The Tigers of the Semester Award is presented to students who exemplify a positive attitude, work ethic, achievement in the classroom and service to fellow students and teachers at Chagrin Falls High School...
The Tigers of the Semester Award is presented to students who exemplify a positive attitude, work ethic, achievement in the classroom and service to fellow students and teachers at Chagrin Falls High School. Teachers nominate one student from their classes that impressed them with their achievement, attitude, hard work, willingness to help others and growth during the first half of the year.
First semester Tigers were honored with a virtual presentation. The award program is sponsored by Interact Club and advisors Karen Sindelar and Janet Coriell and organized the interactive presentation that featured personalized messages from each teacher who nominated a student.
Tigers of the Spring Semester of the 2021-22 school year are Matthew Angelino, Xander Burnight, Brandon Castelluccio, Hannah DiGiampietro, Mia Eaves, Maddie Ferguson, Mason Hart, Calvin Hill, Edward Jansen, Marie Kanzinger, James Kosmides, Alexis Lagemann, Margaret Malarney, Cece Mergenhagen, Natalie Nemunaitis, Saturn Owens-Paquette, Nicolina Reid, Carlo Ricco, Nick Rohde, Ava Rose, Julian Seese, Lauren Vasko, Gavin Welter, Kyla Williams and Greg Wilson.
“Recognition like this is so important as we want to encourage characteristics like kindness, compassion, work ethic and service,” said Principal Monica Asher. “We are so proud of the accomplishments of our students but we are even more proud of the kind of people they are becoming.”
Chagrin Falls Schools teacher Heather Reeder was awarded the 2021-22 Chagrin Valley Rotary Club Teacher of the Year award after nearly 30 years teaching in the Chagrin Falls School District.
Reeder had an affinity for working with children at a young age as a babysitter and day camp counselor. She was surrounded by education as her mother was a preschool teacher and her father trained employees in his field.
“There was no other choice for me,” said Reeder.
She attended Bowling Green State University, where she double majored in early childhood education and elementary education. She later earned her Master’s Degree and reading endorsement from John Carroll. After her graduation in the early ‘90s, she began substitute teaching locally and became a long-term sub for a fifth-grade class at CFEVS. She was later hired as a full-time fifth-grade teacher in 1993.
Reeder started teaching fifth grade, was moved to the fourth grade for five years, taught third-graders at Gurney Elementary School for nine years and kindergarten for 10 years. She‘s enjoyed every age she has taught over the years.
When the district needed intermediate school teachers in 2018, Reeder volunteered to teach fourth-graders and is still in that classroom today. There, she teaches math, science, social studies and English language arts (ELA).
“I loved everything I have taught, but I have a real passion for reading and writing,” said Reeder.
Curtis Howell, principal for Chagrin Falls Intermediate School, nominated Reeder for the Teacher of the Year award. Following the nomination was an interview with Rotary Club members.
Reeder said as part of the interview process, she had to write a resume, requiring her to look back at her years of teaching and committee work.
“There were a lot of memories,” said Reeder. “My daughter is taking a great business class at the high school this year and helped me update my resume. A few things have changed since 1992.”
She was invited to a celebratory breakfast where she received a plaque naming her Teacher of the Year and a plate with her name on it to be displayed by the Chagrin Falls Board of Education.Reeder said she was excited to receive the honor.
“I teach with such amazing people; it’s a privilege to be chosen,” she said.
Reeder moved to Chagrin Falls at a young age and is now raising her two children, Charlie and Caroline, in the village along with her husband, Chris. She enjoys spending time with her family- including her two dogs, crafting, playing paddle and volleyball. Her popular 2010 book, “Chagrin Falls Our Village Letter by Letter,” was recently updated and republished as a “10 year +1 Anniversary Edition.”
After the pandemic resulted in a hybrid classroom model, Reeder is very glad to have students back in person – “I missed seeing their smiles!”
Her oldest students are now in their late 30s and she has had some of their children in her classes. Reeder said the kids are her favorite part of the job and she loves finding out what they are up to after leaving her classroom. “Catching up with a student from years ago is one of the most gratifying experiences. It fills me with pure joy.”
Before the Chagrin Falls High School (CFHS) senior class said goodbye, they first said hello to the new kindergarteners who will be starting at Gurney Elementary School in the fall. CFHS seniors were invited to be part of setting a new tradition – welcoming kindergarteners with a personal visit to their home. Every spring, students registered to start kindergarten in the upcoming school year receive yard signs saying, “A new Tiger is coming to Gurney Elementary School! Welcome to Kindergarten!” All summer long the signs help the future students feel excited and proud to be starting school. And now the experience is made even more special as graduating seniors hand-deliver the signs with a personal welcome. On May 7, participating seniors wore their CF spirit wear or clothing representing the college they’ll be attending in the fall as they introduced themselves to the future CF Tigers and their families. Then, with parent permission, the graduating senior and incoming kindergarten student took a photo together next to the sign. Photos were posted on the school’s social media with the hashtag #CFChooseCourage or #Classof2022and2035. With this new tradition, the high school seniors will exemplify what they learned from reading the book “Courage” and diving into courage themes throughout the year as part of the District’s One District One Book program. Needing courage or having courage are experiences to which people of any and all ages can relate. These incoming kindergarten students will need courage to go to a new school building, meet a new teacher and all new classmates. These graduating seniors will need courage to possibly live away from home for the first time and meet all new teachers and all new classmates. The class of 2022 and the class of 2035 have this similar, courageous experience ahead of them and so it is only fitting for them to meet one another.
