Hard work in the classroom has paid off for three Cardinal Intermediate School students.
Straight “A” All-Stars
Hard work in the classroom has paid off for three Cardinal Intermediate School students. Third-grader Sarah B. and fourth-graders Ana F. and Lily W. have all been selected as Cleveland Cavaliers Straight “A” All-Stars for receiving all A’s in the second grading period of the 2014-15 school year.
Students were each presented with a special Straight A All-Star T-shirt and two tickets to a March Cleveland Cavaliers game at Quicken Loans Arena. The lucky ladies all say they love the Cavs and can’t wait to attend the game with their dads.
Straight “A” All-Stars rewards students for high scholastic achievement. The program is open to all elementary and middle school students in grades K-8 in Cuyahoga, Lorain, Summit, Medina, Portage, Geauga, Lake and Ashtabula counties. Students who receive straight A’s at the end of the first grading period receive tickets for a January game, while students receiving straight A’s for second grading period are entered into a contest to win two tickets to a Cavaliers home game later in the season. Three hundred entrants will win Cavaliers game tickets and a T-shirt, and everyone receives an official Straight “A” All-Star certificate and gift.
Balsa Bridge Competition
Physics lessons are put to the test at Case Western Reserve University’s Balsa Bridge Competition and Cardinal High School students more than make the grade. Cardinal had both the first and second place teams in the competition.
The winning team of Faith B., Anna F. and Sierra K. constructed a bridge that held 500 pounds and had a strength ratio of 780.5, which means it held 780.5 times its own weight. The second place team of Avila G., Ashley L. and Christa L. constructed a bridge that held 366 pounds and had a strength ratio of 566.7.
“The students did a wonderful job and this experience is very rewarding because it combines facets of engineering, physics and mathematics (STEM) into one project,” says physics teacher Dave Bronson. “I hope it was rewarding for them to build something with their hands, see it tested, understand the scientific principles behind it, and it is something that they can be proud of.”
Balsa wood bridge projects are common teaching tools, particularly in science and engineering classes. The overall goal is to construct a bridge that can withstand the greatest weight before it falls.
Cardinal teams competing in the competition researched and designed their balsa bridge based on the information they received in physics class. After their research, they brainstormed and sketched a rough draft of their ideas. A consensus was reached among their groups and then they made a detailed 1:1 scale blueprint template of their side, top and bottom views. These templates were used for the students to work from to cut their one-quarter inch balsa at specific angles and lengths.
Although Cardinal has been highly successful over the seven years it has attended the Balsa Bridge competition, this year was by far the best. Cardinal sent 12 teams to the contest and all of them finished in the top 50 percent. Six Cardinal teams placed in the top 10, including first and second place. In all, there were 128 teams in the competition. It was the first time a Cardinal team constructed a bridge that beat the machine that tests their strength. The members of the winning team will receive a $100 cash prize for their design.
CMS Principal Thanks Community
Cardinal Middle School Principal Jennifer Sabol is more than just a leader and role model; she’s an inspiration. Her journey has encouraged all who are a part of the Cardinal School District, and even those who are outside the buildings, district and village, to appreciate the gift called life. Dr. Sabol has been battling cancer and she’s putting up one heck of a fight.
Since her diagnosis, students and staff have organized several events to raise money and show support to the Sabol family. In the halls of CMS, the windows are lined with messages of hope and love for Dr. Sabol to read when she’s there. There have been fundraisers and raffles, T-shirt sales, a snowman and a green out at a recent middle school basketball game to show support. The CMS girls’ basketball team faced rival Berkshire, Dr. Sabol’s previous employer. Some of the students and staff from Berkshire showed their support through raffle donations and sporting green Team Sabol shirts.
Dr. Sabol is halfway through her treatments; her hope is to be in school for a few days each week. Her journey is far from over, but Dr. Sabol says she would have never made it this far without everyone and sends this heartfelt message.
“The Sabol Family extends a huge ‘THANK YOU’ to the Cardinal Schools and neighboring communities for their ongoing and dedicated support! We are so thankful to be a part of the Cardinal District and appreciate your efforts, time, donations, cards, emails and many other contributions or words of encouragement! The Green Game will be remembered forever in our hearts! We have said from the beginning that expressing how appreciative we are is very difficult to put into words. We are not quite sure what to say that will truly express the amount of support and strength we have felt. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you, we love you all!”
