CMSD's Snippets of Success
Cleveland, Ohio- Snippets of Success highlight various accomplishments of Cleveland’s students, teachers and administrators. We are pleased to share the great things that happen everyday in our schools and throughout our district. Enjoy!
Volume 2- Issue 5 (May 20, 2009)
Newton D. Baker Students Excel in Regional Math Competition
The Greater Cleveland Council of Teachers of Mathematics sponsored a regional math competition at John Hay High School. Newton D. Baker had twelve 7th and 8th graders competing, who went on to win two 1st and 2nd place trophies and two blue ribbons. They were competing against 5 other CMSD schools, 3 Catholic schools and 1 charter school. Way to go, Newton D. Baker!
John Hay Pulls off Mock Trial Victory, 2nd Year in a Row
Twenty-four John Hay students shouted in celebration over their 1st place victory in the Municipal Court Mock Trial Competition. A total of 380 CMSD students from various high schools participated in the competition, being judged on their ability to demonstrate content knowledge of the law, presentation of themselves and their case and courtroom manners and etiquette. Nice job, John Hay students!
Cleveland School of the Arts Receives One of a Kind Award
The Cleveland School of the Arts Lower Campus is the recipient of the 10th Annual Panasonic National School Change Award. The award is presented to six schools from across the country for having significantly changed; it is the only award of its kind. Additionally, this is the first time that a school from Ohio has received this recognition! A national panel of judges selected CSA amongst 24 competing finalists. Way to make Ohio shine, CSA!
Student Work Registered with the Library of Congress
2nd grade Audubon student, Jayla Garner, was identified as a Red Ribbon Award winner in Cleveland Clinic's Explorers Program. Cleveland Clinic challenged students to transform their learning about health education into works of art. Jayla submitted a work of art entitled, The Fruit in the Bowl, earning her placement in the competition. In recognition of her hard work she will receive a $40 stipend and attend a formal reception and dedication ceremony at the Great Lakes Science Center. Jayla’s work will also be registered with the United States Library of Congress. Nice work, Jayla!
Students Receive Ernst & Young /Sherwin Williams Scholarships
Tiffanee Rousseau, Jazmine Robinson, Taniata Wilbourn, Danielle Hampton, and Steven Troung are the 2008-09 recipients of the Ernst & Young Scholarship. Students were required to submit an essay and must be planning to major in finance or accounting at a 4-year accredited institution. Students will receive scholarships in the amount of $1,000, renewable for five years. Congratulations, students!
Volume 2- Issue 4 (April 27, 2009)
CMSD Teacher Receives National Recognition
The National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship has selected Cleveland Metropolitan School District teacher, Rodney Decipeda, as the National Teacher of the Year. Mr. Decipeda will attend a gala event in New York City and will be awarded a $1,000 cash prize and a full week of on campus activities at Columbia University Business School this summer. Mr. Decipeda is an Earth/Space Science Teacher at John Hay High School. Congratulations on your accomplishment, Mr. Decipeda!
Students Participate in Dance Residency
Sixth grade students from Newton D. Baker and Riverside have been selected to participate in a weeklong dance residency with members of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. Teachers of both schools will participate in a professional development session to learn more about the art of dance and the philosophy of the Alvin Ailey Theatre. Students will begin their residency on April 28, 2009. Enjoy the experience, students!
Teacher Receives National Certification
Cleveland Metropolitan School District Reading and Language Arts teacher at Kenneth W.Clement Boys Leadership Academy, Raquel White, is amongst the most recent additions to CMSD ’s list of teachers who have received prestigious National Board Certification. The National Board Certification program is a forceful professional development experience that allows teachers to gain new insights into their practice. National Board Certification is the highest credential in the teaching profession. Congratulations, Mrs. White on your accomplishment!
Senior Standout Receives Local Recognition
The Plain Dealer has recognized Connie Pho, John Marshall High School Senior, as one of the top ten senior standouts for the Class of 2009. Along with this recognition, Connie will receive a $250 scholarship. Congratulations, Connie!
