World Down Syndrome Day, established by the United Nations in 2012, was well celebrated at Chardon High School on March 21 thanks to a successful communications initiative spearheaded by sophomore Trevor Wascovich...
Sophomore Rallies for Down Syndrome Day
World Down Syndrome Day, established by the United Nations in 2012, was well celebrated at Chardon High School on March 21 thanks to a successful communications initiative spearheaded by sophomore Trevor Wascovich.
“Trevor did a fantastic job in promoting World Down Syndrome Day at CHS,” stated intervention specialist Amanda Bunker. “He emailed Principal Murray, encouraged classmates to create and hang posters, and addressed the entire student body over the public announcement system.”
The UN selected the 21st day of the third month of the year for World Down Syndrome Day to capture the uniqueness of the causation of Down syndrome — the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome.
Mrs. Bunker reported that Trevor’s campaign at CHS was highly successful.
“He was excited to find so many people wearing their crazy socks today,” she stated. “And we are grateful for the class set of socks generously donated by the Wascovich family.”
The Lots of Socks — or Crazy Socks campaign, which has globally become an integral part of World Down Syndrome Day, is a spirited and connection-filled activity that generates fun and serves as a catalyst for starting the important conversations about Down syndrome.
State Science Day
Chardon Middle School seventh-grade student Natasha Sutter achieved a Superior rating and state qualification after competing in the in-person format of the Ohio Academy of Science District Science Day at the University of Akron on March 18. Her science experiment, “Cultivating with Compost,” earned second place in the CMS judged science fair on Jan. 25, which qualified her as a district competitor. Natasha is a student in Mrs. Efantis’ seventh-grade science class.
CMS and Mrs. Efantis are thrilled for Natasha and her achievement with Mrs. Efantis hitting the ground running in helping Natasha now prepare for this next level of competition.
As a State Science Day competitor, Natasha will be among over 1,000 grades 5-12 students at The Ohio State University on May 13, each presenting their research for the opportunity to win from nearly $400,000 in scholarships and awards. Students will also visit their topic category area of study on OSU’s campus and have lunch with practitioners in their topic category, followed by an awards ceremony.
Congratulations to Natasha on her state qualification and best wishes at the State Science Day.
Choirs Shine at OMEA Large Group Event
Over 100 Chardon High School choir students had the honor of performing at the Ohio Music Education Association Large Group Event at Mentor High School on March 6. The judged event provided the students with an opportunity for feedback and to grow their musicianship through performance.
Chardon’s eighth-grade boys choir joined Chorale and eighth-grade girls joined the Treble Choir for the honorary experience. Each ensemble was directed by Chardon choir director Fritz Streiff and his student teacher Gavin O’Keefe from Case Western Reserve University.
The event entailed each ensemble performing three pieces for three judges as well as a sight-reading experience wherein each was given a new piece of literature to learn with only five minutes of preparation. Hilltoppers used the solfege system to develop their understanding of pitch within the new piece. Within minutes, the choir then sang the piece without accompaniment.
“The choirs did a wonderful job in their preparation and performance,” stated Mr. Streiff. “Chorale received the top rating of one (on a scale of one to five), receiving straight ones from all three of the judges for their performance. Chorale earned a two on sight reading but brought home a composite score of one for the day. Treble Choir earned a two from the performance judges and had a strong sight-reading culminating with a rating of one for that piece. Congratulations to our CHS choir students on their outstanding commitment to excellence through performance.”
