The Chagrin Falls High School After Prom Parent Committee is hosting a Ladies Night Out Holiday Boutique as its first fundraiser of the year.
Ladies Night Out Holiday Boutique
The Chagrin Falls High School After Prom Parent Committee is hosting a Ladies Night Out Holiday Boutique as its first fundraiser of the year. The event will take place at the Chagrin Falls Town Hall, 83 North Main St. on Nov. 15 from 6-9 p.m.
\Tickets are $20 presale and $25 at the door. Tickets can be purchased in advance online at cfafterprom.com. Enjoy complimentary beverages and hors d’oeuvres plus a silent auction.
In addition to the entrance fee, a percentage of the proceeds of all sales from the evening will be donated to After Prom. The goal of After Prom is to create a safe, sober, and fun night for the junior and senior class students.
Tiger Tree Festival
The After Prom Parent Committee is conducting its annual Tree and Wreath Sale. Fraser firs, pine wreaths and crosses for front doors can be ordered now through Nov. 12 online at cfafterprom.comand can be picked up at Chagrin Pet Garden & Power Equipment, 188 Solon Road, Chagrin Falls.
Trees can be picked up Thanksgiving Weekend, Nov. 23-25. Three sizes of trees are available, and larger sizes are available by special order. Delivery and set-up are available for a fee.
All proceeds will be donated to After Prom.
Halloween Fest
The Chagrin Schools Superintendent’s Student Advisory Committee is hosting its annual Halloween Party on Oct. 28 from 1-3 p.m. at Gurney Elementary School.
The cost to attend is $4 per child ages pre-kindergarten to fifth grade. There will be games, a haunted house, and candy. Children are encouraged to wear their best costume.
New Wrestling Coach Hired
On Oct. 3, the Chagrin Falls Board of Education approved the hiring of new wrestling coach Peter Cimoroni.
Cimoroni is currently the CEO and president of a business consulting firm and co-founder of the Wrestlers in Business Network. He was a wrestler at the University of Dayton and earned his master’s degree at John Carroll University. He spent many years rebuilding the Beachwood City Schools’ wrestling program with significant results. He will be joining Chagrin Falls Schools taking over for former wrestling coach Victor Puskas.
Chagrin Falls Schools athletic director Charlie Barch said, “When searching for a new wrestling coach, we knew we needed someone who could build a strong program and hoped to find someone who has already done it before. Peter’s resume came across my desk, and I was excited to meet with him. He is very well respected in the wrestling community and we know his knowledge and expertise will help grow our program.”
Cimoroni gave an overview of his coaching philosophy saying, “Our goal is to create an atmosphere through a philosophy of the constant strive for excellence, not only on the mat and in the classroom, but also in the community at large. Our mission is to build a lasting family community that routinely attracts and graduates excellent student-athletes with a deep commitment to the community to give back and pay it forward.”
He is looking forward to this year’s season as well as the years to come.
“I am excited to be involved with such an incredible school system and vibrant city as a whole. Go Tigers!”
Club to Connect Students Created
A student from the Class of 2018 at Chagrin Falls High School, Nadia McGinnis, wanted to do more to promote an inclusive and accepting school community, so she, along with the school administration, decided to help students connect to people they may not know. As a result, Club Connect was created for grades 7-12.
Club Connect is a student-led club with staff speech pathologist Cheri Vadakin as the advisor. The club holds monthly meetings on the 7-12 campus that focus on talking about what is happening in the community or surrounding communities as well as listening to music and conversing with others. The club also does several “get to know you” games to make new friends with students they may not see in class. In addition to interacting through talking, students do community service, play physical games and sports in the gym and go on field trips.
The group held their first meeting on Sept. 20, where 30 students throughout the 7-12 grade levels discussed many topics. The first was a possible T-shirt design for the club members to wear to school on special days and meeting days, for the yearbook photo and on field trip days.
Vadakin said the shirts give students, “that sense of belonging in the school to a club or a special group like other sports teams and clubs.”
Students then gave suggestions on where the group could go together as a club. Students left the meeting learning more about other students who attend the middle and high school.
Roughly 100 students signed up for the club, but due to other commitments, may not always be able to attend every Club Connect event. Vadakin said students can attend meetings and field trips whenever they are free. Meeting minutes are posted and GroupMe reminders are sent out for all meetings and field trips. No one is excluded if they can’t attend during a certain season or during a busy academic time.
Vadakin said, “All are welcome to come and participate to be a part of building an inclusive school community one conversation at a time.”
Coffey Named Homecoming Queen
Senior Catherine Coffey was named the school’s homecoming queen on Oct. 12 at Harris Stadium. Coffey is a member of the Superintendent Advisory Board and is a Link Leader, serving as a role model to ninth-graders. She has been a student council representative and is currently the senior class secretary.
