Michael McGraw is a student at the Putnam Adult Learning Center

located at the Putnam Career amp Technical Center in Eleanor West

Virginia He is working on obtaining his GED by the end of this year

Michael lives with his mother and brother in Buffalo

We learned this year that Michael is an avid poetry writer You will

find his poetry both eloquent and poignant Below is his poem enti-

tled ldquoImaginerdquo

Michael McGraw student at Put-

nam Adult Learning Center is

working on obtaining his GED by

the end of the year

RESA 3 Welcomes New Employees

Page 5

RESA 3 has some new faces this

fall Three new colleagues have

recently joined our family Mike

Carte Jennifer Miller and Mandy

Flora

Mike comes to RESA 3 from Kana-

wha County Schools where he

served as a chemistry teacher for

16 years He will serve as the

College and Career ReadySTEM

Coordinator

Mike is a graduate of West Virginia

State College and Marshall Univer-

sity He and his wife Caroline re-

side in Charleston They have two

childrenmdashAaron age 11 and

Jonah age 7

After earning a BS degree in Or-

ganizational Leadership Jennifer

joined a company in the wireless

telecommunications industry Dur-

ing her 11-year tenure she held

many leadership roles Her last

and longest tenure position was as

a District Manager of retail sales

Jennifer joined RESA 3 on August

21 as an E-rate coordinator where

she will provide support to coun-

ties for all E-rate processes

Jennifer lives in Hurricane with her

husband and three children She is

extremely excited to be a part of

the RESA 3 team and wants to

thank everyone for being so help-

ful during her transition

(For more information on the E-

rate program please visit the

WVDE webpage at http

wvdestatewvustechnology

eratemanualbeginnerhtm)

Before joining the RESA 3 team

Mandy taught 4th grade at Guyan-

dotte Elementary which is located

on the Ohio River in Cabell County

While teaching at Guyandotte

Mandy says that the school was

under a school improvement plan

for three years This experience

allowed her the opportunity to

grow as a teacher As a result of

teaching in a school that was un-

der a school improvement plan ldquoI

bring with me that challenging

stretching experience which made

me a better educator and leaderrdquo

Mandy also spent three years

working with tri-state teachers for

Marshall Universityrsquos Writing Pro-

ject as well as two years training

student teachers in the areas of

student engagement classroom

management and project-based

learning

Mandy currently lives in Hunting-

ton which has been her hometown

for most of her life She lives with

her husband Greg and her new-

born daughter Alice who was

born in August Mandy goes on to

say ldquoOur cute dog Jerry also

lives with us though he gets sig-

nificantly less attention these

daysrdquo

Mandy expresses her excitement

about her new position at RESA 3

ldquoI am thrilled to be a part of the

amazing RESA 3 team to serve

Boone Kanawha Clay and Putnam

counties as a teacher mentor and

school improvement coordinator

This is my dream job as I feel

called to come alongside educators

to determine and deliver what is

best for the students of West Vir-

giniardquo

We are excited about these new

additions to our RESA 3 family and

look forward to getting to know

them better

Mike Carte College and Career Ready

STEM Coordinator RESA 3

Mandy Flora Teacher MentorSchool Im-

provement Coordinator RESA 3 Pictured

with husband Greg and daughter Alice

Mandy amp Gregrsquos

dog Jerry

RESA 3 Emergency Preparednesshellip

Page 3

They came from the Tornado Vol-

unteer Fire Department the Ripley

Volunteer Fire Department and

the Putnam County Fire Service

Board

(Continued from page 2) The training curriculums delivered

to the emergency response com-

munity is provided by a cadre of

highly-trained adjunct instructors

They are credentialed by the West

Virginia Department of Education

and represent a wide array of ex-

pertise

If anyone has questions about the

facility or would like to schedule a

visit please contact John Smoot at

304-766-7655 ext 221 If he is

unavailable you can speak with

Jim Shedd at ext 120 or Tammy

Norman at ext 122

Firefighters practice rescuing an unconscious firefighter Developing the critical skill of self-rescue

