Community: We Define Our Story
Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. --Helen Keller
Character defines the very essence of who we are, where we are, and demonstrates the pureness of our choices. At Chardon High School, we recognize the beauty of every student and every staff members' story along with seeing the value of the human spirit. Our staff emulates compassion and love to the children that they encounter each day. People often ask me, "what makes Chardon unique", and I immediately tell them that our school community epitomizes excellence in every deed, word, and lesson. Our staff teaches students to understand the value of developing meaningful relationships and ways to pay their lives forward. These lessons transcend the curriculum to develop young men and women not only for college, and careers---but for life. Abraham Lincoln said, “Reputation is the shadow. Character is the tree. “ Our teachers express that character is much more than just reputation...it is who we are even when nobody's watching. Having a good character means doing the right thing just because it is right to do. This is the fabric that creates our outreach programs within ASAP, Core Value Team, Great Pal's, AC4P, FMP, NHS, Interact, Student Council and other acts of servant leadership. Every family has their own story. As you reflect upon this- you may think about those inside of your circles that hurt or may be suffering from emotional or physical ailments. Just as your own capacity for handling situations vary---the person next to you is experiencing their own story. It is so important to recognize those who might need your patience and understanding with their situation. Just as every family has their own story, so do we at CHS as a larger family. Together, we define the paths set forth before us. We are Hilltoppers. As Hilltoppers, we climb higher than others, and model with humility our values as a beacon of hope for those that look up to us. The paths that we have faced have not been easy. There have been moments of difficulty, moments of sorrow, along with defining moments of integrity. We are not defined by a calendar. We are Chardon, born and raised. Defined by consistency in action and the determination to succeed by living the truth and leading the way with dignity. Kindness resonates into every fiber of who we are. It changes us to strive towards being better, it helps us to slow down and really pay attention to who we are and what our purpose in life actually is. Life is a journey up the side of a mountain, but we are 'Toppers. We love to live, and live to love. As Principal, it is important for me to tell you how much that you are loved. Humility: It is Giving that We Receive
Mr. Tim Armelli, along with many Chardon High School students were able to visit Broadmoor School in Mentor on Friday, February 16. Broadmoor School is a school for special needs students from all of Lake County. CHS students participated in a basketball game vs the Broadmoor Bobcats and were defeated by 3 points. All of the students from both schools had such a memorable day. After the game, CHS students enjoyed lunch with the Broadmoor students which was followed with a tour of the facility. The students were able to observe the services provided to the students at Broadmoor. Lastly, our CHS students finished the day by assisting the teachers in the gym with physical activities for several classes.
We are so proud of the compassion, humility, and servant leadership that our students displayed during their visit. Students and staff came away with a better understanding of our their uniqueness and a greater appreciation for living life to the fullest. Enclosed is a video that a Broadmoor graduate recorded during the first quarter!
Achievement: Seizing the World
Grace Kilfoyle earned the Highly Commended Delegate Award (like a silver medal) for her work in the Economic and Social Committee at the Cleveland International Model UN Conference this past weekend. The conference was hosted by St. Edwards High School, partnered with Cleveland Council of World Affairs, and held at the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association. Over 61 delegations attended with some students traveling all the way from Chile and New Zealand.
Grace's committee focused on four issues: (1) the question of fostering global economic partnerships (2) integrating refugees into European society (3) reducing religious tensions in Europe and North America (4) the economic and social impact of currency manipulation Grace submitted a resolution on European refugee integration that was debated and passed in committee. Grace continues to grow and demonstrate an outstanding penchant for taking a bold approach to her Model UN experience. Of course, she continues to be rewarded for her hard work. Achievement: Discovering the World
Sixty members of the Chardon Science Olympiad team competed at the Mentor High School Science Olympiad Invitational on February 17, 2018. Over one thousand students representing 52 High School teams and 52 Middle School teams enjoyed a day of friendly competition.
