Power of the Pen

Shiloh Junior High recently hosted the annual Power of the Pen competition and I want to say thank you to everyone who was involved with this year's event.  From the time it kicked off until the awards were presented, the program was exemplary.  Our students represented themselves very well and received several honors. Our staff was outstanding and was repeatedly complimented by those outside of the district.  Congratulations to our students and staff for representing the Parma City School District so well.

Realtors Showcase

The district is hosting a Realtors Showcase on Wednesday, February 15 at the Sword and Shield Restaurant. Several local and neighboring realtors have been invited so that they may become better acquainted with the Parma City Schools.  By providing pertinent information to our community's real estate agents, we hope they will be able to more effectively serve the needs of their clients.  Please call my office at 440-885-8786 if you require more details.

Students create cities using a variety of skills

The fifth and sixth grade ALP students simulated the careers of architecture and civil engineering to create cities. After a series of independent activities that helped them learn how to use protractors and compasses, the students created different polygons and angles. Then, they applied these skills to the construction of various 3-dimensional space figures that looked like buildings. There were no simple prisms here! The nets for the space forms included equilateral triangles, isosceles triangles, squares, rectangles, hexagons, and trapezoids. In teams of 6-8 students, they decided upon a theme and made a prioritized list of necessary buildings for their city. The students were evaluated on teamwork skills, creative thinking (how their theme was expressed and elaborated), critical thinking (the choice and placement of buildings within the town), and problem solving (how well the buildings fit together). If you visit the Red Rees room in the near future, check out the display case at the entrance where six of the cities are showcased.

Music Teachers attend professional conference

Music teachers attended the Ohio Music Educator Association’s North Coast Professional Conference January 27 & 28 in Cleveland. Their attendance provided them with the opportunity to receive professional development by attending performances and seminars on current music practices. Several of our teachers were instrumental in acting in a leadership role during the conference.

Workplace Education Program

We offer basic skills training that meets the needs of individual community employers. Our PCSD facilitators and instructors, with the employer’s guidance, identify specific employee needs and provide the necessary training to meet those needs in an efficient manner. 

This team-centered approach to learning is the foundation used to implement our workplace programs.  Please call 885-8339 for further information.

Customized Workplace Education classes that we offer on-site for employees, include the following:

The Business Department has completed many facility upgrades since July 2005 and has many more planned for 2006.  We appreciate the patience of our staff, students and communities as we proceed with these efforts.  The intent is to be as timely and efficient with our work as is possible without sacrificing necessary caution or quality.  Please check out our website for more details.  We thank you for your continued cooperation.

Graphic Arts class creates books

Mrs. Weber and Ms. Wunderle's Graphic Arts class undertook a Tech Prep project on Friday, February 3 in which students wrote and illustrated children stories and had books professionally bound. They partnered with Pleasantview Elementary's kindergarten class to read the books with them! The theme was "Hooked on Books!" and students also made bookmarks that corresponded with the individual books published.  They created an environment for the "read in" including "fish" type snacks.  Students are also participating at the February 18th Read-a-Thon at Parmatown Mall with their books.  Finally, the books will be donated to the Pleasantview Elementary media center.

Please take time to look at our website--pictures and news have been added!

The Parma City Schools has sponsored tuition-based childcare programs since 1983.  We care for children of working parents before school from 7:00 - 9:00 AM and after school until 6:00 PM in all elementary buildings.  We have three sites offering Kindergarten care from 11:45 AM - 6:00 PM, and provide care for Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM in our Day Care Center housed in Normandy High School.  Our programs are licensed by the Ohio Department of Education and staffed by trained childcare providers.  Each program offers a variety of activities to support the healthy development of young children in an out-of-school environment.

For additional information and tuition rates, please visit our websites:

www.parmacityschools.org/daycare

www.parmacityschools.org/edc

All-City Orchestra Festival

The Parma City School District is proud to present the 16th Annual All-City Orchestra Festival on Thursday, February 16 at the Parma High Auditorium. Beginning at 7:30 p.m., the program will feature music from 105 Greenbriar, Hillside and Shiloh Middle School students as well as 171 Normandy, Parma and Valley Forge High School students. Admission is free and we look forward to seeing you there!

