Berea City School District

6/19 Juneteenth (Closed)

6/30 Board of Education Meeting

2026-2027 School Year Calendar

There are so many moments in a school year when it is important to pause and recognize the people who make our district what it is.

Our staff milestones and retirements represent more than years on a page. They represent relationships built with students, lessons taught, meals served, buses driven, buildings cared for, questions answered, problems solved, and countless moments of support that may never make headlines but matter greatly.

Each person being recognized has contributed to the story of Berea City Schools. Some have spent decades serving our students and families. Others are marking meaningful milestones in their careers. All of them have helped create the experiences, memories, and connections that make our schools feel like a community.

As we celebrate these staff members, we do so with sincere appreciation for the time, care, and commitment they have given to our students, colleagues, families, and district.

Thank you for your service, your dedication, and the difference you have made in Berea City Schools.

2025-2026 Staff Retirees and Milestones

There was so much joy, laughter, and love inside Grindstone Elementary as students and staff came together to surprise Principal Teri Grimm with a retirement celebration assembly honoring her incredible career and the lasting impact she has made on the Berea City School District.

The celebration reflected the kind of leader Mrs. Grimm has always been. Warm, caring, fun, and connected to the people around her. The morning included a special game show all about Mrs. Grimm, where students and staff competed by guessing fun facts about her life and career. Students also performed a song dedicated especially to her, creating moments that were both heartfelt and unforgettable.

Mrs. Grimm has dedicated 37 years to Berea City Schools, including 15 years serving the Grindstone community and 22 years as an administrator. She was celebrated for her kindness, compassion, sense of humor, steady leadership, and the relationships she built with students, staff, and families throughout her career.

For many at Grindstone, Mrs. Grimm has been more than a principal. She has been a steady presence, a trusted leader, and someone who made students feel known and cared for every single day. Her influence can be seen not only in the culture of the school, but in the countless lives she has touched throughout her career.

As the Grindstone community celebrates Mrs. Grimm’s retirement, the district is also looking ahead to the future. Pending Board of Education approval, current Grindstone Assistant Principal Ms. Shannon Lazarus will become the next principal of Grindstone Elementary.

Ms. Lazarus is also a proud graduate of Berea City Schools. She spent 13 years as a kindergarten teacher at Big Creek Elementary before serving as an administrative intern at Grindstone and later as assistant principal. Her experience as a student, teacher, and leader in the district gives her a unique perspective and a strong understanding of our community.

Ms. Lazarus is committed to continuing the strong traditions that make Grindstone such a special place while supporting students as they grow as leaders, communicators, critical thinkers, and empathetic learners.

Thank you, Mrs. Grimm, for 37 years of care, leadership, and dedication to the students, staff, and families of Berea City Schools. Your impact reaches far beyond the walls of Grindstone Elementary, and your presence will always remain part of this school community.

Voice-controlled lights and blinds. Automatic sinks and can openers. Smart kitchen tools that help support accessibility and independence.

For some, these are features found in homes and workplaces already. Inside the Berea-Midpark High School Smart Apartment, they also serve another purpose. Helping students build confidence, independence, and real-world living skills in ways that recognize that every individual has different abilities and needs.

Created in large part through grant funding, the BMHS Smart Apartment provides students with hands-on opportunities to practice important daily living skills in an apartment-style setting. Students work on skills connected to cooking, organization, communication, routines, problem-solving, and independent living.

The apartment does not replace foundational learning. It extends it. Across Berea City Schools, students continue building the academic, social, and practical skills they need for the future. The Smart Apartment gives students another environment where they can apply those skills in real-world ways.

Students may follow directions, measure ingredients, organize tasks, communicate needs, solve problems, and practice routines tied directly to everyday responsibilities and independent living.

What makes the apartment especially unique is the way it introduces adaptive and assistive technology that can help reduce barriers for individuals with a wide range of abilities and needs.

For some individuals, tasks such as operating kitchen equipment, measuring water, opening blinds, or turning on lights may present physical, cognitive, sensory, or mobility-related challenges. Adaptive tools and smart technology can help support greater independence while still allowing individuals to actively participate in those daily tasks.

During a recent student-led open house, students proudly demonstrated how the apartment’s adaptive and assistive features can support daily living skills, accessibility, and independence.

More importantly, students showed confidence, communication, leadership, and pride as they guided visitors through the apartment and demonstrated how the space supports learning and independence.

The BMHS Smart Apartment reflects Berea City School District’s commitment to creating inclusive learning environments where students of all abilities can build important life skills, gain confidence, and prepare for life beyond graduation.

Serving on a Board of Education means understanding that the decisions we make have an impact on a school district’s stakeholders: students and their families, employees, and our community. This requires listening, learning, asking questions, listening and learning some more.

Strong school districts exist when boards remain student-focused, allowing successful district leadership to lead with expertise, integrity, and care – in turn, creating an environment where staff feel supported, respected, and empowered to do what they do best. This allows the board to focus on its core responsibility – to foster the district’s future, academically and financially, and ensures it remains aligned with its mission and values.

