ALCS Jan. 2023 newsletter
Jan. 2023
Happy New Year!
It is unbelievable that the 2022–2023 school year is half over. With the holidays now becoming a distant, hopefully wonderful, memory, Avon Lake staff and students are preparing for an exciting February leading into an even more eventful Spring. As always, what is going on today is very important. Today’s success comes from the preparation and hard work of past days, weeks, and months. Important preparation continues as staff and student transition toward the end of the 2022 -2023 school year, but just as significantly as they prepare for the summer and future school years.
February is also an important month as the Avon Lake Facilities Planning Committee continues the process of establishing the building needs of Avon Lake City Schools that will be the foundation for education in Avon Lake for the next 50+ years. Each meeting adds more detail to the potential facilities plan. The Community Forum on Thursday, February 23rd at 6:30 p.m. in the Avon Lake High School Commons will be an excellent time for anyone in the Avon Lake community to get “up to speed” on the facilities plan and to give input. If you are unable to attend because you don't have someone to watch the kids, we've got you covered. Babysitting by our ALHS Key Club is available for families. Thank you Key Club!
Being busy makes time fly and Avon Lake City Schools are busy, busy, busy, busy, busy from Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade. From the end of winter athletics to robotics, students are doing extraordinary things inside the classroom and in co/extra-curricular activities. We are halfway through a great school year with even better things to happen in the second half.
I would be remiss if I did not say something about the Avon Lake School Board. January is School Board Recognition Month in Ohio. The Avon Lake City School district continues to be rated an outstanding school district in all areas. We can never say thank you enough to the school board members who work together to help maintain and improve the education that Avon Lake students receive every day. It is often a thankless job, but this group has and continues to lead with purpose and dignity. Please tell Jim Stobe (president), Mike Sherban (vice-president), Kendra Gardiner, Ron Jantz, and Jenefer Machovina thank you when you see them!
Thank you for all of your support. I hope to see you at our many activities this winter and spring. And please stay warm and safe during the next several months. The Avon Lake winter weather has been “odd” at best this year, but as always, what we know for sure is that it will change quickly when we least suspect it.
Sincerely,
Bob Scott
Superintendent
#ALCS100
Superintendent Search Focus Groups
The Avon Lake City Schools Board of Education has contracted with the Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA) to assist in our search for a new superintendent. The board hopes to complete the search in late spring and the new superintendent is expected to begin work in our district this summer. The successful candidate will replace the current superintendent, Bob Scott, who is retiring at the end of the 2022-2023 school year. Mr. Scott has served the district since 2005 and we are grateful for his leadership.
In our effort to select the best candidate, our OSBA consultant, William Waidelich, will be hosting several focus groups to meet with parents, staff, students, and community members. The focus groups are intended to augment the profile we’ve developed for Avon Lake’s next school leader. Common themes will also help as we evaluate potential candidates during the interview process.
These focus group conversations will take place TODAY, January 19 and will focus on three areas:
- Challenges or opportunities for the district
- Performance experience or expectation for the next superintendent; and
- Leadership characteristics that should be evident in the next superintendent.
Please consider attending a focus group at Avon Lake High School, LAKE Center, 175 Avon Belden Rd, Avon Lake, OH. You’re a valued participant and stakeholder in the Avon Lake City School community and your input is important. Babysitting is available for families courtesy of the ALHS Key Club.
The times for our different focus groups are:
5:00 p.m. Open to any Avon Lake City Schools employees
6:00 p.m. Open to any Avon Lake City Schools parents
7:00 p.m. Open to any Avon Lake City Schools community and business members
We welcome additional feedback and have created a brief three question survey to collect input from parents and interested community members who are unable to attend the focus group sessions. If you have not already, please take a moment to share your feedback by clicking here. Your feedback will go directly to William Waidelich, from the OSBA.
Students are also encouraged to offer feedback. Please click here.
On behalf of the entire Board of Education, thank you in advance for your willingness to participate and for your dedication to all students in Avon Lake City Schools.
ALHS art students excel at Regional Scholastic Art Show
The Avon Lake High School Art Department is excited to announce several honors were received at the 55th annual Regional Scholastic Art Show, sponsored by Nordson Corporation, currently on display in the Stocker Arts Center at Lorain County Community College.
Student artists from 22 high schools from Lorain, Huron and Erie counties submitted over 1,600 works of art to be judged and 650 works were selected for the show.
Avon Lake High School results overall (by category) include:
Painting: 3 Honorable Mentions, 2 Silver Keys, 2 Gold Keys
Photography: 38 Honorable Mentions, 17 Silver Keys, 7 Gold Keys
Digital Art: 7 Honorable Mentions, 3 Silver Keys, 2 Gold Keys
Drawing/Illustration: 1 Honorable Mention, 2 Silver Keys
Ceramics and Glass: 1 Honorable Mention
Film/Animation: 1 Silver Key
Gold Key works will digitally move forward for national judging in New York City (NYC).
Congratulations to ALHS junior Ella Monchein, winner of the prestigious ‘American Vision’ award for her painting 'Of Mice and Men'. This juried award was given to the top five pieces out the 100 Gold Key recipients at the show. An ALHS student has won this particular award two years in a row! From the pool of five, a panel of jurors in NYC will select one artist from each of the Scholastic's 100 regional affiliates to receive an American Visions Medal. Artists who win at this national level will be recognized in NYC in June.
Avon Lake High School art teachers are Yvonne Craigo and Christian Fredriksen.
All works are currently on display in the Stocker Arts Center at Lorain County Community College, 1005 N. Abbe Road, Elyria, now through Feb. 16. The Stocker Gallery days/hours open to the public include:
Mondays thru Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays (evenings) from 4 to 6:30 p.m.
Sundays from 1 to 3 p.m.
For more information regarding the art show, click here.
Greater Cleveland Sports Commission honors ALHS student athlete
ALHS junior Maya Austerman is a true inspiration!
She will receive the Cleveland Clinic Sports Medicine Courage Award during the 23rd Greater Cleveland Sports Awards presented by Medical Mutual and Ancora on Wednesday, Jan. 25 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Congratulations!
Click here for details on her journey.
Avon Lake Productions
We invite you to subscribe and follow Avon Lake Productions on YouTube and Facebook. Under the direction of Scott Herrick at Avon Lake High School, Avon Lake Productions features videos and live streams produced by Avon Lake High School students. Past videos include concerts, sporting events, and general school news.
Community Read: One Town, One Book
The Avon Lake High School National English Honor Society, along with the Avon Lake Public Library, will be hosting national author Thrity Umigar on March 30. She will speak at 1 p.m. at the Dr. Daniel B. Ross Performing Arts Center (PAC) at Avon Lake High School and then host a book signing at 2 p.m. in the PAC lobby.
Umigar will also speak at 7 p.m. at the library. Community members may also come to the 1 p.m. talk.
She will discuss her book, 'Honor'.
