Mustang Moments

TONIGHT (Fri. 3/21) & TOMORROW (Sat. 3/22) SHS Spring Musical - “Back to the ‘80’s”
7:00pm Performances Each Evening
Strongsville High School Auditorium
Click HERE to Purchase Tickets

Wednesday, March 26 - 6:00pm - 8:00pm
The Model Mustang Experience/State of the Schools Event
Strongsville High School

Thursday, March 27 - 7:00pm (6:15pm - Executive Session)
Strongsville Board of Education Meeting*
SCS Administrative Offices (18199 Cook Ave.)
* SCS Board of Education Meetings are live streamed HERE

Monday, March 31 - Friday, April 4
NO SCHOOL (Spring Break)

Saturday, April 12 - 3:00pm & 7:00pm
Electrify Your Symphony
Two Shows - 3:00pm & 7:00pm
Strongsville High School Auditorium
Click HERE to purchase tickets for the 3:00pm show (doors open at 2:30pm)
[SMS 6th Grade Orchestra (2nd Period), SMS 7th Grade Orchestra, & SMS 8th Grade Orchestra]

Click HERE to purchase tickets for the 7:00pm show (doors open at 6:30pm)
[SMS 6th Grade Orchestra (10th Period), SHS String Orchestra, & SHS Freshman Orchestras] (combined)

SCS Assistant Superintendent Jenni Pelko takes over this week’s ‘60 Seconds’ episode and provides details about the upcoming “Model Mustang Experience” event on Wednesday, March 26 (6-8pm at Strongsville High School). Click HERE to see what’s in store for those who attend!

‘Running with the Mustangs’ is a video series to celebrate the “heartbeat of Strongsville City Schools.” This new series highlights students, staff, and programs that make SCS a special and unique place. Click HERE for this week’s episode - which includes a spring sports preview with visits from Boys Volleyball and Baseball student-athletes.

Don’t miss the SHS Spring Musical - Back to the ‘80’s - a pop culture trip down memory lane. Back to the 80’s is a non-stop collection of music, movie, and TV Easter Eggs for all ages. The jukebox score includes a wide variety of popular hits such as “Video Killed the Radio Star,” “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” “Love Shack,” “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” “The Time of My Life,” and many more. Click HERE to Purchase Tickets ($10 Adult General Admission / $7 Student, Child, Senior, and SCS Employee General Admission)

Don't miss the "Model Mustang Experience" on Wednesday, March 26 from 6pm-8pm at Strongsville High School. This FREE community event will highlight our ‘State of the Schools’ and show how education is evolving to prepare today’s learners to be tomorrow’s leaders and thrive in their future. Participate in hands-on activities with our SCS students, teachers, and staff, as they share their learning and work, showcasing the extraordinary ways our District is building "Model Mustangs!" Let's celebrate together the great work happening in our schools on Wednesday, March 26!

Our SCS Transportation Department recently helped to lift the spirits of Janet Neal, a Bus Driver for our District. Janet is currently battling pancreatic cancer. Janet’s co-workers organized a bus parade of 60 buses to pass by her house in Strongsville and send well-wishes and support in her fight against cancer. This past week, local NBC affiliate WKYC ran a story on this act of kindness.

Congratulations to the 10 SHS students who recently qualified for the DECA National Competition in Orlando, FL! DECA is a national organization that supports and helps students grow and develop in various areas of business. The 10 national qualifiers were among the 57 SHS students who attended and competed in the DECA State Competition. All students had to take a test and complete a role play presentation. Students with high scores from the first round of role play presentations completed another role play in the second round. Of the 22 SHS students who competed in the second round, 21 placed within the top 10 of their event. The top 5 teams/individuals in each event qualified for the DECA National Competition in Orlando, FL in April. Congratulations to ALL of the Strongsville High School students who competed in the state competition and to the following students who are headed to Orlando in April:

Peyton Kaufhold & Emily Majernik (Marketing Management Team Decision Making - 2nd Place)

Liam Hoftyzer & Luka Stepanovich (Travel & Tourism Team Decision Making - 3rd Place)

Haylee Smith (Food Marketing Series - 3rd Place)

Brooke Balogh & Joelle Rush (Travel & Tourism Team Decision Making - 4th Place)

Madelyn Adkins (Entrepreneurship Series - 4th Place)

Joshua Byers & Alexander Polenske (Hospitality Services Team Decision Making - 5th Place)

Throughout February, students at all of our elementary schools learned about the importance of being heart-healthy. They were educated on hands-only CPR, engaged in heart-healthy exercises, discovered the importance of heart-healthy foods, gained new jump rope skills, and honored loved ones with special hearts. In addition, the students engaged in a fundraising competition that also earned them special prizes and raised money for the American Heart Association. Overall, students and families in our District raised $34,542.21!

