District Newsletter

Chardon Local Schools hosted the Chardon Area Chamber of Commerce on Sept. 11 for the district’s annual State of the Schools presentation, networking and gallery walk, and luncheon.

The event, held in the high school gymnasium, provided local business leaders a chance to get an inside look at work going on in the district.

During the State of the Schools presentation, business leaders in attendance heard from District Superintendent/Chief Executive Officer Michael Hanlon, Assistant Superintendent Ed Klein, Treasurer/Chief Financial Officer Deb Armbruster, CHS Principal Adam Tomco, CMS Principal Craig Caroff, Park Elementary Principal Jill Makee and Munson Elementary Principal Mathew Prezioso.

Chamber leadership in attendance at the event included Executive Director Melissa Ricco, President Susan Parker and Vice-President Elect Julia Dolsen.

Chardon Local Schools has received a 4.5 out of 5 star rating on its 2023-24 school report card through the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce.

Public school districts throughout the state of Ohio receive an overall rating of 1 to 5 stars in half-star increments each year. The overall score is based on five rated components: achievement, progress, gap closing, graduation and early literacy.

Chardon Schools’ 4.5 star rating means the district “exceeds state standards,” in the overall measurement.

Chardon Schools also received a performance index score of 101.9, which ranks 50th out of over 600 public school districts in Ohio.

On Sept. 26, the Chardon High School girls volleyball team hosted an event called Crazy for a Cure in partnership with the Eastlake North girls volleyball team. Together, the two schools raised funds in support of the fight against cancer.

The event was held to honor CHS staff members Kim Avery and Al Herner.

The evening included a bake sale, healthy snacks, pizza, sandwiches, a basket raffle and a 50/50 raffle, with all proceeds being donated to the honorees or a cause of their choice.

The Munson Elementary bell was rededicated on Sept. 13 during a ceremony celebrating the history and spirit of the school and honoring veterans who have served our country.

Principal Mathew Prezioso said the bell has stood as a “beacon of our community values at Munson,” since it was installed in 1959. The bell was previously rededicated in 1995.

When the bell was last rededicated, fifth grade students at Munson Elementary put together a time capsule which was buried under the bell. Prezioso told those in attendance that the time capsule will be opened at the end of the 2024-25 school year.

Also during the ceremony, Burton American Legion Post 459 Honor Guard retired the American Flag which had flown above the bell at Munson Elementary and replaced it with a new one.

The new American Flag the honor guard raised at Munson was flown over the United States Capitol on July, 17, 2024 at the request of Congressman Dave Joyce.

Sept. 13 was baseball day for seventh grade students at Chardon Middle School.

Coach Brian Long from the Chardon High School 2022 Division II state championship team and several high school players talked with the students about the importance of statistics and analytics in sports during a presentation in the morning. Afterwards, the students took to the football field, where they were divided into several teams to engage in friendly, but competitive, games of wiffleball.

Students also read the famous poem “Casey at the Bat” and enjoyed the film “The Sandlot” while eating hotdogs and popcorn provided by the middle school parent teacher organization.

The students have been using baseball as a fun way to improve their math skills.

Students in Math 7 have been busy drafting their own fantasy teams by analyzing current player data from the 2024 season. Using comparative statistics to select players for their teams, students create nine player grids based on percent and probability and will create visual models for each player.

“We play simulated 9-inning games using random number generators and first-quadrant coordinate planes. We will crown our own championship teams by competing in our “divisional” Core math classes, and then, on to interleague play between Team A (American League) and Team B (National League) in our own World Series,” Mrs. Stephanie Curitore, seventh grade math teacher, said.

The Ohio Academy of Science recently named Chardon Middle School as well as nine current and former staff members as recipients of the Governor’s Thomas Edison Award for Excellence in STEM Education and Student Research for accomplishments during the 2023-24 school year.

First established in 1985, the Governor’s Thomas Edison Awards recognizes Ohio schools and teachers who stimulate scientific student research and technological design and extend experiential opportunities beyond traditional classroom activities.

Chardon staff from the 2023-24 school year who were named in an academy news release include Becky Mele, Beverly Mysyk, Bob Francis, Brent Hilston, Jackie Brown, Kayla O’Brien, Melissa Bryan, Nicole Diehm and Shane Quin.

Chardon Middle School will receive a special Governor's Award certificate, and each teacher will receive a complimentary membership to The Ohio Academy of Science.

Chardon Middle School is one of only 40 Ohio schools to receive the honor. 436 teachers throughout the state were recognized according to the academy.