The Chagrin Falls High School band and orchestra students traveled to Chicago on the weekend of Feb. 17-19...
Band and Orchestra Travel to Chicago
The Chagrin Falls High School band and orchestra students traveled to Chicago on the weekend of Feb. 17-19. On Friday, they had lunch at Notre Dame College and then went to the Museum of Science and Industry. They enjoyed dinner and shopping on the Magnificent Mile and even went to the top of the Hancock Tower.
On Saturday, they participated in band and orchestra clinics at Vandercook College of Music. They performed at the field museum, followed by dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. In the evening, they attended a Chicago Symphony Orchestra concert.
On Sunday, they enjoyed time at the Shedd Aquarium, took a group picture at the famous “Bean” and then headed back home to Chagrin Falls.
One School, One Book
Throughout the month of February, Chagrin Falls Intermediate School participated in One School, One Book, a program that promotes literacy and reading through community. Everyone who is a part of the school including students, teachers, staff, administrators and parents were asked to participate.
“Research shows that reading aloud at home is extremely important and valuable because it better prepares children to be effective readers,” said Principal Sarah Read. “Here at the Intermediate School, we believe that it is also a very fun, worthwhile family activity.”
As part of One School, One Book, families were asked to set aside time every evening to read together from the book “Wonder” by R.L. Palacio.
“We chose this book because it is one that can be followed, understood and enjoyed by younger students, but also will be captivating and stimulating to older children,” according to Read.
Each child received his/her own copy of the book, thanks to a generous donation by the PTO. The main character of “Wonder,” August Pullman, was born with a facial difference that prevented him from going to a mainstream school. He started at a news school as a fifth grader and hoped he would be treated like any other kid, but his classmates could not get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. The book touches on bullying, courage, kindness, friendship, and family and finding a “diamond in the rough” who proves that as Palacio states, “You can’t blend in where you were born to stand out.”
The school published a website (http://cfisoneschoolonebook.weebly.com) just for the One School, One Book initiative that included nightly podcasts read by various juniors and seniors at Chagrin Falls High School who are Write Place interns. In school, engaging activities and discussions took place in Language Arts class and Personal Learning Time.
Student Council and PAWS sponsored programs and activities that coincided with One School, One Book. There were weekly quiz questions and daily blogs. There was a door decorating contest that centered on an inspiring quote from a famous person, book, or movie and a used book drive to support Cleveland’s Kids’ Book Bank.
A highlight of the month was Student Council’s Certified Kind Challenge campaign. Students were encouraged to do kind deeds in order to fill a jar placed in each homeroom with marbles or other kinds of small items. Photos of the filled jars were posted at the hashtag #choosekind. Each classroom received a certificate of achievement and was listed on the Certified Kind Classroom Registry at choosekind.tumblr.com/map.
To end the month long campaign, students enjoyed an assembly with Basketball Jones. He encouraged students to look for the good in others and to treat people the way they want others to treat them.
“Basketball Jones also goes one step further by encouraging students to understand and accept the differences in others, so we can treat others the way they want to be treated,” said Read. “It was the perfect ending to a perfect family and school initiative.”
Science Olympiad Invitationals
Chagrin Falls High School students participated in four Science Olympiad Invitationals held throughout Northeast Ohio during the months of January and February. At these tournaments, teams had the chance to perfect their devices, get a feel for the difficulty level of tests and labs and see a real tournament in action. There were approximately 60 teams from all over Ohio, Michigan, and Kentucky at the invitationals.
At the Kenston Invitational on Jan. 14, Danielle Currey and Kylee Cox received fifth place in the category of Anatomy.
On Feb. 4 at the Solon Invitational, Jennie Stemler and Danielle Currey placed third in the category of Anatomy; Danielle Currey and Anastasia Katkovskaya placed sixth in the category of Microbes; Danielle Currey and Jacey Workum placed fourth in the category of Optics; and Milly Mason and Molly Carroll placed sixth in the category of “Write it/Do It.”
At the Mentor Invitational on Feb. 11, Danielle Currey and Anastasia Katkovskaya placed fourth in the category of Anatomy; Chris Currey and Danielle Currey placed fourth in the category of “Odds and N’s,” and Julia Workum and Reese Fuller placed eighth in the category of Ecology.
On Feb. 25 at the Case Regional Invitational, placing fourth was Andrew Collins and Matt Witalec in the category of Hydrogeology and Danielle Currey and Jacey Workum in the category of Optics. Placing fifth was Danielle Currey and Chris Currey in the category of Wind Power and Hanne Wilson and Molly Carroll in the category of “Write It/Do It.”
For more than 30 years, Science Olympiad has been North America’s most prestigious team science and technology competition. Ohio Science Olympiad is dedicated to improving the interest of all students in the ever-changing world of Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). A strong emphasis is placed on active, hands-on participation, social development, leadership, and problem-solving skills to motivate and energize students to excel in and out of the classroom. Students demonstrate their skills and knowledge by participating in competitions that are similar to academic track meets. These competitions consist of a series of 23 team events for both middle and high school students. Each year, a portion of the events are rotated to reflect the ever-changing nature of genetics, earth science, chemistry, anatomy, physics, geology, mechanical engineering, and technology. By combining events from all disciplines, Science Olympiad encourages a wide cross-section of students to get involved. Through Science Olympiad, students, teachers, parents, principals, and business leaders band together to work toward a shared goal.
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Chagrin Falls High School students participated in four Science Olympiad Invitationals held throughout Northeast Ohio during the months of January and February.
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Throughout the month of February, Chagrin Falls Intermediate School students read the book “Wonder” by R.L. Palacio for the One School, One Book literacy and reading program.
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Chagrin Falls High School band and orchestra students traveled to Chicago Feb. 17-19.
