Gurney Elementary School online kindergarten registration is open at chagrinschools.org...
Online Kindergarten Registration
Gurney Elementary School online kindergarten registration is open at chagrinschools.org.
Parents are asked to complete the online forms located under “Final Forms.” Both half day and full day kindergarten are offered at Gurney. Full day kindergarten is tuition-based.
A $200 non-refundable deposit is required to hold a spot for one’s child in a full day kindergarten class. Parents have until May 7 to make the choice. All students who sign up for full day kindergarten before May 7 will be granted a spot in full day kindergarten.
For questions, call 440-893-4030, ext. 4102.
Board of Ed Seeks Applicants
The Board of Education of the Chagrin Falls Exempted Village School District (CFEVS) is seeking applicants to fill the unexpired term of board member Greg Kanzinger who has resigned for personal reasons.
Board President Phil Rankin expressed appreciation for Greg’s service to the district as a board member and explained the process for filling this vacancy, “First, I would like to convey the School District’s appreciation for Greg’s nearly four years of service. His leadership and insight will be missed. We need to move swiftly in selecting Greg’s replacement so that the new board member can participate in the selection of our district’s new superintendent. This is an exciting time to join the Board of Education as we set the stage for the future of the Chagrin Falls Schools.”
The board will begin accepting applications on March 16 with a deadline of March 26. Ideally, the new board member will be approved and sworn in on or before March 29, which is the first day of interviews for the new superintendent.
Those interested in applying for the opening on the CFEVS Board of Education should submit a cover letter describing their interest and qualifications along with a completed application to Board President Phil Rankin at Phil.Rankin@chagrinschools.org. The application is available on the Board of Education page on the district website at www.chagrinschools.org.
The newly appointed board member will complete Mr. Kanzinger’s unexpired term that ends on Dec. 31, 2021. If the appointed member desires to continue serving on the board, he or she must run for office in the next general election.
According to Ohio law, people serving on Ohio school boards must be at least 18 years old, district residents and registered voters. The Chagrin Falls Exempted Village School District serves 1,700 students across four buildings from students residing in Chagrin Falls Village, Chagrin Falls Township and South Russell as well as parts of Russell, Bainbridge, Bentleyville and Moreland Hills.
Rotary Student of the Month
Chagrin Falls High School senior Dena Mossad has been selected as the March Chagrin Valley Rotary Student of the Month. Mossad was chosen based on her leadership and service qualities she has displayed in the community.
Mossad has received several awards during her academic career including the AP Capstone Diploma, AP Scholar with Distinction award, Cum Laude Society, High Honor Roll for all four years, Seal of Biliteracy for Spanish and graduate with honors. In addition to her studies, she spent three years competing in varsity gymnastics.
Outside of class, Mossad participated in a variety of extracurricular activities like the West Geauga Youth Gymnastics program for three years, where she mentored and coached. She also started and organized Cultural Appreciation Day at Chagrin Falls Middle School.
When she isn’t in class or participating in gymnastics, Mossad volunteers and leads youth activities and church festivals and researches immunosuppressed populations at the Cleveland Clinic. In her work at the clinic, her research covers HIV patients and transplant recipients and the correlation to breast cancer development.
Mossad has taken multiple accelerated courses during her time at Chagrin Falls High School, which include AP World History, AP US History, AP US Government, AP Biology, AP Statistics, AP Calculus AB, AP Seminar, AP Research, CCP English 1010 and 1020 and AP Spanish Language.
For her senior project, Mossad is shadowing a pain management anesthesiologist specialist, which contributes to her plan of following a pre-med track in college where she will major in biology/biochemistry. Following undergrad, Mossad wants to attend medical school and potentially pursue a career as an anesthesiologist.
Juniors Win Speech and Debate State Championship
By CFHS Senior Olivia Nerpouni
On March 6, Chagrin Falls High School juniors Eric Feucht and Grace Hoy won the Ohio Speech and Debate state championship in DUO Interpretation.
Feucht and Hoy, both 17, performed their interpretation of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” by Charlie Kaufman. DUO is a two-person speech category in which competitors perform a 10-minute piece based off of a movie or play script.
This year, 1,043 students from across Ohio, including 19 Chagrin Falls High School students, virtually attended the most anticipated Speech and Debate tournament of the season in hopes of winning a title for their schools. There were 37 total DUO teams, making a CFHS win an incredible feat.
The CFHS team, led by head coach Ken Kasee, was one of 85 participating schools. Mr. Kasee, who has coached the team for six years, helped Feucht and Hoy prepare their performance over the months leading up to the state tournament. He believed that their script included all of the necessary parts that create an impactful piece.
“At the start of the season, I recognized Grace and Eric’s potential to go far at the state tournament. They were always looking for feedback on how to get better and didn’t get down on themselves if they had a bad week,” said Kasee.
Feucht and Hoy, who were recognized throughout the season for their strong speaking abilities and confidence in front of an audience, noted that their success on the team stemmed from more than just their outgoing personalities. As longtime friends, Feucht and Hoy came into the season with the advantage of a close bond that helped them work together to improve their performances throughout the season.
“Grace and I are both very superstitious,” said Feucht in regards to their preparation for the tournament. “If we did well while Grace was wearing a certain pair of earrings, she would wear them at every tournament. Other than our superstitions, we just practiced a lot and ensured that we were in the right headspace before each round.”
Other schools that performed well this season included Hawken School, who won the state tournament, and Solon High School, which was recognized as runner-up.
The tough competition in this year’s state finals pushed CFHS students to work harder than ever to perfect their speeches and ultimately bring a winning title to the school.
“The feeling after we were announced as the state champions was incomparable,” said Feucht. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime feeling that I am so glad I got to experience.”
In addition to Feucht and Hoy, junior Brenna Sincaglia placed third in Dramatic Interpretation. That, along with multiple quarter and semi-finalists, earned CFHS a “School of Excellence” award in Interpretation, given to the top five schools in Interpretation categories ― Dramatic, Humorous, Program of Oral Interpretation, and DUO.