Volume 2- Issue 3 (December 11, 2008)
U.S. News and World Report Ranks 8 CMSD Schools as Tops
U.S. News and World Report compiled its 2nd annual “America’s Best High Schools” list, designating schools as gold, silver, or bronze status. Out of the nearly 21,000 schools that were analyzed across 48 states, eight Cleveland Schools, up from the three that were recognized last year, earned silver or bronze status. The awarded schools were Cleveland School of the Arts, James Ford Rhodes, Jane Addams, John Marshall, Martin Luther King, Jr. Career Campus, Max Hayes, Whitney Young and SuccessTech Academy.
CMSD Manager Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
Dr. Marcia Zashin, CMSD Project ACT Manager, received The Sandra Neese Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY). Dr. Zashin was selected as the recipient of this award based on her outstanding commitment to service homeless children, youth and families in the community.
FDR Student Athlete Heads to San Antonio
Herbert Walker, 8th grade student at Franklin D. Roosevelt, has received the honor of being selected as one of the nation’s top youth football players and has been invited to play in the 2009 Football University (FBU) Youth All- American Bowl game in San Antonio, Texas. Walker was selected out of the nearly 3 million youth athletes nationwide because of his commitment, dedication and ability demonstrated on the field. Congratulations Herbert!
CMSD Student, All-Star Kid
Stephanie Williams, John W. Raper student, was recognized as the December Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star Kid! Each month the Cleveland Cavaliers award a student for their outstanding academic achievement, setting a positive example for their peers, positive attitude, good citizenship and community involvement. Stephanie will receive tickets to the December 12th Cavs game, present the game ball to referees and take photos with team captains prior to the game. Way to go, Stephanie!
Max Hayes Leads the Pack in Accreditation
On December 16th Max Hayes will be formally presented with a National Institute of Metal Working Skills (NIMS) Accreditation, denoting their CNC Machining Program as an NIMS Accredited Metal Working Program. The NIMS accreditation sends the powerful message that Max Hayes’ Machining Program meets national industry standards. Max Hayes will be the first urban high school machining program in the country to become NIMS certified!
CMSD Junior Receives Youth Achievement Award
Mia Johnson, 11th grade student at Martin Luther King, Jr. Career Campus, will receive the Third District Police Community Relations Board Youth Achievement Award. Mia is active in her community, maintains a grade point average above a 3.0 and tutors young children after school. Congratulations, Mia on a well-deserved award!
Volume 2- Issue 2 (November 4, 2008)
Early College Scholars Now OSU Young Scholars
Congratulations to Jazmene Knowles, Destine Debramaletta, Josbel Pichardo, Wilfredo Santamaria and Christian Martinez, all Early College students who participated in the Ohio State University Young Scholars Program. These students are guaranteed admission into OSU if they maintain a 3.0 GPA in a college preparatory curriculum and participate in the Young Scholars workshops; this includes participation in a 4-week residential program on the OSU campus. Way to go students!
John Hay Students Featured in American Legacy Magazine
The Fall, 2008 edition of American Legacy magazine features John Hay Campus students who placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the American Family Insurance History Challenge that took place at Tower City Center on March 1, 2008. The John Hay Campus Scholars walked away with a total of $3,000 in scholarship awards. The first prize ($1,500) went to Brittany Vernon, second prize ($1,000) was awarded to Jo Gary and the 3rd prize ($500) went to Christopher Brabson. Special thanks to Cleveland School of Architecture & Design @ John Hay Campus History teacher, Ms. Sherylynn Allen-Harris, who coached these scholars to victory!
