Bee Informed

The Bee Informed is a newsletter for Medina City Schools' parents, students and community members in an effort to keep the District informed of important information and events.

In order to help support our students after the learning disruptions over the past year and a half due to the pandemic, Medina City Schools has organized multiple opportunities for students to keep their skills sharp over the summer. The District will offer organized summer schools and independent practice students can do free of charge to all of our District families. For details and registration information, please click here.

As a District, we are beginning our strategic planning process. In an effort to gain additional insight about our District, we have opened a survey to provide feedback about the District. To complete the survey, please click here. The survey will be available to the community until Friday, May 14.

Click the flyer for more details.

The annual Medina City Schools Foundation Run.4.Fun is right around the corner on Friday, May 7, 2021 beginning at 7:00 PM at Medina High School. Have you registered yet? Click on the image for all of the details and to register. All of the proceeds from this event go to support the many scholarships to our students as well as staff grants for additional educational opportunities for all students, and support of the Joyce B. Ebner Tutoring Center at Medina High School which provides free peer tutoring.

The Medina High School Science Olympiad team competed virtually this season in four Invitationals, one practice, and the Northeastern Regional (a combination of four Regions). Overall the team placed in the top half at most of the competitions.

At the Westlake Science Olympiad Invitational, Alex Holthouse placed sixth in Machine Device Testing. William Kissner and Alex Holthouse placed eighth in Fossils. In Detector Building, Andrew Altiere and William Kissner placed ninth.

At the Kenston Science Olympiad Invitational, William and Alex placed first in Fossils. Colin Barberic, William Kissner, and Andrew Altiere placed fifth in Experimental Design. The following event teams placed eighth: Bradon Timms and Alex Holthouse in Chemistry Lab; Alex Holthouse and Andrew Altiere in Machines; and Tony Stabile, Colin Barberic, and Bradon Timms in Protein Modeling.

At the Mentor Science Olympiad Invitational, Cece Kurko and William Kissner placed third in Ornithology. William and Alex placed ninth in Fossils.

At Regionals, Gio Stabile and Colin Barberic placed sixth. Andrew and William also placed sixth in Detector Building. William and Alex placed seventh in Fossils. The team qualified for The Ohio Science Olympiad State Tournament in April. Results from that tournament were not available for this edition.

The transition to kindergarten is an important milestone for your child and family. The Department of Instruction, the elementary principals, and kindergarten teachers have put together a variety of resources and ideas that can be incorporated into everyday routines to continue to support your child as they prepare to start kindergarten. To view the latest information, please visit the Get Ready for Kindergarten website that is located on the Department of Instruction page. We look forward to welcoming your child to our Medina City Schools Community.

Students from Medina High School’s VOFT and Outdoors Club spent time after school on Thursday, April 22, to help pick up litter around the school in honor of Earth Day. Several bags of trash were collected from the grounds near the stadium. Advisors for VOFT are Marcie Komar and Laura Calaiacovo, Spanish teachers and the advisor for the Outdoors Club is Matt Haramis, a social studies teacher at Medina High School.

Shown in picture are: Back row left to right: Elaina Hawkins, Andrew Delac, Lanie Harris, Jackson Godsey, and Gavin Toth. Front row: Terje’ Miller

On Wednesday, April 7, 2021, Medina City Schools staff member Doreen Csiszar was presented with the Distinguished Service Award; the highest award bestowed upon a Medina City Schools employee.

Recipients are nominated by their peers and selected by a district committee. Below are a few words that were shared about her by Assistant Superintendent/Interim Medina High School principal, Dr. Kris Quallich.

“Leader, dedicated, committed, reliable, motivated, humble-these are just a few words that describe Doreen Csiszar.

Doreen is always there to lend a helping hand, willing to do what it takes to ensure the cafeteria at Medina High School is a well-oiled machine. The cafeteria is known for providing an array of delicious choices for students and staff during the breakfast and lunch periods and the fantastic spreads for special functions in the District. Liz Kiousis, cafeteria manager at Medina High School, knows she can always count on Doreen to assist her with all of the prep work and setup. Doreen is always willing to put in the extra hours in the evening or on weekends to help cover these additional events. Her creativity and leadership shine through the various ways she displays desserts, appetizers, and other delectables and is comfortable introducing new recipes and ideas.

In addition to the great job Doreen does each day, she truly cares about the students and staff she serves, especially those students she regularly comes in contact with while running one of the registers during breakfast. She consistently greets students with a smile and encouraging words to help them get the day off to a good start. A few students even grab a chair and eat their breakfast near her register each morning because they enjoy talking with her. The students always appreciate the time she spends with them.

