District Update - April 25
Midview Community,
As we get ready to turn the calendar to May, it’s hard to believe we’re entering the final month of the 2024–2025 school year—and what a year it’s been! Personally, this marks my first full year as your superintendent, and I have to say… What an awesome ride! From our classrooms and stages to the fields/courts and community events, I’ve had the opportunity to witness the incredible heart, hustle, and unity that makes Midview so special.
May is always a month filled with fun, milestones, and a well-earned sense of celebration. With field trips, field days, concerts, dances, and graduation just around the corner, students across all grade levels have so much to look forward to. It’s a time to celebrate how far they’ve come—and to finish strong. We continue to emphasize the importance of good attendance, positive behavior, and academic effort so all students can fully participate in the fun and festivities.
This month also brings one of the most meaningful celebrations of the year: Staff Appreciation Week (May 5–9). If there’s one thing this year has reminded me of, it’s just how amazing the people behind the scenes—and at the front of every classroom—truly are. Our teachers, secretaries, bus drivers, aides, food service teams, custodians, intervention specialists, administrators, and everyone in between are the backbone of Midview. I’ve been consistently blown away by their commitment, creativity, and care.
To our entire Midview staff: thank you. Thank you for showing up with heart. Thank you for going the extra mile. Thank you for loving our kids like they’re your own. I hope every member of our community will join me this week—and beyond—in recognizing and celebrating our amazing team. A kind note, a word of encouragement, or even a simple “thank you” can go a long way.
There’s still more excitement to come before we wrap up the year, and I look forward to celebrating every moment with all of you. Let’s finish strong, stay connected, and continue building something great—together.
Warm regards,
Dr. Frank Major, Superintendent
Celebrating Academic Excellence: 2025 Academic “M” Award Recipients
Each year, Midview Local Schools looks forward to honoring our students’ academic achievements at the Academic “M” Award Ceremony—a tradition that proudly reflects our district’s commitment to excellence in education. This prestigious recognition is awarded to seniors who have earned a weighted cumulative GPA of 3.8 or higher, celebrating not only their hard work and determination but also the guidance of their families and the dedication of our outstanding staff.
Congratulations to the 49 members of the Class of 2025 who received this distinguished honor, as well as to the 29 faculty members they personally selected as influential figures in their academic journey.
Academic “M” Award Recipients: Addison Aponte, Jacob Armburger, Gage Baribeau, Jacob Becka, Logan Bier, Hannah Brady, Sadie Capell, Allison Case, Molly Cleis, Dustin Cole, Lucas Edgell, Elizabeth Edwards, Zachary Eid, Ronan Evans, Briana Farkas, Reuben Greenly, Sigurd Hansen, Grace Hayward, Lexi Howell, Nicholas Hubbard, Enis Idrizi, Jacqueline Janus, Ryan Kemer, Christian Krenz, Emma Lear, Ava Lewis, Brenden Lucey, Riley Mjolnir, Patrick Mochan, Brennan Nixon, James Ockuly, Gracie Patterson, Nicholas Payne, Cason Pelko, Alicia Petersen, Macy Schafrath, Andrew Schroeder, Camden Scott, Maxwell Scott, Kasey Shreve, Zachary Sprague, Seth Swiger, Noah Teets, Andrew Timms, Olivia Underwood, Ava Velez, Hayden Winslow, Chloe Wirth, Katarina Yates
Influential Educators: Heather Burns, Don Caramell, Don Crawford, Amy Crum, Jessica Dembiec, Melanie Dougall, Anne Marie Eakins, Michael Filipiak, Cody Florian, April Foster, Kevin Gardella, Katherine Hicks, Sue Homoki, Katie Jozefkowicz, Ben Kendrick, William Lawton, Monica Mason, Kevin Matheson, Roberta McCarty, Doug Meyers, Jesse Morgan, Kimberly Mullins, Kelly Papay, Amanda Passerrello, Cristen Petroskey, Khennedy Scagliozzo, Tricia Thomas, Karen Weir, Kyle Zimmer
ARTastic Fest
Midview Local School’s STEM Night Promises Out-Of-This-World Fun For K-6 Students And Families
- Arcade Games: Play over 100 upcycled arcade games created by East Intermediate students
- STEM Activity Stations: Create pipe cleaner constellations, straw rockets, alien parachutes, space rocket cup stacking, constellation projectors, solar system bookmarks, & coffee filter planets
- And There’s More!: Check out the West PLTW/STEM Project Showcase, 3rd Grade Invention Convention Projects, East Innovation Studio, Lorain County Waste Management Info Table, 4-H STEM Astronaut Paper Circuit Activity & green screen photo opportunity
Read more about STEM Night and STEM in Midview Local Schools here.
Midview Local Schools Summer Programs Offer Academic Support and Credit Opportunities
Midview Local Schools is pleased to announce its upcoming Summer School and Extended School Year program for students in grades K-8, along with Online Credit Recovery and Flexibility for grades 9-12.
Summer School & Extended School Year (Grades K-8)
- Our K-8 summer program is all about giving students extra practice in English Language Arts and math through engaging, interactive activities. Classes will be held Monday through Thursday, June 9–26, right here on the Midview campus. The goal is to support continued learning and help students feel confident and prepared for the 2025–26 school year.
- Participation is by invitation only, based on a combination of winter and spring NWEA MAP scores and teacher recommendations. Families of selected students will be notified by email during the first week of May with further details.
Online Credit Recovery/Credit Flexibility (Grades 9-12)
Midview High School will offer students in grades 9–12 the opportunity to retake or earn graduation-required credits over the summer through the Edgenuity online learning platform. This flexible option allows students to work at their own pace to stay on track or get ahead. Additional registration details will be shared with families in the coming weeks.
