High Achievement for ALL Students where LEARNING is our most important work
For the past seven years, I have served on the administrative team. I love every second of what I do at Chardon High School and I am deeply humbled at the direction we are moving. Every day is a new experience for us with 1,215 students and 105 staff members in the building. The focus on our mission is the heart of our daily decisions through a lens of our core values.
We have accomplished so many extraordinary tasks that build upon and refine the treasured traditions and outcomes of being a graduate of Chardon High School. Yet, the best experiences are the ones that take me back into the classroom. This week, I had the opportunity to spend hours in classrooms. Seeing students and staff collaborate, problem solve, and create energizes me each day. We have created such a positive culture at Chardon High School that Mr. Bandiera, Mr. Higham, and I can walk into a room and the students and staff treat us like a class member--not an observer. The mission of our school lives within the lesson that we share each day. Working each day with a compass and a purpose drives the standards that we teach and the climate that we create at Chardon. We have something special here...and it didn't happen by chance. We are a family, and a community of learners. Leadership is organic. Leadership is intentional, shared, and reciprocal. The teachers work so well together and the students share in the construction of their learning. It is hard work that truly prepares students for the 4E's that we preach: Employment, Enrollment, Enlistment, and Entrepreneurship. Teaching is my passion. My purpose is to serve and inspire others to find theirs in any capacity that I can encounter students and staff. Wow, do I love what I do --and completely love the shared vision that our educators present in their arenas of learning. Teachers encapsulate so many roles each day. They are not only licensed educators--they are counselors, caretakers, facilitators, leaders, guides, planners, collaborators, reinforcers, statisticians, mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters; a vessel of knowledge and experiences who serve and are often underappreciated. Learning is so important to effective leadership. This year, I have headed back to school. I have joined some of my principal friends in a Superintendant cohort at Ursuline College. Between the day to day work hours, activities, coaching, teaching PSR, and now a student...organization is critical. I look forward to use the lessons that I am learning to continue the work of leading our students and staff at Chardon High School.
As I shared last week, one of the ways that we record our mission driven outcomes is through our school profile. Each year, our counselors collect information and document data points that work as a companion to the state report card. Furthermore, our district puts together a quality profile that adds further qualitative and quantitative outcomes for our families. Take some time to see the great information enclosed.
Homecoming: Grades 9-12
On September 20th and 21st, Chardon High School will be celebrating Homecoming 2019! This year, the student council is decorating the school around the theme of the decades! This week, the student council communciated all of the details related to the dance. Today, like the last week, I am sharing the link to purchase tickets. Last year, we went completely paperless for the dance . The check-in process was so smooth-- that we have refined the process even more. At the beginning of the school year, students signed many forms pertaining to the beginning year---one of them was the dance contract. With that form being signed, all students can purchase tickets online using their school email as their access code. Students are able to purchase tickets for themselves and for other CHS students. If a student is interested in taking a guest outside of the school, they must first have the guest sign the form and submit it/ hand it to carrie. korenke @chardonschools.org before receiving access to buy the tickets.
National Merit Semifinalists!
In early September, about 16,000 students, or approximately one-third of the 50,000 high scorers, are notified that they have qualified as Semifinalists. To ensure that academically talented young people from all parts of the United States are included in this talent pool, Semifinalists are designated on a state-representational basis. They are the highest scoring entrants in each state. NMSC provides scholarship application materials to Semifinalists through their high schools. To be considered for a National Merit® Scholarship, Semifinalists must advance to Finalist standing in the competition by meeting high academic standards and all other requirements explained in the information provided to each Semifinalist.
Congratulations to Lauren Dvorak, Natalie Fullerman, Kelly Holl, and Ashley Tice for being recognized for this extraordinary accomplishment! This is just the beginning of many accomplishments from these exceptional young ladies! We are so proud of you! Financial Aid Night: September 16th at 6:30 pm
Senior Parents:
This is an exciting year for you and your son/daughter but along with that comes many questions and decisions. We are here to help guide you through this process. The guidance office is hosting two upcoming events to assist with this process and answer questions about the process.
We have been into all senior English classes to review procedures for seniors and provided them with guidance as well. If your son/daughter does not have English at the high school he/she will need to attend a make-up session. Please contact the Guidance office. LEAF will be starting Friday 9/9 and will be here every Friday. Stephanie Kubec is our representative this year and she will meet with every senior. She is also available to meet with parents as well. You can schedule a meeting with Stephanie by calling the guidance office at 440-285-4060. PBS News Hour: An Important Read
Americans should not smoke e-cigarettes, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Friday, as they investigate how hundreds of people became sick, and at least three people died, after using them.
