Congratulations to the 33 students from Independence High School who graduated on Monday, November 19 from The Dale Carnegie Course: Skills for Success. This year, the celebration was at Council Chambers at City Hall. The course was held eight consecutive Monday nights. There have been 308 total participants in the program since its inception in 2011 (2020 was a pass year due to the pandemic).
The students worked on improving their skill sets in communication, managing stress, leadership, social skills, and confidence levels. They were able to improve their public speaking skills in front of a crowd, get a better handle on college interviews and handle tough situations more effectively. The Dale Carnegie tools helped students put worry and stress into perspective. Students gained the ability to lead others down a more positive path or lead a team or club more effectively as well as learned to build relationships in person rather than on a device.
Participating seniors included: Nicholas Adams, Ian Babb, Anna Beacher, Mary Estelle Biliunas, Jacob Butcher, Nicholas Butcher, Maria DeCapua, Molly Dubitsky, Madelyn Flynn, Mark M. George Jr., Sabrina George, Joseph Graham, James Kitagawa, Thomas Ksiazka, Braeden John Lisowski, Everan Masek, Macey McGhee, Evan McNamara, Charles Robert Meyer, James Tyler Miller, Dominic J. Narduzzi, Branden Otero, John Ottaviano, Sam Pascarella, Rocco Ressler, Angelo Rodriguez, Sofia Claire Smotek, Owen Szymanski, Marissa Taylor, Ronin Tschetter, Jonah Valenti, Anna Waski, and Aaron Alexander Zambito. Sam Pascarella received the Highest Award for Achievement.
"We are grateful for our strong partnership with the City of Independence and INDYAlive! to co-sponsor the Skills for Success course for our students this year," said Principal Mike Janatovich, Independence High School. "Our students have made impressive strides in developing important life skills over the past eight weeks, which will benefit them greatly moving forward."
The course is co-sponsored by Independence Local Schools and INDYAlive! via the City of Independence.
“I have had the pleasure of working with senior students at Independence High School over the past several years during the Dale Carnegie Skills for Success Program,” said Jeanne Wiedt, Area Manager and Certified Trainer, Dale Carnegie Training of Northeast Ohio. “They entered session one as students and left session eight as leaders. They amazed me with their willingness to step out of their comfort zones and embrace the challenges put in front of them, whether it be engaging in conversation with people, taking the lead on a project, managing their attitude, presenting and selling their ideas, or communicating clearly and with impact.”