@chs_dmurray: Week in Reflection

Jeremy's Kids: Giving is the meaning of the season

No matter how you celebrate the holiday season with your family and friends, there is no denying that this snowy time of year is also one of the most heartwarming.  Regardless of your age, there are so many memories that this season provides to the young and seasoned. One of the most visible core values that we demonstrate at Chardon High School is community. Such a sense of community is what causes Chardon high school students to band together to bring happy holidays to people in need of a helping hand.
​
Jeremy’s Kids, in its seventeen year, is a fundraiser named after Jeremy Mizen, whose life was tragically cut short in an auto-accident during the holiday season. In his memory, Mr. Mizen and his friends in many departments, created this service learning project to help families in need during the this season to create sustainable memories. 

Students and staff across all grade levels help collect money, purchasing and wrap gifts, and deliver these memories to families. This year, ten families are able to benefit from the generosity of our students, staff,  families, and businesses. Special thanks to Geauga Coatings LLC for their very generous donation.  Reading the letters, emails, and seeing the joy in the eyes of these students truly move me to tears.  Thank you!

Giving Tree

The Annual CHS Giving Tree project has experienced another transformative season. Students in FCS celebrate the season with an emphasis on  compassion.  As a school, we are assisting the Department of Job and Family Services by sponsoring Geauga County (GCJFS) families for food, clothing, gifts and household items.  On Wednesday, Jack Bradley, Alex Hamilton, Genna Gabanic, Jessica Liechty, and Kaley Gregg delivered these gifts to GCJFS. This engaging experience is a memory that the students will never forget. Mrs. Butala shares, "Seeing GCJFS in action is a whole other experience for our students. It will impact them and tug at their hearts-- they will walk away with an experience they probably have not encountered before. ​" Thank you, to our FCS Department for demonstrating our values in transformative ways.

Midterm Schedule

Today marks the last regular schedule prior to exams. The second quarter ends on December 21. To improve upon your planning, and student preparation for their midterms- please be mindful fo the schedule posted. All students are required to be present for ALL academic class time, but may treat study halls and their lunch period as an open campus. Please review the schedule below.

Health 

Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) came in a worked with the Health classes to provide information about the importance of abstinence and good decision making.  TPP helped students become more assertive in there communication skills in hopes of building transparent relationships with people close to them.

The health classes also invited WomenSafe to present in the classes this past week.  Discussions in class revolved around the differences between healthy and unhealthy relationships, what causes them, what are the warning signs, how to avoid them and what action they can take if they are in or someone they know is in an unhealthy relationship.

These two programs provided the students some very important life skills to utilize as they grow. Thank you to Mr. Armelli and Mr. Long  for opening this dialogue for our students.

Business

Back in October, I shared that Students in the ABC’s of Investing began the Ohio Stock Market Competition, which ran through December 9th.

Congratulations to Kayla Schikowski and Nick Yerick on placing 5th out of 659 teams participating in the Ohio Stock Market Challenge. They began with $100,000 and grew it to $120,378 in just two short months.  I think each us would love that return in those investments! Wow!

​Coping With Test Anxiety

Experiencing test anxiety is natural. In fact, most people – even those who have prepared extensively – experience some level of anxiety before and during tests. While a certain level of test anxiety is beneficial (as it motivates students to adequately prepare), too much can be detrimental if it prevents them from studying, preparing properly, or concentrating during a test.

These following strategies can help you control extreme test taking anxiety:

• Develop good study habits. One of the most effective ways to handle test taking anxiety is through proper preparation. Besides preparing you for the questions on a test, studying will also build your confidence. As your confidence increases, your test anxiety will decrease.


• Be prepared. If you're completely prepared for a test to the point of being familiar with any question that could be asked, anxiety will dramatically decrease. There is little reason to experience anxiety for a test you've prepared for. 


• Don't cram! Cramming for an exam the night before is a major cause of test anxiety. Students who take their time to regularly study for an exam throughout the term will experience less anxiety than those who decide to study a day or even hours prior to one. If you're studying a difficult subject (ie. chemistry, biology, math, etc.) it's imperative that you start studying early on in the semester, as you're likely to come across concepts, topics, and subjects that require outside help. Cramming can leave you not only pressed for time, but unable to get the help you in time.


• Get adequate exercise. Exercise relieves stress and increases mental function. It can also increase energy. If you take time to take care of your body, you'll experience far less anxiety all around.


• Get plenty of sleep. Not only is recieving adequate sleep necessary for good health, it's also an effective way to decrease anxiety. This is why it's recommended to get plenty of sleep the night prior to a test. It is recommended that you get plenty of sleep the entire week before a test. If you do not get enough sleep prior to a test, you will be fatigued, less able to concentrate, unable to remember everything, and more anxious.


• Get plenty to eat. Never take a test on a hungry stomach. Not only do you need the nutrients necessary for proper brain function and physical energy, taking a test on an empty, grumbling, stomach will make it more difficult for you to concentrate on the test. Some students neglect to eat prior to a test because they don't want to take time away from last minute studying. You don't have to eat a four course meal before every test, but at least grab an apple or some other healthy snack.


• Stay positive. Do not allow yourself to get overly pessimistic. Remain positive and concentrate on doing well on the test. If you dwell on negative thoughts, it will increase your anxiety and make it more difficult to perform. If you think you're going to perform poorly on a test, chances are you will. If you're confident in your ability, you're much likely to be less anxious and perform better.


• Stay relaxed. Take a few minutes to relax before taking a test. If you're struggling to relax, take deep breaths. Take a moment and clear your head. Focus on something completely unrelated to the test, or even school. Think about something fun you're planning later during the week, or maybe a fun trip you'll be taking. Once you're calm, go in and do your best!


• Focus on the learning experience. Do not be too hard on yourself if you do not perform up to your expectations on a test. Instead, learn from the experience, so you can make the necessary changes for the future. Nothing is accomplished by getting all stressed out over something that has already past.

Holiday Concert

On Monday, the spirit of the season was filling the hearts of our Chardon community at the  Mentor Fine Arts Center. What a transformative evening for our students. Special thanks to teachers Fritz Streiff and Melissa Lichtler for conducting such a beautfil night. Enclosed in the CHS' traditional closure with the Great Hallelujah

Athletics

With all of the recent weather-related cancellations, be sure to visit ​http://www.chardonathletics.org/  for any re-scheduling.

Twitter

Follow us on Twitter for the latest about Chardon High School:

Mr. Murray, Principal: @chs_dmurray and  @chardonhs
Ms. Kisabeth, Assistant Principal: @k_gilbert22 
Mr. Bandiera, Assistant Principal: @Mr_Bandiera 
Mr. Snyder, Athletic Director: @toppernation

Next week's publication of the Week in Reflection will be sent on Wednesday, December 21 due to winter break.  Thank you for sharing your children with us! Stay Warm!

​Douglas Murray, Principal