District Newsletter

Chardon Middle School Student Council recently raised thousands of dollars worth of essential items to donate in support of first responders who have risked their lives battling the wildfires in Los Angeles, California.

Students, staff and community members gathered over 1,800 nonperishable items which were recently shipped to West Chester Municipal Center, located about 18 miles from the Palisades.

Student Council members said they were inspired to start this collection by the compassion they felt after seeing the widespread devastation caused by the fires.

Thank you to CMS Student Council and its advisor, Kayla O’Brien, for organizing this important collection and to everyone who donated in support!

Chardon High School AP Literature students have partnered with local senior citizens to start a book club.

The students and seniors chose their titles with each group reading a different book. This partnership last occurred in 2020, when the club read “Salt to the Sea” by Ruta Septys.

“Every time we get seniors and seniors together it is a really positive experience for all,” Madelon Horvath, one of the organizers of the club, said. “The folks I did talk to really enjoyed the experience and are so impressed with the maturity and welcoming attitude of the students.”

The students have greatly enjoyed getting together for the book club. They said they appreciate the added perspectives the senior citizens bring to their reading.

"They know so much about everything going on in the world which helped us understand more about the world of our book,” one student said.

The club’s first meeting was Feb. 10, and it will run through March 7.

Earlier this month, students in Miss Kelly Fisher’s second grade class at Park Elementary celebrated Kindness Week and Valentine’s Day by writing sweet notes on hearts for each of their classmates.

Each heart included a student's name and was filled with kind words from their peers.

“Watching their faces light up as they read each message was a beautiful reminder of how small acts of kindness can make a big difference,” Miss Fisher said.

The Chardon High School Academic Decathlon team traveled to Riverside earlier this month to complete the final two disciplines of the Ohio Regional Competition.

This year's theme is "Our Changing Climate" and students previously completed proctored online tests on that topic in Literature, Science, Music, Art, Mathematics, Economics and Social Sciences. They also wrote a timed online essay. This left just a speech competition with judged prepared and impromptu speeches and a judged college style Interview.

The day was capped with Super Quiz, a game show style school vs school competition essentially for bragging rights, and finally, an awards ceremony.

CHS garnered 32 medals in all including 12 golds! The team won medals in all 10 events and every member of the team won at least 1 medal.

Students who represented CHS at the event included:

- Connor Mosher;

- Caroline Bates;

- Kayla Schneider;

- Sydney Scheid;

- Courtney Lawrence;

- Maddy Cresho;

- Gus Schneider;

- Jack Bennett;

- Danny Greene;

- Brandon French;

- Ivan Medved;

- Holden Dewey.

NEXT UP:

State Competition to be held at John Carroll University March 7 and 8.

Kindergarten students in Mrs. Jenny Maheu’s class recently marked their 100th day of learning with fun and delicious activities!

To celebrate this milestone, students took on the challenge of reaching the center of a Tootsie Pop in just 100 licks. As they savored their treats, they kept tally marks and counted all the way to 100. Another tasty activity had them counting out 100 pieces of popcorn before enjoying their well-earned snack.

The students had a fantastic time combining learning with these sweet and savory celebrations, making their 100th day of kindergarten one to remember!

Chardon Local Schools' Science Olympiad teams delivered outstanding performances at the highly competitive Mentor Invitational on February 8th, showcasing their dedication and scientific prowess.

Middle School Marvels:

The Chardon Middle School team secured an impressive 7th place out of 33 teams, earning a total of 13 medals across 23 challenging science-based events.

• 1st Place:
  • Meteorology: William Monkiewicz, James Wroblewski
  • Fossils: Colby Sapp, Ben Majetich
• 2nd Place:
  • Road Scholar: William Monkiewicz
• 3rd Place:
  • Codebusters: Ryan Furjanic, Samuel Monkiewicz, William Monkiewicz
  • Dynamic Planet: Ryan Furjanic, William Monkiewicz
  • Optics: James Wroblewski, Ben Majetich
• Additional Top 8 Finishes:
• 6th Place: Entomology, See It Don't Say It
• 7th Place: Ecology, Tower, Helicopter, Reach for the Stars
• 8th Place: Anatomy + Physiology

High School Highlights:

The Chardon High School team also excelled, achieving 8th place overall. Individual medal winners include:

• 2nd Place:
  • Fossils: Seianna Coon, Tim Wilder
  • Entomology: Andrew Prats, Seianna Coon
• 3rd Place:
  • Dynamic Planet: Seianna Coon, Cassie Bright
• 4th Place:
  • Electric Vehicle: Alex Monkiewicz, Abby Prats
  • Robot Tour: Alex Monkiewicz, Tim Wilder
• 5th Place:
  • Write It Do It: Abby Prats, Austin Prats
• 6th Place:
  • Geologic Mapping: Seianna Coon, Alex Monkiewicz
• 7th Place:
• Codebusters: Alex Monkiewicz, Abby Prats, Cash Johnson

Looking Ahead:

Both teams are now focused on preparing for the upcoming regional competition. The top seven teams at regionals will advance to the state competition at Ohio State University.

Congratulations to all the talented students and their dedicated coaches for these remarkable achievements!

Chardon High School is pleased to announce the appointment of Brian Landies as its new Head Football Coach.

Landies brings 15 years of coaching experience with Hilltopper Football, including 13 years as defensive coordinator under former Head Coach Mitch Hewitt. Notably, he served as defensive coordinator for the 2020 and 2021 Chardon Hilltopper State Championship teams.

“Very few have sacrificed more for Chardon Football over the years than Coach Landies,” said Hewitt. “And besides, any coach who has penned a book titled Bleeding Red & Black deserves the reins. As a father with two sons still in the program, I couldn’t be happier with the direction of the program.”

A 2002 Chardon High School graduate, Landies continued his football career at Malone University, where he played for four years and graduated in 2007. He then served as a Graduate Assistant for the Malone Football Program in 2008 and 2009 before returning to Chardon in 2009.

Coach Landies has maintained close ties with the three Chardon head football coaches over the past 45 years.

“I’m honored and humbled to continue the traditions of Chardon Football. My passion for Chardon football began when I was 10 years old, watching my brother and his friends win a state championship,” said Landies. “I was fortunate to play for Coach Doyle and Coach DiPofi, and coach alongside Coach Hewitt for the past 14 seasons. Together, with our exceptional staff, we will build upon our rich history and continue to make our community proud to be Hilltoppers.”

Superintendent Michael Hanlon welcomed Coach Landies to the head coaching position.

"The school district is pleased to ensure continuity in the leadership of our football program with Mr. Landies assuming the Head Coach responsibilities,” Hanlon said. “His experience with our student-athletes and the leadership culture established by Mitch Hewitt will facilitate a smooth transition moving forward."

Please join us in welcoming Mr. Landies as our new varsity football head coach!