Doreen has been with the District for 20+ years, starting her time with Medina City Schools in 2000 as a cook at Heritage Elementary. In the following school year, she moved to Blake Elementary and continued working as a cook until the end of the 2007-2008 school year. In 2008 she moved to Medina High School, continuing to be an integral part of the cafeteria staff. Doreen takes personal pride in her work, and we are thankful to have her as part of the Medina City Schools family.”

For its exemplary record of leadership, service, and activities that improve the school and community, the Medina High School Student Council has been recognized as a 2021 National Gold Council of Excellence by the National Student Council (NatStuCo).

“Receiving a National Gold Council of Excellence Award reflects the highest dedication on the part of the school to providing a strong, well-rounded student council program,” said Nara Lee, National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) Director of Student Leadership. “NatStuCo applauds the work of the National Gold Councils of Excellence and challenges them to continue their leadership and service to their schools and communities.”

To meet the National Council of Excellence Award requirements, a student council must meet various criteria. In addition to basic expectations such as a written constitution, regular meetings, and a democratic election process, the councils have demonstrated successful sponsorships and participation in leadership development and service to the school and community. Councils awarded the gold level of the award have successfully demonstrated the highest levels of leadership.

This year’s committee included Lucy O’Cull, Alex Henry, and Delaney Fogle. These students put together an exceptional presentation of evidence to present to interim principal Kris Quallich, showing that the Student Council met all of the stringent requirements. “The girls worked hard coming up with evidence to fulfill all the requirements this year since we were not physically here for much of the 2020 calendar year. It is amazing how much the kids were still able to accomplish,” said Laura Calaiacovo, Student Council Advisor. Marcie Komar, Student Council Advisor, commented, “Going through the application process itself is a good way for students to reflect on their hard work and contributions throughout the year. Even though activities and events were limited due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the Medina High School Student Council kids still found new and creative ways to be involved.”

Medina High School junior Olivia Rudd has been named April Student of the Month. She is described as an exceptional young lady who exhibits all the attributes of a future leader. Her attitude towards achieving her goals is uplifting; her ambition contagious. Oliva strives for perfection. Her desire to meet new challenges genuinely inspires those around her.

Olivia’s class schedule consists of Advance Placement and Honors courses. She is a member of the National Honor Society, the Medina High School Debate Team, HUDDLE/SHUDDLE, and Junior Leadership Medina County. She is a five-year member of Elite Club National League Soccer Club and a two-year member of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy. In her spare time, Olivia volunteers in the Joyce B. Ebner Tutoring Center as a peer tutor.

After graduation, Olivia plans on attending college to major in pre-law. She also plans on continuing her soccer career at the collegiate level. Olivia is the daughter of Kerry and Kristie Rudd.

Medina City Schools' online student enrollment for the 2021-2022 school year is now open. Please visit https://www.medinabees.org/Page/1851 for information on how to enroll your student. If you are registering a student for the 2020-2021 school year, please contact the Registrar at 330.636.3100 to receive assistance.

Website: https://www.medinabees.org/Page/1851
Location: 739 Weymouth Road, Medina, OH, USA
Phone: 330.636.3100

For some time, the Sundermeier family has been delivering care packages to a relative who resides at the Samaritan Senior Care Center in Medina. “I have a great uncle living in the facility. The residents there have not been allowed to have visitors for over a year, but they can receive packages that are dropped off on Mondays. We send him notes and packages to keep his spirits up,” said Sarah Sundermeier. But the effort has grown to include delivery of care packages to all 30 residents at the facility with the help and generous hearts of Medina families.“What began as an effort to remind the residents that our community has not forgotten about them was then coupled with volunteer hours for the Junior National Honor Society, and now this (initiative) has blossomed into a neat outreach,” continued Sundermeier.

Over the last couple of months, several students and families from Root Middle School, Waite Elementary, Blake Elementary School, Medina homeschool families, and community members have contributed items to bring a smile to these isolated senior citizens through these weekly care packages. “We are grateful to be a part of the effort and thankful for the generous and compassionate hearts of Medina students and families,” said Sundermeier.

The group continues to accept donations. For more information, please contact Sarah Sundermeier at sarahsundy@yahoo.com.

Students in Ron Fuller's Industrial Arts class recently had the opportunity to create a sculpture for the courtyard at Medina High School.

The Intradistrict Open Enrollment Option is still available to all Medina City Schools’ students who wish to attend an elementary or middle school other than the one they are assigned within the school district during the 2021-2022 school year. This option is based on enrollment numbers, as well as space and staff availability. Class assignments are made only to those grades that are at the District class size less one.

Intradistrict Open Enrollment requests are now available on the Medina City Schools website at http://www.medinabees.org by clicking on the Student Registration tab in the green bar at the top of the website then click on the link to Intradistrict Open Enrollment. Requests will be accepted via online submission through Saturday, May 29, 2021, for the 2021-2022 school year. Parents will be notified in writing of their child’s acceptance/non-acceptance no later than the second week of August 2021. Assignments may be revoked in reverse order of date received (last in, first out) if enrollment figures no longer allow for additional classroom space.

