On Jan. 24, the Chagrin Falls eighth-grade girls basketball team took a road trip to Ann Arbor, Mich., to…
Basketball Team Travels to Cheer on Alumna
On Jan. 24, the Chagrin Falls eighth-grade girls basketball team took a road trip to Ann Arbor, Mich., to cheer on Chagrin Falls alumna Hallie Thome. Thome, who graduated from Chagrin Falls High School in 2015, was a basketball star at Chagrin Falls and was named cleveland.com’s Girls Basketball Player of the Year in 2015 among so many other accolades.
After the eight-grade girls basketball team won their end-of the season tournament, they decided to go cheer on Thome in her game against Nebraska. The moms loaded up their minivans, which were painted with “Go Blue,” “Wolverines,” and “Chagrin Hearts Hallie #30,” and headed to Ann Arbor. Unfortunately, Michigan lost to Nebraska, but Hallie played well scoring 24 points and having three rebounds. After the game, Thome took time to talk to the girls, hug them and thank them all for coming to support her.
“It was such a wonderful experience for our girls to get to see someone they have watched play for years to be on such a big stage and to be doing so well,” said eighth-grade basketball mom Maggie Kwasny.
Ohio All-State Children’s Chorus
On Jan. 28, Chagrin Falls Schools had nine fourth- and fifth-grade students who performed as part of the 85 members of the Ohio All-State Children’s Chorus. The concert was performed in the grand ballroom of the Hyatt Hotel in Cincinnati under the direction of Dr. Rollo Dilworth. Dr. Dilworth is professor of choral music education and chair of the department of music education and therapy at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance in Philadelphia.
The choir performed a varied repetoire of music, which included folk songs in French and Chinese and concluded with the spiritual “Let Me Fly” composed by Dilworth. All-State Chorus members were chosen through a challenging audition process that began in the spring of 2015 and all had to attend three regional rehearsals in order to participate in the Cincinnati performance.
Pat Haynish, Chagrin Falls Intermediate School Select Choir director, was the host and director of the NE Regional rehearsals held in Chagrin Falls in December 2015 and January 2016. Mrs. Haynish and Gurney Elementary music teacher Nate Bachofsky helped prepare the Chagrin Falls students for the audition process.
CFHS Science Olympiad Continues to Grow
By Chagrin Falls High School student David Workum
Science Olympiad has rapidly grown by doubling in size from last year and has been a new and rising club at Chagrin Falls High School. The club started up two years ago, in spite of having no Science Olympiad club in Chagrin Falls history.
“The club was started up of just an inspiration to get some friends together and make some interesting projects,” said junior Danielle Curry, founder and leader of Science Olympiad.
The team recently traveled to a tournament in Kenston, where the team competed with various teams such as Solon, Chardon, Kenston, Hudson, Aurora and Mentor. The team beat 22 teams, which included St. Ignatius. The team will compete at Mentor High School in February, as well as attending regionals at Case Western Reserve University.
Teacher Receives Prestigious Award
The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) is recognizing Chagrin Falls High School teacher Carolyn Petite with the 2016 NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Educator Award. The Educator Award is conferred upon educators that have demonstrated a commitment to encouraging young women’s aspirations in computing.
As a recipient of the Educator Award, Petite will receive two engraved commemorative trophies, a $250 cash award, up to $750 of expense reimbursement for computing-related professional development activities, a bag of NCWIT resources, as well as NCWIT branded items.
Educator Award winners are honored at the regional affiliate ceremonies of the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing on April 23. Petite will receive her award, as well as meet the student Award recipients and interact with others who support young women in technology.
“Young women represent a promising source of technical talent, yet are woefully underrepresented in computing,” said Marissa Hofferber, National Center for Women & Information Technology, University of Colorado. “Great teachers are one of the most important factors in inspiring young women to engage with technology in meaningful ways and pursue technical careers. We thank Carolyn for all she has done to make computing a reality and we look forward to seeing her students among the award applicants and recipients for years to come.”