It has been said that the toughest

crowd to sell is under your own roof

but Jim Shedd RESA 3rsquos own Direc-

tor of Public Service Training led ap-

preciative groups of RESA 3 employ-

ees through a safety class and left

them asking for more As part of

aligning Septemberrsquos Emergency Pre-

paredness Month with our RESA 3

Safety Plan the Dunbar employees

were trained on September 17 and

the Nitro employees completed train-

ing on September 23 If you were

unable to attend contact Jim Shedd

at ext 120 because you donrsquot want

to miss this pertinent information

Jim will schedule a make-up session

in October

Be safe Check out these tips

Do not plug a refrigerator or

microwave (of any size) into a

power strip Itrsquos a fire waiting

to happen

Space heaters are the greatest

fire hazard Dress warmly and

minimize their use

Do not store paintsflammable

liquids near boilershot water

tanks Unnoticed vapors are

explosive

Itrsquos not just good housekeep-

ingmdashkeep exits clear

Check smoke heat and CO2

detectors periodically and

change batteries twice a year

Do drills at work and at home

Know your nearest exits

wherever you are

Report suspicious-looking peo-

pleitems

(Continued on page 7)

Safety Training Begins at Home by L J Bittle PreK-12 Services Secretary RESA 3

PST Training Director Jim Shedd

provides safety training for RESA

3 employees

Gifted Writer Shares Poem

Page 4

By Pam Young Instructor Putnam Adult Learning Center

Imagine

By Michael McGraw

Imagine yourself

Alone in your head

Yoursquore hanging dangling

From a silver thread

Empty alone

With the monsters within

Internally screaming

You just want to give in

Now imagine thatrsquos you

Every day every hour

Forever sinking

Like a wilting flower

You try to tell your dad

And you try to tell your mom

But they say yoursquore being silly

Yoursquove just got to move on

Because teens donrsquot know sorrow

Nor the hardships of life

Theyrsquore just kids with imaginations

Just looking for attention right

You think that therersquos none

Who know how you feel

Yoursquore just so alone

But the feelingsmdashtheyrsquore real

Useless

Neglected

Forgotten

Distressed

Alone

Afraid

But mostly

Depressed

And yoursquore friends

They go on

Like nothing has changed

ldquoThey must not carerdquo

Your thoughts whisper

The lies in your brain

You canrsquot escape it

Trapped in your own skin

Yoursquore ugly

Yoursquore hated

But you mask it with a grin

You hate what you feel

So instead you feel nothing

Your insides are numb

Your confidence crumbling

You look to other things

To stop the pain

Cutting pills

But it gives you no gain

And the people around you

Shout abuse your way

ldquoYoursquore hurting yourself stop itrdquo

Thatrsquos all they ever say

No matter how you plead

That yoursquore broken inside

They turn the other way

They run they hide

They say yoursquore just foolish

Itrsquos all in your head

What they donrsquot know is inside

Yoursquore already dead

Michael McGraw is a student at the Putnam Adult Learning Center

located at the Putnam Career amp Technical Center in Eleanor West

Virginia He is working on obtaining his GED by the end of this year

Michael lives with his mother and brother in Buffalo

We learned this year that Michael is an avid poetry writer You will

find his poetry both eloquent and poignant Below is his poem enti-

tled ldquoImaginerdquo

Michael McGraw student at Put-

nam Adult Learning Center is

working on obtaining his GED by

the end of the year

RESA 3 Welcomes New Employees

Page 5

RESA 3 has some new faces this

fall Three new colleagues have

recently joined our family Mike

Carte Jennifer Miller and Mandy

Flora

Mike comes to RESA 3 from Kana-

wha County Schools where he

served as a chemistry teacher for

16 years He will serve as the

College and Career ReadySTEM

Coordinator

Mike is a graduate of West Virginia

State College and Marshall Univer-

sity He and his wife Caroline re-

side in Charleston They have two

childrenmdashAaron age 11 and

Jonah age 7

After earning a BS degree in Or-

ganizational Leadership Jennifer

joined a company in the wireless

telecommunications industry Dur-

ing her 11-year tenure she held

many leadership roles Her last

and longest tenure position was as

a District Manager of retail sales

Jennifer joined RESA 3 on August

21 as an E-rate coordinator where

she will provide support to coun-

ties for all E-rate processes

Jennifer lives in Hurricane with her

husband and three children She is

extremely excited to be a part of

the RESA 3 team and wants to

thank everyone for being so help-

ful during her transition

(For more information on the E-

rate program please visit the

WVDE webpage at http

wvdestatewvustechnology

eratemanualbeginnerhtm)

