Ohio Hi-Point Career Center
Coordinates: 40°22′17″N 83°43′08″W / 40.3713°N 83.7188°W The Ohio Hi-Point Career Center is a career–technical school that provides career–technical training to high school students and adults in west-central Ohio. The high school services students from Bellefontaine High School, Benjamin Logan High School, Indian Lake High School, Waynesfield-Goshen High School, Upper Scioto Valley High School, Riverside High School, Mechanicsburg High School, Triad High School, Kenton High School, Ridgemont High School, Urbana High School, Marysville High School, West Liberty-Salem High School, and Graham High School.
About the School
Students and Curriculum
The two-year career-technical high school serves 11th and 12th grade students from 14 partner school districts. Twenty-four career training programs are offered to provide technical training in the areas of: Service and Business Technologies, Mechanical and Industrial Technologies, Agriculture Technologies, Construction Technologies, and College Tech Prep. High school students can also opt to remain within their communities and specialize in one of OHP's 25 Satellite Programs. Programs are available in all five counties OHP services, including Auglaize, Union, Champaign, Hardin, and Logan. Programs exist in Teaching Professions, Construction Trades, Health Technologies, Supply Chain Management, Aviation, and Business and Agriculture. The School of Adult and Continuing Education services adults looking for a new career or the opportunity to refresh or renew their skills. Programs exist in Health Occupations, Business and Industry, HVAC, nursing and more. The school also offers Adult Basic Literacy Education and GED Training and testing. Students in both high school and adult programs have opportunities to earn college credits. High school programs feature distinct pathways to earn college credits while in a program at OHP. Nearly 40% of OHP High School Students go on to further their education after high school, while many have certifications and skills that make them hirable right after graduation at a higher paying wage than normal.
Location
The Ohio Hi-Point Career Center, located in the city of Bellefontaine, sits atop Campbell Hill, the highest point in Ohio, at 1,549 feet (472 m) above sea level. Because this is now a school campus, the highest point is accessible to the public during the week.
History
Many of the original buildings still remain and have been renovated to house career training programs or office space. Ohio Hi-Point became a school district in 1970, when local and state officials created the Ohio Hi-Point Vocational-Technical District, and appointed a nine-member board to govern operations. The school did not open its doors to students, however, until September 1974, after voters approved a levy.
New programs were added to the six original offerings, and 700 students enrolled when the school moved into its new main building in 1975.
A $1.9 million addition to the main building in early 1995 brought more classroom space and a state-of-the-art technology center. Later that same year, the school's name was changed from Ohio Hi-Point Joint Vocational School to Ohio Hi-Point Career Center. The purpose of the change was to give a clearer meaning of opportunities for young people and adults still pursuing an education with a career goal in mind.
Trivia
For many years the highest point in Ohio served as home to the Bellefontaine Air Force Station. Personnel of the 664th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron manned the site during the 1950s and 60s, during the peak of the Cold War, watching for attacks coming over the pole from Russia.