Midview Students to Compete in the Lorain County Special Olympics Competition
We are proud to share that 34 Midview students will represent our district at this year's Lorain County Special Olympics Competition! Organized by the Elyria Special Olympics, the event will take place on May 9 at Ely Stadium.
The day will begin with a district-wide send-off parade to celebrate our amazing athletes before they head to Elyria to join nearly 800 participants from 17 school districts. The opening ceremony, featuring a parade of athletes, will kick off promptly at 10:00 a.m., followed by a full lineup of athletic events. This year’s competition includes:
- Running Events: 50M & 100M dash
- Field Events: Long Jump, Softball Throw, Javelin Throw
- Ohio Challenge Events: 10M Assisted Walk, Bean Bag Throw, Strike a Ball (Hand), and Ramp Roll (Bowling)
Events are organized by grade levels - Primary, Intermediate, Middle School, and High School.
If you wish to show your support for our Middies, you can check the schedule for event times/rotations here (Midview groups denoted with blue arrows)! Further, anyone who purchased a Special Olympics shirt is encouraged to wear it on the day of the event!
April Athletics Recap
Check out the following April Athletics Recap, highlighting:
- Game, match, meet, and tournament summaries
- Student-athlete success:
- Midview Celebrates its Senior Student-Athletes Moving on to the Collegiate Level (Story)
- Youth sports summer camps information
- Alumni updates
- Links to athletic photographs and Senior Night photos
- Midview's online spirit wear shop
- Booster Club Updates
- Important dates for May
New & Returning Open Enrollment - Opening Soon
The district will begin accepting Open Enrollment Applications from May 1-May 30.
To be considered for Open Enrollment, an application must be filled out for each student each school year and submitted by the student’s legal guardian during the application window.
Filling out an application does not guarantee that a student will be accepted into the district. Class sizes and staffing levels are determined based on the number of Midview residents the district must serve. Once these numbers are established, open-enrolled students are accepted as needed to meet grade-level capacity limits.
Preference is given to returning open-enrolled students first. Further details and instructions can be found on our district’s open enrollment webpage.
What Families Need to Know About House Bill 96 (A Letter From Dr. Major)
Over the past several weeks, we’ve been following the developments of House Bill 96 closely—first through discussions with our local political representatives and now as it moves to the Ohio Senate. Dr. Major would like to share an update with our Midview community—not only as superintendent, but as a fellow taxpayer, parent, and neighbor who cares deeply about the financial health and future of our schools.
What is House Bill 96?
House Bill 96 is being labeled as the “state budget” by many, but in its current form, it’s far more than that—it’s a fundamental shift in how local school districts like Midview are allowed to manage your taxpayer dollars. Unfortunately, that shift is not for the better.
Click here to learn more about House Bill 96, why it matters, and what it could mean for the future of Midview Local Schools.
Mr. Matheson’s class put their collaboration and communication skills to work while exploring key concepts from the Magna Carta. Each student randomly selected a concept—like Rule of Law, Shared Power, Habeas Corpus, or Trial by Jury—and created a visual representation complete with a hastag to explain its historical significance and how it connects to modern U.S. government. After presenting their work to one another, they were able to offer positive “shout-outs” to their classmates for thoughtful and impactful projects.
One final shoutout to the Midview High School Drama Department for their incredible performance of Mean Girls: High School Version! With nearly three sold-out shows, our school community showed up in full force. Congratulations to the talented cast, hardworking crew, and dedicated directors on a truly unforgettable production!
Ms. Burns fifth grade math class worked in small groups to understand the concept of volume and find the volume of 3-D figures. Students worked on task cards around the room and used manipulatives to answer questions. They enjoyed using the online blocks to build their 3-D shapes. However, the magnetic blocks were students' favorite way to solve the volume problems!
After 21 days of eager anticipation, our first graders have finally welcomed some fluffy new friends this week—baby chicks! From predicting their colors to watching them hatch in real time, the excitement has been nonstop. Along the way, students have also been sharpening their reading and writing skills as they explore the chick life cycle in the most hands-on way possible.
Our third graders at Midview West wrapped up their first round of state testing, and we couldn't be prouder of their effort and attitude! To help them prepare for the Ohio State Tests in ELA, the West team created a baseball-themed “Spring Training” experience. The common area was transformed into a ballpark, complete with concession-style snacks and motivational posters to encourage students to “hit the test out of the park.” As part of their PBIS program, students earned Middie Tickets and were entered into a raffle with 30+ prizes, including Squishmallows, LEGO sets, and more! The staff reminded students that it’s not about the score—it’s about putting forth your best effort.
In the Middle School's Magic of Electrons class, students work on different concepts and devices that use electricity. They’ve built working telegraphs, created electric motors (some spun for hours!), and have recently been exploring circuit components like resistors, LEDs, capacitors, transistors, switches, diodes and logic gates. This week, students used their knowledge of thermoresistors, transistors, circuits and logic gates to build fire detectors!
Second graders in Mrs. Ballantine’s room have been reading, writing, and learning about many different types of poetry. Students created their own poetry journals by channeling their imagination through many unique types of poems such as couplets, adjective poems, bio poems, cinquains, and acrostic poetry. They also had fun reading traditional nursery rhymes and learning about different authors that write poetry! Students will be closing out National Poetry Month by choosing their favorite poem to share with the class during their Poetry Cafe event!
High School students in the Quantitative Reasoning math classes have been applying their skills by designing and building challenging mini-golf holes using scale factors! They created precise grid paper designs, calculated scale factors to build full-size putt-putt holes, and analyzed angles to determine the best paths for their golf balls. A special thank you to Mr. Gardella and the engineering pathway students for bringing the project to life with a 3D-printed golf putter!