Congratulations to Kinsner Elementary for raising over $12,400! Kinsner will be receiving around $1,000 from the American Heart Association and their partner, US Games, to help in the purchase of new PE equipment.

The Strongsville City Schools Orchestra Directors are excited to announce another amazing performance experience for our string orchestra program on Saturday, April 12. Electrify Your Symphony (EYS) is a music education phenomenon that FIRES UP students, teachers, and local communities by injecting a high voltage dose of energy and much-needed funding into a school’s music education program. This intensive experience boosts student self-esteem and motivation, increases school-wide, family and community engagement, and helps raise money for participating schools. Created by international recording artist, electric violinist, and music education advocate Mark Wood, EYS accomplishes this by having a team of teaching artists work with music students to put on real life, real world rock concert, with ticket sales directly benefiting the participating music departments. Tell your neighbors, family and friends about this awesome event being held in our Strongsville High School Auditorium on Saturday, April 12, with performances at 3:00pm & 7:00pm!

Click HERE to purchase tickets for the 3:00pm show (doors open at 2:30pm) featuring SMS 6th Grade Orchestra (2nd Period), SMS 7th Grade Orchestra, and SMS 8th Grade Orchestra

Click HERE to purchase tickets for the 7:00pm show (doors open at 6:30pm) featuring SMS 6th Grade Orchestra (10th Period), SHS String Orchestra, and SHS Freshman Orchestras (combined)

Congratulations to Michelle Bissell, Vice President of SCS Board of Education and President of the Polaris Board of Education, for being recognized as a 2025 Ohio School Boards Association Service Award recipient! Michelle is one of only 71 Ohio board members (of the more than 3,400 members) to earn this honor. Congratulations on a well-deserved honor and thank you for all that you do for the students and families of Strongsville!

Five SHS students participated in the annual Optimist Club Speech Competition, with two advancing to the Optimist Zone Competition next week. Congratulations to Joud Hanna and Manishankar Kuruva for qualifying for this next level competition. The Zone Competition features winners from other Optimist Clubs in the area. The winner of the Zone Competition will advance to the District level with the chance to win a scholarship, and then possibly on to the Optimist International Regional/World Championship for a chance to win an additional $5,000 or up to another $15,000 scholarship! The SHS students who participated in this year’s annual Optimist Club Speech Competition:

Joud Hanna - 1st place*

Ishvar Ganesh - Honorable Mention

*Joud and Manish advance to the Optimist Zone competition

The Strongsville City School District's annual financial report for 2024 is now complete and can be inspected at the SCS Treasurer's office located in the Strongsville Administrative Offices at 18199 Cook Ave. / Strongsville, OH 44136. Additionally, the financial report is accessible online on our District website, www.scsmustangs.org, under the Treasurer's Department page.

Strongsville High School was well represented at the recent Northeastern Ohio Science & Engineering Fair (NEOSEF) held at Cleveland State University. Over the course of the school year, honors biology students designed their own independent research project, conducted research, and wrote a formal report analyzing their results. Students also had the option to construct a trifold and present their work to the judges in the NEOSEF competition. Congratulations to the following award winners:

Biology (9-10)

Health & Medicine (9-10)

Environmental Science (9-10)

Behavioral Science (9-10)

2nd Place Award Winner - Emmerson Miller
3rd Place Award Winner - Raaga Gouru

Order awesome Mustangs Gear from ‘The Derby’ at Strongsville High School! ‘The Derby’ is a student operated spirit shop located in the SHS cafeteria, providing job training opportunities for students to develop skills necessary for future success - including independence, workplace readiness, job training, communication, problem solving, and leadership!

