CFMS Hosts Writer’s ForumMore than 100 middle school students from…

April 18, 2013

CFMS Hosts Writer’s Forum
More than 100 middle school students from Chagrin Valley Conference Schools attended the first ever Writer’s Forum on March 21, hosted by Chagrin Falls Middle School. Students from Aurora, Beachwood, Chagrin Falls, Independence, Kirtland, Newbury, Brady (Orange) and Wickliffe schools spent the day at Chagrin Falls immersed in writing activities.
Designed to be a day of enrichment for students who love to write, the idea was initiated by Chagrin Falls Middle School Principal Rebecca Holthaus. Planning began last fall by school librarian Lori Guerrini, Jean Kanzinger, a National Writing Project teacher consultant, and library assistant Amy Withrow.
The day featured workshops with authors and a keynote address by Shelley Pearsall, award-winning author of Trouble Don’t Last and Crooked River. Students rotated through three author workshops to work on the craft of writing.
Author Shelly Pearsall conducted a workshop in which students wrote pieces incorporating food and recipes to draw readers into a story. Lisa and Laura Roecker, sibling authors of the “Liar’s Club” books, talked about the process of getting a book published and taught students to write query letters. Katherine Batchelor, a National Writing Project teacher consultant, writer and doctorate student at Kent State University, conducted a workshop on writing flash fiction. Twice during the day, students gathered in the auditorium and participated in a large group writing activity led by Jean Kanzinger.
Most students in attendance are members of their school’s Power of the Pen team. Students brought short pieces of finished writing, which were shared on a Writer’s Wall that students could browse during lunch. The students were also entertained by a poetry slam performed by high school students.
According to Ms. Holthaus, “Our curriculum standards are changing to include writing in every content area; this was a wonderful way to get students excited about writing in general. The small writing pieces that the students completed during their time with us were amazing. We hope their excitement will carry over into their home schools as we prepare all our students to tackle the new literacy standards. We appreciate the support of all the middle school administrators in our conference. This opportunity could not have been offered without their common vision and passion for student success.”
Rotary Student of the Month
The Chagrin Falls High School Rotary Student for April is Andrew Osgood. Andrew is an Advanced Placement Scholar with Distinction, a University of Rochester Bausch and Lomb Award Winner, a member of the Cum Laude Society, and was named to the National Society of High School Scholars.
In addition, Andrew has been involved with eight national and two state Piano Guild auditions and has received “Piano Guild Recognition” on five of the programs. He has also received a third place finish in the Honneur de La Maison Francaise de Cleveland contest and was a district qualifier in the Senior Division of the St. John Chrysostom oratory contest.
Andrew has found time to run track as well as being a member of the varsity soccer team where he was named to the All CVC Academic and All Ohio Academic soccer teams.
Outside of school, he has been very active in the Greek Orthodox Church serving as their Youth of America group treasurer as well as a Youth of America Philanthropy participant. Andrew also was a Sts. Constantine and Helen Cathedral Senior Dancer and was a lead acolyte.
His academic resume includes eleven Advanced Placement courses. Andrew will be attending Brown University this fall where he plans to major in computer science.
Senior Wins Science Contest
Chagrin Falls High School senior Melanie Larson was recently named the winner of the L’Oreal for Girls In Science contest. The contest was called “Why STEM is cool to YOU.” STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
The contest involved Melanie making a video explaining why one of these sciences was important to her. The project happened to be right up her alley because this fall she is going to The Ohio State University in their Honors program to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering, focusing on renewable energy and energy efficiency.
However, the video proved to be a challenge.
As she said, “It was actually a lot harder to make the video than I thought because I had to start over every time I stumbled, ran out of time, awkwardly paused or anything like that, but I got a good take after a while, so I submitted it.”
After being named a finalist, she had to compete with other finalists in an online voting contest. She is thankful to her Advanced Placement computer science teacher Carolyn Petite, her family, friends and Chagrin Falls High School for supporting her in the contest.
The L’Oreal’s For Girls in Science program was only launched this past January, and Melanie is very proud to be selected as the first award recipient. As the grand prize winner she will receive a $2,500 cash award, a new 16GB tablet, and $500 (retail value) worth of L’Oreal USA beauty products.
L’Oreal, known for their beauty products, was very proud to be the sponsor of this event.
As they said, “We don’t just depend on science, we believe in science. It’s science that can turn the impossible into the possible, turn a dream into a reality, and in turn, reinvent our future. But none of this is conceivable without the curiosity and creativity of those behind the science: scientists themselves. They are the ones who dream and inspire. So why is there a shortage of women that pursue the field? That is why we at L’Oreal have created a community for girls who love science and a place for them to dream big. That place is For Girls In Science.”
Facilities Input Requested
On April 30 at 7 p.m. in the Chagrin Falls School District’s Performing Arts Center, a meeting will be held to discuss the district’s facility master planning process. As part of this process, the district would like to engage the community on a conversation about current and future facility needs within the school district. The entire community is invited to attend and offer ideas and suggestions on the future of the school’s facilities.