International Champion Swing Dance Students
Denison School has two student international swing dance couples. The students started dancing in second grade with the assistance of an I CARE grant, through Art House. On August 24, 2008 they competed in Washington DC in the International Lindy Hop Championship. Seventh grade students Derrick Summerville and Siobhan Tompkins walked away second place winners, while Sasha Gross and Catalino Lopex III championed third place. The students were also featured on NewsChannel 5’s Live on Five newscast as a local angle to the premiere of the hit ABC show, Dancing with the Stars. In May 2009, students will have the opportunity to compete in New York for Frankie Manning’s, one of the original swing dancers, 95th birthday celebration. Good luck students!
MLK Student Presents at Conference
We are pleased to announce that Martin Luther King, Jr. Career Campus student, James Ford, will be a co-presenter at the Healthy Teen Network's 29th Annual Conference Oct. 29th-Nov. 1, 2009 in Albuquerque, New Mexico! James was selected to co-present as a result of finishing as a semi-finalist in the Scenarios USA "What's the REAL DEAL about Masculinity?" contest. James has joined the Scenarios USA Speakers Bureau and his 90 minute co-presentation session entitled, "What's the Real Deal about Masculinity and Fatherhood?” is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 30th. We're very proud of James!
Volume 2- Issue 1 (October 2, 2008)
Early College Scholars Now OSU Young Scholars
Congratulations to Jazmene Knowles, Destine Debramaletta, Josbel Pichardo, Wilfredo Santamaria and Christian Martinez, all Early College students who participated in the Ohio State University Young Scholars Program. These students are guaranteed admission into OSU if they maintain a 3.0 GPA in a college preparatory curriculum and participate in the Young Scholars workshops; this includes participation in a 4-week residential program on the OSU campus. Way to go students!
John Hay Students Featured in American Legacy Magazine
The Fall, 2008 edition of American Legacy magazine features John Hay Campus students who placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the American Family Insurance History Challenge that took place at Tower City Center on March 1, 2008. The John Hay Campus Scholars walked away with a total of $3,000 in scholarship awards. The first prize ($1,500) went to Brittany Vernon, second prize ($1,000) was awarded to Jo Gary and the 3rd prize ($500) went to Christopher Brabson. Special thanks to Cleveland School of Architecture & Design @ John Hay Campus History teacher, Ms. Sherylynn Allen-Harris, who coached these scholars to victory!
International Champion Swing Dance Students
Denison School has two student international swing dance couples. The students started dancing in second grade with the assistance of an I CARE grant, through Art House. On August 24, 2008 they competed in Washington DC in the International Lindy Hop Championship. Seventh grade students Derrick Summerville and Siobhan Tompkins walked away second place winners, while Sasha Gross and Catalino Lopex III championed third place. The students were also featured on NewsChannel 5’s Live on Five newscast as a local angle to the premiere of the hit ABC show, Dancing with the Stars. In May 2009, students will have the opportunity to compete in New York for Frankie Manning’s, one of the original swing dancers, 95th birthday celebration. Good luck students!
MLK Student Presents at Conference
We are pleased to announce that Martin Luther King, Jr. Career Campus student, James Ford, will be a co-presenter at the Healthy Teen Network's 29th Annual Conference Oct. 29th-Nov. 1, 2009 in Albuquerque, New Mexico! James was selected to co-present as a result of finishing as a semi-finalist in the Scenarios USA "What's the REAL DEAL about Masculinity?" contest. James has joined the Scenarios USA Speakers Bureau and his 90 minute co-presentation session entitled, "What's the Real Deal about Masculinity and Fatherhood?” is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 30th. We're very proud of James!
Volume 1- Issue 8 (May 8, 2008)
CMSD Teacher Receives National Acknowledgment
Sherri Pittard, Visual Arts teacher at Newton D. Baker school, has brought the Comic Book Project into her classroom to offer students a unique and dynamic way of learning to read and write. The Comic Book Project encourages teachers to allow students to write, create and illustrate their own comic books. Ms. Pittard was acknowledged for her work in this area by Time for Kids magazine, an education publication of Time magazine. The article may be read in its entirety at:
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/teachers/wr/article/0,27972,1732585,00.html
5th Graders Receive 2008 Smart Living Award
Cathe Ritz’s 5th grade class at Louis Agassiz was the recipient of the 2008 Smart Living Award. Judson at University Circle grants this award to recognize individuals of all ages who are dedicated to the dynamic atmosphere of University Circle. Agassiz was recognized under the Education category. For the past two years Agassiz students have been immersed in the arts- being taught proper etiquette about attire, how to sound, how to sit and when to applaud while attending an orchestra concert. So they were more than prepared to attend the Cleveland Orchestra concerts and behave like young men and women. Great job Agassiz!
