The Chagrin Falls Board of Education accepted the resignation of School District Treasurer Anne Spano at the Nov. 28 monthly meeting.
BOE Accepts Resignation of Treasurer
The Chagrin Falls Board of Education accepted the resignation of School District Treasurer Anne Spano at the Nov. 28 monthly meeting. Spano’s resignation is effective Dec. 14. She has accepted a position with Hilliard City Schools in Columbus, Ohio.
“Mrs. Spano has played a major role in the significant improvement of the financial stability of our district,” said Superintendent Robert Hunt.
Under Mrs. Spano’s tenure, the district successfully passed two operating levies, a bond issue and maintained a clean financial report.
“On behalf of the entire district and community, we wish Mrs. Spano the best and thank her for her hard work and dedication to our district’s financial excellence,” he said.
“The school board appreciates Mrs. Spano’s work over the last 11 years and wishes her well in her new position with Hilliard,” said Chagrin Falls Board of Education President Sharon Broz. “The board is confident that by capitalizing on the talents of existing staff and engaging interim support, day-to-day operations will continue to be effectively managed. This transition presents an opportunity for the board to comprehensively evaluate the needs within the finance department and recruit leadership that aligns with current and future district goals.”
The district will continue to keep the community updated on the progress of the search.
Students Participate in Greek Day
Seventh-graders held a hands-on educational day to pair with their Greek and Roman studies. “Greek Day” began in the Performing Arts Center when Superintendent Robert Hunt led a parade of teams and passed a ceremonial torch, mimicking the Olympic games.
On Greek Day, students wore togas and team colors and rotated throughout several challenges. Some of these challenges were academic-based, other were artistic and some required physical strength. Teams used self-created shields that included Greek writing and were inspired by figures in mythology that students had learned about in language arts class.
As Greek Day continued, an informative presentation about the ancient Olympic games was given. Following that, students rotated through different stations. The stations included constellations, Greek “Who Done It,” Roman numerals, classic architecture, mythologically-themed readers theater and finally a station where students had to solve mathematical equations using Greek mythology trivia.
In addition to the academia stations, students were treated to a Greek-themed lunch of pita bread, gyros and Greek soup. After lunch, student went to the high school gym for physical challenges like building a columned structure that could support one team member. They also hosted a chariot race where team members had to solve challenges including a minotaur maze, Roman numeral challenge and matching Greek gods.
Teams were awarded gold, silver and bronze medals based on accumulated points from the day’s challenges. The winning students then ate ambrosia and nectar, the food of the Greek gods. Students agreed that Greek Day was a fun way to complete units of study.
CFMS Participates in Giving Tuesday
Chagrin Falls Middle School kicked off the season of giving by participating in Giving Tuesday. The initiative refers to the Tuesday after Thanksgiving where people internationally give to those in need to begin the charitable holiday season.
Chagrin Falls Middle School has a monthly character trait that students try to emulate, and November’s trait is philanthropy. Giving Tuesday fit well with the character trait as philanthropy is defined as promoting the welfare of others, especially in the form of generous donations to good causes.
The Chagrin Falls Middle School Principal’s Advisory Council lead the “Stall the Teacher FUNdraiser,” which took place on Nov. 20. The proceeds from the fundraiser went to the Northern Ohio chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). The society works to Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.
The fundraiser took place in every class period and every teacher participated. Students were encouraged to bring in donations to the LLS in the form of change. They could donate whatever amount they chose and in however many classes they wanted. The money was given to the teachers at the beginning of class before the bell rang. The teacher then had to count the donations, seal them in a bag and write down the amount. Class did not start until the teacher completed counting, resulting in “stalling the teachers.”
More than $1,300 was donated at the local Coinstar on Giving Tuesday. Class winners were Mrs. Kathleen Aranavage’s fourth period class and Mrs. Marissa Ausperk’s first period class. Classroom winners were Mrs. Kathleen Aranavage, Mrs. Marissa Ausperk, Mr. Geoff Brown, Mrs. Tamara Mrofchak and Mr. Todd Thombs.
CFMS Seeks Science Field Professionals for Career Day
Chagrin Falls Middle School is hosting a career day on May 15, 2019, and looking for volunteer presenters who work in the science field. The goal of the day is for students to connect to their own science curriculum to the opportunities in the science field described by community members, friends, neighbors and family.
The ideal presenters will be individuals in a science or technology field who are interested in sharing their experiences with the students at Chagrin Falls Middle School.
The middle school science teachers are asking volunteers to present for 15-20 minutes about their career, education, career path, the required continued education for the position and the day-to-day operations. In addition to the general information, presenters can give facts about their job such as what they find most demanding, interesting, and anything else inspirational that they feel would be relevant to the student’s interest as they consider possible future career paths. The time schedule allows for two to three presenters per each 45-minutes science class.
Those interested should fill out the interest form link (http://bit.ly/CFMS_CareerDay) with the career choice they are willing to share.
November Super News is Now Online
The latest issue of Chagrin Falls Schools’ digital magazine, “Super News,” can be viewed at http://bit.ly/SuperNews_Nov2018 or by going to the district’s website at www.chagrinschoolsorg. This issue features a message from the superintendent, board of education and treasurer, as well as stories and highlights on the intermediate school construction project. Dozens of stories feature our students, staff and buildings and all they have accomplished this past month.
For archived issues of all communications from Chagrin Falls Schools, go to http://www.chagrinschools.org/Communications.aspx.
Attorneys Teach Students About Effective Argument Writing
The eighth-graders at Chagrin Falls Middle School learned about effective argument writing from two professionals who use the skill in their profession on a regular basis. During the week of Nov. 5, attorneys Mark Fusco and Steve Crandall volunteered to speak to students and help them gain knowledge about using professionalism in the English language and writing with a specific audience in mind.
Students heard about real life cases and how the attorneys build strong arguments with evidence while gracefully acknowledging counterclaims. They asked the attorneys about the real cases and what it is like to be in the field of law.
After the visit, students used their newfound knowledge to write arguments for a pretend court case after reading the novel “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton. In this coming-of-age novel, a group of lower-class young boys known as the “greasers” is at odds with a group of well-off boys known as “socials.” The two groups fight and after one of the socials dies at the hands of a greaser, the young boys must learn quickly what is right and wrong in the world.
In the assignment, some students played the role of a defense attorney while some were prosecutors. Others chose to be witnesses and give testimonies as if they were characters from the novel. Students participated in a Socratic Seminar to discuss their opinions and make their cases.