CFMS Holds Spelling Bee
The middle school held its annual spelling bee the week of Feb. 8, as 23 students competed for a school champion. Last year’s winner, eighth-grader Robert Snider and seventh-grader Ian Rodgers were the final two students to compete as the bee entered the 11th round. Robert and Ian competed for an additional four rounds, both evenly matched. In the 15th round, Ian correctly spelled “nyctalopia,” in which only he advanced to round 16. The rules state that a speller must win his or her own round to be declared winner. During this bee, Robert and Ian had both advanced to their own round, but this time, Ian correctly spelled his final word “omniphibious.”
“Ian’s hands flew up in the air as he celebrated, the crowd applauding wildly,” said Jessica Johnson, middle school English teacher.
Ian will advance to the regional level of Scripps National Spelling Bee on March 5.
Rotary Student of the Month
Chagrin Falls High School senior Natalie Welch was chosen for her service and leadership qualities as the Chagrin Valley Rotary Club Student of the Month for February. She is a cum laude inductee this year, was an AP Scholar with Distinction her junior year, received the Interlochen Fine Arts Award in Theatre her freshman year, has been on the Honor Roll with Distinction her whole high school career and has been an International Honor Thespian and SAGAFTRA candidate since her sophomore year.
Her AP classes include: AP Seminar, AP Microeconomics, AP Macroeconomics, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP English Language and Composition, AP Environmental Science, AP Psychology, AP United States History, AP United States Government and Politics and AP Physics B.
When Natalie is not working hard in her classes, she is active in many extracurricular activities. She is a member of the Superintendent’s Advisory Committee and is now president of the committee. She is also a drama club officer, assistant director of fall play and spring musical, an actor in fall play and spring musical for the last four years and a member of the Select Pop A Cappella Choir.
Outside of school, she is a professional local actor and has participated in “Rotor DR1,” “Madtown” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” She is also a dancer at Artistry in Motion Dance Center, a Chagrin Summer Theatre camp counselor and a hostess at Burntwood Tavern.
As for college, Natalie is planning on attending Northwestern University as a double major in theatre and English literature.
Natalie was recognized at a recent Chagrin Valley Rotary Club meeting.
Boy Scout Pasta Dinner & Raffle
Boy Scout Troop 150 of Chagrin Falls is hosting its annual pasta dinner fundraiser on March 5 from 5-7 p.m. at the Family Life Center, 16349 Chillicothe Road in Chagrin Falls.
Tickets are $8 per person. Children 5 and under are free with an adult ticket.
The meal includes all-you-can-eat pasta, meatballs, rolls and butter, drinks, salad bar and a homemade dessert buffet. Tickets are available at the door, or in advance by calling Paula Suzelis of Troop 150 at 216-347-0712.
The dinner is a fun, affordable evening that helps the scouts raise funds for their activities. The meal is served by the Boy Scouts of Troop 150.
Boy Scouting, one of the traditional membership divisions of the BSA, is available to boys who have completed the fifth grade and are at least 10, or who are 11, but not yet 18 years old. The program achieves the BSA’s objectives of developing character, citizenship, and personal fitness.
Troop 150 is led by boys who choose to continue to support their communities through many projects, including Eagle Projects that beautify parks or areas that impact fellow community members, raking lawns for the seniors and honoring veterans by making sure their gravesites are adorned in memory of them.
As a community service project, Troop 150 Scouts will be collecting non-perishable items and canned goods for the benefit of the Chagrin Falls Meals on Wheels, a non-profit, volunteer staffed, home-delivered meal service. Meals on Wheels provide nutritionally balanced meals to the elderly and homebound persons in the local area. There will be boxes at the door of the event to drop off donated items for Meals on Wheels.
During the dinner, the High Adventure Crew will be sponsoring a fundraising raffle of local merchandise and prizes to help raise monies for their summer high-adventure trip to the Northern Tier Scout High Adventure Camp in Ely, Minn. All proceeds from the auction and raffle directly benefit the older Scouts and leaders by helping fund a high adventure camping/canoeing trip they are making this summer. The high-adventure trip teaches the boys, persistence; problem solving; endurance; an appreciation of nature and our environment; and achievement and success through hard work.
