Photograph Featured as Canadian Stamp
Chagrin Falls High School student Natalie Krill had her photograph selected as the stamp to commemorate the 32nd annual Seguin Sled Dog Mail Run in Ontario, Canada. On Feb. 13, several teams of Siberian huskies helped carry “sledvelopes,” featuring Krill’s stamp, from Rosseau, Ontario, to Humphrey, Ontario. Altogether the teams carried the letter over 17 kilometers of snow with the help of many cheering spectators.
This year’s stamp and sledvelope celebrate musher Judy Jacobsen from Chardon. She has participated in the Mail Run since the 1990s and has been working with Siberian huskies since 1985. She shows her dogs in conformation, obedience as well as dog sledding. Four of the six dogs on her team are direct descendants of her first show dog, Taffy, who also ran in the Mail Run many times. The sledvelope featured a photograph of Jacobsen with her nine sled dogs taken at last year’s Mail Run by photographer Tracy Ross. Krill’s photograph, featured on the stamp, was of Judy’s 12-year-old lead dog, Cory.
The sledvelopes from this event are seen as collector’s items all over the world.
“When I was taking the picture, I had no idea that it would eventually become a stamp,” said Krill. “I was simply trying to capture the expression and coloration of Cory in the photograph.”
Junior Earns Top Score on ACT
Daniel Berlin, a junior at Chagrin Falls High School, has earned the highest possible ACT composite score of 36 on his test.
On average, less than one-tenth of 1 percent of all test takers earns the top score. Among ACT-tested U.S. high school graduates in the class of 2015, only 1,598 out of 1.92 million students earned an ACT composite score of 36.
The ACT consists of tests in English, mathematics, reading and science. Each test is scored on a scale of 136, and a student’s composite score is the average of the four test scores. Some students also take the optional ACT writing test, but the score for that test is reported separately and is not included within the ACT Composite score.
In a letter from the ACT chief executive officer recognizing this exceptional achievement, the CEO stated, “Your achievement on the ACT is significant and rare. While test scores are just one of multiple criteria that most colleges consider when making admission decisions, your exceptional ACT Composite score should prove helpful as you pursue your education and career goals.”
ACT test scores are accepted by all major U.S. colleges. Exceptional scores of 36 provide colleges with evidence of student readiness for the academic rigors that lie ahead.
Birds of Prey Assembly
Chagrin Falls Intermediate School hosted an Ohio birds of prey assembly which was part of the live animal assembly brought to the school from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
“The presenter, Harvey Webster, director of wildlife resources at the museum, was a dynamic and knowledgeable speaker,” said Ellen McKelvey, fifth-grade science teacher. “This assembly ties directly with fifth-grade life science standards and features native Ohio animals from the museum’s Wildlife Resource Center. The birds seen were injured or orphaned some time during their wild existence and were received at the museum as part of the wild animal education program.”
Human Wax Museum
Each year, students at the Intermediate School in Chagrin Falls look forward to creating a Wax Museum. Sixth-graders chose a biography or autobiography to read and then memorize a three to five minute speech about “themselves.” They even dress as their character.
This year, Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a fireside chat, Pope Francis came in full regalia, Jimi Hendrix brought his guitar and Malala was dressed in a sari.
“Parents, students and teachers enjoyed visiting the Wax Museum and listening to stories come to life through our bright students,” said Katherine Owen, sixth-grade teacher.
Fourth-graders had to use their reading levels to find an appropriate biography or autobiography. They were required to have an “activate” button to help them come to life and share their memorized speech. Many students brought props to have on the table in front of them. Louis Braille had a real braille book, Babe Ruth brought his baseball bat and Jane Goodall had her (stuffed animal) monkeys with her. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs had a debate on who ran a better company.
“This was an awesome experience for all the kids who participated,” said Abby Dippel, fourth-grade teacher.
“The best thing about the Wax Museum was learning new facts about your person and getting a better idea about the important achievements that person made,” said sixth-grader Ethan Baker. “It was also fun to find out what props you needed for your presentation. For Franklin D. Roosevelt, I needed a cane, a microphone and glasses. In my presentation, I included two fireside chats (a radio presentation that FDR created) explaining two important periods during FDR’s time in office.”
Hattie Sherman (Amelia Earhart) said, “I think the best thing about the Wax Museum was the diversity of people we had, we had so many people all from different time periods and it was awesome to learn about people from all different time periods.”
Carson Ollila (Nastia Liukin- gymnast) said, “The best thing about the Wax Museum was learning about amazing people.”
Conall Rogers (Zlatan Ibrahimovic-Swedish soccer player) said, “Getting to dress up as my hero! (And getting to wear super comfortable soccer cleats in school.)”
Aleeta Cowan (Helen Keller) said, “It was fun to hear the other kid’s people’s stories. I also enjoyed being heard by older adults and I loved pretending to be someone else.”