On Oct. 16, Chardon High School choirs, comprising approximately 130 students led by choir director Fritz Streiff, performed a special community concert at Mayfield United Methodist Church.
Choirs Sing for Mental Health
On Oct. 16, Chardon High School choirs, comprising approximately 130 students led by choir director Fritz Streiff, performed a special community concert at Mayfield United Methodist Church.
The program, “Please Stay,” was developed by Streiff as an extension of the Crucial Conversations speaker series hosted the previous night at the high school by the school administration in conjunction with local partners – covering such teen issues as healthy habits, the dangers of vaping and social media and the importance of ending mental illness stigma.
CHS’ “Please Stay” choir concert generated a full house audience and included performance of such pieces as “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “You’ve Got a Friend” and “Rain Come Down.” The evening also featured a solo performance of “Colorblind” by senior Maddie Houser, who participated in the CLE Shining Star Vocal Competition earlier this year.
Betce Wainio, whose daughter is a freshman at Chardon and sang in the Please Stay program as a member of the school’s women’s choir, said she loved the entire concert.
“Our CHS choirs all did an amazing job pairing their singing talents and their concerns for mental health,” said Wainio. “’Bridge Over Troubled Water’ brought both my husband and me to tears. I was extremely impressed with our students’ talents and their abilities to express their thoughts and feelings for those experiencing mental illness.”
District Releases Quality Profile
As a member of The Alliance for High Quality Education, Chardon Local Schools, along with more than 85 other school districts throughout Ohio, annually releases a comprehensive, community-oriented companion report to the State’s School District Report Card. Called a Quality Profile, the report captures examples of student successes and learning opportunities that do not appear on the State assessments. Chardon Schools officially released its Quality Profile earlier this month.
Academics, arts, student leadership and activities, fiscal stewardship, parent and community involvement, and student services are all shared within the Quality Profile to demonstrate the value of a Chardon Schools education.
Among the many highlights detailed in the district’s profile are Chardon Middle School teacher Stephanie Seabeck’s receipt of the Franklin B. Walter Outstanding Educator Award; Chardon High School and Park Elementary School hosting of the fourth annual Heart 2 Heart Senior Citizens dance; and Superintendent Michael Hanlon’s participation as a co-chair of the Distribution sub-committee of the Ohio Fair School Funding proposal.
Additionally, the report underlines Congressman David Joyce’s (OH-14) honorary recognition of over 30 Chardon High School students for training in the Basics of Lean, part of the continuous improvement methodology known as Lean Six Sigma; and the Chardon High School girls basketball team’s recognition as one of the top five Academic Girls Basketball teams in the state of Ohio – due to the Chardon athletes carrying an average grade point average of 3.96.
The district encourages all community members to take a few moments to view the 2019 Quality Profile in its entirety to learn even more about Chardon Schools’ achievements, experiences, and community. The report can be found on the district’s website.
South Sudan Simulation
As part of Chardon Middle School sixth-grade’s annual participation in the Water for South Sudan global initiative, students raised a total of $2,092.16 this year. The school’s several weeklong project culminated on Oct. 10 with Water Day activities, including students carrying a gallon of water outside, which is a fraction of the amount the girls in South Sudan carry, for about a half mile. The exercise provided students with just the start of an idea of what the people of South Sudan experience daily to obtain water and carry it back home.