Reading is All-American at the Read-a-Thon!

The Community/Business/School Partnership is proud to present the 7th Annual Read-a-Thon at Parmatown Mall on Saturday, February 18. From 11 a.m. to 2:30p.m., you can come and enjoy readings by Superintendent Zatik, Mayor DePiero of Parma, Mayor Bentkowski of Seven Hills as well as area principals and business people. The event will also feature student skits and readers, book giveaways, a used book exchange, community and business information tables, Magic By Richard and costumed characters which are presently scheduled to include Slider, Ronald McDonald and Scooby-Doo! For further information, please contact Linda Halfacre of the Parma City School District at 440-885-8311. Come join us for a fun-filled family-oriented celebration of reading!

The Pierogi Dinner is back again!

The Parma Back the Schools Committee is proud to present the 2006 edition of the Pierogi Dinner at Parma High School. Join us Friday, March 3 from 3:30-7:30 p.m. at the Parma High cafeteria, located at 6285 West 54th Street, for food and entertainment at affordable prices. Students from the district’s middle and high school bands will be performing for those dining in and carry-out service will also be available. Five-piece pierogi dinners are $7 and hot dog dinners are $4. Tickets can be purchased at all school locations or in advance by mailing a personal check for the desired number and type of dinners to 5585 Chatham Drive, Seven Hills, 44131. Only pre-sale tickets will be honored. No tickets will be sold at the door. We invite you to enjoy a great meal while supporting the students of the Parma City School District. BE SURE TO GET TICKETS IN ADVANCE AS NONE WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR!

Pleasant Lake Villa Nursing home seeks volunteers

Pleasant Lake Villa is looking for volunteers to help with a variety of tasks. These may include reading and visiting bedfast residents, helping with field trips, serving refreshments, decorating for holidays and special events, or teaching a special skill to others. It may also include leading a sing-a-long, playing games such as cards or checkers, taking residents for strolls, assisting with craft programs, writing letters, or distributing mail, magazines, or books. If you think any of these duties sound like something you would like to do, please contact Cherie Klimas, Recreation Director at (440) 842-2273.

Hometown Buffet offers fund-raising help

Hometown Buffet, located at 1930 Snow Road inside Midtown Plaza, wants to help your non-profit group raise money.  All your group members have to do is enjoy a great meal at Hometown Buffet on a designated night.  For every full-priced meal purchased by a member of your group aged 12 or older, $1 will be donated to your organization.

Please call Marsha Ryai at 216-661-8992 for more information.  Please support one of our local business partners while helping your group earn money! 

Future publication dates for Images Online:

February 20, March 6, March 20, April 3, May 1, May 15 and June 5.

The deadline for all submissions is noon on the Thursday preceding publication.  Please contact Kevin Brennan at 440-887-4889 with any questions.

Power of the Pen results

7th grade individual award winners:

2nd place- Aaron Host, Hillside

6th place-Katelyn Petronick, Greenbriar

7th place-Svetlana Knezevic, Hillside

8th place- Abby Kish, Greenbriar

9th place- Becca O'Donnell, Hillside

8th grade individual award winners:

9th place- Sandy Veres, Hillside

11th place-Sarah Daly, Hillside

12th place-Megan Hurley, Greenbriar

Parma High Hockey team wins division title

Congratulations to the Parma High Hockey team for winning the Greater Cleveland High School Hockey League's Blue West Division championship!  They defeated Holy Name last month to capture their first title since 1997.  Coach Joe Gaudino's team fielded 19 players and three juniors, Justin Kelley, Anthony Pallini and Jeff Schencker led the team in scoring.  Best of luck to the hockey Redmen in the playoffs!

