Spring Musical Tickets on Sale
The community is invited to attend Chardon High School’s spring musical — The Addams Family: School Edition, at Park Auditorium (111 Goodrich Court – 44024) March 16, 17, 18, 19. Tickets are $10 for students and senior citizens and $15 for adults and can be purchased online through the District’s ticketing page at https://www.chardonschools.org or in-person in the two hours prior to each show’s start time. [photo credit: illustrated by Theatrical Rights Worldwide and arranged by Chardon High School]
The community is invited to join the Chardon High School drama program for fun, music and laughter via the students’ talented production of The Addams Family: School Edition at Park Auditorium 111 Goodrich Court (44024) on historic Chardon Square.
Show dates are March 16, 17, and 18 at 7:00 p.m. and March 19 at 2:00 p.m.
Adapted from Charles Addams’ cartoons, The Addams Family features the Addams, a rather eccentric family with a taste for all things gothic, as they receive some very shocking news; their daughter is dating someone normal.
Tickets — $10 for students and senior citizens and $15 for adults — can be purchased online through the District’s ticketing page at https://www.chardonschools.org. Same-day, in-person ticket sales are available in the two hours prior to each show’s start time.
Hilltalker Clinches State Title and National Qualification
Trailblazer Charlotte Jons, a Chardon High School junior and Ohio Speech and Debate Association three-time high school State qualifier and 2023 National Speech and Debate Association national tournament qualifier, has etched yet another victory in Chardon speech and debate history — this time as the 2023 OSDA state champion in the program oral interpretation event.
Charlotte emerged as OSDA POI state champ on March 4 following seven rounds of competition over the course of the two-day state tournament held at Austintown Fitch High School. The Hilltopper “Hilltalker” was among 1,000 Ohio high school students competing at the state level — and one of 53 competing specifically in POI.
A true Hilltopper pioneer in OSDA competition, Charlotte has paved the way for Chardon as the sole member of the District’s speech and debate teams, participating at the middle school and high school levels with steadfast high achievement each year.
This school year marked Charlotte’s fourth year in all as an OSDA state qualifier. She placed sixth in the State tournament in 2022 and earned a Special Distinction mark in 2023 — an award that only 18-percent of speech and debate competitors nationwide earn in their high school years. Just last month, Charlotte earned first place in POI in the NSDA’s North Coast District Tournament, securing her a spot on the national tournament stage this June in Arizona.
For her POI event, Charlotte combines prose and poetry around a central theme. Charlotte’s POI speech this year is centered on what she describes as “the need for dark humor in our current society”, exploring “the Sad Clown Paradox as well as the phenomenon of comedians using laughter to overcome personal struggles”.
The guidance behind the Hilltalker champion is CHS OSDA coach Amy Roediger — a seasoned speech and debate coach with over 30 years of experience, coaching Mentor High School speech and debate for decades and in recent years that of Chardon Local Schools. Coach Roediger is an Ohio High School Speech League Hall of Fame Coach inductee (2016) and is serving on the OSDA Board of Directors as Framing Committee Chair through 2024. By day, Ms. Roediger is a long-tenured MHS chemistry teacher though perhaps the role closest to her heart is that of mom to both Charlotte and Theo Jons (CHS ‘22).
The Chardon Board of Education will formally recognize Charlotte’s 2023 OSDA POI state title win and 2023 NSDA qualification at the March 20 regular board meeting.
To learn more about CHS speech and debate, including opportunities for the 2023-24 school year, contact CHS principal Doug Murray at douglas.murray@chardonschools.org
Finalists Advance to District Science Fair
Chardon Middle School seventh-grade students Lena Bielata and Natasha Sutter earned first and second place ribbons, respectively, in the school’s Jan. 25 judged science fair, advancing the two students to representation at the Ohio Academy of Science’s District 5 Science Day Fair to be held at the University of Akron on March 18.
Lena’s first-place project, Apple Oxidation, tested whether an apple’s pH level affects its propensity for browning, while Natasha’s Cultivating with Compost science project examined whether compost affects seed germination.
Congratulations to Lena and Natasha and best wishes at the district event.
According to the Ohio Academy of Science, thousands of Ohio students compete annually in District Science Days for the opportunity to attend State Science Day held at The Ohio State University. District Science Days offer students a chance to have their research judged by scientific professionals and compete for thousands of dollars in student scholarships.
Vocalists Shine at All-Star Choir
Chardon High School choir student sopranos Carley Gutka and Lailah Pugh; altos Paige Nells and Selah Rogers; tenors Aidan Croyle, Brendan Croyle and Colin Snider; and bassists Cole Hess and Noah Gerlica attended the prestigious All-Star Choir event held at the University of Akron School of Music on Feb. 15.
This event provided Hilltoppers with an opportunity to combine efforts with choir students from nine other high schools and a selection of UA singers, creating a 130-member ensemble for the day and ultimately performing rehearsed pieces at UA’s EJ Thomas Performing Arts Hall.
Chardon choir director Fritz Streiff stated, “The students were selected for their advanced musical skills and leadership in our program. Our students were outstanding as they prepared with focus, attention to detail, and integrity. Chardon was well represented by our choir members.”