Before joining the RESA 3 team

Mandy taught 4th grade at Guyan-

dotte Elementary which is located

on the Ohio River in Cabell County

While teaching at Guyandotte

Mandy says that the school was

under a school improvement plan

for three years This experience

allowed her the opportunity to

grow as a teacher As a result of

teaching in a school that was un-

der a school improvement plan ldquoI

bring with me that challenging

stretching experience which made

me a better educator and leaderrdquo

Mandy also spent three years

working with tri-state teachers for

Marshall Universityrsquos Writing Pro-

ject as well as two years training

student teachers in the areas of

student engagement classroom

management and project-based

learning

Mandy currently lives in Hunting-

ton which has been her hometown

for most of her life She lives with

her husband Greg and her new-

born daughter Alice who was

born in August Mandy goes on to

say ldquoOur cute dog Jerry also

lives with us though he gets sig-

nificantly less attention these

daysrdquo

Mandy expresses her excitement

about her new position at RESA 3

ldquoI am thrilled to be a part of the

amazing RESA 3 team to serve

Boone Kanawha Clay and Putnam

counties as a teacher mentor and

school improvement coordinator

This is my dream job as I feel

called to come alongside educators

to determine and deliver what is

best for the students of West Vir-

giniardquo

We are excited about these new

additions to our RESA 3 family and

look forward to getting to know

them better

Mike Carte College and Career Ready

STEM Coordinator RESA 3

Mandy Flora Teacher MentorSchool Im-

provement Coordinator RESA 3 Pictured

with husband Greg and daughter Alice

Mandy amp Gregrsquos

dog Jerry

Gifted Writer Shares Poem

Page 4

By Pam Young Instructor Putnam Adult Learning Center

Imagine

By Michael McGraw

Imagine yourself

Alone in your head

Yoursquore hanging dangling

From a silver thread

Empty alone

With the monsters within

Internally screaming

You just want to give in

Now imagine thatrsquos you

Every day every hour

Forever sinking

Like a wilting flower

You try to tell your dad

And you try to tell your mom

But they say yoursquore being silly

Yoursquove just got to move on

Because teens donrsquot know sorrow

Nor the hardships of life

Theyrsquore just kids with imaginations

Just looking for attention right

You think that therersquos none

Who know how you feel

Yoursquore just so alone

But the feelingsmdashtheyrsquore real

Useless

Neglected

Forgotten

Distressed

Alone

Afraid

But mostly

Depressed

And yoursquore friends

They go on

Like nothing has changed

ldquoThey must not carerdquo

Your thoughts whisper

The lies in your brain

You canrsquot escape it

Trapped in your own skin

Yoursquore ugly

Yoursquore hated

But you mask it with a grin

You hate what you feel

So instead you feel nothing

Your insides are numb

Your confidence crumbling

You look to other things

To stop the pain

Cutting pills

But it gives you no gain

And the people around you

Shout abuse your way

ldquoYoursquore hurting yourself stop itrdquo

Thatrsquos all they ever say

No matter how you plead

That yoursquore broken inside

They turn the other way

They run they hide

They say yoursquore just foolish

Itrsquos all in your head

What they donrsquot know is inside

Yoursquore already dead

Michael McGraw is a student at the Putnam Adult Learning Center

located at the Putnam Career amp Technical Center in Eleanor West

Virginia He is working on obtaining his GED by the end of this year

Michael lives with his mother and brother in Buffalo

We learned this year that Michael is an avid poetry writer You will

find his poetry both eloquent and poignant Below is his poem enti-

tled ldquoImaginerdquo

Michael McGraw student at Put-

nam Adult Learning Center is

working on obtaining his GED by

the end of the year

RESA 3 Welcomes New Employees

Page 5

RESA 3 has some new faces this

fall Three new colleagues have

recently joined our family Mike

Carte Jennifer Miller and Mandy

Flora

