Pioneer News

Summer is in full swing, and while things are bit quieter at school these days, there’s still plenty that's happening across the district. From summer programs, testing and athletic conditioning to deep cleaning and facility maintenance, and planning for the upcoming year, we are keeping busy! We’d like to share some important updates now, with lots more to come over the summer weeks and months ahead.

We’re so proud to share that Elyria Schools has once again earned the Ohio Auditor of State Award with Distinction for Excellence in Financial Reporting.

This prestigious recognition reflects the Auditor’s statement that our citizens are “well served by our effective and accountable financial practices.”

A huge congratulations goes to our Treasurer Colleen Aholt, Assistant Treasurer Kevin Siloy, and the Treasurer’s team, including Deana Kapalin and Dawn Resar, for their dedication, expertise and commitment to excellent financial stewardship.

Sound financial management is a team effort, and this achievement also recognizes the collective efforts and commitment of staff across all departments in our district who work hard every day to serve our students and community.

Even more remarkable, this award represents more than 20 consecutive years of recognition for financial excellence—a testament to a longstanding culture of accountability and outstanding stewardship.

(Pictured: Deana Kapalin, payroll coordinator and human resources administrative assistant; Colleen Aholt, treasurer; Dawn Resar, financial coordinator; not pictured: Kevin Siloy, assistant treasurer)

We have some fantastic new video stories and podcast episodes on PioneerTV YouTube and Petey Podcast. If you haven't had a chance to check them out yet, we invite you to hop on over to our channels, and to follow us on our social media sites of Facebook, Instagram and X/Twitter to check out all the great stories we captured to wrap up the school year.

Stay Connected This Summer

Make sure to stay in touch with us throughout the summer, so you won't miss any updates or back-to-school information as we share it. We want you to be the first to know!

One of the many exciting stories you'll find on Pioneer TV YouTube is about a reimagined space at Elyria High School that sees thousands of visitors each and every year -- the first-floor main hallway! Right there in that everyday connection zone exists a new display called Pioneer Alumni Alley. The alley offers a collection of posters that showcase some of our remarkable alumni, giving students and anyone else who passes by a look at some of the incredible achievements our graduates are making in their adult lives.

The concept came from Elyria High School's Culture and Beliefs Committee, and EL Teacher and member Maria Gilmore, who wanted to reconnect with, and highlight graduates. Assistant Principal Amanda Belcher took this vision and ran with it. She collaborated with the STEAM Lab and teacher Mike West, enlisting the creativity and talents of Elyria High students to design and produce key elements of this dedicated space. For instance, the letters that designed, fabricated and painted onsite in the Elyria High School Imagineering Hub.

The boards will be updated as new alumni share their stories. Take a look at the finished project on PioneerTV YouTube!

If you know of a graduate who should be featured or if you'd like to be considered for Pioneer Alumni Alley, please send reach out to belcheramanda@elyriaschools.org or complete the interest form here:

Elyria's Camp Invention wrapped up within the first week of summer and as always, it was a hit! A big thanks to our campers and our Camp Invention staff who created such a great experience.

Already our athletic programs are back in motion with summer conditioning underway as students prepare for fall seasons. Make sure you're keeping up with the athletic department on its social media sites and checking in on their website for important schedule information. Elyria High School Athletic Director Heather Beck shared a wealth of information in her latest high school sports newsletter, which you can find here.

The Elyria Middle School Athletics program provides updates and key information through the SportsYou app. Middle school parents can access it by downloading SportsYou from the app store and joining the group using the access code FGFG2WVV.

To participate in fall sports, please be sure that you and your athlete have completed FinalForms and that your student athlete has a current sports physical on file.

Free summer meals are underway all summer long for all children ages 1-18 years old. No sign-up or ID is needed—just show up and enjoy (meals must be consumed on site.)

The summer meal program runs Monday through Friday (closed this Friday, July 3) at Elyria High School from 11 a.m. to Noon.

The Elyria Schools Foodservice Department is active on Facebook, where they post the daily summer meal menu along many other fun bits and bites for foodies! Be sure to follow them now and during the school year!

Do you have a little Pioneer who's ready for preschool or kindergarten? Registration is open now and all summer long!

We always encourage families to register early when possible—it helps us secure your student's spot and plan for their arrival, while giving you more time to get ready for that big first day.

Follow our new or returning enrollment information on our website or call our registrars at 440-284-8220. We can’t wait to welcome you to school!

As we plan for the upcoming school year, we want to share an important update about bus transportation.

Starting in August, the transportation eligibility distance will change from 1.25 miles to 2 miles. This change was first outlined during the budget reduction announcements last February.

Families who we believe, based on the previous year's enrollment information, will be impacted by this change will receive a letter from GG&C with more details.

We know changes like this affect family routines, so we wanted to share this as early as possible to give you time to plan for alternative transportation if needed.

With the changes to transportation and a smaller number of crossing guards, we also encourage families to take some time this summer to review their child’s route to school. Safe routes will be published in mid-July to assist with planning.

It’s a great idea to walk or bike the route together if you can, and pay close attention to intersections where crossing guards may have been used in the past, and most importantly, chose a route that has a designated cross walk and crossing guard, if possible.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to GG&C bussing at 440-284-8030 if you have questions about transportation.

We recently celebrated and recognized our newest retirees for their years of service to our students and schools, and we shared it out on Facebook, but we know not everyone may have seen it there, so we're sharing it here, as well!

Congratulations...

• Joy Bainbridge, EHS
• Jane Bier, EHS
• Gina Burgett, Ely
• Amy Chizmar, Westwood Elem
• Kevin Corp, EHS
• Jenny Crofts, Northwood
• Sharon Duffner, Northwood Middle
• Cathy Fein, EHS
• Ken Fenik, EHS
• Elizabeth Gawen, E. Heights Middle
• Fran Gedeon, EHS
• Penny Herdman, Westwood Elem
• Jackie Hill, Westwood Middle
• Michelle Kirsch, EHS
• Diane Knapp, Murray Ridge
• Carrie Kaminski, Northwood Middle
• Jon Laird, Northwood Elem
• Janice Liszeski, Westwood Elem
• Kathleen Pileski, Early College
• Teresa Pollock, Westwood Elem
• Valerie Reber, Administration Building
• Judy Tocchi, Westwood Elem
• John Wallace, EHS
• Bruce Weiland, Westwood/Admin
• Ken Wright, Operations
• Mary Wright, Administration
• Doreen Yadon, Westwood Elem
  
  

We’re so grateful for everything they’ve given to our school district and community, and we wish them all the best in retirement. They’ll always be Pioneers!

Thanks for reading Pioneer News and we'll be back soon with a new issue!

Email: ask@elyriaschools.org
Website: www.elyriaschools.org
Location: 42101 Griswold Road, Elyria, OH, USA
Phone: 440-284-8000
Facebook: facebook.com/elyriacityschools
Twitter: @twitter_elyriaschools