Wilmington City Schools Hosts Countywide Personal Development Day

Damon West speaks to Blanchester Local School District, Clinton-Massie Local School District, East Clinton Local School District, and Wilmington City School District

On September 29, 2025, Blanchester Local Schools, Clinton-Massie Local Schools, East Clinton Local Schools, and Wilmington City Schools joined together for the Clinton County Connect4EDU at Wilmington High School. The day opened with a keynote speech from Damon West, a reformed criminal and bestselling author of the globally published book titled 'The Coffee Bean: A Simple Lesson to Create Positive Change.'

Damon began as a Division 1 starting quarterback for the University of North Texas before suffering a "career-ending injury" and becoming addicted to methamphetamine. He then went to federal prison for ten years, where her met a fellow inmate who taught him the analogy of the coffee bean. Damon stated that "be a coffee bean" was the four words that changed his life, encouraging him to bring positive change to the environment around him. He stated, "Life is a pot of boiling water... It's harsh, it's stressful, it's difficult. You got three choices: be like a carrot (they're soft, mushy, weak), [be like] an egg (it becomes hard), or you can be like the coffee bean [and] change the pot of boiling water to a pot of coffee."

After Damon's keynote speech, the professional development day featured many breakout sessions, covering subjects like student engagement, utilizing AI, behavioral needs, connection, communication, social media, and individual subject discussions. According to Connect4EDU, the day is dedicated to "collaboration, learning, and professional growth" among the local school districts. Throughout the day, they hope to "strengthen the network of support" across the districts and benefit the students served in the county.

In addition to the breakout sessions, the event also featured a "Facilitated Job-Alike Session" where educators shared issues within their classrooms, discussed potential root causes, and shared strategies to solve the issues. Through the session, their goal was to create a "safe space for open dialogue, collective problem-solving, and shared professional growth."

The day was planned by:

• Blanchester Local Schools

  • Randy Dunlap, Superintendent

  • Raechel Purdon, Assistant Superintendent

  • Kristina Taylor, Elementary/Middle School Assistant Principal

  • Jason Whitaker, High School Assistant Principal

• Clinton-Massie Local Schools

  • David Miss, Superintendent

  • Betsy Mutserspaw, Student Services Director, Preschool Director

  • Ashley Seewer, Spanish Educator

• East Clinton Local Schools

  • Julie Fliehman, Literacy Coach

  • Jason Jones, Director of Curriculum and Instruction

  • Eric Magee, Superintendent

  • Sarah Melnek, Instructional Coach

• Wilmington City Schools

  • Tim Dettwiller, Superintendent

  • Natalie Harmeling, Director of Pupil Services

  • Cortney Karshner-Rethmel, Elementary Principal

  • Nikki Quallen, Director of Curriculum and Instruction

  • Marilee Tanner, Elementary Principal

• Southern Ohio Educational Service Center

  • Kim K. Adams, Director of Teaching & Learning

  • Curt Bradshaw, Superintendent

  • Casey Enochs, Assistant Superintendent

  • Alexis Kirk, Teaching & Learning Specialist

  • Shari Murphy, Teaching & Learning Specialist

To learn more about Connect4EDU, visit the Southern Ohio Educational Service Center's website at southernohioesc.org.