Check out ‘The Derby’ for items to add to your Strongsville wardrobe - made by SHS students. Items can be personalized and orders can be placed if the item is not available. Items can also be delivered to individual schools or picked up at the high school. SHS students can shop and order at ‘The Derby’ during lunch periods (10:00am - 1:30pm). All proceeds are given back to the Life Skills Employment Readiness Program for continued vocational training. Online orders can be placed using the QR code below or by clicking HERE. Contact thederbyshop@scsmustangs.org with any questions on custom apparel.

Purchase a Sgt. Clean car wash and help raise funds for the SHS Boys Lacrosse team! Platinum Car Wash (a regular $27 retail value) can be purchased for $15. Car washes can be ordered online, with a QR sent to your phone to redeem at Sgt. Clean. Click HERE to purchase your car wash and help the SHS Boys Lacrosse team! Funds raised will go to the Strongsville Athletic Boosters Boys Lacrosse account.

Stream and watch SHS athletic events from the SHS Main Gym on the new HUDL TV. Simply search for Strongsville High School at fan.hudl.com or download the HUDL Fan app in your app store. Right now, you can utilize the following promo codes and receive special discounts for Mustang Athletics action on HUDL TV:

• $5 Off All-Access Day Pass: Enjoy all Mustang games with a day pass for just $7.50 using the promo code Mustangs$5.

• $100 Off Annual Pass: Get unlimited access to Mustang Athletics for the entire school year for just $95 with promo code Mustangs$100.

Both promo codes are reusable and valid through the Winter Sports season, so don't miss out! Catch every play, cheer on your favorite teams, and save while you stream. Stay tuned in and show your Mustang pride through HUDL TV!

Our District has expanded its partnership with Blocksi to include student content filtering and alerts. We no longer utilize SecURLy for these services.

Click HERE to view an informational flier about joining the Blocksi Parent Portal to gain insights on your student’s online behavior with their scsmustangs account, as well as set parental controls beyond the school. If you have any questions, contact Dave Binkley - Director of Instructional Technology - at dbinkley@scsmustangs.org.

Right At School provides care for SCS K-5 students before and after school at each of our elementary buildings, with a variety of plan options ranging from once a week to all five days. RAS provides homework support, a fun-based curriculum including American Sign Language, crafts, games and fun activities, afternoon snack, and so much more! For more information on registering with Right at School, visit rightatschool.com. Should you have any specific questions, please contact Matt Urbin, RAS Area Manager (matt.urbin@rightatschool.com / 440.902.1302).

Strongsville City Schools encourages students, teachers, staff, parents, and other members of our community to report any instances of potential violence, bullying, self-harm or any other issue where students may be at risk. Click HERE for additional Stay Safe. Speak Up! Information on the District’s website. Reporting incidents can be made anonymously online or through a toll free number (​1-866-listen2me / 1-866-547-8362).

Head Start Basketball 2025 Summer Camps

Join your friends at Head Start Basketball Camp for our 33rd summer! Now's the time to register so you don't miss out on a great week of basketball skill development, games, contests, and fun. Click the link to get registered! https://headstartbasketball.leagueapps.com/camps

Head Start Basketball Camps are held at the Strongsville Recreation Center

Contact Camp Director Mike Klinzing at 216-392-4059 or headstartbasketball@usa.net for more information

Safe Sitter Class - Thursday, April 3

The Safe Sitter Program is designed to prepare students in grades 6-8 to be safe when they’re home alone, watching younger siblings, or babysitting. The Instructor-led class is filled with fun games and role-playing exercises. Students even get to practice rescue skills like choking rescue and CPR! The Safe Sitter Class is scheduled for Thursday, April 3 from 9:00am - 1:30pm at the Safety Town Building next to the Rec & Senior Center. Click HERE for additional registration information.

Treehouse Berea Programming

Treehouse Berea is offering many activities and opportunities for students! From Coding to Robotics to Game Design - there's lots of great STEAM based enrichment experiences for kids ages 6-12. Visit treehouseberea.com to learn more or click HERE for the current flyer about available activities.

Strongsville Chamber of Commerce

Please note the following April 2024 events presented by the Strongsville Branch Library. Please call (440) 238-5530 to register or for more information. Customers may also visit www.cuyahogalibrary.org to register and to see more library event information.

