Park Elementary third-grade students in Mrs. Krystal Force’s class were up to a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) challenge as early as the second day of the school year...
STEM Rescues the Worm
Park Elementary third-grade students in Mrs. Krystal Force’s class were up to a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) challenge as early as the second day of the school year.
Mrs. Force, who is new to Chardon Schools as of this school year, noted that “working with a partner and doing some brainstorming together” was the key goal for success on the mission to “Save Fred” — a gummy worm.
Fred was stuck on top of his boat after it capsized, and he was relying on Hilltopper help. During the capsizing catastrophe, his life-saving device got stuck under the boat. As an added challenge, Fred could only be rescued with paper clips. Once secured into the life-saving device — a gummy ring — Fred was saved.
The young Hilltoppers were successful in saving Fred through their collaborative communication and problem-solving.
Board Welcomes Student Liaisons
The Chardon Board of Education introduced Chardon High School seniors Jennifer Kogovsek and Madison Primc at the Aug. 21 regular board meeting as the 2023-24 student liaisons to the BOE. The meeting marked the debut of the students’ first presentation to the Chardon board.
Both students are serving on the 2023-24 CHS Executive Student Council as lead officers of community engagement, which includes the role of student BOE liaison.
Through their liaison role, the students collaborate in preparing a slideshow each month and present it in-person at the regular board meetings. The purpose of the monthly liaison presentation is to share news about CHS student achievements, projects and extracurriculars while providing the students with the experience of communicating to the board during an official meeting.
Jennifer and Madison are involved in numerous activities at their school, including National Honor Society, Topperettes, Envirothon and the CHS drama crew. Both were also among the five CHS delegates selected for Buckeye Girls State 2023, an elite, summertime program through which they teamed up with other Ohio rising seniors to learn about duties, privileges, rights, and responsibilities of good citizenship.
As the two students look ahead to high school graduation in the spring, each plans to enroll in college. Jennifer is still considering areas of study, while Madison intends to major in either chemistry or neurobiology on a pre-med track.
Graduates Awarded Scholarships
Chardon Class of 2023 graduates Alexis Jahnke and Julianne Sweet were each awarded a $2,000 scholarship by Defender Auto Glass last month. Presentation of the scholarships by Defender Auto Glass founder and president CJ Paterniti took place on Aug. 21 at the Chardon Schools administrative building just prior to the start of the Chardon regular board meeting.
Alexis and Julianne attended virtually, while their parents Greg Jahnke and Joe and Mary Ellen Sweet accepted the scholarships in-person on their behalf. Neither Alexis nor Julianne could attend in-person as they are across the miles, having each officially embarked on the pathway of college enrollment.
Alexis is enrolled at The Ohio State University where she plans to pursue a degree in environmental science, while Julianne is attending Miami University at Oxford to study biomedical engineering on a pre-med track.