Power of the Pen teams visit General Motors

We were treated like royalty and we have the pictures to prove it! The information segment, lunch, gift, and especially the spectacular Parma GM plant tour were a first for most of us. Thank you to Parma GM for making this visit possible. The visit by the Power of the Pen teams today allowed each one of these students to experience the community support behind them, individually and as a member of a team . They will always remember this day and the honor bestowed upon them. Thank you GM for caring about our future!

Polly Bowman 8th grade coach

Students get involved in pen pal project

Spanish students at Valley Forge High School and Normandy High School share the same Spanish teacher, Mrs. Christine Bennett. As a special project, Mrs. Bennett connected the Spanish Academic Standards to a pen pal project between the two schools.

After several letter exchanges, the students were eager to meet. Mrs. Bennett arranged for a meet and greet of all interested pen pals at the Valley Forge/Normandy basketball game on January 27, 2006. Mr. Steele Nowlin generously provided free tickets to the game for all the involved students.

The Spanish students’ excitement was contagious. Even though some pen pals did not attend, everyone was able to meet someone new. The students had a great time mingling and practicing their Spanish. Chipotle restaurant was present at the game, distributing coupons to anyone displaying a Valley Forge tee shirt. After becoming aware of the pen pal meet and greet, Chipotle decided to provide free coupons to all the Spanish pen pals.

The event was a huge success. Both Valley Forge and Normandy students discovered the similarities they share as part of the Parma City School District family. Even though rivalry may exist on the field of sports, the Spanish pen pals found connections to begin new friendships.

Reminder to staff members

Please remember to check FRODO to be certain you do not exceed your building or individual allotments for the remainder of the school year.  Your cooperation is appreciated.

Valuable information available on district website

Please be sure to check the district website for information which can be of great benefit to parents and guardians.  Click on the Child Safety logo located on the home page for facts regarding internet safety, sexual predators and head lice.  Reviewing these areas can help you become familiar with ways to keep your child safe.

Arlington is home to First Step Preschool. The PCSD First Step Preschool provides early intervention for 3-5 year olds with special needs as well as typically developing peers. Children learn actively through hands-on experiences and a developmentally appropriate curriculum. Our preschool is a language-based program that promotes early childhood literacy in a variety of ways.

In 1998, with the help of parent and community donations, First Step established a lending library where children borrow books on a weekly basis. Classroom teachers introduce students to a variety of children's literature around which classroom activities and themes are centered. As part of our effort to encourage reading and language-based activities at home, we have included a "Story of the Month", along with other early childhood literacy information at the First Step Preschool Web site.

MathTown

Dentzler School held its first MathTown event on January 30, February 1 and 2. Our Science Lab was transformed into the MathTown Dentzler Library. This math library was filled with children’s literature and was bustling with mathematical fun and excitement. While all of our students visited MathTown over this three day event, they enjoyed literature read to them by our wonderful parent and sixth grade student volunteers.

After listening to a story, the students had the opportunity to engage in many standards based math activities at eight learning centers. The hands-on activities at the learning centers allowed the students to actively be engaged in learning. This activity met Dentzler School’s Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP) challenge of continually implementing best teaching practices, improving student achievement and involving parents in one of our primary educational goals of strengthening our students’ math skills.

• Green Valley's Giant Hearts is our adult service group made up of staff and parent members.  The annual Giant Heart distribution of cookies was once again a tremendous success.  Over twenty-one Green Valley families received a tray of cookies and gift certificates to grocery stores.  This year, Redeemer Baptist Church,  led by Pastor Al Descheneau on Broadview Road, joined our cookie baking effort.  The church members donated many dozens of cookies.  (Redeemer Baptist Church is our newest C/B/S Partner.)  We were able to share the holiday spirit with many families thanks to this community effort.
• Green Valley students collected personal items for military personnel stationed in Iraq.  The response was overwhelming.  This effort was organized by PTA officer, Mrs. Kaiser.
• Our largest effort was to adopt another Parma school and provide wrapped gifts for students.  One of our parents and a Normandy teacher, Mrs. Sutyak, collected gifts at Normandy to add to our project.  Our own "Service Crew," directed by Miss Connors and Mrs. Knerem, organized the packages. (Service Crew is a student club which promotes volunteerism.) Over two hundred and fifty gifts were delivered to our adopted school.
• In January, representing Green Valley Elementary School, Mr. Sweeney, our Custodian, became "wanted" by the Muscular Dystrophy Association.  A warrant was issued for his arrest and Green Valley collected money for his "bail" in the amount of $1,101.65.  Below is a picture that was on his wanted poster.  