“While this investigation is ongoing, people should not use e-cigarette products,” Dana Meaney-Delman of the CDC said in a call Friday. That broad recommendation is because “there is a diversity of products” related to e-cigarettes, some containing THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, marijuana’s primary psychoactive component, and some containing nicotine, she said. As many as 450 people, including 215 cases formally reported to the CDC, in 33 states have reported possible pulmonary disease after using e-cigarette devices, liquids, refill pods and cartridges. Symptoms of this pulmonary disease include shortness of breath, fatigue, fever and nausea or vomiting. Investigators must eliminate other causes of illness, aside from e-cigarette use, Meaney-Delman said. She is the incident manager who is overseeing efforts to track, understand and respond this pulmonary disease for the CDC. Read more
Laura Santhanam. "After 3 deaths, CDC says to stop using e-cigarettes." PBS NewsHour. 6 Sept. 2019. Web. 11 Sept. 2019. <https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/after-3-deaths-cdc-says-to-stop-using-e-cigarettes>
The mCORE Foundation to Provide Cardiac Screening OpportunityPREVENTATIVE HEART SCREENINGS I would like to share information on an excellent opportunity that’s been made available to our students at Chardon High School. We are partnering with mCORE™ — Mobile Cardiac Overview and Risk Evaluation — to screen our students for the cardiac conditions and abnormalities which may put them at risk of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). mCORE partners with schools, hospitals and foundations to provide convenient and dependable heart screenings. SCA is the #1 Killer of Student Athletes Each Year, many of which could have been prevented with a simple examination like this. The time requirement is approximately 10-12 minutes per student and each student will be receiving both an EKG and Echo screening. You may use your healthcare spending account or flex care spending account for payment. All mCORE screenings are performed by registered cardiac sonographers and results are read by mCORE medical director and our team of pediatric cardiologists. (Please contact mCORE should financial hardship preclude you from taking part). Learn more about mCORE and Preventative Heart Screenings: www.mcorefoundation.org Chardon High School Heart Screening mCORE Screening Location will be in the Learning Center Time: 8am – 4pm When: Wednesday, November 6, 2019 Cost: $79 To reserve your screening time please click https://mcorefoundation.org/scheduler_schedule/?school=162 or www.mcorefoundation.org, click “Schedule Screening” and choose Chardon High School. If you have questions or need help registering please contact mCORE: 866-382-2319. Math Lab![]()
Did you know that CHS has a math lab staffed EVERY period of the day by one of our math teachers? Yes! This opportunity is available for all students at CHS!
Are you struggling in math? Do you need a little help? Do you want to prep before your test? Room 309 is your mathematical safe haven! Check it out and bring a friend! Shantytown Experience at CHS
Shantytown is an overnight experience for students at Chardon High School designed to raise awareness about the issues of poverty and homelessness in our community. CHS students will be engaged with current and former homeless speakers, share a simple meal, watch a movie regarding homelessness, and spend the night sleeping in the football stadium. The next day, these dedicated homeless advocates will return to school tired, cold, and hungry but with a better understanding of the causes of homelessness and how they can partner with the assets in our community that are working to improve the lives of people without a place to call home.
We are planning for the participants to raise between $250 and $1,000 for local non-profits engaged in providing support to people who are living in poverty. Recipients may include The Salvation Army (Painesville, Ohio), Geauga Faith Rescue Mission, The Ohio Coalition for the Homeless (Columbus), Project Hope for the Homeless (Painesville), WomenSafe (Chardon), Forbes House (Painesville), and the Extended Housing (Painesville). 2019 Shantytown to focus on homelessness The Chardon Service Learning (CSL) program will host its first annual Shantytown event to raise awareness homelessness on Sunday, October 6th. By utilizing interactive simulations, speakers, and hands-on activities, participants will learn how members of our community have been affected homelessness and see how organizations like the Salvation Army, and Geauga Faith Rescue Mission help the homeless. The program is intended to give participants the tools they need to help assist the organizations working with our local homeless population. Registration for 2019 Shantytown Shantytown is open to all Chardon High School students. Registration is limited to the first 40 students who have submitted completed applications and the $20 participation fee (checks made payable to Chardon Board of Education) to the high school office. Students missing any of those steps may not be eligible to participate. The application window will close on Friday, September 27th at 2:30pm. There is a Google Classroom site to get permission forms and to fill out the application. Code is 9fvsv8p for the classroom. Activities Fair at CHS
On Friday, Sept 27th, during Topper time (5A) and Circuit of Success (5D) CHS will be having an activities fair for the 8th and 9th graders. Students and advisors in charge of clubs, sports, and activities will set-up a display so that our underclassman will have a better understanding of the various activities available for them to participate in.
