
Bee Informed
Newsletter from Medina City Schools-December, 2022
Bee Informed
Pancake Breakfast and Spotlight on Students Slated for Saturday, January 21, 2023
Breakfast will be served from 8:00 AM-12:00 PM in the main cafeteria at Medina High School. Tickets are $5 each and can be purchased online by clicking here. Seniors 60+ are free of charge. To purchase tickets in person, they will be available at both Medina Buehler's locations beginning January 2, 2023. Breakfast includes pancakes, sausage, syrup, butter, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, milk, and orange juice.
Student artwork from all grade levels will be on display during the event. A lineup of student performances will take place on the main stage in the Performing Arts Center from 9:00 AM-12:00 PM and will including an appearance from Encore Entertainment Company, Medina High School's show choir. More information on the schedule will be coming soon.
Net proceeds from this event benefit the Medina City Schools Foundation and the programs and services they offer to our students and staff.
Virtual Lunch with the Superintendent
To register, please click on this link.
Medina High School Names December Students of the Month
Medina High School has named its December Students of the Month seniors Kaylee Davis and Giovanni (Gio) Stabile.
Kaylee possesses all of the characteristics of a great student and overall person. She is intelligent, reliable, disciplined, a great student, and a great friend. Kaylee is a storyteller, a poet, and a playwright. She can spin a new world out of her imagination and weave it together with her word wizardry. She can turn an empty page into a Broadway play. Kaylee sees poetry in ordinary scenes and can paint it into a reader’s mind.
Kaylee’s class schedule consists of Honors and Advance Placement courses. She earned the Medina High School Academic Distinction Award Magna Cum Laude in her freshman and sophomore years and Summa Cum Laude her junior year. She is a member of the National Honor Society, is secretary of the Medina Musical Bees Marching Band, is a clarinet section leader, and is a member of the Honors Symphonic Band. She is a member of HUDDLE and the Outreach Committee of Medina (OCOM).
In her spare time, Kaylee volunteers at the Joyce B. Ebner Tutoring Center as a peer tutor. She also volunteers her time at Grace Church.
She will be attending college, majoring in nursing, and plans on becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner. Kaylee is the daughter of Lewis and Kelly Davis.
Giovanni (Gio) is described as extremely mature, responsible, and dependable. He takes his education and activities seriously while being a great role model to those around him. More importantly, he is patient and kind. His extracurricular activities have contributed to his sense of community and have helped develop his leadership skills. Gio is the epitome of what it means to be a successful student at Medina High School.
Gio’s class schedule consists of Honors, Advance Placement, and College Credit Plus courses. Gio earned the Medina High School Academic Distinction Award Summa Cum Laude his freshman, sophomore, and junior years. He is a member of the National Honor Society, the Medina High School Key Club governor, the Ohio Key Club governor, and co-captain of the Science Olympiad. Geo is the Medina High School Marching Band trumpet section leader, a member of the Honors Symphonic Band, and a member of the Jazz Ensemble. He is also a member of HUDDLE. He received the honor of the National Speech and Debate Distinction Award. Gio participated in the Buckeye Boys State Program for the State of Ohio this past summer.
Gio volunteers at the Joyce B. Ebner Tutoring Center as a peer tutor, Feeding Medina County, and the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen. Gio is employed by Boyert's Greenhouse and Farms and is a private tutor.
He will be attending college, majoring in Chemical Engineering, minoring in Public Policy, and anticipates becoming a Renewable Energy Engineer. Gio is the son of Christopher and Gina Stabile.
Kaylee Davis
Giovanni (Gio) Stabile
Kids First Medina and Medina City Schools to Hold Community Meetings
As a District, we are continuing the discussion surrounding redistricting and facilities. We continue to look closely at our enrollment numbers to determine the direction best for students and staff when redrawing the boundaries. We have been working with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) and architects from Fanning Howey to develop a master plan and lay the groundwork for what the footprint of the District could look like over the next few years. This plan would require local funding through a bond. At the very least, we know that we must redraw boundaries to balance enrollment throughout the District at our elementary buildings.
Earlier this fall, a timeline was shared for this work. We have made some adjustments to this timeline to accommodate additional discussion at the administrative level. Part of this timeline includes community meetings to share conceptual plans. These meetings will allow the community to provide insight into these proposed plans. The timeline has been updated to reflect these revisions. You can view it here. There will be an in-person meeting on Tuesday, January 31, 2023, at 6:00 PM at Medina High School in the media center. A virtual meeting will also be offered from 6:00 PM-8:00 PM covering the same information on Thursday, February 2, 2023. To register for the in-person meeting, click here. To register for the virtual meeting, please click here.