Service and volunteerism are important aspects of the life at Green Valley School.  We are lucky to have such a caring, responsive community!

Student artwork recognized at state level

Six students from Greenbriar Middle School have had their artwork accepted at the state level in the PTA Reflections Contest for this year. The theme for this year’s contest was "I Wonder Why..." These students are extremely talented and put forth a great deal of time and effort into their work. Their artwork will now be judged along side all of the other students’ work from across the state of Ohio in hopes that it might move on to the national level. Great job and good luck!

Two eighth grade students and four seventh grade students from Greenbriar have made it to the state level. Pictured from left to right: Amanda Lakotish (7), Katy Bayus (7), Ramune Bartuskaite (8), Katelyn Petronick (7), and Taylor Lajko (7). Not pictured: Thai Le (8). Last week in the Parma Sun Post there was a large article displaying work and congratulating all of the students who entered the PTA Reflections Contest in the entire Parma school district.

First in Math

Our 3rd and 4th graders are participating in the online program "First in Math" sponsored by McDonalds. Students improve their mathematics fluency, while having fun playing the popular 24 game. Students can earn free McDonalds food as they earn stickers by playing the game. Our top 5 fourth grade students are: Keelin Becker-Wheeler, Stephanie Jones, Sam Lombardo, Alexis Mroczka and Jumoke Olowu. Our top 5 third grade students are: Rabeah Bayazid, Kysaac Becker-Wheer, Kyle Dunnell, Loua Farunia & Viktoriya Partyka. Congratulations to all our players!

Recycling at Hanna

Don’t forget to save your empty ink jet cartridges and old cell phones for recycling at Hanna. We will be having a contest until March 10th. Each classroom has a collection box for empty ink jet cartridges. The classroom that brings in the most cartridges will win a pizza party.

Chinese New Year

Art classes have been working on Chinese New Year projects with Mrs. Huff and on Tuesday, January 31st, Mrs. Schweter and the kindergarten students had a parade to celebrate. Students enjoyed fortune cookies as a special treat.

Power of the Pen

On Saturday, January 28, 2006, 12 students from Hillside Middle School spent the day at the Power of the Pen tournament held at Shiloh Middle School. During this creative writing competition, the students wrote short stories three different times for 40 minutes each. The top 12 writers with the highest total points were awarded, along with Best of Round and Team Places. Hillside had 5 of the top 12 places. For 7th grade, there was Becca O'Donnell in 9th place, Svetlana Knezivic in 7th place and Aaren Host in 2nd place. Eighth grade winners were Sarah Daly in 11th place and Sandy Veres in 9th place. Best of Round winners, which is 1st place out of the 70+ writer who participated belonged to Aaren Host for Round One and Svetlana Knezivic for Round 3.

It didn't stop there! Hillside was also awarded the 4th place finish for the 7th grade division. The team consisted of Aaren Host, Svetlana Knezivic, Becca O'Donnell, Kyle Serenas, Nik Majerle and Katie Karr. Hillside's 8th grade team which consisted of Emma Clark, Kaitlin Connors, Sarah Daly, Katerina Glyptis, Erik Trumble and Sandy Veres took 2nd place.

Most of these writers will move on to the Regional Tournament in March at Heskitt Middle School in Bedford.  Excellent job writers!  We are very proud of your accomplishments.  The team trophy was presented to Principal Larry Minamyer for display in the school showcase on Tuesday, January 31, 2006.

Congratulations!