Chili Cook-Off![]()
The Chardon Interact Club will have its annual Chili Cook-Off October 4th from 5-7 pm. Admission will be $5 dollars pre-sale and at the door. Come to eat endless chili before the football game and support the high school. In addition to attending the cook-off you can enter your chili to be judged. Top entries will receive prizes! Please contact Mr. Mizen, Mr. Brown, or any Interact members for more information about the event or chili entries!
Remembering 9/11
You Are Here
This month, as part of our True Voices class, Ms. Biernacki's class is reading Channel of Peace: Stranded in Gander on 9/11. In this book, Kevin Tuerff, describes how touched he was by the kindness strangers showed him and the 6,000 other stranded passengers who couldn't fly into the U.S. on September 11, 2001. He began the Pay It Forward 9/11 movement the next year as a way to both honor those who lost their lives and to celebrate the good in the world. Ms. Biernacki's class had the chance to participate in Pay It Forward 9/11 this year. Be on the lookout for these sweet and inspirational messages! In addition, her classes had an opportunity to see this story of generosity come to life in a special documentary viewing called You Are Here. Some students joined her at the Mentor Atlas Great Lakes Stadium 16, and others (including staff) went to see it in Mayfield and Chagrin Falls. Thank you to all who came out and took an interest in this inspiring story about generosity. To rephrase the film's ending message, the best way to "Never Forget" is to continue to spread KINDNESS.
A generation of learners have crossed the halls across our nation never fully experiencing our response as a country to the events of September 11, 2001. During the PA and morning announcements, our school took time to personally reflect on our call as citizens to stand for each other as a greater community.
Many of you might have visited the 9/11 Memorial. I am sharing a powerful example of our response to nurture, heal, and stand strong against the winds of change.
9/11 Memorial: A Callery pear tree became known as the "Survivor Tree" after enduring the September 11, 2001 terror attacks at the World Trade Center. In October 2001, the tree was discovered at Ground Zero severely damaged, with snapped roots and burned and broken branches. The tree was removed from the rubble and placed in the care of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. After its recovery and rehabilitation, the tree was returned to the Memorial in 2010. New, smooth limbs extended from the gnarled stumps, creating a visible demarcation between the tree’s past and present. Today, the tree stands as a living reminder of resilience, survival and rebirth.
National September 11 Memorial & Museum. "The Survivor Tree." National September 11 Memorial & Museum. n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2019. <https://www.911memorial.org/survivor-tree>
Football Team Community Service![]()
Hilltopper Football
Senior Player Community Service Help support PROJECT OUTRUN whose mission is to empower and strengthen kids and their families as they battle Pediatric Cancer. With the help of custom-designed Nike by You shoes, plus Project Outrun signature swag, kids design their shoes, their colors, and their message to help strengthen them, give them a goal, and a finish line. Once a month a Sneaker Squad is taken to Akron Children's Hospital for a Design Night to work with kids and consist of dinner, shoe design, and swag bags filled with a Project Outrun t-shirt, as well as a personal finish line. $100.00 fully funds one Outrun kid with shoes, dinner for the family, and a swag bag! Goal is to raise $1100.00 and sponsor a team of 11 kids! Hilltopper Football is accepting donations in the south end of the endzone to help support Project Outrun in exchange for an authentic 1994 Chardon Hilltopper game jersey! Topper Bistro
Piece of the WeekImages of the Week
APC Matchbox Cats and Motion lab in AP Physics C
Chardon Goes to the Musicals!Resources
Twitter- Follow @chs_dmurray and @chardonhs
Remind 101- Text @TopperUp to the following number 81010 Chardon High School Google Calendar Chardon Athletics Sports Calendar Chardon Athletics Website Video Announcements: Link for the Morning Announcements Chardon High School: Program of Study Chardon High School Bell Schedule Google Document of our bell schedule Chardon High School Student Handbook Teacher Resources for CHS Students ( LIVE by the 1st quarter)
Have a wonderful weekend with family and friends!
Douglas Murray, Principal Comments are closed.
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