Here is a link to pictures from this season. Science Olympiad Photos 2018 Congratulations to the B Division (grades 6-9) for their overall Seventh Place trophy. Individual winners competing in the B Division are: 2ndPlace Meteorology - Brady Williams and Noah Muñoz 3rd Place Experimental Design – Brady Williams, Paige Nells and Noah Muñoz 3rd Place Potions and Poisons – Evan Germ and Paige Yamamoto 4th Place Herpetology – Brady Williams and Nathan Eads 5th Place Microbe Mission – Lailah Pugh and Callie Wainio 5th Place Solar System – Daniel Brill and Sebastian Marker 6th Place Crime Busters – Evan Germ and Paige Yamamoto 6th Place Potions and Poisons – Joseph Joaquin and Noah Badovich 6th Place Road Scholar - Brady Williams and Ian Quinn 7th Place Rocks and Minerals – Owen Vokoun and Ethan Fuerst 7th Place Wright Stuff – Michael Oh and Quintin Marker 8th Place Crime Busters - Joseph Joaquin and Noah Badovick 8th Place Towers – Graham Husek and Grace Fullum Individual winners from the C Division (grades 9-12) are: 3rd Place Towers – Emily Fuerst and John Ellington 3rd Place Write It Do It – John Ellington and Megan McCartney 4th Place Rocks and Minerals – Asher Vokoun and Christen Niedzielski 5th Place Helicopters – Alex Schragal and Emily Muñoz 5th Place Mousetrap Vehicle – Alex Schragal and Josh Campbell 6th Place Mission Possible - Alex Schragal and Josh Campbell 7th Place Forensics – Asher Vokoun and Emily Muñoz 8th Place Dynamic Planet – Drew Williams and Will Kurtz 8th Place Remote Sensing – Drew Williams and Will Kurtz The Chardon Science Olympiad teams thank you for your continuing support and encouragement. Respect
By Chris Lillstrung, The News-Herald
It’s not that the effort wasn’t there before, but it wasn’t that long ago Chardon was an afterthought in swimming. Treading lightly, classifying the Hilltoppers as a blip on the radar in comparison to other area schools in the sport might have been kind. Forget being a blip — on the girls side, Chardon is now a major part of the discussion, seeing the fruits of building a foundation in what is a bright present and what appears to be a bright future. The Hilltoppers may draw a few stares this weekend in Canton at the Division I state meet as a debutant with whom familiarity is starting to increase. They will send program staples Katherine Jerry (50- and 100-yard freestyle) and Sarah Bennett (100 backstroke) and their 200 medley and 200 free relays to state, a major breakthrough given where it all began. >> 2017-18 swimming and diving area state preview “It’s amazing,” Jerry said. “I am so proud of (Chardon coach Matt Parrish) for building it up. Our younger kids that are coming up are doing outstanding in YMCA swimming and USA Swimming. And it’s just exciting to see such a popular sport in our community, because it wasn’t before.” As the statistics indicate, she’s not kidding. From 2005 to 2015, the Hilltoppers scored just two points in Cleveland State District competition, a 15th place finish in 100 butterfly in 2014 by Charlotte Sopenski, older sister of Chardon senior Jayne Sopenski, who will swim on both of the Hilltoppers’ state-qualifying relays this weekend. In the first three years of the Premier Athletic Conference meet from 2011 to 2013, Chardon won one event (Amanda Casamatta, 500 free in 2013). The development curve has ascended rapidly, though, under Parrish. “Coach Matt has a summer swim league, a YMCA league,” Jerry said. “And with the Y league, you can choose to do USA Swimming as well. So a lot of those younger kids are on the Y team and on the summer league. A lot of the older kids will go to their meets and just try to encourage them. Yeah, they are doing outstanding.” As are the current edition of Hilltoppers, whose stats on the girls side are a lot better now than the aforementioned ones. In the last three seasons, Chardon had scored 227 points at district, including 115 at CSU on Feb. 17 to take a solid seventh. The Hilltoppers had never had a top-five district placer on the girls side since 1999 until this past weekend, when Bennett took third in 100 back and the 200 free relay was fifth. One of the best parts is the present is set for a little while, with Jerry a junior and Bennett a sophomore. “That’s all I really want is to carry on what we’ve been doing and prepare it for all the little kids coming up,” Bennett said. “I have been lucky enough to coach over the summer and a little bit in the winter, and working with all these kids, it’s such as amazing process. “And I am so proud of Matt for sticking with this team and this area, because it is difficult when you work from nothing up. It’s just such an amazing turnaround and turnover and everything. I can’t wait to see where this goes.” There is still work to do — all of the Chardon qualifiers will have to drop some time to entertain thoughts of ‘B’ final swims on Day 2 in Canton at the state meet this year. But it’s a start — and a glowing example of laying a foundation the right way. “I started swimming when I was 6 years old with the Mentor Marlins,” Jerry said. “And I just had so much fun with the sport, I fell in love with it. I just went from there. I’ve never stopped since.” Added Bennett: “It’s amazing what they are doing right now. I work with some of the little kids, and I see them at practices and stuff at times because ours overlap slightly. And just talking to them and teaching them what we already know, seeing how well they are doing is so encouraging. “A lot of them are coming up my senior year, and it’s kind of scary that they’re already as fast as they are. I know that’s how Jayne felt about me the way I feel about them, so many young children coming up. It’s so exciting to see what we’re passing on and how they’re going to keep carrying it on and making it better and better.” 