Mike comes to RESA 3 from Kana-

wha County Schools where he

served as a chemistry teacher for

16 years He will serve as the

College and Career ReadySTEM

Coordinator

Mike is a graduate of West Virginia

State College and Marshall Univer-

sity He and his wife Caroline re-

side in Charleston They have two

childrenmdashAaron age 11 and

Jonah age 7

After earning a BS degree in Or-

ganizational Leadership Jennifer

joined a company in the wireless

telecommunications industry Dur-

ing her 11-year tenure she held

many leadership roles Her last

and longest tenure position was as

a District Manager of retail sales

Jennifer joined RESA 3 on August

21 as an E-rate coordinator where

she will provide support to coun-

ties for all E-rate processes

Jennifer lives in Hurricane with her

husband and three children She is

extremely excited to be a part of

the RESA 3 team and wants to

thank everyone for being so help-

ful during her transition

(For more information on the E-

rate program please visit the

WVDE webpage at http

wvdestatewvustechnology

eratemanualbeginnerhtm)

Before joining the RESA 3 team

Mandy taught 4th grade at Guyan-

dotte Elementary which is located

on the Ohio River in Cabell County

While teaching at Guyandotte

Mandy says that the school was

under a school improvement plan

for three years This experience

allowed her the opportunity to

grow as a teacher As a result of

teaching in a school that was un-

der a school improvement plan ldquoI

bring with me that challenging

stretching experience which made

me a better educator and leaderrdquo

Mandy also spent three years

working with tri-state teachers for

Marshall Universityrsquos Writing Pro-

ject as well as two years training

student teachers in the areas of

student engagement classroom

management and project-based

learning

Mandy currently lives in Hunting-

ton which has been her hometown

for most of her life She lives with

her husband Greg and her new-

born daughter Alice who was

born in August Mandy goes on to

say ldquoOur cute dog Jerry also

lives with us though he gets sig-

nificantly less attention these

daysrdquo

Mandy expresses her excitement

about her new position at RESA 3

ldquoI am thrilled to be a part of the

amazing RESA 3 team to serve

Boone Kanawha Clay and Putnam

counties as a teacher mentor and

school improvement coordinator

This is my dream job as I feel

called to come alongside educators

to determine and deliver what is

best for the students of West Vir-

giniardquo

We are excited about these new

additions to our RESA 3 family and

look forward to getting to know

them better

Mike Carte College and Career Ready

STEM Coordinator RESA 3

Mandy Flora Teacher MentorSchool Im-

provement Coordinator RESA 3 Pictured

with husband Greg and daughter Alice

Mandy amp Gregrsquos

dog Jerry

RESA 3 Welcomes New Employees

Page 5

RESA 3 has some new faces this

fall Three new colleagues have

recently joined our family Mike

Carte Jennifer Miller and Mandy

Flora

Mike comes to RESA 3 from Kana-

wha County Schools where he

served as a chemistry teacher for

16 years He will serve as the

College and Career ReadySTEM

Coordinator

Mike is a graduate of West Virginia

State College and Marshall Univer-

sity He and his wife Caroline re-

side in Charleston They have two

childrenmdashAaron age 11 and

Jonah age 7

After earning a BS degree in Or-

ganizational Leadership Jennifer

joined a company in the wireless

telecommunications industry Dur-

ing her 11-year tenure she held

many leadership roles Her last

and longest tenure position was as

a District Manager of retail sales

Jennifer joined RESA 3 on August

21 as an E-rate coordinator where

she will provide support to coun-

ties for all E-rate processes

Jennifer lives in Hurricane with her

husband and three children She is

extremely excited to be a part of

the RESA 3 team and wants to

thank everyone for being so help-

ful during her transition

(For more information on the E-

rate program please visit the

WVDE webpage at http

wvdestatewvustechnology

eratemanualbeginnerhtm)

