Chagrin Falls High School senior Ryan Hill is participating in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) 2023 Northeast Ohio Student Visionaries of the Year campaign...
Student Selected to Participate in LLS Northeast Ohio Student Visionaries of the Year Campaign
Chagrin Falls High School senior Ryan Hill is participating in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) 2023 Northeast Ohio Student Visionaries of the Year campaign.
Student Visionaries of the Year is the newest LLS campaign where nominated high school student leaders raise money and awareness for the fight against blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.
This year’s campaign kicked off on Jan. 27 and culminates at the LLS Grand Finale on March 18. The student who raises the most funds during the seven-week fundraising initiative will receive a $1,250 scholarship. The funds raised benefit the LLS mission: to find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families.
“As a member of a friend’s team last year, I felt truly inspired by the work done by the Leukemia Lymphoma Society and wanted to make a difference,” said Hill. “ Now, I am ecstatic to help be a leader in the fight against blood cancer in my community. I have had several family members battle cancer so I know how scary it can be to see someone you love face cancer. This is why I am determined to raise money through LLS for patient support. I am sure that I will be able to make a positive impact on potentially many facing this batter with your help. There’s only so much one person can do, but when we all work together, we can make a huge difference.”
The link to donate is https://events.lls.org/noh/svoynoh23/teamtigerstriumph.
Artists Recognized with Scholastic Awards
Students from Chagrin Falls middle and high schools have been recognized through the Scholastic Art and Writing Exhibition at The Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA).
The Scholastic Art & Writing Competition recognizes creative achievement in 7-12th-grade students. The young artists and writers compete for cash prizes, medals, and scholarship awards. A panel of local professional artists, art educators, writers, and writing educators jury the exhibit and select the awarded pieces from over 3,000 entries. Students who receive Gold Key Awards for individual works and portfolios continue to the national competition held each spring in New York City.
The Cleveland Institute of Art is host to the competition and exhibition for the Greater Cleveland Region, representing Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties. The art exhibition is open to the public through Feb. 3. Artwork can be viewed on the district website.
Congratulations to the following students:
Gold Keys: Kate Bartlett – Same Travel, Different Trip Ceramics & Glass Gold Key (Educator: Libby Harrold); Samantha Holtz – I’m At Peace Mixed Media Gold Key (Educator: Jill Eisert); Samantha Holtz – Quack?! Drawing & Illustration Gold Key (Educator: Jill Eisert); Samantha Holtz – Dizzy Photography Gold Key (Educator: Dawn Serazin); Oakleigh Niethammer – Abstract Photography Gold Key (Educator: Dawn Serazin); and Charles Taylor – Parking Lot Drawing and Illustration Gold Key (Educator: Jill Eisert)
Silver Keys: Samantha Brownell – All Eyes On You Digital Art Silver Key (Educator: Jill Eisert); Ryan Hill – Somewhere In Ontario… Mixed Media Silver Key (Educator: Jill Eisert);Gigi Moffa – Drowned Emergence Ceramics & Glass Silver Key (Educator: Libby Harrold);Evan Johnson – Leadership Photography Silver Key (Educator: Dawn Serazin); Norah Pope – Wasting Willow Sculpture Silver Key (Educator: Libby Harrold); Will Rossi – Vegas Digital Art Silver Key (Educator: Jill Eisert); Kailey Stec – self portrait Drawing & Illustration Silver Key (Educator: Jill Eisert); and Ember Zelch – Converging Paths Photography Silver Key (Educator: Dawn Serazin).