CCPL Program Guide The Cuyahoga County Public Library program guide is now digital! Want to find out about all the amazing library programs and resources happening around the system? You can view our Program information by going to cuyahogalibrary.org and click on Research & Discover to use the Press Reader resource here:

https://cuyahogalibrary.org/research-discover/resources-a-z/pressreader

English as a Second Language Classes by Aspire Greater Cleveland. If you need to learn English or improve your language skills, we can help. Aspire Greater Cleveland offers FREE beginner, intermediate and advanced-level English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes. Strongsville Branch will be hosting morning classes on Thursdays and Fridays. Please call 833.ASPIRE2 (1.833.277.4732) to register or visit https://cuyahogalibrary.org/services/adult-education/aspire-greater-cleveland for more information.

Cuyahoga Works: Job & Career Services Schedule an individual career coaching session at the Strongsville Branch with one of our Career Services Coaches. Career Services Coaches are available by appointment on Tuesdays to help you discover your occupational interests, create an effective job search strategy, and prepare for job interviews. They can also provide tips that will help you develop top-notch resumes, cover letters, and LinkedIn profiles. Career Coaching is available by appointment ONLY! To schedule a FREE appointment at our branch, please call Cuyahoga Works Job & Career Services at (216) 475-2225 or email the team at Careers@cuyahogalibrary.org

Storytimes Storytimes are for Birth to Age 5 not yet in Kindergarten. No registration needed!

Baby & Me (Birth to 18 months with a Caregiver) - Mondays / 10:00 - 10:20 a.m. OR Thursdays / 10:00 - 10:20 a.m.

Preschool (Ages 3 - 5 not yet in Kindergarten with a Caregiver) - Mondays / 11:30 a.m. - Noon OR Tuesdays / 10:00 - 10:30 a.m. OR 11:30 a.m. - Noon

Toddler (Ages 19 - 35 months with a Caregiver) - Wednesdays / 10:00 - 10:25 a.m. OR 11:30 - 11:55 a.m.

Family - Thursdays / 7:00 p.m.

Young at Heart. Tuesday, April 1st / 7:00 p.m. A book club for adults who love Children's and Teen books. The title for our next discussion is The List of Things that Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead. No registration. Everyone Welcome!

Kindergarten Countdown: Community. For those entering Kindergarten in the Fall with a Caregiver. Friday, April 4th / 11:00 a.m. - Noon. Join us as we help your child build kindergarten readiness skills in a program aligned to Ohio’s Early Childhood Standards. This session, we will focus on Community.

Teen Knit & Crochet Club. Teens Grades 6 - 12. Monday, April 7th / 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Do you like to craft? Do you know how to knit, crochet, or hand sew? Bring your own project and come hang out with other teens who also love to make things! NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED!

Southwest General Health Talk: Prevent Falls & Improve Balance. Tuesday, April 8th / 1:00 p.m. Feeling off balance or having vertigo? Don’t let your fear of falling keep you at home. Eran Shiloh, PT, Balance Therapist from Southwest General Physical Therapy will discuss fall risks, balance disorders and ways to make your home environment safer. Interested participants can register for a screening to see if they are at risk for falls and if a therapy program could help.

Shucked: A New Musical - Small Town Music in a Big City Medium. Thursday, April 10th / 7:00 p.m. Join us for a presentation by music historian, Stephanie Ruozzo, where we learn about the score behind this "corny" new musical and its departure from a traditional Broadway show.

Technology Training Class:

Excel: Tables & Charts. Friday, April 11th / 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. The Library offers FREE computer classes that cover digital literacy basics, Windows, Microsoft Office programs, digital imaging and cloud computing. Learn the benefits of formatting a range of data as a table; how to summarize a large data set with a pivot table; and how to use charts to visually represent data.

Toddler Sensory Art Play. Ages 1 - 3 with a Caregiver. Friday, April 11th / 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. Engage your little one’s senses, develop skills, and build brain connections though open-ended art using a variety of tactile materials.

Audio & Video Studio Orientation. Ages 11 & up. Monday, April 14th / 7:00 p.m. IN PERSON Have you ever thought about recording your own music, making a video, digitizing memories and more? The Strongsville Branch Library is home to both Audio and Video Recording studios that can help you do just that! You must go through an orientation to use the spaces. Patrons 11 & up can participate in the orientation and must turn in the User Agreement form at the branch for the orientation to count. Register online to attend the virtual session.

