West Geauga Schools hosted a State of the Schools event for the community on April 9.
State of the Schools
West Geauga Schools hosted a State of the Schools event for the community on April 9. During the presentation, various representatives of the district updated community members on the management of the district.
Superintendent Richard Markwardt discussed the district’s ranking and academic progress. Sean Whelan, director of technology and operations, offered information on the buildings and technology integration in the schools. Treasurer Karen Penler gave a financial overview.
Dr. Markwardt said, “The State of the Schools event gives us the opportunity to reach out into the community to provide information to parents, business owners and community members. We appreciate the support we receive and want to make sure that people have the information they want.”
Information about the Master Planning process as well as the proposed Newbury territory transfer were also discussed.
Kindergartners Code Robots
Kindergartners start working on STEM topics early in their education at West Geauga. One of their recent projects was to work on coding to make robots move.
Sandy Razzante, the teacher who helped the students with the project, said, “The students were creating a maze out of Keva Planks which they then tried to navigate the robot Dash through using an app on the iPad. This fits into the STEM curriculum using the design process (E for engineering) and using technology (T for technology).”
Incorporating STEM lessons as early as kindergarten helps to begin to prepare them for more complex information as they progress further into elementary school.
Wrestlers Place at CVC Tournament
During the recent CVC wrestling tournament held for middle school students, eight West Geauga athletes placed.
Results were: Ethan Bartlett, champion (122 pounds); Nick Donofrio, champion (150 pounds); Justin Artino, Champion (160 pounds); Van Peck, second place (110 pounds); Cole Mastrangelo, second place (142 pounds); Austin Sabol, third place (116l pounds); Cejay Baker, fifth place (98 pounds) and Austin Pascoe, fifth place (128 pounds).
WGMS wrestling team coach Dennis Farmer said, “The progression for the season was a positive one. Though many parents and all fellow teammates supported our wrestlers, this is still a hard sport mentally and physically. Periodically, we had to work on our confidence and our physical condition, but there really in my opinion no better team out there.”
The goal for next season is to build on what they have learned this year and continue to improve the skill of the team and the overall interest in wrestling as a sport.
