Tiger of Month is for students who show consistent behaviors...
CFIS Students of the Month
Tiger of Month is for students who show consistent behaviors. It doesn’t mean the student has to be the best behaved or have the highest grades. The award is for the student who continually tries to do their best. They may make mistakes but are approaching their school experience with a “YET” mindset.
Students of the Month for April are Arthur Doyle, Katie Fox, JJ Nightwine, Henry Brandenburg, Miles Mayer, Austin Brent, Roanin Medina, Jack Bundy, Zayne Hamid, Jacob Kumins, Gus Purnhagen, Nolan Schultz, Grace Pelsozy, Sophia Ford, Dima Rybak, Lyric Medina, Addison Sprenger, Drake Brindo and RJ Gallucci.
Spring Art Show
The Chagrin Falls Schools’ Spring Art Show was held April 20-23 at Hamlet at Chagrin Falls. Hundreds of pieces of art from Chagrin Falls’ middle and high school students were on display.
At the award ceremony on April 20, Debbie Cirillo, executive director of Hamlet at Chagrin Falls, welcomed the students, families and Hamlet residents. Chagrin Falls High School Principal Mike Janatovich gave the opening remarks and introduced and thanked the talented art department staff. The awards presented to students were done by art teachers Libby Harrold, Dawn Serazin, Jill Eisert and Amy Fenton. Closing remarks were given by Libby Harrold.
During the award ceremony, music was provided by more than 15 talented student musicians.
Award highlights include:
Valley Art Center Awards – Tina Logan and Claire Rubin
Cleveland Print Room Black & White Film Award – Gracie Blair
Hamlet Best In Show – Jenivy Par
Hamlet High School Gold – Maggie Howard
Hamlet High School Silver – Alexis Lagemann
Chagrin Falls Village Council – Maeve Brennan
Dads’ Club Award – Anna Baker, Camille Zitney, Charlotte Mcmullen
Board Of Education Award – Mila Gresh
Pto Awards – Jenivy Par, Norah Pope, Caitlyn Young, Molly Nightwine
Outstanding Photography/Computer Graphics – Evan Johnson, Ember Zelch
Outstanding 2-D Artists – Ryan Hill, Mila Gresh
Outstanding 3-D Artists – Riley Myers, Camille Zitney
High School Principal’s Award – Ryan Hill
Middle School Principal’s Award – Chloe Nightwine
View all the award-winning artwork and videos at www.cfsartshow.com.
The co-chairs of this year’s show were Dr. Nancy Burnham and Beth Gresh.
Students who have committed to attending art school and/or studying visual arts after graduation include Riley Myers (Syracuse/architecture), Camille Zitney (architecture), Maya Rooney (Auburn University/architecture), Tina Logan (Ohio Wesleyan/art education), Megan Larkin (Capital University/studio art), Anna Campbell (Notre Dame University/architecture), Ryan Hill (studio art), Logan Brownell (fashion design/Kent State University), Anthony Rybak (architecture), and Emily Koehler (architecture/Miami University).
Chagrin Falls 7-12 Chinese Program Students Take Home Top Awards
Students from the 7-12 Chinese Program offered within Chagrin Falls Middle School and Chagrin Falls High School earned top awards from the 9th Ohio K-12 Chinese Essay Contest, sponsored by the Ohio Association of Teachers of Chinese.
The Ohio K-12 Chinese Essay Contest is an annual competition for elementary, middle, and high school students from Ohio. During the March 2023 competition, students competed by composing an essay written in Chinese characters on a selected topic. The essays were then judged by experienced Chinese language teachers.
Fifteen total students from Chagrin Falls Middle School and Chagrin Falls High School placed in this year’s competition:
Gold award winners are seventh-grader Dominick Pantuso and juniors Maggie Oliver, Duncan Scott and Alexandra Scharpf.
Silver award winners are seventh-graders Gavin Chan, Zoe Nesbitt and Jack Shein; eighth-grader Ethan Nielsen; freshmen Hailey Haddon and Eric Nemunaitis; and sophomores Abraham Thurman and Nathaniel Bruce.
Earning honorable mention are seventh-grader Chase Deimling; and freshmen Jennah Hamdan and Rory Rohde.
Chagrin Falls Schools One of Best Communities for Music Education
Chagrin Falls Schools received the National Association of Music Merchants’ 2023 Best Communities for Music Education Award. It is the second year in a row receiving this distinction.
