With a district-wide theme of Choose Courage: Overcoming Adversity for the month of March, students and staff at Chagrin Falls Schools participated in the Harvest for Hunger Food Drive...
Harvest for Hunger Campaign
With a district-wide theme of Choose Courage: Overcoming Adversity for the month of March, students and staff at Chagrin Falls Schools participated in the Harvest for Hunger Food Drive to help the one out of six children in Northeast Ohio that face hunger each day. Donations were given to The Greater Cleveland Food Bank.
The Greater Cleveland Food Bank distributes food to nearly 1,000 local food pantries, hot meal programs, mobile pantries, programs for the elderly and other nonprofit agencies serving more than 300,000 people yearly.
Gurney Elementary School, in partnership with the Chagrin Falls Fire Department, collected non-perishable food items for the Greater Cleveland Food Bank as part of their annual Harvest for Hunger campaign. Students and staff collected more than 5,734 pounds of food and raised $586.75 in monetary donations.
Chagrin Falls Intermediate School, also in partnership with the Chagrin Falls Fire Department, collected non-perishable food items to support the Greater Cleveland Food Bank as part of their annual Harvest for Hunger campaign. Starting on March 14, students brought in non-perishable food items to the collection boxes located in each grade level Learning Commons area. They also created an online virtual food drive. Students and staff collected more than 600 canned goods and 100 boxed meals.
The Harvest for Hunger Food Drive at Chagrin Falls Middle School is coordinated by the Student Council each year. The school typically competes in a March Madness style tournament where different advisory classes compete against one another in various rounds to see who can bring in the most items. This year, Polly Mitchell’s homeroom was the winner, bringing in more than 700 items. CFMS brought in more than 2,000 items this year to be donated to the Cleveland Food Bank. Top contributing students from each grade are looking to volunteer on an upcoming day at the Food Bank.
National Merit Finalists
Matthew Daniels and Alexandra Holtz, seniors at Chagrin Falls High School, have been named National Merit Finalists in the 67th National Merit Scholarship Program.
Daniels and Holtz will receive corporate-sponsored awards that are financed by corporations, foundations and other organizations. The awards can be renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study and range from $1,000 to $10,000 per year. Students and a high school official submitted a scholarship application, including academic records, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards.
CFMS Students of the Month
The mission of the Chagrin Falls Middle School Students of the Month is to acknowledge and reward students for exemplary performance. The students depict Tiger Techniques: Think, Integrity, Grit, Effort and Responsibility. Each month, the seventh- and eighth-grade teams collaborate and choose a male and female “Tiger of the Month” and the students receive personalized tiger water bottles from the PTO.
Students of the Month for April are seventh-graders Alaina Woyt and Cortland Miller; andeighth-graders Claire Hoelzel and James Wagner.
Alaina Woyt is a quiet leader. She leads with integrity, is kind to her peers, and is always patient and willing to help others. She comes to class prepared each day, ready to learn. She is a hard worker, works well with peers, stays focused and produces high quality work. Alaina seeks out feedback and then is willing to make revisions in order to make her writing stronger and more focused. One never has to wonder if Alaina has questions, she’s a fantastic self-advocate. Her follow up questions enhance not only her own learning, but that of her peers as well. She is a fantastic contributor to her math team, works well with all her peers and always has a positive attitude.
Cortland Miller has an inquisitive mind. His ability to assess situations from different angles pushes others to think outside the box. Cortland is always on task and prepared for class. He is kind, polite and willing to ask questions and help others. He always has a smile on his face and will engage in conversations with his peers and teachers. Cortland has been working very hard this year to practice and prepare for his classes. This effort has helped him and his teammates make some fun discoveries. Cortland is a leader in English language arts. He raises thoughtful discussion questions in class, is always prepared with his assignments and stays focused the entire period. He is very reliable and works well with his peers. Cortland is an amazing violinist in the seventh-grade orchestra. He is always prepared for rehearsals and has made tremendous progress this year.
Claire Hoelzel is a true leader in the eighth grade. She is a great teammate both inside and outside of the classroom. Claire is always attentive, helpful and consistently produces outstanding work. She is a valuable classmate who always carefully considers several points of view to help her make the best choices. Claire volunteers her time every week as a peer tutor, where she humbly and skillfully helps the students master material. Claire is a leader and a great competitor for the middle school track team as well.
James Wagner is consistently prepared, hard-working and willing to help his peers. He continually produces quality work and is engaged in class discussion and his early morning energy and enthusiasm help everyone do great work. James is a great example of a model student. He is engaged in the class activities and discussions. He comes prepared and ready to focus throughout the class period.
Strategic Plan Roundtable Discussions
As the end of the 2021-22 school year approaches, Chagrin Falls Schools is completing phase one of the district’s strategic planning process by holding in-person community engagement roundtables, or focus groups. The roundtables will be opportunities for staff, parents, alumni and community to come together and have the opportunity to listen and learn from each other. Students in grades 7-12 are also welcome to attend and share their experiences with parent/guardian permission. Each session will have a maximum of 100 people.
Sessions will be held on May 19 in the Chagrin Falls High School commons and May 24 in the Chagrin Falls Intermediate School cafeteria. There are three one and one-half hour sessions on each day ranging from 3:30-9:30 p.m.
“Based on what we have learned so far from our school community through conversations with our students, staff, parents, alumni and community partners and through the Listen/Learn Questionnaire and board meetings, we have five areas of focus that we will be discussing,” said Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Penczarski, Chagrin Falls Schools.
For community members that have not had the opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions about their school district yet, these community engagement roundtable will give them that opportunity. If residents are unable to attend these roundtables, the district has more opportunities to participate throughout the strategic planning process.
An email communication was shared on April 29 to parents and those residents who have signed up to receive district news and information through ConstantContact about the upcoming Community Engagement Roundtables and how to sign up. Information can also be found on the District website homepage.
If residents have any trouble accessing the information or sign-up form, please contact Mike Daugherty at Mike.Daugherty@chagrinschools.org.
“Thank you to our residents for their continued support and willingness to partner with us to elevate the educational experience for all of our students,” said Penczarski.
CFHS Ranks As One of the Top High Schools in Nation
Chagrin Falls High School ranks as one of the top high schools nationally, based on the 2022 rankings from the “U.S. News & World Report.” Chagrin Falls High School is ranked second in Cleveland, eighth in Ohio and 353rd in national rankings. In addition, the school was nationally ranked 89th in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) high schools and ranked first in STEM in Ohio. Nearly 24,000 schools were nationally ranked and 750 schools were ranked in Ohio.
Ranking factors included college readiness, college curriculum, math and reading proficiency and performance and graduation rate.