For the third consecutive year, Hillside teacher William Forney is being recognized in "Who's Who Among America's Teachers."  He will be appearing in the tenth edition and over the past two years, Mr. Forney has also been listed in the eighth and ninth editions.  According to Who's Who, only two percent of teachers are multiple-year honorees.  Great job Mr. Forney!

Recycle bins are arriving

Recycling Bins have arrived at John Glenn, and we are asking all our friends and families to pitch in! The guidelines are few, and the school benefits both from the deposits and the example we are setting for our students. All papers, magazines, and mail are acceptable. Please do not throw in plastic bags or cardboard boxes, as these items cause a decrease in our monetary returns. The John Glenn PTA is purchasing recycling containers for each classroom, and our Student Council Reps., led by Mrs. Stewart, and some of our older Science students, led by Mrs. Schmidt, will be responsible for taking our building’s used paper to the bins each week. What a great lesson in managing our natural resources.

Ohio Reads program

Our building Ohio Reads program is just about ready to begin, but we could use a few more community volunteers. If you have 1-2 hours a week to dedicate to reading improvement, please give Mrs. Yvonne Theus or Mrs. Jodie Hausmann a call at (440) 885-2420. John Glenn has had a few thoughtful donations from staff and community members. Thank you to Mr. and Mrs. W. Miroewski for their donation of a "Hooked on Phonics" learning system to our students. The kit will be a useful addition to our teacher resource center.

Congratulations!

Kudos to first grade John Glenn teachers, Mrs. Char Stevens and Mrs. Michele Stimetz, for being chosen to conduct an action research project with the Everyday Math program. Mrs. Stevens and Mrs. Stimetz have been taking classes with the Ohio Department of Education OMAP Program for promoting research based math instruction in the classroom. The teachers are reporting remarkable "mathematical thinking" from some of the youngest members of our John Glenn team. Keep up the good work ladies!!

Thank you!

Thanks also to our own staff member, Mrs. Laura Kennedy, and her husband for the donation of twenty upholstered chairs for our staff lunch room. Lunch- time is definitely improved because of their thoughtfulness!

Celebrating academics at John Muir

Our school celebrated student successes at its quarterly Sundae Bar on Friday, January 27, 2006.  We were proud to give the children what they had earned: 116 Perfect Attendance Awards, 162 Honor Roll Awards and 87 On-A-Roll Awards.  Honor Roll is achievement based for students earning all A's and B's on their report cards.   Perfect Attendance is for students with no tardies or absences for the quarter.   On-A-Roll is for our students whose efforts merits him/her nothing less than an "S" in behavior and work skills.

Students were called to the cafeteria by homeroom.  A picture was taken of them and then they were treated to an ice cream sundae.  Lastly, they were congratulated and awarded the ribbons that they had earned.  

Our business partner, Midtown Towers, provided the ice cream with all the toppings for our guests of honor.  Rosemary LaMantia, the Activities Director from Midtown Towers, faithfully came and brought the treats and helped serve them to our children.  She also assisted in awarding ribbons to the students.  John Muir's PTA members, led by President Mrs. Gayle Hakki, helped run this fun and successful event.     

Seniors receive computer training

Normandy's Computer Club conducts computer workshops for the senior citizens in Seven Hills, Parma, and Parma Heights. These free 2-hour classes are 5 weeks long. This fall the students and Mrs. Debra Kennedy, Normandy's Computer Resource Specialist, taught the seniors word processing and beginners' Windows. These workshops are very successful, especially when you consider the intergenerational learning that it provides. Each senior has their own computer and usually their own student teacher. Classes will be offered in the spring, but it has not been determined what information will be taught. If you are a senior citizen living in the Parma City School District, please contact Mrs. Kennedy via e-mail for more information or call 885-2400 to register in February.