Where We Are to Date
Feedback was received from students, staff, parents, and the community through surveys and multiple focus groups, which led to the decision to move forward with the Yellow Plan. The Yellow Plan is a consolidation plan transitioning Claggett to a 7th-8th middle school building and Root to a 5th-6th upper elementary building. In addition, expansion of the preschool program must occur due to new state mandates requiring a larger enrollment of typical peers. This would ideally occur through the development of a preschool center.
Essential Projects of the Yellow Plan
Rebuild Claggett across the street from its current location while maintaining Memorial Stadium. Claggett was identified by the OFCC as needing to be replaced and will need to be expanded to house all of the 7th and 8th-grade students.
Expand Root to house all of the 5th and 6th-grade students.
Close two elementary buildings due to a decrease in enrollment at the older buildings and the transition of the 5th-grade students to Root. The OFCC has identified Garfield and Heritage as two of our elementary buildings with the greatest need for replacement.
The development of a preschool center is due to our increasing preschool population. Currently, the proposed sight is Heritage Elementary. Renovation of the current building for a preschool center would be extensive due to the open concept versus building a new facility. Other locations have been discussed, but they are either cost-prohibitive or do not have enough space. The district committees also want to keep a school in the Heritage community. The centralized location is ideal for a preschool program that serves the District.
Redraw the boundaries for the elementary building due to the inequity of enrollment at this level.
Projects for Discussion as Part of the Facilities and Redistricting Process
Replace the visitor stands at Ken Dukes Stadium and expand them with locker rooms and concession stands. They are nearing the end of their life expectancy and will need to be replaced for safety reasons, even if they are not part of this project.
Replacement and expansion of Fenn Elementary.
Conversion of Garfield Elementary to a Board of Education Office.
Expansion and upgrades to athletic facilities.
Medina City Schools Foundation Hosts Holiday Raffle
Each raffle entry is $50. To purchase raffle tickets, please click here or scan the QR code in the image below. 100% of the net proceeds will directly support Medina City Schools students and staff through the Joyce B. Ebner Tutoring Center, staff, grants and awards, and student scholarships.
For questions, please email info@medinacityschoolsfoundation.org.
ABOUT THE FOUNDATION: The Medina City Schools Foundation was established in 1984 to support and enhance learning opportunities for the students in the Medina City School District. The Foundation is an independent organization comprised of committed community members who support programs that benefit district students in collaboration with the teachers and staff of the Medina City Schools. The Foundation is a private organization, not directly affiliated with the school board or the school administration. It is incorporated under Ohio laws as a non-profit organization and is funded by various members of the Medina area through the generous individual support and community support of our annual fundraising activities.
Board of Education Meeting Calendar
Monday, January 9, 2023
Budget Hearing and Board of Education Organizational Meeting
6:00 PM-Medina High School-Professional Development Center (location subject to change)
The Board of Education meetings are open to the public. Location may be subject to change. Meetings may also be viewed live on Medina City Schools' YouTube channel, MedinaTV Facebook page, and Armstrong channel 201.
Replays of the meeting will also be available on Medina City Schools' YouTube Channel and Armstrong Channel 201.
Elementary Students Participate in Scrabble Tournament
The Medina Elementary School Scrabble Tournament occurred on Thursday, November 17th, 4-6:30 pm, at Blake Elementary School. Ninety-five fourth and fifth graders from the seven elementary schools participated in the event. Game scores were tallied to determine the winning teams.
3rd Place: Ethan R. (Waite) & Brayden R. (Heritage)
2nd Place: Hannah P. (Waite) & Rainia P. (Waite)
1st Place: Selena W. (Blake) & Lincoln H. (Blake)
Medina High School Debate Team Successfully Competes at Princeton University
Thirty Medina High School Speech and Debate Team members competed in the Princeton University Classic Debate Tournament December 1-4. This appearance makes the 10th time the team has been invited to compete in this tournament. Medina was one of two teams from Ohio. Hawken School in Gates Mills also participated with eight students. “We are proud to be one of the few public schools in the country to compete in this tournament,” said Scott Quade, debate team advisor and language arts teacher at Medina High School. “The average annual tuition among the other (non-public) schools that competed is over $40,000,” Quade added.