Honorable Mentions: Anna Baker – Midnight Snack Painting Honorable Mention (Educator: Jill Eisert); Kate Bartlett – Oxygen Depletion Ceramics & Glass Honorable Mention (Educator: Libby Harrold); Ryan Hill – It’s Getting a Little Hot Painting Honorable Mention (Educator: Jill Eisert); Ryan Hill – Living in 3D Drawing & Illustration Honorable Mention (Educator: Jill Eisert); Ryan Hill – Animals: Real and Absurd Art Portfolio Honorable Mention (Educator: Jill Eisert); Ryan Hill – Whole Painting Silver Key (Educator: Jill Eisert); Zachary Huey – Entity 404 Digital Art Honorable Mention (Educator: Jill Eisert); Tina Logan – Maze Of Me Mixed Media Honorable Mention (Educator: Jill Eisert); Cece Mergenhagen – Doorway Photography Honorable Mention (Educator: Dawn Serazin); Riley Myers – Plugged In Sculpture Honorable Mention (Educator: Libby Harrold); Riley Myers – Chamomile Cure Ceramics & Glass Honorable Mention (Educator: Libby Harrold); Oakleigh Niethammer – Three Heads Photography Honorable Mention (Educator: Dawn Serazin); Elizabeth Rankin – Microplastics Machine Sculpture Honorable Mention (Educator: Libby Harrold); Elizabeth Rankin – Intertwined with Mother Nature Jewelry Honorable Mention (Educator: Libby Harrold); Maya Rooney – Blood-Brain Barrier Ceramics & Glass Honorable Mention (Educator: Libby Harrold); Charles Taylor – Parking Lot Drawing & Illustration Gold Key (Educator: Jill Eisert); Salvatore Winans – The Exchange Comic Art Honorable Mention (Educator: Jill Eisert); and Camille Zitney – Aged Appetite Ceramics & Glass Honorable Mention (Educator: Libby Harrold).
Middle School Scholastic Art Show Awards
Gold Keys: Chloe Nightwine – Cousins Drawing & Illustration Gold Key (Educator: Amy Fenton); Chloe Nightwine – Untitled Drawing & Illustration Gold Key (Educator: Amy Fenton); and Claire Rubin – Censored Drawing & Illustration Gold Key (Educator: Amy Fenton).
Silver Keys: Ella Felgar – untitled Drawing & Illustration Silver Key (Educator: Amy Fenton).
Honorable Mentions: Harper Stewart – Untitled Photography Honorable Mention (Educator: Amy Fenton); Harper Stewart – Untitled Photography Honorable Mention (Educator: Amy Fenton); and Frankie LeBlanc – Untitled Jewelry Honorable Mention (Educator: Amy Fenton).
CFMS Students of the Month
The mission of the Chagrin Falls Middle School Students of the Month is to acknowledge and reward students for exemplary performance. The students depict Tiger Techniques: Think, Integrity, Grit, Effort and Responsibility. Each month, the seventh- and eighth-grade teams collaborate and choose a male and female “Tiger of the Month” and the students receive personalized tiger water bottles from the PTO.
Chagrin Falls Middle School January Students of the Month are seventh-graders Morgan Graves and T.J. Mitchell and eighth-graders Avery Russell and Chris Barth.
Morgan Graves is an amazing, hardworking and respectful student who always strives to do her best. She comes to class prepared, works to her maximum potential and is a great role model and leader to her peers. Morgan is a team player who cooperates and encourages her teammates. She cares about her schooling and encourages her group members if they are struggling to persevere.
T.J. Mitchell is an enthusiastic learner whose energy makes the class a fun place to learn each day. He is a great class participant willing to share his ideas. His teachers appreciate his effort, careful planning and questions, which help everyone solve interesting new problems. On the cross country team, TJ was a natural leader and worked every day to get better. He is a good friend to his peers and always encouraged his teammates and athletes from other teams as they were running.
Avery Russell is such a hard worker and strives for excellence in everything she does. She always comes to class prepared and ready to work. She is respectful, kind, and easy to get along with. She truly cares about her learning. She spends extra time ensuring that her work is at the highest quality possible. These qualities, along with many others, make her a leader both in and out of the classroom. She also excels on the basketball court with her low post and high post game.
Chris Barth works hard to do all the small things that lead to success. He is curious and careful with his practice work and is able to make insightful observations. His willingness to try new things outside of his comfort zone is a wonderful attribute that will benefit him throughout his life. Chris is actively engaged in his learning and his quest for knowledge is going to continue to shape him into an amazing young man. An eager problem solver, he does not shy away from challenges and always pushes himself to be better. Chris is an extremely caring and considerate person. His willingness to take the initiative to help others both in and out of the classroom is a true testament of kindness.