Now in my 11th year of service on the Board, I have been so proud to serve alongside support staff, educators, and administrators who care deeply about students and who consistently go above and beyond – many times in ways most people will never fully see. In that time, our district has seen tremendous change and faced challenges, and we have become stronger and better because of them. We have seen academic milestones and records achieved, state of the art capital improvements across the district that have enhanced the learning environment for our students, locally and nationally recognized initiatives that have put our district in the spotlight, and financial stewardship that, to date, has remained stable in a fiscal environment that has harmed other districts. This amazing work, and the people responsible, deserve our appreciation and confidence.

I remain grateful for the opportunity to serve our schools and will continue to support the amazing people who make a difference in the lives of our students every day. Public education is a partnership. Board members, staff, administrators, families, and community members all play an important role. Trust is what allows that partnership to move forward and succeed.

We understand that circumstances change, and sometimes families need to relocate or switch to different school districts for various reasons.

If you are planning to move or change school districts, we kindly ask that you complete the Withdrawal Notification Form. This form is essential in ensuring a smooth transition for your child and helps us maintain accurate records.

The Cuyahoga County Public Library's Summer Reading Program is here! From June 1 through July 31, track your reading progress for great prizes.

Visit cuyahogalibrary.org/summer for more information.

The Portrait of a Titan is a collective vision that articulates aspirations for ALL of our students. The Portrait identifies six key competencies that every student in the Berea City School District should possess by the time they graduate. These competencies are nurtured at every grade level. They are adaptable, communicator, critical thinker, empathetic, innovative, and leader. Our educators are inspiring students to cultivate these essential skills.

Through the BPE 4th Grade Popcorn Club and 3rd Grade Popcorn Palooza Entrepreneurs, students made, bagged, and delivered popcorn throughout the school while learning far more than how to run a business. They practiced the Portrait of a Titan competencies every step of the way.

Students demonstrated leadership by organizing and managing the project, communication through working with staff and classmates, and critical thinking as they handled budgeting, supplies, and planning. Most importantly, they showed empathy by choosing to donate $500 of their profits to Audrey’s Outreach-Brook Park to support families and children in the community.

In the letter they shared with Audrey’s Outreach, students reflected on the impact of kindness and helping others, showing how meaningful learning can extend beyond the classroom walls.

This is Portrait to Practice: students applying their skills, using their voices, and making a real difference in the lives of others.

Kids helping kids. That’s what it means to be a Titan.

What does ability really look like?

Big Creek Elementary students explored that question in real and meaningful ways as they learned more about how people navigate the world differently. Through discussion, reflection, and hands-on learning, students gained a deeper understanding of accessibility, inclusion, and the many ways people show strength, independence, and skill.

Then they saw it in action.

The Cleveland Wheelchair Cavaliers brought that learning to life, showing students what competition, resilience, teamwork, and athletic skill look like through adaptive sports. Students had the opportunity to see athletes challenge assumptions, demonstrate determination, and redefine what ability can look like.

The experience connected directly to the Portrait of a Titan. Students practiced empathy by considering the experiences of others, critical thinking by challenging their own perceptions, and adaptability by learning how people use different tools, strategies, and strengths to succeed.

Most importantly, students were reminded that every individual has abilities worth recognizing, valuing, and celebrating.

The stage was filled with music, laughter, creativity, and confidence during BPE's Got Talent as Brook Park Elementary students shared their talents with classmates, staff, and families.

From singing, dancing, drawing, magic acts, ventriloquism, twirling, hula hooping, gymnastics, and more, students stepped our of their comfort zone and into the spotlight to share their creativity, courage, and confidence with the Brook Park Elementary community.

While the event highlighted student talent, it also reflected the Portrait of a Titan in action. Students demonstrated leadership and communication by performing in front of an audience and expressing themselves creatively. They showed adaptability and confidence while preparing for live performances, managing nerves, and supporting one another throughout the event.

Just as meaningful was the encouragement students gave each other along the way. Performers and audience members alike celebrated the courage it takes to step onto a stage and share a part of yourself with others.

Before heading into break mode, don’t forget to prep your Chromebook!

Summer Chromebook Care

• A Decade of Stories, Relationships, and Moments That Matter

• Weather Class: Brook Park Elementary

• Big Creek Student Recognized as State Fire Safety Coloring Contest Winner

BCSD uses Peachjar, an electronic flyer posting and distribution system to distribute school flyers and approved flyers from community groups and organizations that sponsor activities of an educational/enrichment nature for students and staff >> view current flyers

The Berea Board of Education holds regular community conversations to give the public access to board members outside of the formal public participation setting of a meeting. Residents will have the opportunity to meet and discuss any concerns they may have with two board members during a 30 minute time-slot set aside prior to each regular scheduled Board of Education meeting. The goal of this effort is to more effectively connect with the public and learn more about the community.