Gurney Principal Rachel Jones said, “In this one simple act, you are demonstrating the courage to say goodbye and showing how we give courage to each other for what lies ahead.”
World language teachers at Chagrin Falls Schools have developed and implemented a successful K-12 world language program that acknowledges and reinforces language proficiency and cultural awareness by encouraging students’ proficiency in multiple world languages.
To recognize student achievement in World Languages, the Ohio Department of Education has established the Seal of Biliteracy. This prestigious designation means that the student is proficient in two languages after taking a nationally normed assessment (AAPPL). Students must score at a proficiency level of at least Intermediate High in all modes of the tested language, which indicates that they would be able to effectively use their language skills in a business or professional setting.
Chagrin Falls High School World Language teachers Lisa Fetterman, Jen Stone and Laurie Walsh are pleased to announce that the following seniors have earned this distinction and will wear an honorary red cord at graduation: Ella Angel, Genevieve Armstrong, Sophia Avery, Christopher Baker, Duncan Bannerman, Joseph Cimperman, Samuel Clark, Madalyn Couch, Aleeta Cowan, Isabelle Coy, Matthew Daniels, Aubree Daugherty, Noah Elconin, Leo Fornara, Peyton Gellin, Alyson Kaplansky, Emma Murphy, Azzura Opperman, Brenna Sincaglia, Claire Stinson, Calvin Struk-Marn, Maximilian Tucker, Alison Tull, Kinga Turoczi and Amanda Williams.
Eric Morrison, a Chagrin Falls High School senior, paid homage to the trades by welding a sculpture with the letters “CF” to be displayed within the school.
Janet Coriell, intervention specialist for Chagrin Falls Schools, had Morrison as a student in a math class. She required seniors in the group to complete a capstone project in the form of community service. Each student had to develop a project, plan and budget it.
Morrison knew he wanted to do welding from the start. He said, “I want to do it for the school, but I also want to promote welding and the trades.”
The project had to include math, so Eric measured dimensions and weight when determining the size and materials he needed to create the sculpture, and created a budget for his project. Along the way, he ran into some red tape and sent countless emails to complete his project.
“You navigated all the unexpected obstacles and made it happen,” said Coriell.
Teachers from Chagrin’s Excel TECC program, of which Morrison is a member, donated over half of the project funds in material alone. Tiger Prep and the Chagrin Falls Dads Club gave money for the sculpture mounting, powder coating and plaque.
Fabrication of the letters began March 4 and finished at the end of the first week of May. The letters were welded, powder coated and mounted. “I built it as a service to promote trades and bring awareness to how the trades are dying,” said Morrison. “In all honesty, if we don’t have trades, we don’t have anything.”
When he picked up his project from being powder coated, Morrison received a job offer from the shop after employees saw the work that he did. The sculpture will be displayed within the high school library.
Chagrin Falls High School art student Sophia Avery won the Chagrin Falls Board of Education Art award, in which the board chooses a student in the senior class and recognizes their work from the Spring Art Show at Hamlet.
“The arts have the ability to help students develop grit and resilience in unique ways,” said Board Vice President Lori Bendall.
Avery is part of the high school’s AP 2D design program. In this open-ended course, each student chooses a concentration to focus on, resulting in a portfolio of 10 to 12 works of art. Avery chose the idea of self-healing and returning to a sense of normalcy and balance after a difficult time.
At the May 18 Board of Education meeting, she displayed her piece titled “Beyond the Linear,” which shows that going from a difficult time back to normal has not been a straight process. “It’s had its ups and downs,” said Avery.
“Anyone that sees this piece can relate to the feeling that you’ve captured in that,” said Board President Sharon Broz.
To carry on the board’s tradition, the piece will be displayed in the Sands Community Room at the high school for one year.
Nine teams from Chagrin Falls Schools (a total of 216 students) competed in the Noetic Learning Math Contest in April. Students in grades 2-5 competed in a 45-minute, 20 question problem-solving contest.
Students can earn honor roll if they score in the top 10 percent and honorable mention if they score in the top 50 percent of all the students nationwide at their grade level. A total of 97 students earned honorable mention and 17 students earned honor roll awards from the district.
Teams are also able to earn recognition in the Noetic Math Contest. The top six scores in each team are added together, and if the score is in the top 10 percent of teams in the respective grade level, a Team Achievement Award is earned. Two of Chagrin’s teams earned the award – the second-grade Team Orange and the third-grade Team Orange.
“These amazing students are to be commended for their continued interest in stretching and challenging themselves in math,” said Director of Curriculum Becky Quinn. “Our students are highly motivated and truly love math,” said Chagrin Falls K-12 math coach Barb Cymanski.
The district recognizes the following students for their outstanding achievement, which has designated them as award winners from the Noetic Learning Math Contest program.
The following is a list of students who earned honor roll and team winners:
Honor Roll – Graham Linczak, Silas Hardwick, Jake Sanson, Archer Osborn and Patrick Quigg
Team Orange winner – Graham Linczak
Team Tiger winner – Julia Detweiler
Team Achievement Award (top six scores): Silas Hardwick, Patrick Quigg, Jake Sanson, Graham Linczak, Archer Osborn and Liam Dixon.
Honor Roll: Quintessence Hui, Carter Wozniak, Greg Warner, James Fracci, Christine Krug, Leo DeGeorge, Gaby Honsa-Hicks
Team Achievement Award (top six scores): Christine Krug, Gaby Honsa-Hicks, Greg Warner, James Fracci, Leo DeGeorge, Quintessence Hui
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