Dignity: A Message from Officer Mike Shaw
By: Officer Mike Shaw
A couple of months ago, the dance team asked me to be a part of their halftime entertainment. Since then, I joined the team for after school practices, worked with them on song choices and dance moves, and helped them get their 80's outfits together for the show. I got to know some students that I have never met before and they, in turn, got to know the 'man behind the badge'. The moment I walked onto the gym floor with the team this past Friday evening, I could feel the energy from the crowd begin to build. As the team and I performed, the audience was a visual blur... everyone, that is, except our student section. I could clearly see the excitement, happiness, laughter, and surprise on each and every one of their faces as I attempted to complete my dance moves. It was at that very moment that I knew my reason for taking part had worked - our students had been thoroughly entertained! The fact that the video has gone mildly viral is just a bonus. I know the dance team is very thankful to be in the spotlight for a little while - bringing attention to the hard work they put into design routines, perform at our basketball games, and take part in national and regional competitions. I hope you all enjoyed my moment of silliness... while I can't promise it to be the last thing I do like this, I can promise you won't have to suffer through watching me try to dance anytime soon! Optimism
The last several months have provided the district the opportunity to discuss ways to maintain and grow programs while being fiscally responsible. Chardon High School has worked extensively to provide our students, staff, and community members information about ways that our school will meet the needs of all students next year. Over the next few weeks, we will continue to run our day-to-day tasks while communicating with our new students and families. Please read the enclosed document from Dr. Hanlon.
7th Grade Parent Night
7th grade parent night will take place on March 6. The informational session will be held in the high school gymnasium and will begin at 6:30 pm. The high school counselors will address the transition to the high school building as well as any scheduling questions you may have. Nurture
Mohandas “Mahatma” Gandhi spent his life working to fight discrimination and poverty against Indians, both at his home in India and for 20 years in South Africa. He was a leader in the Indian independence movement from Britain and a pioneer in non-violent protests. He chose nonviolence as a method of resistance because he never believed violence was the answer to what’s best.
Gandhi had these 10 Words of Wisdom: 1. Be the Change “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” said Gandhi. He communicates with great simplicity the potential we all have to make change. If we want to see more kindness, then our acts of kindness will inspire others to do the same. If we want to see that no one goes hungry, then we can find a way to provide food to those in need. With any change we’d like to see, no matter how small or big, we can take the first step – create a website, start a group, or write to our Congressman. It may seem small at first but taking a stand for something and enrolling others in the cause, can lead to a movement and make real change in the world. 2. What You Think You Become “A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes,” Gandhi said. Learning to recognize and stop thoughts that don’t serve us can be life-changing. Our often habitual, self-sabotaging thoughts that come from certain beliefs that we have about ourselves create fear and resistance. Mastering our thoughts helps guide us to where we want to go. Learning to control the nature of our negative thoughts and then turning them around to more positive ones will help attract what we want. 3. Where There is Love There is Life When life becomes chaotic, stressful and hard in general, focusing less on the fear of the situation and more on the love around us helps ease the pain. Love is there for us in many forms, a romantic relationship, a parent and child, a friendship, a kind gesture from a stranger, or an unexpected smile. Love makes us feel alive and is the most enduring and constant in all that changes in life. We are all united through love’s power, and its energy compels us to reach out to one another, transcending hatred, fear and suffering with peace, joy and harmony. 