Chagrin Falls Schools

May 17, 2017 by Staff Report

Excellence in Education Peer Award

The Educational Service Center (ESC) of Cuyahoga County recognized Chagrin Falls High School junior Nadia McGinnis with a 2017 Excellence in Education Peer Achievement Award. The recognition brunch, held on May 15 at Woodside Event Center at St. Michael’s in Broadview Heights, was an opportunity for educators, teachers, students and community members to celebrate the great things that are happening in special education today. Students, peers, and educators received awards. The Outstanding Peer Achievement Award recognizes students who have established positive relationships, assisted other students with disabilities and have been exemplary role models.

As a member of the Principal’s Advisory Committee, Nadia suggested to Mr. Ast that she wanted to make the school dances more inclusive to students with special needs. She proposed having a quiet room near the gym where students could go if they were to get overwhelmed in the loud room with a large crowd. Mr. Ast and the special education team thought this was a great idea.

Prior to the winter formal dance, she and her team of students participated in small group speech therapy sessions during their lunch periods.

“They met with our students who have special needs to talk about the dance, to spend time together and to build relationships with the students so they would feel comfortable approaching the peers at the dance,” said Janet Coriell, intervention specialist, Chagrin Falls High School.

At the dance, Nadia and her team took turns dancing and spending time socializing with the group of students in the gym, and also made sure there were peers available when students wanted to use the VIP room. They all took pictures together and helped post them to Instagram so the DJ could put them up on the screen by the dance floor.

“Our students had a great time at the dance. In fact, there were some who came to a school dance for the first time, specifically because of all that Nadia had done,” said Coriell.

Nadia and her team have continued to spend time with the students whenever possible to participate in other activities, such as coming to school early to do puzzles with a student while she waits for her aide to arrive, doing crafts with a student to help her participate in a team spirit activity and interacting during their lunch sessions.

“Our students look forward to lunchtime with their “buddies” and enjoy seeing them in the hall between classes and at school events,” said Coriell. “Without Nadia, these connections may not have been formed naturally, and our students with special needs would have missed out on these opportunities. We are all looking forward to watching these relationships grow. Thanks to Nadia and the blueprint she has designed for school dances, I foresee that this will continue at our school, even after she has graduated.”

Students Receive Excel TECC Awards

Excel TECC, at its end of the year recognition program, recognized the following Chagrin Falls High School students. Congratulations to each of these students for their accomplishments.

Lauren Boral, senior, Medical Technologies, Bronze Medal Team – Skills USA Regional/Health Knowledge Bowl – State Qualifier; National Technical Honor Society Inductee; Fourth Place Team – Skills USA State/Health Knowledge Bowl;

Lauren Lafrance – junior, Cosmetology-Mayfield, Excel Tecc Departmental Junior Award;

David McCuaig, senior, Gold Medal – Medical Technologies – Skills USA Regional/Basic Health Care Skills – State Qualifier;

Victoria Spieth, senior, Job Training, Excel Tecc Departmental Senior Award;

Jennifer Stenler, senior, Medical Technologies, Excel Tecc Departmental Senior Award;

William Tinsley, junior, Performing Arts Academy, National Technical Honor Society Inductee;

Kennedy Slomovitz, senior, Performing Arts Academy, Outstanding Senior Award;

Graham Smith, senior, Digital Arts & Technology, Outstanding Senior Award.

Excel TECC is a career technical consortium serving the ten school districts of Aurora, Beachwood, Chagrin Falls, Mayfield, Orange, Richmond Heights, Solon, South Euclid-Lyndhurst, West Geauga and Willoughby-Eastlake offering over 25 unique programs. Excel TECC’s primary objective is to prepare students to enter a four-year college, a two year technical school or the career of their choosing.

Junior Raises More than $7,500 for Local Charity

Margaret Sobota, a junior at Chagrin Falls High School, was a 2017 Student of the Year candidate for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The Students of the Year program is a seven-week fundraising competition in which nominated high school students raise funds to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).

“Throughout the seven weeks, Margaret exhibited qualities of a successful student learner,” said Brittney Bajc, Students of the Year manager for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. “Margaret effectively managed a team composed of her peers, delegating tasks, following up with their commitments and offering words of encouragement.”

This hard work, time and dedication led to Margaret raising $7,578. She received a Mission Scholarship from the organization at its Grand Finale Celebration on April 28 at LaCentre in Westlake.

Margaret is the second Student of the Year candidate from the Chagrin Falls community.

7th Graders Enjoy Morning of Service

As the seventh-grade winners of the Chagrin Falls Middle School “Kindness Challenge” this past March, Christie Briggs’ homeroom class was able to choose a location to do a morning of service. They enjoyed helping the Chagrin Valley Chamber of Commerce collate newsletters and assemble goodie bags for the Village Arts Hop. Angie DeBernardo, a Chagrin parent and member of Chagrin Falls Village Council, took the students on a tour of the new trail loop the village is developing off Vincent Street. They saw the newly installed arboretum in honor of Ben King for his 40 years of devoted service to the Shade Tree Commission. The new walking loop will go down from the arboretum, along the river to the Spillway bridge and then back up across the new Cleveland Street Walkway Bridge. They ended their morning by enjoying a lunch at Parkside Grill.