The Student of the Month award at Chagrin Falls Middle School acknowledges students for their outstanding performance and rewards them for their efforts.
CFMS Students of the Month
The Student of the Month award at Chagrin Falls Middle School acknowledges students for their outstanding performance and rewards them for their efforts. The students were chosen by seventh and eighth-grade teams to be a “Tiger of the Month.” These students exemplify the Tiger Techniques of: Think, Integrity, Grit, Effort and Responsibility.
September’s Tigers of the Month were: Sofia Clark, James Rose, Camille Zitney and Donny Hardy.
Sofia Clark is hard-working and talented. She is a member of the seventh-grade orchestra where she excels at playing the violin. She attends class with a smile on her face, and her enthusiasm is contagious. Sofia is always prepared for class with complete assignments and information to share in discussion. Her leadership abilities extend beyond small groups to include class and school situations. She is not afraid to take the lead to make sure everyone is given help who needs it.
James Rose is a seventh-grader with significant classroom participation. His comments spur class discussions and he is a team player. During the Socratic Seminars lessons, James used his analytical skills when reading the questions and arguments presented. His deep connections and interesting observations help fellow students understand the material and discussion. His critical thinking is an asset to the classroom. Outside of class, James has a positive attitude as a member of the cross country team.
Eighth-grader Camille Zitney goes above and beyond to help teachers and students in class. She has perseverance and attempts extra practice work outside of class to strengthen her knowledge of the material. She is always happy and shows respect to teachers and peers. Her positive attitude is prominent every day and demonstrates a growth mindset in her academics.
Donny Hardy is in eighth grade and is hardworking, demonstrates leadership while in groups and is excited to participate in class. He cares about the learning of others and supports classmates. He models a positive attitude both in and out of the classroom. His positivity extends into his athletic involvement as he is coachable, reachable and makes those around him better.
Students received personalized tiger water bottles from the PTO.
Starting With Hello
The students at Chagrin Falls Middle School are combating social isolation by simply saying hello. Chagrin Falls Middle School is participating in a nationwide program called “Start With Hello,” which was organized by Sandy Hook Promise.
The goal of the program is to raise awareness, facilitate discussions and give students basic steps to take when reaching out to others in the hopes of addressing the issue of social isolation. Students can feel isolated in the classroom, at recess, on the bus, at events, on social media and even when they are surrounded by a group of friends.
“Our hope in participating in this program was to make students aware of how important this is and what they can do to help. I think we often get caught up in our routines of where we sit and who we sit with, that it’s easy to not always notice exclusion when it is happening,” said Kyle Patterson, counselor at Chagrin Falls Middle School.
Many people have the desire to reach out but may not know what to say or have the confidence to say anything. Due to the awkwardness of reaching out to someone new, the program offers three steps for students to take: 1. See someone alone. 2. Reach out and help. 3. Start with hello. The program reinforces how positive it feels when people reach out to each other.
Patterson trained 26 students in the middle school building on how to deliver the Sandy Hook Promise presentation to their classes. The eighth-graders who presented were chosen from Patterson’s Counselor’s Advisory Council, and many of them chose others to help them lead. The seventh-grade presenters were hand-picked by Patterson because of their kindness and leadership ability.
Presenters led the Sandy Hook Promise slideshow by themselves and gave fellow students information and ideas about how to reach out to others and possible topics of conversation. Following the information portion, students broke into groups to discuss various scenarios where a student could feel excluded in order to build empathy. They also talked about how to help someone who feels excluded.
In addition to the presentation, students and staff wore green to show support for the program. They also filled out pledge cards about why they “start with hello” that can be displayed throughout the school. Several students made videos during lunch and recess periods about why they “start with hello.” The group of middle schoolers will work with Patterson to edit a school-wide montage video on why students feel this is a significant topic.
Hockey Player to Compete at International Children’s Games
Chagrin Falls High School freshman Alexandra Holtz will be making history at the 2019 Winter International Children’s Games. Holtz will be competing in the first female hockey competition of the games with her fellow teammates from the Cleveland Lady Barons U14 hockey team.
This team is made up of girls aged 13 to 15 who come from different cities in Northeast Ohio. They will be attending the eighth annual International Children’s Games in Lake Placid, N.Y., from Jan. 6-11.
The games give children the opportunity to combine sports with cultural exchanges and educational programs. The goal of the games is to promote peace and friendship among the world’s youth through a sports focus. More than 1,000 youth athletes and coaches will represent more than 70 different cities from around the world. The Lady Barons will be playing against other girl’s hockey teams from Switzerland, Iceland and Canada. In addition to hockey, games included are Nordic skiing, alpine skiing, figure skating, speed skating, a biathlon, freestyle skiing and snowboarding.
In a press release from the Twinsburg Delegation for the Games, David Gilbert, Greater Cleveland Sports Commission president and CEO and International Children’s Games executive committee vice president said, “This is an incredible opportunity for children from our community to engage in international competition while cultivating friendships with children from all over the world.”
Tommy Goebel, hockey director for the Barons Hockey program, said in the release, “Playing in an international competition at this level gives our girls the chance to not only grow as hockey players, but share in the Olympic spirit of global, cultural and academic goodwill.”