The students competed in three debate events, Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum, and Congressional Debate, and two speech events, Duo Interpretation and Original Oratory. “We had students in both the novice and varsity divisions in Lincoln-Douglas and Public Forum. Our competitive goal for this tournament has always been to have at least one student in at least one event or division make it to the break rounds (think sweet 16 brackets). We typically have one or two achieve this threshold. This year, eleven students made it to these rounds in four events/divisions, more than any other of the hundred schools invited to compete from around the country,” stated Quade.
Musical Bees Symphony Band Performs at 51st Annual Band Directors Conference
The University of Akron has hosted the annual Ohio Band Directors Conference (OBDC) since 1974. Each year the focus of the conference is secondary music education. The University of Akron Band and School of Music sponsors a guest composer residency and a guest conductor for the OBDC Honors Band. This year’s composer in residency was Mr. Steven Bryant. You can find his biography here: https://www.stevenbryant.com/biography.
As part of the Symphony Band’s invitation to perform at this event, the Symphony Band was requested to perform a work by Mr. Bryant. The ensemble performed A Marbled Midnight Mile and had the opportunity to work with the composer and his composition a few days before their performance on Saturday, December 3rd.
Musical Bees Marching Band Has Another Successful Season
The Musical Bees Marching Band had another terrific season. Their competition show this year focused on the music from the cinematic masterpiece The Lord of the Rings. “The challenge was to take composer Howard Shore’s thirteen hours of music and pair it down to a meaningful seven minutes,” said director Jason Locher.
The Musical Bees captured the story by J.R.R. Tolkien and the music by Howard Shore in a unique and captivating way focusing on The One Ring and its journey through Middle Earth. Bringing music from The Shire, Gondor, and Rohan intertwined with Howard Shore’s theme music for The Fellowship and The Ring.
The Guard and the Percussion began work on the show at the start of summer vacation, with the Woodwinds and Brass joining them in late July. The Musical Bees battled through summer band rehearsals without working water in the school and portable toilets due to a scheduled construction project and hot temperatures.
The Musical Bees earned straight Superior ratings at all their competitions, picking up a few honors along the way. Their most significant accomplishment, however, was continuing the tradition of excellence at the Ohio Music Educators Association (OMEA) State Marching Band Finals. Since 2002, the Musical Bees have earned a Superior rating every consecutive year, the highest rating/honor a marching band can earn when participating in OMEA State Marching Band Finals. ”20 years of Superior ratings is a huge accomplishment and pays tribute to all the hard work and dedication of all former and current Musical Bees members,” Locher stated.
Medina High School Students Collaborate in Their Learning
On Wednesday, November 30th, Katie Shaffer’s high school social studies class, Food for Thought, and Lauren Smith's AP/Honors Art Portfolio class students joined together for a field trip to the Westside Market in Cleveland. Students in both classes were tasked with brainstorming ideas for projects that would showcase their learning and skills from the past semester in a cumulative project that would showcase the Westside Market. Students spent two hours at the Market gathering various research for their projects.
“Collaboration across the curriculum offers more opportunities for all of our students. We want to thank (Medina High School principal) Dr. Elisa Tedona and the Department of Instruction for helping us offer this opportunity to our students," said Shaffer.
National Honor Society Students Provide Tutoring Assistance as Students Prepare for Exams
Medina High School Students Experience Rich Environmental History
Elementary Students Learn in the Stop Motion Studio
Thinking About Volunteering?
Looking for Camps and Other Activities? Check Flyer Central Digital Bulletin Board
New Student and Kindergarten Registration is Open for the 2022-2023 School Year Only
Helping Hands Preschool Accepting Applications for Typically Developing Peers
The program provides high-quality learning experiences that are rooted in the Ohio Early Learning Content Standards in preparation for kindergarten. There are two sessions offered, Monday-Thursday. The morning session runs from 9:00 AM-11:40 AM and the afternoon session from 12:40 PM-3:20 PM.
To register typically developing peers, please call 330.636.4601 for directions to complete the online registration and screening information. For more information, please click here.
Free Youth Physicals Offered
Medina City Schools Mobile App
Kids First Medina Offers Decorative License Plate
Kids First Medina is a group of volunteers that help to provide a voice to community members, families, and students of Medina City Schools to help shape educational opportunities for our students.
Online Ticketing Through Hometown Ticketing
Medina City Schools
Email: busbya@medinabees.org
Website: www.medinabees.org
Location: 739 Weymouth Road, Medina, OH, USA
Phone: 330.725.8831
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MedinaCitySchools
Twitter: @MCScomm1