4. Learn As If You’ll Live Forever When Dr. Suess said, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go,” he understood, as Gandhi did, that to learn is to grow. Each day brings an opportunity to expand ourselves by reading, taking classes, asking questions, and listening to others. We can view learning as a great adventure and soak up all the knowledge and wisdom that surrounds us. The gift to learn is always there and to be taught and to teach enriches life. 5. Your Health is Your Real Wealth We have all experienced sickness and some of us even a chronic disease or devastating illness. All we can think about is getting better. To wake up in the morning and feel good, with no pain, rested and ready for the day, is a great day. Once we do not feel ourselves or can’t get around, is when we long to be healthy again, and no matter how wealthy we are, we would give away all our riches, to be well again. Feeling good and energetic means that we can go to work, pursue our goals, be happy and have relationships. No amount of money can replace our true wealth, our health. 6. Have a Sense of Humor A sense of humor is a great thing to have and needed in so many situations where we may be “sweating the small stuff”. When we are around people who make us laugh, it’s so refreshing. Life can become all about the chores and responsibilities and not about having fun and being happy. Laughter is a relief for so many situations and makes us feel alive. When was the last time you had a really good laugh? Perhaps a good sitcom or funny movie with family and friends is in order for a change in perspective. 7. Your Life is Your Message What beautiful words, “your life is your message!” How we choose to live life is a model for the young and old. But we don’t always see it this way, do we? But maybe it’s good to ask yourself how people see you? Do they respect you? Admire you? Want to be around you? Seek your advice? How people respond to you can be so telling in how you are being in the world. It is interesting to stop and think about how we are being in the world instead of always thinking about what we are doing in the world. This knowledge can be quite revealing. 8. Action Expresses Priorities Gandhi’s words above go right along with Johann von Goethe’s words, “Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.” What we do with our days tells us what we are committed to, good or bad. For example, if someone has a dream of writing a book and it’s something that is of great importance to them, then writing everyday would be the appropriate action. But so many times, we get caught up in other things, sidetracked on the way to fulfilling our deepest desires. So the book becomes at the mercy of taking care of everything else in life and 20 years may go by and something so important was lost. Thinking about what we are making a priority in life is a great exercise. 9. Our Greatness is Being Able to Remake Ourselves At any time, we can reinvent ourselves. If one day we choose to give-up the career we have had for over 25 years for something entirely new, we have that power. We may have to work to get there, either prepare ourselves financially or pursue additional schooling, but we can turn our lives in another direction, a better direction for ourselves. This is what makes us great! Anything is possible in our life, and we are limitless to what we can do. 10. Find Yourself in the Service of Others Gandhi’s life was surely a life of service. He chose to take a stand against discrimination and poverty for his people, and he succeeded. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “…Anyone can be great because anyone can serve.” We have the ability to help others and what a gratifying feeling it is to know what a difference we are making in someone’s life. The virtue of service takes us out of ourselves which can be the perfect healing for what ails us. Being of service can help others and change lives, even our own. News You Can Use
Interested in traveling and earning credit at the same time? If so, join us as we travel to Spain, southern France, and Italy in June 2019. We are having an informational meeting Thursday, March 8 at 7p.m. in media center. Come see what it's all about! Any questions, please see Senora Tekavec in room 204 and Mrs. Ptasznik in room 400.
Just a reminder that the ski trip planned to Holiday Valley Ski Resort in New York is fast approaching. The day trip is planned for Saturday, March 3 and is open to all students at the high school. Students do NOT have to be part of ski club to participate in this opportunity. Now I know what you might be thinking as you look out to your backyard... the weather has not been particularly favorable for skiing. But conditions on the slopes are far better than you would expect. And students attending the trip will have 9 hours to enjoy the trails at Holiday Valley.
