Grace Hass-Hill, a senior at Chagrin Falls High School, is the Chagrin Valley Rotary Club High School Student of the Month for March...
Rotary Student of the Month
Grace Hass-Hill, a senior at Chagrin Falls High School, is the Chagrin Valley Rotary Club High School Student of the Month for March. Hass-Hill was selected for her display of both service and leadership qualities.
Hass-Hill is a 2017 National Merit finalist, a Cum Laude Society inductee, and is an AP Scholar with Distinction. She has been on the high honor roll all semesters in high school. She also was a Brown University Partner and Joyce Ivy Foundation Summer Scholar. She recently was the Ohio winner of the National Center for Women and Information Technology Affiliate Award.
While at Chagrin Falls High School, Hass-Hill was a varsity football cheerleader, treasurer of the Key Club, a math tutor for the Tiger Society, a member of the Science Olympiad, and a founder of the Gurney Coding Club. She also serves on the student board of the Chagrin Falls Education Foundation. She enjoyed being a Link Crew Leader, robotics instructor, and a participant in the Congressional and Verizon App competition.
Outside of school, she is a Sunday school assistant, a Math Monkey classroom assistant and volunteer for the Chagrin Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Her accelerated classes include AP U.S. History, AP Government, AP Physics I, AP English Language, AP Computer Science, AP Calculus AB, AP Chemistry, AP English Literature, AP Statistics, and AP Calculus BC. Hass-Hill plans to major in computer science or economics.
Hass-Hill was recognized at a recent Chagrin Valley Rotary Club meeting.
Gurney Elementary Preschool Receives Five-Star Step Up To Quality Award
In recognition of a commitment to quality and an ongoing dedication to the learning and development of children, Gurney Elementary Preschool has received a Five-Star Step Up To Quality Award from the State of Ohio. Step Up To Quality is Ohio’s rating system for learning and development programs. Participating programs can earn a one to five star rating.
In addition to meeting all standards of a four-star rating, programs with five stars may also:
- Have lower staff/child ratios.
- Use child assessment results to plan activities that best support learning and development goals for each child.
- Share assessment results and create goals for children.
- Develop plans to support children as they transition to a new classroom or educational setting.
- Work with other organizations or businesses within the community to support children and their families.
- Have an active and organized parent volunteer group.
- Have accreditation by an approved organization.
“Gurney Preschool is proud to be a five-star program,” said Marianne S. Canter, M.Ed., director, Gurney Elementary Preschool. “We know that children have approximately 1,892 days from birth until school starts, and every day matters. It is important to us that children develop their self-confidence, social and emotional skills, and a love of learning.”
Research confirms that the first five years of a child’s life has a direct impact on how children develop emotional well-being, in addition to, learning and social skills. For these reasons, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services and the Ohio Department of Education are committed to improving early childhood opportunities for all children in the state.
CFMS Students of the Month for February
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 a special treat from the PTO to take home and share with their family.
February’s Students of the Month are: Preston O’Connor, Thomas Gregoire, Sydney Bare and Alison Tull.
Preston O’Connor shows outstanding effort and precision on his homework. Preston is diligent, has tremendous character and is very helpful to his classmates always leading by example in the classroom.
Thomas Gregoire is outgoing, personable, polite and a regular participant in all class discussions. He is a tremendous asset to any group. The positive energy he brings with him transforms any group he is a part of into one that is energetic and enthusiastic to learn. He thanks each teacher on his way out of class and is sure to include all students in groups.
Sydney Bare is a leader in the first violin section of the eighth-grade orchestra. She is an outstanding violinist and is always prepared for rehearsal. Sydney is kind, thoughtful and helpful each day to teachers and classmates thanking her teachers at the end of each class. Sydney adds a great deal to discussions and always takes risks in learning. She quietly leads her peers by producing outstanding quality work, participating positively and working collaboratively with any student in the room.
Alison Tull is a natural leader who has the ability to bring together those around her to work well as a group. She leads by example and always demonstrates what 100 percent effort looks like. Ali is a conscientious worker with a terrific attitude.
Speech & Debate State Finals
The Chagrin Falls High School Speech and Debate team finished the regular season with 25 students qualifying for the state finals. This year, the state finals were held in the Cleveland District at Berea-Midpark and Olmsted Falls high schools. Over the course of the two-day tournament final results were: senior Matt Batos broke to the Octa-final round in Lincoln Douglas Debate; junior Anna Sherman placed 16th overall in Original Oratory in the State; The DUO Interpretation team of juniors Ben Cervelloni and Joey King placed second overall in the state; the DUO Interpretation team of sophomores Olivia Andresen and Margaux Augier placed 10th overall in the state, and the DUO Interpretation team of seniors Rem Weber and Karl Koenig placed 13th overall in the state.
The team will be competing in the Nationals in Birmingham, Ala., June 18-23, where juniors Chris Currey and Jack Reboul will compete in Public Forum Debate, juniors Ben Cervelloni and Joey King will compete in DUO Interpretation, and junior Anna Sherman will compete in Original Oratory.
CFMS Competes in Power of the Pen
Chagrin Falls Middle School Power of The Pen team competed at the district tournament at University School this month. A total of 207 writers participated from 19 schools in Cuyahoga, Lake and Summit counties. The team members competed in three, 40-minute rounds of writing and had their individual pieces rated against the Power of the Pen rubric. The pieces are judged holistically based upon the development and completion of an entire narrative. Only a small percentage of the writers score high enough to move on to the regional competition.
The following three writers will represent Chagrin Middle School at the Regional competition in Hudson on April 8: seventh-grader Sophia Avery and eighth-graders Madeleine Scott and Dena Mossad. Dena was awarded a “superior” rating, which indicates that her scores were in the top 5 percent of the writers.
Plain Dealer Spelling Bee Runner-Up
Congratulations to Chagrin Falls Middle School eighth-grade student Luke Volpe for earning runner-up in the Plain Dealer Spelling Bee that took place the weekend of March 11 at Cuyahoga Community College. Volpe competed against 40 seventh and eighth graders from Northeast Ohio and was even asked to spell “chagrin.”