NHS hosts wrestling championship

The Pioneer Conference Wrestling championship was held at Normandy High School on February 4th. Wrestler from each high school in the conference competed to find an individual champion in each weight class, and an overall team champion. Final results were not available at the deadline for this article. Congratulations to wrestling coach Steve Vaughn. He has now surpassed 200 coaching victories! He success is attributed to his hard-work and enthusiasm. His dedication to the team members is clearly evident. Also Congratulations to wrestler Dan Holztrager. He has now notched 100 individual victories in his high school career. This is quite an accomplishment!

NHS appears on FOX 8

Students from Normandy High School appeared on the Fox 8 news program “It’s Friday.” on February 3.  Student athletes and student representatives had a great time!

Parkview Elementary has gotten Lost in Science!

Under the direction of Mrs. Chismar, Mrs. Daiuto, and Mrs. Stacho students in grades 1, 2, and 3 have created a Lost in Science Club.  The club meets two times a week and began with reading the book, Andrew Lost: On the Dog.  This is the first in a science fiction series in which an experiment goes terribly wrong and shrinks the heroes to microscopic size.  As the students in the Lost Club experienced the adventures of Andrew and Judy, they also conducted experiments about the microscopic world, explored the Andrew Lost web site, and created a mural that was entered in a contest to win the whole collection of  the book series for our school’s library!  The students pictured are only a few of the Club’s members.  The students pictured are Zachary Coad, Heather Esarey, Emilee Carlin, Kayla O’Neil, and Morgan Rogers.  If you look closely, you just might find the rest of the club microscopically trying to escape the Tadpole Tank that they fell into when tragically shrunk by Atom Sucker!

Pictures from 5th grade DARE program graduation

REMINDERS

INTRAMURAL BASKETBALL

Monday starts the intramural program for our 6^th graders. Permission slips have been sent home and must be returned for a student to be able to participate. Please be prompt in picking up children by 4:45 p.m.

RECYCLE RECYCLE

We thank everyone who has been using our recycle bins for paper.  The company that recycles our empty inkjet cartridges is having a challenge.  The class with the most cartridges brought in by Mar. 10^th will be rewarded with a Pizza Party.  Please see the flyer that was sent home.

REMINDERS

Call the school office if your child will be late.

Walk your child in to school when they are arriving late.

Call before 9:30 a.m. if your child will be absent.

Write a note if your child's transportation has changed for the day.

Fees must be current or completely paid prior to report card going home.

SPIRITWEAR

A limited amount of spiritwear and 50^th Anniversary shirts are available in the office. Please call the office if you are interested.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Kindergarten teacher Mrs. Stacy Fyock and music teacher Mrs. Judith Chavray for being nominated in the tenth edition of "Who's Who Among American Teachers."  Great job ladies!

2nd graders can enjoy lunch with parents and grandparents

Throughout February, we welcome parents and grandparents of Pleasantview 2nd graders to come and eat lunch with us.  Please be sure to call the office at 885-2413 to schedule your visit. 

News from Renwood

We are very proud of Kelly Steimle & Sandy Jindra as they both were nominated for Who's Who Among America's Teachers. Kelly is a second grade teacher and Sandy is a third grade teacher here at Renwood. This is the second year in a row that they have been nominated. Way to go!!!!!

The last Friday of every month has been designated as Renwood Spirit Day!! Let's remember to wear our blue and white, and/or Renwood shirts and sweatshirts to show how proud we are to be part of this fabulous school. Our PTA surprises our students with treats if they remember to wear their Spirit Day clothes.

Jasmine Hernandes, 4th grader from Room 110 (Mrs. Riegel), had her PTA Reflections poem printed in the Parma Sun Post. I know that Mrs. Riegel and all of us are very proud.

Market Day is sponsoring "Cookie Dough Month." We are hoping to reach our target of selling 250 tubs of cookie dough. You can turn your orders in up to February 8. If we reach our goal our school can earn up to $750.00. Please considering purchasing some to help us. Many thanks.

Our next Parent/Teacher Conference Night is Thursday, February 16 from 5:15-8:00p.m. The teachers will be sending home invitations with appointments. If you do not receive one, and would still like a conference send a note. If the teacher cannot accommodate you on this evening, he/she will be more than happy to arrange another day and time.

