Chardon Middle School received a congratulatory letter on Oct. 26 from U.S. News and World Reports, announcing CMS as a recipient of both a U.S. News Best Middle School 2022 award and a U.S. News Best Elementary School 2022 award...
CMS Earns Dual Recognition
Chardon Middle School received a congratulatory letter on Oct. 26 from U.S. News and World Reports, announcing CMS as a recipient of both a U.S. News Best Middle School 2022 award and a U.S. News Best Elementary School 2022 award, ranking the school among the top 30-percent of elementary and middle schools in the state of Ohio.
Of the 80,000 public elementary and middle schools in the country that were analyzed by U.S. News for 2022 rankings, less than 1,000 earned both awards, positioning CMS among the approximate 1.5-percent of public elementary and middle schools nationwide to earn this dual recognition.
The 2022 awards represent the first time ever that U.S. News has ranked elementary and middle schools.
During a faculty meeting on Nov. 3, principal Tim Velotta proudly shared the news of the school’s U.S. News 2022 recognitions with staff, thanking them for their diligent work with students that helps make this success possible. He also noted that the school’s Performance Index for the 2020-21 school year was 101.5.
“Our PI of 101.5 places CMS in the top 3 percent of all schools in the state of Ohio,” said Mr. Velotta.
The Performance Index, which is reported by the Ohio Department of Education in the district report card each fall, measures the previous school year’s achievement of every student, not just whether or not they reach “proficient.” Districts and schools receive points for every student’s level of achievement. The higher each student’s level, the more points the school earns toward its index, thereby rewarding schools for working to improve the performance of all students.
Language Arts Live!
Chardon High School senior English language arts classes taught by teachers Allen Herner, Lynn Monaco and Joy Tersigni launched this school year’s installment of the Language Arts Live! speaker series on Nov. 9, welcoming five community member panelists.
Language Arts Live!, originally developed by CHS ELA teacher Dawn Weaver, is a speaker and resource program through which parents and community professionals visit CHS ELA classes and participate in a panel discussion regarding the use of language and communication skills in various settings. The program provides students with examples of how they can apply the 21st century reading, writing and communication skills they acquire in the classroom to the professional world and life beyond high school.
The five panelists welcomed into the program on Nov. 9 are: Michael Daniel, regional vice-president of Trader Joe’s Company for the Midwest; Michael McGreevy, P.E., mechanical application engineer for the Parker Hose Products division of Parker-Hannifin Corp.; Laura Snyder, a freelance writer for the Candy & Snack Today trade magazine; Jason Soncrant, DPT, SCS, CSCS, FAAOMPT, doctor of physical therapy whose professional roles include clinician and center manager for the NovaCare Rehabilitation division of Select Medical Corp.; and Allison Zeiger, a pediatric nurse practitioner in the pediatric intensive care unit at the Cleveland Clinic.
“We are appreciative of the panelists’ time and commitment to our seniors,” said Mrs. Monaco. “I was impressed with the knowledge and enthusiasm of the speakers today. My main takeaway was the importance of understanding clear communication skills. That the message sent isn’t always the message received.”
Mrs. Monaco welcomes additional parents and community members to reach out to her if they have interest in being part of a second panel for the Language Arts Live! program this school year. She can be reached through email at lynn.monaco@chardonschools.org or by contacting the school’s main office at 440-285-4057.
Toma the Mime Visits Park
Park Elementary hosted Toma the Mime (Thomas K. Johnson) on Nov. 9 to present his interactive Young Authors Day program. Toma, a one-person mime performer who studied with French actor and mime artist Marcel Marceau, brings his interactive programs to schools throughout the country to support creative writing curriculums.
The event at Park was sponsored and funded by Park’s PTO and planned and organized by Park second-grade teacher Jennifer Kreuz.
“Thanks to our PTO, we have been gifted with amazing performances from a variety of artistic avenues,” Mrs. Kreuz added.
The Nov. 9 program began with an all-school assembly wherein students were introduced to the art of mime through an interactive sketch-comedy mime show performed by Toma. After each sketch, Toma broke out of character to talk to students about the importance of story structure.
Students then returned to their classrooms to write their own short stories. Toma visited each classroom and worked with students to help them convey their story ideas. Afterwards, he and all of the school’s students reconvened in the auditorium for a second assembly — this time with Toma performing several of the class’ stories that he hand-selected.
“The assembly inspired our students to be excited about writing, expressing themselves, and the art of mime itself,” said Mrs. Kreuz. “It was great to see Park Hilltoppers all through the halls practicing mime, in particular their mime of being trapped in an imaginary box.”
First-grade teacher Rebecca Klembara described Young Authors Day as magical.
“I am so proud of the young authors that wrote their stories today and the many that Toma the Mime was able to bring to life,” she added. “Our class’ story was lucky enough to be picked: “T-Rex and the Toothbrush”. Young Authors Day was an awesome way to inspire our young learners to write.”
CHS Drama Brings Down the House
With boundless talents from both cast and crews, the Chardon High School Drama’s stage adaptation of Eric K. Hatch’s “My Man Godfrey” brought down the house at Park Auditorium right from the start on opening night, Nov. 11.
“Released as a film in 1936, “My Man Godfrey” depicts the economic struggles of the Great Depression, the divisions between rich and poor, and the culture of a country tightening its belt,” wrote CHS Drama director and English language arts teacher Brandon Lichtinger in the CHS Drama playbill. “It also deals with universal themes like family, the importance of taking pride in one’s work, and of course, the power of love to conquer all, including class differences, miscommunications, and spoiled, vindictive adult children.”
Mr. Lichtinger said after a year’s absence, CHS Drama was delighted to be treading the boards of good old Park Auditorium once again.
“The cast and crew worked very hard, and as always we could not have done it without the guidance and efforts of our adult crew coordinators,” added Mr. Lichtinger. “Thanks to Heather Biernacki, Madam Shannon Dalton and Fritz Streiff for their continued expertise in business, props, and lights and sound, respectively. I would also like to thank and welcome our new team members Allen Herner and Hayden Coe in the stage crew and Heather Kilfoyle in makeup and costume crew who joined us for the first time. They are all indispensable.”
Additional photos from opening night can be viewed on the district’s website.