Rotary Student of the Month
Chagrin Falls High School senior Ember Zelch has been selected as the January Chagrin Valley Rotary Student of the Month. Ember was chosen based on leadership and service qualities displayed in the community.
At CFHS, Ember earned a variety of awards and recognitions including the 2023 Scholastic Art Writing Silver Key Award. Ember also was a keynote speaker for Trans in CLE and recognized at an Equality Ohio Allies and Advocates event. Ember was invited to A Night When Hope and History Rhyme at the White House.
Ember is a member of the Dungeons and Dragons club and plays softball. Extracurricular activities include photography, jewelry and metalsmithing, creative writing, criminal justice and volunteering with the intermediate and middle school Drama Club and Tiger Perk Cafe.
Outside of school, Ember is involved in LGBTQT Advocacy through Equality Ohio, Geauga SOGI Support Network, is a therapy dog handler, Planned Parenthood peer educator and a member of East Shore UU Church.
While at CFHS, Ember took the following accelerated classes: AP Psychology, AP Stats, CCP English and CCP World History. Ember plans to major in criminology and psychology.
Students Create New Club … Cleanland
Students at Chagrin Falls High School have created a new club called Cleanland. The club is a student-run nonprofit organization that is dedicated to cleaning up Cleveland. Not only does the club help provide a cleaner environment for Clevelanders, but it also gives students at the high school an opportunity to partake in service alongside their friends. The new initiative is teaching students how to give back to their community, inspiring the next generation to take care of the planet.
“It’s nobody’s fault that litter’s on the ground. It’s nobody’s fault that our streets get dirty. But it is our job to clean it up,” student JP Zimmer said when discussing Cleanland. “And if we all do our part, I think we can make something great.”
The students who are involved in the club have been going out into the Cleveland community, including the area of Ohio City, to pick up trash and litter from streets and sidewalks. While they already believe Cleveland is a beautiful city, their hope is to make it a healthier and happier place for citizens. They’re taking the steps to accomplish this goal one piece of litter at a time.
“Cleanland has been a great opportunity for us to get out and support our community while bettering the environment,” says junior Luke Neimeier.
“The reactions we get from the community make it all worth it. We get everything from car honks, waves, and even have people cheering at points. People just like to see young people out bettering their community,” remarked junior JP Zimmer.
“Being a part of Cleanland has opened my eyes to the amount of litter that not only is on the ground, but the amount that we are able to take off the streets with our group,” commented junior Jessica Brett.
“What we’re doing is for a really good cause, and it makes us excited to come out and spend time in the community,” says junior Claire Jarvis.
“It’s amazing to be a part of an organization that’s improving the city of Cleveland,” says junior Jacob Donnellan.
The students created a video to show first-hand the difference they are making.
Students Showcase New Laser Engraver
Students at Chagrin Falls Schools are learning to use technologically-innovative tools. At the Jan. 11 board meeting, several intermediate school students showcased the school’s new laser engraver, which was provided through a donation from the Chagrin Falls Educational Foundation. Students are learning how to use the engraver through their innovation class with Abigail Packard.
Five students joined the meeting to showcase their skills. In order to operate the engraver, students first learn how to use the graphic design software Canva. Addison Sprenger and Grant Brugger walked the board members through the process of how to tell which fonts and colors will work best with the engraver. After developing a creative project in Canva, they explained how they move their work to Glowforge, an application used with the laser engraver. Charlotte Mullapudi explained how to correctly save a design and upload it to Glowforge. Then, Margaret Svette and Lily Maschke worked together to choose the correct settings in Glowforge so that the engraving will turn out practically perfect.
And, of course, the students couldn’t leave without presenting each board member with their own engraved name tag.
President Sharon Broz told the students after their impressive presentation, “You have learned so much that will now give each of you the ability to turn your ideas into something that is unique to you while expressing your talents. I am very grateful to our support organizations and our administration for making this type of experience available to our students and for inspiring and engaging curriculum that provides such powerful educational outcomes.