CHS Presents “State Fair”
Cardinal High School presents “State Fair” March 27 and 28 at 7 p.m. and March 29 at 3 p.m. at Cardinal Middle School.
Tickets are available at the door for $10 or presale through March 25 from 5-8 p.m. at the middle school.
Benefactor tickets are available for $12; see a cast member to inquire.
GCCTM Math Tournaments
Cardinal Middle School students brought home multiple ribbons from two separate GCCTM (Greater Cleveland Council of Teachers of Mathematics) Problem Solving Tournaments. A total of 26 students in grades 5-8 participated in the events held Feb. 21 and March 7. The purpose of the GCCTM contest is to stimulate interest in mathematics among middle-school students.
The fifth- and sixth-grade problem solving tournament was held at held at James A. Garfield in Garrettsville on Feb. 21. Student teams completed four rounds of problems involving problem solving, mental math and geometric construction. Cardinal had four teams in this tournament – two representing each grade level – and all four teams received red ribbons.
Students on the fifth-grade teams included John A., Justine B., Chloe D., Max K., Renee K., Colby T. and Brock Z. They were coached by Adam Johnson. Sixth-grade team members included Emily C., Brianna D., Sam L., Sean L., Pietro M., Braylon R. and Francesca V. Their coach was Greg McCandless.
The seventh- and eighth-grade mathematics contest was held at Cardinal Middle School on March 7. Student teams also completed four rounds of problems involving problem solving and mental math. Four teams – two from each grade level – represented Cardinal in the tournament. The eighth-grade teams each received blue ribbons, and the seventh-grade teams received a red and a blue ribbon.
Students on the seventh-grade teams included Sierra B., Hunter H., Rachael L., Emmeline R., Kayla V. and Ally W. They were coached by Deena Avalon. Members of the eighth-grade teams consisted of Matt C., Kevin H., Austin M., Emily S., Isaiah T. and Mikayla V. Their coach was Melody Barber.
“It was exciting to have fifth- and sixth-grade teams competing with our seventh- and eighth-grade teams this year,” says coach Deena Avalon. “The students all did a tremendous job and had fun participating in the tournament. Kudos as well to our teachers who volunteered their time to coach as well as score tests and set up the event at the middle school; this experience would not have been possible without them.”
Congratulations to all of our Huskie students and teachers who participated in this educational event.
The Greater Cleveland Council of Teachers of Mathematics is an organization of mathematics professionals who are committed to the improvement of mathematics education in Northeast Ohio. The standards that we set are in accordance to the standards set by the Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics (OCTM) and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM).
One School, One Book
After a week of suspense and mystery clues, students at Jordak elementary and Cardinal intermediate schools finally learned what book they’d be reading for the One School, One Book reading project: “The World According to Humphrey.” The book revelation was made during a special assembly in the Jordak cafeteria on March 6.
Before the book was officially unveiled, several staff members acted out a skit, portraying characters from the book, which is about Humphrey, a hamster. As a special surprise for students, Superintendent Scott Hunt dressed as Humphrey the hamster and participated in the skit as well.
“The mask was a little warm, but the kids absolutely loved it, the reactions on their faces were priceless … that’s why we do things like this and I’d absolutely do it again, hot mask and all,” Dr. Hunt said. “Reading is the foundation for life, and if this event helps our students read more, learn more, then we’ve succeeded in preparing our kids for a better future.”
One School, One Book is a program designed to create a shared reading experience within a single elementary school community. A chapter book is chosen, every student receives a copy and every family reads that book at home over the course of a single month.
Activities at school coordinate, promote and enrich the shared reading experience. Students will be participating in daily trivia contests and an essay contest at school as they read the book throughout the month.
“The program is designed to create a community-wide “buzz” about books and to encourage parents to read with their children at home,” says Jordak Elementary School Principal Kelly Bearer. ”While this is mainly a parent involved program, it is our hope that teachers and staff will also help foster a spirit of enthusiasm around this reading experience.”
Students read the first chapter of the book together at the end of Friday’s assembly and were introduced to their real-life school pet hamster, Humphrey. Humphrey will be at the school throughout the month and will visit each classroom. As one last special treat for students, a “hamster cage” was created for students to leave the cafeteria, complete with tunnels, cage filling and one last high-five from Humphrey (aka, Dr. Hunt) before returning to class.
