ON THE HILL

Principal - Mr. Adam Tomco (8th Grade/Seniors) EMAIL

Asst. Principal - Mrs. Heather Rundo(Fresh-Juniors M-Z) EMAIL

Asst. Principal - Mr. Edward Yeomans (Fresh-Juniors A-L) EMAIL

Athletic Director - Mr. Doug Higham EMAIL

ATTENDANCE LINE: 440.285.4052

Website: www.chardonschools.org

Address: 151 Chardon Avenue

Main Office Phone Number: 440.285.4057

CHS COMMUNITY,

It was a short but very eventful week at Chardon High School!

A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS goes out to the Boys Soccer team for winning the first-ever conference championship in program history!

This team met a common goal to hang the first soccer banner in "The Barn."

This is a well-deserved and historic accomplishment. Go Hilltoppers!

Academic Focus: Finish Strong

Please remember that the first grading period comes to an end on Friday, October 17. Encourage your students to finish strong! Now is the critical time for reminders, final retakes, and missing assignment submissions.

Upcoming Schedule Notes

We have two short weeks coming up: back-to-back four-day weeks. Be sure to note the dates with no school:

• No School Monday (October 13)

Enjoy your weekend!

Mr. Tomco

Chardon High School was proud to attend the OHSAA Student Leadership Conference, joining more than 30 high schools from across Ohio for a powerful day focused on developing the next generation of student-athlete leaders in interscholastic sports.

Representing Chardon were Kaitlin Flick, Madison Kilpeck, Lily Bullard, Sierra Taylor, Nathan Brockway, Briella Hewitt, Addison Andrews, TJ Adair, Jordan Higham, Haidyn Bunker, and Jonathan Calzada; a dynamic group of emerging leaders who embody the values of our school and athletic programs.

Our Chardon student leaders fully engaged with every opportunity, participating in leadership sessions, collaborating with peers from across the state, and proudly representing the Hilltopper culture. Their professionalism, curiosity, and willingness to lead through example stood out throughout the day.

This experience reinforced a powerful message: leadership in athletics extends far beyond winning games. It is seen in how athletes carry themselves in adversity, how they support teammates during challenging moments, and how they use their voice to shape a positive culture within their teams and school community.

The lessons brought back by Kaitlin, Madison, Lily, Sierra, Nathan, Briella, Addison, TJ, Jordan, Haidyn, and Jonathan will continue to elevate our athletic programs and inspire younger student-athletes to lead with integrity, passion, and purpose.

At the conclusion of the conference, I asked students to share a quote that had the greatest impact on them; one they plan to carry forward in their leadership journey:

• “You are one part of a team; your attitude affects everyone.” — Kaitlin Flick
  
  

• “I really liked it when Mr. Nemer described the five lessons in life that he wants us to remember: 1. Applaud for others, 2. Pursue what makes you great, 3. Don’t be a jerk, 4. Show up, 5. Tell the truth.” — Madison Kilpeck
  
  

• “One thing I learned from the leadership conference was: successful people don’t sit around, they go do things. Thanks again for taking us!” — Lily Bullard
  
  

• “Think it. Know it. Dream it. Do it.” — Sierra Taylor
  
  

• “Leave your past behind, or it will destroy your present.” — Nathan Brockway
  
  

• “No amount of regret can change the past. No amount of anxiety can change the future. Any amount of gratitude will change the present.” — Briella Hewitt
  
  

• “A diamond is just a piece of coal that did well under pressure.” — Addison Andrews
  
  

• “Never let anyone else build your world for you… because they’ll build it too small.” — T.J. Adair
  
  

• “The ones who WIN are the ones who refuse to quit. That’s it — that’s the only difference.” — Jordan Higham
  
  

• “There is nothing in this world that is more powerful than the dream, the dream that you can succeed.” — Jonathan Calzada
  
  

• “Winners focus on what they're going to, victims focus on what they're going through.” — Haidyn Bunker
  

Doug Higham

We want to emphasize the importance of our upcoming Parent-Teacher Conferences in strengthening the vital connection between home and school.

• Conferences are by appointment only.

• Parents must use the provided scheduling link to book their time.

CONFERENCE NIGHTS

October 15

November 5

February 12

Join us for our next After Prom & PTO meeting - Tuesday, October 14 at 7:00 pm in the CHS media center - to learn how you can get involved in (1) raising funds to benefit CHS students and staff and (2) planning After Prom 2026 for our CHS juniors and seniors. Hope to see you there!

October has arrived, and our Drama Program is gearing up for the exciting Fall Play! This year, we’ll be presenting "Play ON!" – a humorous tale about a theatre group trying to put on a show, only for everything to go hilariously wrong. We invite you to join us in November for a night filled with surprises, laughter, and fantastic entertainment!

If you’re part of the cast or crew, supporting someone in the show, or simply believe in the importance of our Drama Program, we invite you to click this link to buy your t-shirt!

T-Shirt Sale Information:

Start: Tuesday 9/30/2025 at 7:00 a.m..

End: Monday, 10/12/2025 at 11:59 p.m.

Short Sleeve Price: $10.50 + processing fee

Long Sleeve Price: $15.00 + processing fee

COMING SOON: Show Ticket Sales

Show dates and times:

November 6th and 8th at 7:00 PM

November 9th at 2:00 PM

at Park Auditorium

**Ticket sales will begin Friday, October 24, 2025**

Please contact melissa.downs@chardonschools.org if you have any questions.

