CFHS Athletes Recognized
On Dec. 23, at the halftime of the boys basketball game, the athletic department recognized members of the boys lacrosse team for their state championship season in 2016, and Joe Bistritz for his back to back state championships in cross country.
The lax team banner was hung and the team was given a proclamation from the state house. They are the sixth state championship team at Chagrin Falls and the first ever two-time team state champs in Chagrin Falls history.
Joe Bistritz was given a proclamation from the City of Chagrin Falls. Joe is a two-time state champion, a state runner-up in cross country and has had the best cross country career in Chagrin Falls history.
Rotary Student of the Month
Chagrin Falls High School senior Katherine Rouru was chosen as the December Chagrin Valley Rotary Club Student of the Month for her service and leadership qualities. She is a National Merit semifinalist, National Society of High School Scholars member, an AP Scholar with Distinction and an International Thespian. Her AP classes include: AP U.S. History, AP U.S. Government, AP Psychology, AP Music Theory, AP Physics B, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP English Language and AP English Literature.
When Katherine is not working hard in her classes, she is active in many extracurricular activities. She is a member of Drama Club, International Club, Art Club and Philosophy Club. She has also had a part in the spring musical all four years at the high school, has participated in the Chagrin Summer Theater, sang in select choir and had parts for three years in the fall play.
As for college, Katherine is planning on studying premedical with a major in psychology.
Katherine was recognized at a recent Chagrin Valley Rotary Club meeting.
Kindergartners Get Creative
Kindergarten students in Lisa Dugach’s class at Gurney Elementary School have taken learning into their own hands through a STEM Challenge after reading “The Gingerbread Man.”
The famous fable is about a gingerbread man who escapes townspeople and many animals by running and shouting, “You can’t catch me I’m the Gingerbread Man!” The story ends when the gingerbread man comes to a wide river which he cannot cross. He trusts a fox to carry him across only to be eaten by the fox in the end.
After reading many versions of the fable, the students began to brainstorm other ways the gingerbread man could have gotten across the river. It was then that the idea for a boat came about and the student lead projects for a Gingerbread Boat Float began.
The class’ STEM challenge was to create a boat or float for a gingerbread cookie to ride on and stay dry across a river. The students took home a list of materials they thought would work best. The list included duct tape, wood sticks, cardboard pieces, tagboard and posterboard, water bottles, toilet paper and paper towel rolls, wax paper, string, pipe cleaners, straws and small boxes. The students were encouraged to think creatively and bring in other items they thought would help.
Finally, two days before winter break, the students were able to test out their Gingerbread Boat Floats.
“I always welcome and encourage the students to take their learning into their own hands so it was great to see how much excitement this project created in the classroom,” said teacher Lisa Dugach.
Eyeglasses for Haiti
Chagrin Falls Middle School French Club members from the second quarter W.I.N. period took on an exciting service project in December. They collected old eyeglasses to send to Haiti.
Middle School French teacher Christine Briggs’ sister-in-law travels to Haiti every year with a group that does eye checks and then matches Haitians with the correct prescriptions. Before she leaves for Haiti, she takes the eyeglasses to area doctors where they have a machine that can read the prescription. The glasses are tagged with the prescription information and then taken by suitcases to Haiti. Once there, volunteers provide a free eye care clinic and vision checks and then do their best to match needy Haitians with eyeglasses.
According to research done by the students in the French Club, Haiti is about the size of Maryland and has a population of 10.3 million. It is so fragile that it’s not even considered a third world country. It’s actually considered a fifth world country and the poorest country in the southern hemisphere. Since nearly 80 percent of Haiti’s population is in poverty, much of the population does not have time or much money to go out and get eyeglasses, which is why the students want to give them glasses that they need.
The students had collection boxes and made announcements at all four district buildings and had many teacher and other district staff members contribute as well. All told, the club collected 75 pairs of eyeglasses that will be tagged and put on an airplane soon to help some deserving Haitians.