Parents whose children are approved for this Intradistrict Open Enrollment Option are responsible for transporting their own children to and from the school.

As a matter of information, Medina City Schools does not allow students from other school districts to enroll in the Medina City School District under the Intradistrict Open Enrollment Option. However, Medina City Schools does allow students to leave the District to attend another district.

For more information, please contact the Office of Registration at 330-636-3100 or email at rottingl@medinabees.org.

Seventh grade Claggett Middle School MODA student Paige Thomas (pictured center in the photo to the left) has a love of music, particularly Disney movie and Broadway musical scores.

She began watching Jemima Anne's YouTube Channel who covers musicals on many of her YouTube shows. Paige's all-time favorite musical is Lin Manuel Miranda's Hamilton. When she found that Jemima was going to do a Lin Manuel Miranda Medley with kids from all over the world, she knew she had to audition.

Paige sent in an audition video, and within a few days, she heard back that she had been selected to be in the video. Jemima sent everyone their music with their harmony parts, and solos and Paige couldn't believe her luck. Her solo was for Eliza...one of the Schuyler Sisters sections from Hamilton. The rest is YouTube history. Paige made her video and sent it back to Jemima. She put it all together and posted it on her Youtube channel. The medley has songs from Hamilton, In the Heights, and Moana-all things written by Lin Manuel Miranda.

To see the performance, please click on the video below.

Monday, May 3, 2021

Board of Education Work Session

6:00 PM-Medina High School/Professional Development Center

Monday, May 17, 2021

Board of Education Regular Meeting

6:00 PM-Medina High School/Professional Development Center

The Board of Education meetings will be held at Medina High School in the Professional Development Center and will be open to the public. Meetings may also be viewed live on Medina City Schools' YouTube channel and Armstrong channel 201.

Replays of the meeting will also be available on Medina City Schools' YouTube Channel and Armstrong Channel 201.

Fourth and fifth-grade students at Garfield Elementary recently completed a unit learning about the ukulele; a project funded by Garfield's PTO and the Medina City Schools Foundation. They studied the history of the instrument, playing techniques, and learned about the many different chords to be able to play along with different songs.

Thanks to the efforts of the Medina City Schools Food Service/Child Nutrition Department and their staff, food distribution will continue through the 2020-2021 school year. Meals are free to all children ages 1-18 and include one breakfast and one lunch per day. Click here for ordering information and pick-up times and locations. In the event of a calamity day on meal distribution day, it will be canceled for that day.

David Brinker working with his bell choir students. Third, fourth, and fifth-grade students in Canavan's bell choirs meet separately in the morning during the week. Chantelle Petrou and Stevie Beshire play in the fifth-grade bell choir along with the kids.

Thanks to the generosity of the Medina City Schools Foundation, fifth-grade MODA students were able to attend a series of virtual field trips to Playhouse Square. Their most recent "visit" was a Step Afrika performance which included stepping inspired by African rhythm.

Medina Online Digital Academy students from Claggett Middle School, A.I. Root Middle School, and Heritage Elementary participated in RobOlympics 2021 at Claggett Middle School on Saturday, April 17th. These students designed, built, and competed with a Lego Mindstorm Robot in a variety of racing, programming, and battling competitions.

The RobOlympics supports each aspect of the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) curriculum participating in the following events: Battle Royale, Soccer, 3 Meter 3 Lap Race, 2 Meter Sprint, 2 Meter Line Follower, and SumoBot. Driven by competition, participants guided their own learning and cultivate their skills and interests in robotics while being provided countless character-building opportunities.

The winners of this year’s events were:

Battle Royale

1st Kellen Morford (Claggett 8)

2nd Riley Dworznik (Root 7)

3rd Emily Mousourakis (Claggett 7)

Soccer

1st 2nd 3rd

Group B: Group C: Group A:

Zakai Miller (Claggett 8) Braden Huth (Claggett 7) Jack Robertson (Root 8)

Kayla Sancin (Heritage 5) Kellen Morford (Claggett 8) Jillian Sohar (Claggett 8)

Emily Mousourakis (Claggett 7) Riley Dworznik (Root 7) Jordan Gallaway (Claggett 7)

3 Meter 3 Lap Race

Final

1st: Riley Dworznik (Root 7)

2nd Jillian Sohar (Claggett 8)

3rd: Mya Kennedy (Root 7)

2 Meter Sprint

1st Jillian Sohar (Claggett 8)

2nd Kellen Morford (Claggett 8)

3rd Zakai Miller (Claggett 8)