Open Gyms (CMS Gym):

Thursday, 16-Oct Saturday, 18-Oct

7th Grade 4:00pm - 5:30pm 7th Grade 9:30am - 11:00am

8th Grade 5:30pm - 7:00pm 8th Grade 8:00am - 9:30am

Try-Outs (CMS Gym):

Monday, 20-Oct Tuesday, 21-Oct

7th Grade 3:00pm - 4:45pm 7th Grade 3:00pm - 4:45pm

8th Grade 5:00pm - 6:45pm 8th Grade 5:00pm - 6:45pm

FinalForms Account & Physical must be updated!

Contact Info:

7th Coach Dan Dinko daniel.dinko@chardonschools.org

8th Coach Bill Gray wtgbask@yahoo.com

AP Exam Fees & Registration

AP (Advanced Placement) exam fees have been set at $99 for the 25-26 school year. These AP Exam fees will be added to student's Infinite Campus next week for students taking an AP course

If your child IS NOT planning on taking the AP exam associated with their AP course, they need to have a conversation with their teacher, and reach out directly to me before the order is submitted on Nov. 7th. (in-person or via email). Once the AP exam order has been submitted, any changes to that order will result in a $45 charge.

Students that qualify for Free/Reduced Lunch/Meal Benefits will have their AP Exam fee waived. If you feel that you may qualify for these benefits, please complete the Meal Benefits application through your Infinite Campus portal.

Instructions for submitting Meal Benefits Application

National Merit Scholarship

Congratulations to Seniors, Rosemarie McDonald and Alexander Monkiewicz, on being named as Commended Students in the National Merit Scholarship Program. This nationwide competition recognizes students who have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success. Both Rosemarie and Alex have scored in the top 3% of over 1.4 Million students on the 2024 PSAT/NMSQT assessment earning them this honor.

10TH GRADERS FUTURE PATHWAYS

This week, Mrs. Hillman visited 10th-grade English classes to discuss important post-high school options and graduation requirements. Students accessed resources through their Class of 2028 Google Classroom, including information on the new Academic Honors Diploma, descriptions of graduation seals, and a link to Naviance.

Students were reintroduced to Naviance, the district's college, career, and life readiness platform. They learned about its various tools for exploring personalities and career interests. During the lesson, students brainstormed and tentatively selected their postsecondary goals and began working on their resumes.

We encourage students to continue using Naviance on their own to explore potential careers, search for colleges, or simply learn more about themselves. Please take a moment to ask your student about their post-high school plans and have them show you their Naviance profile.

Mrs. Hillman will continue these lessons throughout the year. If you have any specific questions about helping your student navigate their goals for life after high school, please don't hesitate to reach out to her.

WE HAVE EXTRAS! The 2024-25 yearbooks were distributed on Thursday, September 11. If you didn't order one, you can still get one by emailing melissa.erwin@chardonschools.org for more information.

Order your 2025-26 book here: http://jostensyearbooks.com/?REF=A06316400

SENIOR YEARBOOK PHOTOS!

Senior Photo Submission Deadline for the 2025-26 yearbook is Friday, April 10, 2026. Requirements for your senior picture:

• Pictures may be taken by a professional photographer of your choice.

• Your picture must be a head-and-shoulder shot. If your picture does not meet this requirement, we reserve the right to crop your picture accordingly.

• It is recommended/preferred that the picture has a simple background. The picture can be taken indoors or outdoors.

• If submitted in color, your picture will be printed in color.

• There should be no props in the picture. We will not accept pictures with hands touching the face or head. No hats allowed.

Options for submitting your senior picture:

• Email your picture to melissa.erwin@chardonschools.org (please do not reduce the quality of photos you send - send at least 300 dpi).

• Send your picture to the high school on a CD as a .jpeg file.

• Last resort option: Submit a wallet-sized hard copy photo to the high school office.

Note: Digital submissions are strongly preferred and recommended in order to preserve the quality of your photo.

On the second Thursday of each month, October through April, we take a team of approximately 30 to 40 volunteer students to Gearity Elementary in the Cleveland Heights School District to prepare the bags and boxes of food for the Cleveland Foodbank Food Pantry. This service gives our students great gratification knowing that they are helping feed hundreds of families in the area. It also helps our students achieve many Ohio Learning Standards (see list below).

Thank you to Heather Higham at Gearity for providing this valuable opportunity. Thank you, also, to Megan Wessels and Lisa Tekavec for accompanying the students this month.

As we prepare for the upcoming school year, we kindly remind you to complete the Infinite Campus annual update within the first few weeks of school. This update is crucial to ensure we have all our students' most recent information.

To complete the update, please click the link below for instructions. It only takes a few minutes and helps us maintain accurate records for your child's safety and well-being.

Annual Update: Infinite Campus

Please note that if this update is not completed, your child may be restricted from attending off-campus activities. We appreciate your prompt attention to this matter.

October 10: NEOEA DAY, NO SCHOOL

October 13: No School for Students, Staff PD Day

October 14: Fall Choir Concert, After Prom Meeting

October 15: Parent/Teacher Conferences

October 17: End of 1st Quarter

November 05: Beyond the Transcript

May 09: Junior/Senior Prom