If your son/daughter is interested please see the attached file for more details, including an overview of the itinerary for the day. Please notify Alison Fisher by the end of the day on Friday, February 23 if your son/daughter plans to attend the trip and/or have your child turn in her registration form. If there are not 20 students planning to attend the trip by Friday afternoon the trip will be canceled. For any questions, please contact alison.fisher@chardonschools.org
ICYMI: Information shared last week
Course Lists
Last week, the School Counselors and Administration collaborated in presenting our course offerings to each grade level during Topper Time. I am enclosing the course selection sheets that were provided to your child(ren). These documents will create great talking points as the scheduling process begins. I am so grateful to our School Counselors- Nikki Hetrick, Lacey Jacobs, and Tim Hurlbut for their efforts in refining the presentations. chs_18-19_course_lists_-_freshman__1_.pdf Download File chs_18-19_course_lists_-_juniors.pdf Download File chs_18-19_course_lists_-_sophomores.pdf Download File chs_18-19_course_lists_-_seniors.pdf Download File Ignite Your Career! Today’s students are facing very difficult choices as they graduate from high school. Most people believe that without a college education, students will not be able to get the jobs they want and need in order to support themselves. Yet, the amount of debt that these students face is staggering – and sometimes students are still not able to find good jobs that are satisfying and supporting of a reasonable lifestyle. AND - there are many good jobs available that need a different kind of training. These jobs can appeal to students who are not interested in college - at least right now - they can offer good pay and benefits and good opportunities for growth. Geauga Growth Partnership and the Geauga County business community is working on this issue and there are some exciting possibilities right here in our county. We believe this can be a help to you in meeting State-mandated career education opportunities. We’re offering food, some great speakers, and an opportunity to meet individually with local business leaders to discuss options that will benefit your students. We’re hoping you will continue to help us get the word out to as many people as possible so that they can take advantage of this opportunity. Ignite Your Career! is more than a symposium, more than a job fair, and it can give students and their parents some crucial information as they consider options in this increasingly complicated world of work. University of Akron The University of Akron’s Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Section is planning a high school shadow day on Wednesday, April 11, 2018 from 8 am to 2pm. Shadow Day is a great way for female students interested in engineering to tour a college campus and attend actual engineering courses. The day would start at 8 am and would include a welcome breakfast where the high schoolers will meet the engineering student that they will be shadowing, at least one college/engineering class, campus-dorm-classroom tour, and end the day with lunch –mingling with more female engineering students and faculty. Members of SWE will be hosting the event and the students during the day. SWE was founded in 1960 to help promote diversity in engineering. This is a national organization that advocates women to achieve their full potential in careers as engineers and as leaders. Our section at The University of Akron provides a variety of events including social, outreach, community service and professional development. We provide a community that supports women engineers 110%. If you have any future women engineers who are interested in coming to the University of Akron to shadow a college student for a day, please have them fill out the survey using the link below: High School Shadow Day Survey High school students will need to provide their own transportation to and from The University of Akron. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments you may have. My email is hyg1@zips.uakron.edu. Final Forms FinalForms allows you to complete and sign athletic participation forms for your student-athlete(s). The most exciting news is that FinalForms saves data from season-to-season and year-to-year, meaning that you will never need to enter the same information twice! FinalForms also pre-populates information wherever possible, for each of your students, saving you time and eliminating the need to enter information twice. You will need to review your information once per school year to verify information is current and sign the forms. Click on the Parent Playbook (ATTACHED) to get started in FinalForms. If you require any support during the process, scroll to the page bottom and click “Use Support”. We are asking that ALL parents of athletes use FinalForms. Please register at https://chardon-oh.finalforms.com now and electronically complete ALL forms! If your son/daughter has a current physical on file, it is still valid for one calendar year, as always. Please do complete all medical information on Finalforms, and it will repopulate to future seasons and school years. Thank you in advance for your assistance in streamlining our paperwork processes for CHS Athletics. Shining Star CLE Great news! Due to the overwhelming popularity of the competition, we have added three new Northeast Ohio counties, in addition to Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Medina & Summit, students from Ashtabula, Lorain & Portage may now participate as well. Free to Enter and All Genres of Music are Welcome! It's easy! All your students have to do to start their Shining Star CLE journey is upload their video auditions to shiningstarcle.org between April 1 and July 1, 2018. For any questions, or to learn about Shining Star CLE 2018, please visit our websiteshiningstarcle.org or call 216-910-2652. Please help spread the word and forward this email to staff/students/parents from your school! 
Proving once again that technology students lead the way, students in Game and App Design class took advantage of a warm day in February to test location apps that use GPS technology. The students created the apps using MIT App Inventor, and they tested them on individual Android devices. The apps include latitude and longitude readings along with Google map capabilities. These guys are learning techniques and developing 21st Century skills that guarantee they never get lost again!
This was a very robust Week in Reflection.
Thank you for sharing your children with us. They are a gift. Remember that, and have a beautiful weekend! Douglas Murray, Principal Comments are closed.
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