2 Meter Line Follower

1st Kayla Sancin (Heritage 5)

2nd Bryce Young (Heritage 5)

3rd Mya Kennedy (Root 7)

SumoBot

1st Jordan Gallaway (Claggett 7)

2nd Kellen Morford (Claggett 8)

3rd Riley Dworznik (Root 7)

Overall RobOlympics Champion

1st Kellen Morford (Claggett 8)

2nd Riley Dworznik (Root 7)

3rd Jillian Sohan (Claggett 8) and Kalya Sancin (Heritage 5)

The Summer Reinforcement Program is getting ready to enter its 47th year. This classroom setting tutoring program is open to any child in Medina County with an emphasis on math and reading. For more information on the program, please click here.

Check out the upcoming Camp Invention program

https://www.invent.org/programs/camp-invention

Registration for Medina City Schools’ Helping Hands Preschool opened Monday, March 1, 2021. Helping Hands is an integrated pre-school which is part of the Medina City Schools and housed at Northrop Elementary School, 950 East Reagan Parkway. This 5-Star rated program provides mandated preschool services to children three to five years of age with disabilities and offers a developmentally appropriate preschool experience for a select number of typical peers. Helping Hands provides high-quality programming that focuses on the Ohio Learning Content Standards in preparation for kindergarten.

There are two sessions offered with the morning session from 9:00 AM-11:40 AM Monday thru Thursday and an afternoon session from 12:45 PM-3:25 PM Monday through Thursday. The cost for typical peers is $160.00 per month and students with disabilities are at no cost to the parent.

To register typically developing peers, please call 330.636.4601 for directions to complete the online registration and screening information. To register students with suspected disabilities, please call 330.636.4606 for directions and screening information. For any additional questions, please contact Ms. Kathy Ashcroft, supervisor, Helping Hands Preschool at 330.636.4644.

Do you have a high school student that is looking to make some money over summer break? Well, look no further. Here are two great opportunities.

Be sure to check Flyer Central to see what's happening around our community from youth sports programs to other community events.

Want Medina City Schools information right at your finger tips? Download the mobile app available on the Apple Store and Google Play.

Peer tutoring will once again be available this school year through the Joyce B. Ebner Tutoring Center (located at Medina High School) for all high school students. This program is made possible thanks to the continued support of the Medina City Schools Foundation. As in the past, tutoring will be available in all subject matters. In addition, preparation for the ACT and SAT is also available.

Students will be paired with National Honor Society students and other honors students. They will meet one to two times per week depending on their schedules. In addition, optional virtual tutoring will be available.

Tutoring applications are available online or at Medina High School in the Tutoring Center. All tutoring sessions will be coordinated through Carolyn Grenfell, Tutoring Center Director. Interested students and/or parent/guardians should contact Carolyn Grenfell at grenfellc@medinabees.org.

After the approval of the Board of Education during the April 19 regular Board of Education meeting, the Medina Athletic Boosters are proud to announce the newest addition to the Battling Bees athletic facilities. This fall, we will have brand new, state-of-the-art scoreboards at both Ken Dukes Stadium and Memorial Field. Thanks to our four premier platinum sponsors, Amy Hoes from Howard Hanna Realty, the Cleveland Clinic, North Gateway Tire, and Serpentini Chevy, the Medina athletic facilities will be able to bring our fans a totally new experience never before seen or heard at a Battling Bees venue.

“The Medina Athletic Booster board is incredibly excited to help secure these new scoreboards and sound systems for both stadiums,” said Boosters President Tom Delac. “The current soccer board is in disrepair and is a much-needed improvement. The scoreboard system at Duke's will not only support football, but also soccer, lacrosse, track as well as Marching Band events. Upgrading these scoreboards will allow the athletic department to host more events at our facilities, thus generating more revenue for the District. And these new boards will help us promote all of the amazing sponsors that allow the Boosters to purchase new uniforms and equipment for all of our high school and middle school athletes. We can't thank our sponsors enough for their support and appreciate the partnership with Dr. Quallich and the District in recognizing these much-needed facility upgrades".

The new Ken Dukes Stadium scoreboard will stand 23 feet high and 25 feet wide with a 13’ x 24’ video display for messaging, advertisements, graphics, and video replays. The Medina Soccer scoreboard will measure 10 ½ feet high by 16 feet wide. Both scoreboards will include new sound systems for both facilities.

The majority of the costs for both scoreboards will be paid for by the Medina Athletic Boosters and our premier sponsors in addition to future sponsorship and advertising at both facilities.

Email: busbya@medinabees.org
Website: www.medinabees.org
Location: 739 Weymouth Road, Medina, OH, USA
Phone: 330.725.8831
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MedinaCitySchools
Twitter: @MCScomm1