Family Roller Skating Night sponsored by Renwood PTA will be held on Tuesday, February 7 at Brookpark Skateland from 6:30-8:30p.m. Don't forget your helmets, elbow and knee pads. Have fun!!!!

Hoops & Jump for Heart

Once again Ridge-Brook will participate in the American Heart Association fundraiser. Ridge-Brook families have always been very generous in supporting this wonderful cause. I hope many students will participate this year. In the past 6 years Ridge-Brook has collected over $20,000.00 for the Heart Association. That is something to be very proud of! Mr. Adomaites supervises this event!

Winter Holiday Concert

Our choir (Mr. Plasterer), Orchestra (Mrs. Hoss), and Band (Mr. Stretch) had a wonderful musical concert on January 24. Over 80 students participated in grades 4-6. It was nice to see a full house that evening. We are very proud of these three groups! A Spring Concert date will be scheduled for sometime in May.

Congratulations to Mrs. Churavy, our vocal music teacher for being nominated again to be honored in "Who's Who Among American Teachersâ. This is Mrs. Churavy's third time.

Power of the Pen

Shiloh Middle School held the District competition for a Power of the Pen Interscholastic Tournament on Saturday, January 28.  Fourteen area schools, including Assumption Academy, Greenbriar Middle School, Hillside Middle School, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Bartholomew, and St. Columbkille participated.  Seventy-one seventh grade and 83 eighth grade writers participated in this event.

All 88 counties in Ohio participate in the statewide Power of the Pen tournament through district competitions. The program has been in existence since 1986 with Executive Director Lorraine Merrill as founder. Thanks to a Christa McAuliffe (Challenger astronaut) Fellowship award from the United State Department of Education in 1988, Merrill was able to make Power of the Pen the flourishing statewide program it is today.

Seventh- and eighth-grade writers are asked to develop stories based on unknown prompts during three rounds of writing. Each round is timed and lasts only forty minutes. The student writers are judged on creativity, originality, voice, and overall story structure and impact. Local teachers, politicians, and journalists acted as judges for the competition at Shiloh. Winners will advance to the regional competition held in March at Heskett Middle School in Bedford, Ohio.  State finals will be held at The College of Wooster at the end of May. 

Shiloh seventh graders, Steven Benz, Christine Kindel, Erin Olds, Alexandria Predota, Jen Maslach, and April Miller collectively earned a 3rd place team trophy for their efforts. Hillside eighth grade writers, Katerina Glyptis, Erik Trumble, Emma Clark, Sandy Veres, Sarah Daly, Kaitlyn Conners were awarded with a second place team trophy for their efforts. Individual award winners were Christine Kindel, a seventh grader from Shiloh, who earned a fifth place trophy, and Shiloh 7th grader April Miller received a journal for being the Best of Round writer in the second round of writing.

A Night at the Duck Races

Valley Forge High School Instrumental Music Boosters is a hard-working organization that

supplements the Instrumental Music Program at Valley Forge High School. Since funding from

the school board has been seriously cut due to other curricular needs in the district, we find

ourselves having to raise money to provide uniforms, music, supplies, scholarships, and many

miscellaneous items for the award-winning Marching Band, Symphonic Band, Concert Band,

Jazz Band, and Orchestra programs at Valley Forge High School.

Our organization is hosting our annual “Night at the Duck Races.” This is a spin on a

traditional Night at the Races with a novel twist -- the “horses” are live ducklings instead of a

videotaped horse race.

This event will be held on Saturday, March 18, 2006, at the Holy Spirit Party Center at

5500 W. 54th Street, Parma from 6:00 p.m. to midnight.

We are currently seeking Program Advertisers and Duck Sponsors. The sponsorship levels

range in price and are explained on the attached flyer. Tickets to this fun-filled event are also

available for $20.00 per person or 2 for $35.00.

Thank you in advance for your assistance in making this event a great success!

Sincerely,

John Ordosch

Chairman, VFIMB Duck Races