Teen Craft Night. Grades 6 - 12. Tuesday, April 15th / 6:30 -8:00 p.m. Come in and learn about watercolors! We will practice some techniques and then look for inspiration to create our own watercolor masterpieces! In order to participate in youth programs that could be considered harmful, Cuyahoga County Public Library requires parents to complete a Release & Hold Harmless Form. The Release & Hold Harmless Form must be completed and returned one week prior to the start of the program.

Digital Navigator Appointments. Wednesday, April 16th / 10:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. OR Wednesday, April 23rd / 10:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Call us at 216.749.9420 to make an appointment with one of our Digital Navigators at a CCPL branch. Cuyahoga County Public Library’s Digital Navigators service offers one-on-one assistance to help you – or someone you know – connect to the internet, get a device, set up a telehealth appointment and more.

Blow off some S.T.E.A.M. After School. Grades 1 - 4. Wednesday, April 16th / 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. Ignite your curiosity and creativity through this exploration of all things STEAM. Discover the elements of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math through hands on activities and exploration. Boost your problem solving and teamwork skills in this program.

Wednesday Evening Book Discussion. Wednesday, April 16th / 7:00 p.m. Our Wednesday Evening Book Discussion meets at 7p.m. on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. We welcome all adults interested in reading and discussing great books! Our next discussion title will be The Wedding People by Alison Espach. Copies of the book will be available for check-out at the circulation desk of the Strongsville Branch Library.

What's Behind That Big Grey Wall? - A Walk Through Gardenview Horticultural Park. Thursday, April 17th / 7:00 p.m. The Strongsville Historical Society and the Strongsville Branch Library have partnered to offer this special presentation. Speakers Dain D. Finke and Marla Tooman will be at the Library to share What’s Behind that Big Grey Wall? A Walk Through Gardenview Horticultural Park’s Past, Present, and Future. If you have never been to this hidden gem, join us to learn all about the Gardenview Horticultural Park as they prepare for their Spring Grand Re-Opening. A brief historical society business meeting will begin this presentation. Registration is requested.

Blood Drive. Friday, April 18th / 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. In just an hour of your time you can help save up to three lives. Make sure hospital patients get the treatment they need. Donate blood today. For more information or to make an appointment visit www.redcrossblood.org or call the American Red Cross at 800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767).

Egg-stravaganza. Ages 4 - 6. Friday, April 18th / 10:30 - 11:45 a.m. We will have an egg-cellent time dying and decorating hard boiled eggs provided by the library. The egg-citing news is that you get to take them home with you! This program may include activities that could be considered harmful. In order for your child to participate you must sign the Release and Hold Harmless form and return to the program location at least one week prior to the program start date.

School Age Craft: Yarn Art. Ages 9 - 11. Thursday, April 24th / 5:30 -7:00 p.m. Try something new! Relax after school with watercolor art. Try different watercolor techniques to create unique masterpieces!

Monday Afternoon Book Discussion. Monday, April 28th / 2:30 p.m. The Monday Afternoon Book Discussion meets at 2:30 p.m. in the Library on the 4th Monday of each month. No registration is required. New members are always welcome. We welcome all adults interested in reading and discussing great books! Our next discussion title will be All the Colors of the Dark: a Novel by Chris Whitaker. Copies of the book will be available for check-out at the circulation desk.

Learning from Our Gardening Mistakes. Tuesday, April 29th / 7:00 p.m. Join us for this gardening presentation by the Master Gardeners of Cuyahoga County. Every gardener faces challenges in their landscapes. Our speaker will share lessons learned from their own gardening experiences.

Strongsville High School * Muraski Elementary *

Strongsville Middle School * Surrarrer Elementary *

Chapman Elementary * Whitney Elementary *

Kinsner Elementary * Early Learning Preschool

Website: www.scsmustangs.org
Location: Strongsville City Schools, 18199 Cook Avenue, Strongsville, OH, United States
Phone: (440) 572-7000
Facebook: facebook.com/strongsvillecs
Instagram: @strongsvillecs

Twitter / X: @strongsvillecs