Before joining the RESA 3 team

Mandy taught 4th grade at Guyan-

dotte Elementary which is located

on the Ohio River in Cabell County

While teaching at Guyandotte

Mandy says that the school was

under a school improvement plan

for three years This experience

allowed her the opportunity to

grow as a teacher As a result of

teaching in a school that was un-

der a school improvement plan ldquoI

bring with me that challenging

stretching experience which made

me a better educator and leaderrdquo

Mandy also spent three years

working with tri-state teachers for

Marshall Universityrsquos Writing Pro-

ject as well as two years training

student teachers in the areas of

student engagement classroom

management and project-based

learning

Mandy currently lives in Hunting-

ton which has been her hometown

for most of her life She lives with

her husband Greg and her new-

born daughter Alice who was

born in August Mandy goes on to

say ldquoOur cute dog Jerry also

lives with us though he gets sig-

nificantly less attention these

daysrdquo

Mandy expresses her excitement

about her new position at RESA 3

ldquoI am thrilled to be a part of the

amazing RESA 3 team to serve

Boone Kanawha Clay and Putnam

counties as a teacher mentor and

school improvement coordinator

This is my dream job as I feel

called to come alongside educators

to determine and deliver what is

best for the students of West Vir-

giniardquo

We are excited about these new

additions to our RESA 3 family and

look forward to getting to know

them better

Mike Carte College and Career Ready

STEM Coordinator RESA 3

Mandy Flora Teacher MentorSchool Im-

provement Coordinator RESA 3 Pictured

with husband Greg and daughter Alice

Mandy amp Gregrsquos

dog Jerry

The RESA 3 Holiday Committee

was formed in October 2012 as a

way of promoting a positive work

environment as well as a way of

providing opportunities for employ-

ees to give back to the communi-

ties they serve This committee

continues to be active in its efforts

In September employees were

encouraged to wear lapel pins in

order to remember and honor the

victims as well as heroes of 911

In October employees will be pro-

vided with pink ribbons that will be

worn in honor of Breast Cancer

Awareness month

The following is a list of upcoming

events planned by this committee

October 16 Breast Cancer

Awareness

Pink ribbons will be worn by em-

ployees to promote Breast Cancer

Awareness

October 23 Halloween Party

This annual event promotes fun

and laughter while giving employ-

ees a chance to network with one

another in a fun-filled atmosphere

Employees are encouraged to wear

costumes and eat lunch with one

another Games costumes and

snacks are part of this special

event

November 1mdash20 Thankful for

Critters Campaign

During November employees will

be given the opportunity to help

the animal shelterHumane Society

by bringing in pet items that will be

donated

December Food for the Unfor-

tunate Project

In December donations of non-

perishable food will be collected

and donated to those who are in

need

December 18 AIDSHIV

Awareness

Employees will be provided ribbons

to wear in order to raise awareness

about AIDSHIV issues facing our

communities

RESA 3 Continues Efforts to Provide a Positive Work Environment

Page 6

RESA employees wore lapel

pins on September 11 to

remember the victims and

heroes of 911

The Mingo Adult Basic Education

program recently hosted a Fall

Student Recognition Program on

the Williamson Campus of South-

ern West Virginia Community amp

Technical College for students who

passed the GED examination in the

2012-13 school year

Eight graduates and more than 60

friends and family members at-

tended the event that was co-

hosted by the Williamson Campus

SWVCTC staff Rita Roberson Di-

rector of Campus Operations wel-

comed those in attendance and

Mingo County Schools GED Exam-

iner John Webb was a guest

speaker

Three of this years graduates

Jennie Branham Kayla

Colegrove and Jennifer Ray who

are currently enrolled at SWVCTC

were recently selected for the Ap-

palachian Leadership Academy

ALA recipient Jennifer Ray ex-

plained that in addition to receiv-

ing full tuition for four semesters

and a book allowance the stu-

dents are afforded the opportunity

to strengthen their leadership skills

and become

engaged citi-

zens in their

respective communities The grad-

uates were awarded a certificate of

achievement and were congratu-

lated by ABE Instructors Dan Pa-

tierno and Mary Oliver and by Re-

gional ABE Coordinator Marie Bias-

Jones Another ceremony is

planned for spring to honor the

graduating class of 2013-14

The Mingo ABE program is operat-

ed by the RESA 23 Adult Basic

Education program

Some people give time some money

some their skills and connections

some literally give their lifes blood

But everyone has something to give

mdashBarbara Bush

Mingo ABE Hosts Fall GED Recognition Event By Mary Oliver ABE Instructor Mingo County

The summer sands have sifted through our fingers of time at light speed Just sayinrsquo As

we wave farewell to record humidity we look forward to a taste perhaps of Indian

Summer And as for Autumn she has arrived with a wink and a promise for us to explore savor and treasure

