Every year, the first-grade "Pet Projects" are a big and favorite assignment.
Pet Projects
Every year, the first-grade “Pet Projects” are a big and favorite assignment. Students choose an animal to learn more about, do research on it and create a habitat for it as a classroom display. Students then tell their peers all about their pet and answer questions about their project.
This year all first-grade classes did the project and invited all other classes at Jordak Elementary School to come through their rooms to learn more about the different animals. Students did a great job on their research and habitats and were very prepared for all of the questions that came their way.
School Board Recognition Month
School board members exemplify local citizen control and decision-making in education. They volunteer hundreds of hours and an immeasurable amount of energy to assure that the schools are providing the best education possible for the children of the community. The district is taking the opportunity to show them our appreciation during School Board Recognition Month in January.
School board members are citizens whose decisions affect local children — what they learn, who will teach them and what kinds of facilities house their classrooms. They are men and women elected to establish the policies that provide the framework for the public schools. They represent the community, and they take the responsibility seriously by attending lengthy — and sometimes challenging — meetings, conferences and institutes where they broaden their knowledge about education, as well as holding numerous conversations about the schools and attending sessions before the Ohio General Assembly.
The school board is one of more than 700 such boards across the state. These boards enable communities to have local control of public schools, meaning that decisions on school programming are made by local, elected representatives who understand the community’s unique problems, values, culture and circumstances.
It’s a tradition that began nearly 300 years ago. With the advice and counsel of the educational professionals they hire, Cardinal’s school board has an impact on virtually every aspect of the schools. It’s a huge responsibility and one that should not be taken lightly.
Too often the public neglects to recognize the dedication and hard work of these men and women who represent them. The staff and students of the school district are asking all local citizens to take a moment to tell a school board member “thanks for caring about our children’s education.”
So, hats off to the dedicated men and women who make it possible for local citizens to have a say about education in their communities. Cardinal salutes the public servants of the Cardinal Local School District whose dedication and civic responsibility make local control of public schools in the community possible. The district applauds them for their vision and voice to help shape a better tomorrow.
Cardinal Board of Education members, including their years of service on the board, are: Ken Klima – 21 years; Wendy Anderson – 11 years; Barb Rayburn – one and one-half years; Linda Smallwood – three years; and Katie Thomas – seven years.