There are only 830 school districts that are among the best communities in the nation for music education. The award program recognizes outstanding efforts by teachers, administrators, parents, students and community leaders who have made music education part of a well-rounded education. Designations are made to districts and schools that demonstrate an exceptionally high commitment and access to music education.
“This award reflects the hard work and support of our students, faculty, families, administration, and community members in making Chagrin a wonderful music environment for our students to learn and grow,” said Director of Bands Casidy Reed.
Rotary Teacher of the Year
The Chagrin Valley Rotary Club has recognized Kyle Patterson, counselor at Chagrin Falls Middle School, as the Rotary Club Teacher of the Year. Runner-up was Chagrin Falls Middle School’s Spanish teacher Brooke Campbell. They were both recognized at the Rotary breakfast on May 2. They were both nominated by Principal Laila Discenza.
Patterson’s nomination stated…
Think back to your adolescence. Do you remember the rapid physical development or shifting emotions? You know, the time where a pre-teen could be excited, confused and uncomfortable all at once? Although you went to middle school for the purpose of gaining knowledge and information to prepare you for a future you also hoped to make friends, gain independence and learn about yourself and your passions.
How can a child get through this time without the connection, support and programs from the School Counselor? Kyle Patterson has been a School Counselor at Chagrin Falls Middle School for 10 years and is a vital member of our educational environment. He daily guides and supports students through new or challenging situations and experiences. We are so lucky to have him to provide critical support during this transition from childhood to young adulthood. He is an advocate that ensures that student needs are being met. He collaborates with all staff to create a caring learning environment that sets students up for academic and personal success. One could conclude that the school counselor serves the social and emotional needs of students in order to be prepared for academic rigor. But Kyle also plans and delivers effective comprehensive counseling, activities and experiences to promote students’ social-emotional development and well-being.
Mr. Patterson has impacted hundreds of students, parents and staff during his time as a counselor, Building Leadership team member, conference presenter, and club advisor (Student Council, Book and Guidance Advisory). His strong values to educate the whole child and commitment to middle level education are quite visible.
He is passionate and compassionate. He has considerable perception while being perceptive and receptive to student, family, community and staff needs. He has taken groups of students to work at the foodbank, or to attend a SAY Youth Leadership Forum. Middle school students eat lunch twice per month with intermediate school students modeling empathy and high school students meet monthly with middle school students promoting stress management. Students explore college and careers and work with others for innovative and creative solutions. He also routinely teaches important topics to students through Health class.
Students perform. Students feel encouraged. Students are valued. Every student at CFMS knows that they have a trusted adult in Mr. Patterson who is there for them every day in every way. He works tirelessly to create a place where students thrive. What more could one want from an educator?
Campbell’s nomination reads…
How well do you remember middle school? Were you full of confidence and happiness, all of the time? Probably not, and that is typical for pre-teens. What one may see as lack of motivation Ms. Campbell sees as children who need connections and support. Students depict progress and success when they have a positive mood and wellbeing. Therefore Brooke builds relationships with students, understands students’ feelings, grows them academically and helps them focus on the good things in life.
Ms. Campbell is engaging, encouraging and never overwhelming. She shows students through lessons and modeling how to be grateful and resilient. She has worked at CFMS for six years and has taught students about Spanish and the world around them. She helps them get involved in their interests and works with them outside of the classroom, whether it be as a Cheer Coach or Spanish Club Advisor. In and out of the classroom she builds students’ knowledge and self-worth.
Brooke also has the maturity of a seasoned teacher. She depicts care and concern and uses solid best practice strategies. Over the years she has become even stronger in her content area and provides high quality instruction day in and day out. Her level of differentiation to meet all needs in her class are derived from educational knowledge and solid lesson planning and articulation. Her units are highly engaging allowing for interaction with material while setting the tone for positive classroom behaviors. Ms. Campbell works with each student based on their needs while motivating and providing multiple assessments. It is quite impressive to observe her alignment for interventions and feedback.
Brooke is the Building Tech Advocate and member of the Building and District Leadership Teams where she supports other teachers. Her creativity and easy going nature allow her to help teach others in the areas of educational technology. She spends time each day in our Creation Lab helping students explore machines like the 3D printer or heat press through exciting projects. She has helped to raise money for groups like Hearts for Guatemala and has encouraged the continuation of this profession by working with student teachers. Whether student, staff or community member, everyone has benefited from their time with Brooke Campbell!