JFK Student Named as Semi-Finalist
Congratulations to Jeffrey Robinson, John F. Kennedy student, who was named a semi-finalist in the State of Ohio’s “Letters About Literature” Contest. Jeffrey was selected from over 1,267 students throughout Ohio. To earn this honor, Jeffrey was required to write a personal response sharing how a book that he read impacted him. JFK had a total of five entries for their first time participating in the contest. Way to go Jeffrey!
Three CMSD Seniors Featured in Local Paper
Out of the 20 standout seniors that were featured in the Plain Dealer, three were Cleveland Metropolitan School District students. Ahmad Hamad, John Marshall; Lauren McMichael, Cleveland School of the Arts; and Janel Montfort, John Hay. These three students were recognized for outstanding academic achievement and performance in the classroom. Commitment, persistence, passion, character, courage and dedication were some of the words the PD used to describe these students. Way to go seniors!
Volume 1- Issue 7 (April 23, 2008)
Max S. Hayes High School Students Selected for Research Group
Four Max S. Hayes High School students were interviewed and have been selected to participate in the Polymer Envoys Program at Case Western Reserve University. The program provides students with an opportunity to join active science and engineering research groups at Case. Students will work two afternoons per week during the school year and six full time weeks in the summer. A graduate student at Case, along with a Cleveland Metropolitan School District teacher, will mentor student participants. The Envoys program was developed in an effort to create more interest amongst students in the area of science and engineering research. Congratulations Max Hayes students! We know you’ll do great things!
Academic Scholarship to be Named After CMSD CEO
Medical Mutual of Ohio has graciously donated $50,000.00 in scholarship funds for the benefit of Cleveland Metropolitan School District students. As an added honor, the scholarship will be named after Cleveland Schools CEO, Dr. Eugene T.W. Sanders. The District anticipates the first scholarship award will be presented this June.
John Marshall Senior Receives 1 of 10 Awarded Scholarships
John Marshall High School senior, Ahmad Hamad, was one of only ten regional graduating seniors to receive a $1000 scholarship through the Cavaliers/First Merit Bank Scholarship Program. Of the ten recipients, Ahmad was the only CMSD senior selected from a pool of over 450 Northeast Ohio applicants. During the April 9th Cleveland Cavaliers game, Ahmad was honored at a pre-game banquet and recognized during a halftime ceremony. Congratulations Ahmad on this wonderful accomplishment!
CMSD Named "Inclusion Award" Recipient
The Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s Office of Transition Services/Work Study has been named the recipient of one of four "2008 Inclusion Awards". The Cuyahoga County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities present this award to honor organizations or individuals in the community that have done an outstanding job of recognizing, supporting and integrating individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities into their organization and/or the local community.
Volume 1- Issue 6 (February 6, 2008)
Word of Merit Based Scholarships for James F. Rhodes Students
Six seniors at James F. Rhodes are off to a rocking start after receiving scholarship letters for college. Lindsay Barber, $10,000/ Cleveland Browns Scholarship, $48,000/ Baldwin-Wallace Presidential Scholarship; Justine Humphrey, $20,000/Heidleberg College Merit Award; $10,000/ Wright State University; Jessica Lanzo, $45,200/Ohio Northern University Dean’s Award; Megan Moscollie, $40,000/ John Carroll University Presidential Honors Award, $6000/Cleveland State University Academic Scholarship; Savanna Shinault, $6,000/Cleveland State University Scholar Award; Alexandria Taylor, $4,000/ Cleveland Scholarship Programs. Congratulations to the seniors at Rhodes for the good news you are receiving!