She excels academically and is an AP Scholar. Coffey is a member of the track and field team, serving as the varsity track captain. She is an 800m state champion and a three time state champion as a member of the 4x800m relay. She also is a member of the cross country team, serving as varsity captain. She is a Chagrin Valley Conference champion and MVP. In addition, she is the varsity swim captain. Coffey has qualified for the state meet nine consecutive seasons and hopes to continue the streak her senior year.
Coffey is founder of “Tech Talks” that helps educate older adults on trends in technology. She has served as the secretary and social media chairperson for LifeAct Youth Advisory Board. Coffey has taken 12 years of piano lessons and has earned a superior rating six times at the Cleveland Institute of Music Competition. In addition, she is a lifeguard and a swim coach.
Rotary Student of the Month
Senior Lucy Fricke has been selected as the October Chagrin Valley Rotary Student of the Month. Fricke was chosen based on her leadership and service qualities she has displayed in her community.
Fricke has been the recipient of several awards during her high school career. These include AP Scholar with Honor, two-time recipient of Outstanding Performance in Spanish Award and junior class attendant to homecoming court. She also has received High Honor, with a 4.0 GPA or higher each semester throughout high school.
In her time at CFHS, Fricke has been involved with several clubs and sports. She serves as the co-president of the Chagrin Falls Educational Foundation where she served as chair of the inaugural Camp Fair event and co-chaired the Kids Afternoon Out fundraiser. Fricke is on the Principal’s Advisory Council, Student Athletic Advisory Council, Positive Coaching Alliance, is a Link Crew Leader and has volunteered over 160 hours during her time with Interact Club.
Further, Fricke is on the girls varsity tennis team, which she has been two-time team captain, two-time CVC Team Champion, first doubles CVC Champion (junior year), first team All CVC (junior year), Second Singles CVC Runner-up (senior year) and second team All CVC (senior year). She is also part of the girls varsity lacrosse team and was a starter on defense on the 2018 state runner-up team.
Outside of school, Fricke has taken classical piano lessons for 12 years. She also works at the Chagrin Valley Recreation Center, where she teaches swim lessons and is a lifeguard and a camp counselor.
Her accelerated classes include AP U.S. History, AP U.S. Government and Politics, AP Physics 1, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP English Language and Composition, AP English Literature, AP Spanish Language and AP Computer Science A.
After high school, Fricke plans to attend college where she will likely major in engineering and minor in Spanish.
Tiger Perk Brews Up Conversations
By CFHS junior Belle DiFranco
Each Tuesday and Thursday, Tiger Perk, a popular coffee service staffed by high school and middle school students, is offered to fourth- through twelfth-grade teachers.
Since the beginning of the school year, many teachers have utilized the “Tiger Perk Cafe” during Tiger Period. Mrs. Bencko, who is the district psychologist for Chagrin Falls Schools, oversees the job skills training program.
“It teaches students different vocational skills while serving drinks to all adults fourth grade through twelfth grade,” said Mrs. Bencko. “The program was able to start through grant money, and by a parent support organization called Tiger Prep. It is a joint project between intervention specialists and support personnel at the school.”
Since its start in 2017, Tiger Perk has been a successful addition to the district. As of now, only teachers are able to purchase drinks. Bencko and the Tiger Perk program are hopeful students will be able to utilize the cafe soon.
“Students can’t order coffee yet, but it will be coming in the next year or two years,” said Bencko.
Tiger Perk offers various drink options. In the future, the program is hopeful to serve bagels in the morning to both students and teachers. Many of the teachers throughout both the middle school and high school use Tiger Perk as their coffee option in the morning.
“All drinks are $1.50. We serve coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and iced tea,” said Bencko.
Music teachers Robert Sobnosky and Nathan Bachofsky have utilized Tiger Perk many times throughout last year and into this year, ultimately becoming well-known orderers throughout the program.
“I order almost every Tuesday and Thursday. I usually get the Dunkin’ Donuts brewed coffee with extra milk. I like it because Tuesdays and Thursdays are kind of my busiest days because I have select choir before school, so it is nice to not have to worry about making a cup of coffee on my way out the door,” said Bachofsky.
Another major part of the program is the students involved in it. Eighth-grader Abbey Malarney and ninth-grader Holden McGee are staff members for the Tiger Perk program.
“My favorite drink to make is the caramelized coffee because it has a nice smell, and the hot chocolate because that is my favorite one to drink,” said Malarney.
McGee likes to make all types of coffee. “I like to work with the Keurig. I also like to put labels on the cups,” said McGee.
Many of the students involved in Tiger Perk not only enjoy making the coffee but the experiences that go beyond making drinks.
“I like working with my friends,” said McGee. “I also like to deliver the coffee as well. I like delivering it to both the Learning Village and the high school. I get to see old teachers I had, which is fun,” he said.
Along with helping students, the program offers great benefits for teachers.
“I like the program because it is a win-win situation. It is great for the students who work in it. It is great for the teachers because we get to buy coffee and have it brought to us. It is just a homerun in all ways in my book,” said Sobnosky.