Explore ndash So if my job description could include hitting all of the Fall festivals around Irsquod already be on that

haywagon The fun is infectious Um maybe steer clear of the zombie booth Otherwise hot cars cold drinks

caramel apples and apple butter kettle corn and Indian cornmdashnot to mention parades and pumpkins crafts

and quilts music and moremdashensure therersquos something for everyone Engage in some fresh air activity and ven-

ture out to the festival corn maze school carnival haunted trail zombie walk or pumpkin farm nearest you

For a getaway enjoy a leafndashpeepinrsquo drive around the state to another RESArsquos fair or festivalhellipitrsquos all good

Savor ndash Not just for jack-o-lanterns anymore one of the three healthiest foods of all time is Pumpkin In

your search of the five fruitsveggies we need each day this big orange beauty has tons of beta carotene to

resist heart disease and is loaded with fiber and vitamin A Of course there are many shades of pumpkin just

ask Sherwin-Williams Ok ok just donrsquot throw a pumpkin Speaking of if yoursquore out selecting a nice pie speci-

men and yoursquore asked ldquoWhen is a pumpkin not a pumpkinrdquo grab your pumpkin and run because the punch-

line is ldquoWhen itrsquos a squashrdquo (picture specimen hitting ground forcefully) And sure enough it is a member of

the squashcucumber family Cucurbita the Latin or Gourd the Appalachian Visit your favorite pumpkin patch

and scare-up some pumpkins You will be eating well

Treats ndash Try this MampMRice Krispies Treats Candy Corn recipe at wwwbrightideascom You could also make a

batch without the icing and candies and the ldquocornrdquo would still be adorable

Tricks ndash As we work on managing nutrient information we trust in product labeling But the mammoth health

food industry and its matching bankroll can invite unproven product data Watch out for the spin on labels that

include words like healthy antioxidants prevents heart diseasecancerother bad stuff Dig deeper in the de-

scriptioningredients to assess validity A product needs to have evidence to verify these claims or eventually

ends up in court 7-Up Cherry recently removed antioxidant claims from their labels as part of a settlement

The jury is still out on vitaminwaterregrsquos labeling currently in litigation

Treasure ndash Detach your calendar from your side and jot down (or type) some things you want to treasure dur-

ing the month of October some things for which you are thankful during November and some things to reflect

upon during December Wow Therersquos so much Maybe you can help or visit someone Go or callmdashit will make

their day and maybe yours too Spend a few moments on your special item each day It will be listed right

there so you wonrsquot forget We may call this the 90-day plan to happiness Any publishers out there interested

Thanks Jim Shedd Tammy Norman and John Smoot for the great education you provide through Public Ser-

vice Training Also thank you first responders for your dedicated service

Sources ShopSmart October 2013 teshcom Popular Mechanics October 2013 pumpkin-patchcom

Herersquos to Your Health

Page 7

By L J Bittle PreK-12 Services Secretary RESA 3

Watch this Active Shooter video

at httpwwwyoutubecom

watch

v=5VcSwejU2D0ampsafe=active

Safety Training Begins at Home Continued from page 3

October 6-12 2013 - Fire Safe-

ty Week Stay updated on Outside

Burn Regulations Is your childrsquos

school or youth group visiting the

fire station in October Tag along

Itrsquos great to meet these unsung

heroes and stations often have

smoke detectors free to visitors

November 3 2013 ndash Daylight

Savings Time Change the bat-

teries in your detectors

Dunbar Location (Main Office)

501 22nd Street

Dunbar WV 25064

Nitro Location (Technology Center)

3942 39th Street East

Nitro WV 25143

Phone 304-766-7655

Toll free 1-800-257-3723

Fax 304-766-7915

Kelly Watts Executive Director

Email kwattsaccessk12wvus

Phone 3047667655 ext 125

RESA 3 Mission

To provide high quality cost effective

life-long education programs and services

to students schools school systems

and communities

Emergency Preparedness Word Search

httpresa3k12wvus

WORD LIST

BATTERIES

CALM

EMERGENCY

EVACUATE

EXTINGUISHER

FLASHLIGHT

FOOD

GLOVES

HELMET

LISTEN

MEETINGPLACE

PHONE

PLAN

RADIO

SAFETY

SHELTER

SUPPLYKIT

WATER

WEATHER