CMSD Receives Honorable Mention by American School Board Journal
The American School Board Journal grants the Cleveland Metropolitan School District Honorable Mention for their impressive increase in Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) scores in the area of social studies. During the 2005-06 school year, only 44% of CMSD students passed the social studies portion of the OGT. These dismal results prompted the Cleveland Bar Association to design a program for the benefit of every 10th grade student. More than 700 volunteers made visits to 10th grade classrooms across the District to share knowledge of the Constitution, the Justice system and the rule of law. The 2006-2007 school year test results reflect an improvement in passage rates to 49.5%. Good luck students on continuous improvement!
Buckeye Woodland Student and Teacher Step into Success
Kelly Brumfield, seventh grade student, and Dawn Imler, teacher, both from Buckeye Woodland have been awarded the National Steps Heroes Award. This award recognizes individuals throughout 40 Step communities who have made outstanding contributions to improve the health and well being of the community. Kelly and Dawn were one of five recipients chosen nationally for this award. Both will travel to Virginia this month to be formally recognized at the 2008 National Steps Conference. For more information about the Step program, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/steps/. Congratulations Dawn and Kelly!
MLK Jr. Student Wins National Scriptwriting Contest
Earlaina Kemp, a junior at Martin Luther King Jr. Career Campus, will have the opportunity of a lifetime! Scenarios USA is a national scriptwriting contest that tried its hand in Cleveland this year for the first time ever. Out of the more than 200 submissions, Earlaina’s entry, “Manchild”, was selected as the winning submission. Hollywood director, Rawson Marshall Thurber, will work with Earlaina to turn her script into an actual film that will debut in New York City this summer. Congratulations Earlaina on a job well done and a story well written!
Volume 1- Issue 5 (January 9, 2008)
John Hay Students Selected to Serve on Student Editorial Board
The energy, enthusiasm and talent of three John Hay students have earned their selection to serve on Gem Magazine’s Student Editorial Advisory Board. Brittany Vernon, Tierney Gray and Wilhemina Koomson will be given the opportunity to write and solicit columns, provide insight on teen culture, serve as a liaison between their school and Gem Magazine and be a voice for today’s youth. The Student Editorial Advisory Board will also help guide the design, content and publication of the magazine. Congratulations Brittany, Tierney and Wilhemina!!
Louisa May Alcott Selected as Finalist for NCUST Award
Louisa May Alcott has been selected as a finalist for the National Center for Urban School Transformation 2008 Award. The NCUST Award recognizes high-achieving urban schools for their hard work and dedication. Of the 66 schools nationwide that applied, Alcott is one of 20 finalists. The NCUST evaluation team will spend an entire day at Alcott as part of the final observation process to select this year’s winning schools. A total of ten schools will be awarded this honor. Good luck, Alcott!!
Glenville Student Wins Writing Contest
As part of the Dominion East Ohio Gas Company’s Strong Men & Women: Excellence in Leadership series, students were invited to submit essays about their African-American role models, and how those men and women have influenced them. Glenville’s own, Alexis Crosby, has been selected as one of six winners. Dominion awards winning students a new Dell laptop computer and their schools will receive a cash reward of $1,000. At a luncheon to be held in February, contest winners will have the opportunity to read their essays in front of several hundred distinguished educators, community leaders, and the 2008 Strong Men & Women honorees. Congratulations Alexis!!
Max Hayes Student Takes Grand Prize for Business Savvy
Michael McCaleb, senior at Max Hayes, won first place at the E CITYwide Business Plan Competition. Michael presented a self-designed business plan for an auto detailing business. For Michaels’s efforts he was awarded the grand prize of $1000 and a trip to New York City to compete in the national competition. Good luck, Michael!!
Raquel Fuentes, previous Snippets of Success feature, finished in fourth place earning $250.