Chagrin Falls School News

May 30, 2019 by Staff Report

Rotary Student of the Month

Chagrin Falls High School senior Francie O’Neil has been selected as the May Chagrin Valley Rotary Student of the Month. O’Neil was chosen based on her leadership and service qualities she has displayed in the community.

O’Neil has been the recipient of several awards during her high school career. These include the AP Scholar Award and high honor roll, which she received over a 4.0 GPA all four years of her high school career.

In her time at CFHS, O’Neil has been involved with several clubs and sports. She is a member of the Philosophy Club, a member of the Chagrin Falls Educational Foundation student board, serves as the co-president of the Engineering Club, was a member of the Superintendent’s Advisory Committee from sixth- to 10th-grade, and was on the girls lacrosse team her freshman and sophomore year. Additionally, O’Neil has been a member of the varsity swim team all four years of her high school career, served as team captain her senior year, made it to sectionals each year and made it to districts three years. Further, she was a member of the girls tennis team, earning three varsity letters and was a two-time CVC team champion and two-time individual first team All CVC champion.

Outside of school, O’Neil is a lifeguard and swim lesson instructor at the Chagrin Valley Recreation Center. She also classically trained in piano for twelve years, in which she earned two National Guild Awards, and began taking guitar lessons her junior year. Further, O’Neil babysits and enjoys spending time with her friends and family.

Her accelerated classes include AP U.S. History, AP U.S. Government and Politics, AP Computer Science A, AP Physics 1, AP Biology, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Microeconomics, AP Macroeconomics, Honors Advanced Data Structures, College Credit Plus English 1010, and College Credit Plus English 1020.

After high school, O’Neil plans to attend Miami University with a major in computer science and a minor in entrepreneurship.

Excel TECC Student Wins Scholarship from the LEAF Umbrella Project

The Lake/Geauga Educational Assistance Fund (L.E.A.F.) Umbrella Project featured umbrellas decorated by area high school students. These umbrellas were suspended from the rafters at Great Lakes Mall from mid-February through mid-April and were recently auctioned to benefit L.E.A.F. programs.

The fixtures used to display the umbrellas were designed by students from Excel TECC and the Lakeshore Compact Engineering programs. These students 3D-printed the majority of the fixtures, but other processes such as CNC routers (computer-controlled cutting machines) were used in some designs. The fixture designs emphasized a focus upon safety, durability and intact preservation of the umbrellas through installation. Craig Schmidt, the Excel TECC CADD engineering technology teacher, was incredibly impactful in his support of these students and their work.

Scholarships were awarded, not only for the most unique umbrella designs, but also for the most outstanding fixture designs. Individual engineering students and student teams competed for two $500 scholarships. A panel of engineers reviewed the designs, a set of annotated engineering drawings, and responses to various questions from all students who participated.

The Excel TECC CADD Engineering Technology junior team of Rachel Herman from Chagrin Falls High School and Adara Tsirlin (from Mayfield High School) earned a near-perfect score, winning a $500 scholarship for their efforts.

“We are extremely proud of Rachel’s hard work, efforts and achievement,” said Superintendent Robert Hunt. “The product that Rachel and her partner created was unique and highly effective. As we encourage more students to enter engineering and STEM-related fields within our district, Rachel serves as an inspiration to future generations.”

“At a time when STEM-related fields continue to be dominated by males, the work of these outstanding young women is great cause for celebration,” said Director of Curriculum Becky Quinn. “Whether it is through our K-8 Project Lead the Way (PLTW) programming, PLTW STEM Pathways provided via AP coursework, development or new courses (like the new Digital Fabrication course to be offered at CFHS in 2019-20), access to new clubs (like Lego FIRST Robotics at CFIS and CFMS in 2019-20), or student access to programs like Excel TECC CADD, Chagrin Falls Schools continues to pursue new ways for students to develop interest in STEM-related fields.”