Chagrin Falls High School Rotary Student of the Month for April
Graham Smith, a senior at Chagrin Falls High School, is the Chagrin Valley Rotary Club High School Student of the Month for April. Smith was selected for his display of both service and leadership qualities.
Smith had two pieces of artwork selected for The Ohio Governor’s Youth Art Exhibition and received Gold and Silver Keys awarded for Scholastic Art and Writing. He is an intern at the James Douglas Studio and also is in the Digital Arts and Technology program through Excel TECC.
Outside of school, Smith is a photographer. He has done documentary photography on the lead crisis in East Cleveland, as well as retired nuns of Notre Dame. He is a volunteer at Chagrin Falls Park Community Center and Catholic Charities. He is a busboy at North Main Diner.
His Accelerated Classes include AP Statistics and Honors English 12. He plans on attending the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) or the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and pursue a degree in Cultural Anthropology.
Smith was recognized at a recent Chagrin Valley Rotary Club meeting.
Chagrin Falls High School Student Named Jostens National Photo Contest Winner
Chagrin Falls High School student Mackenzie Shanklin was recognized for phenomenal photography in Jostens 2017 Photo Contest.
Jostens, a provider of publications, jewelry and consumer goods serving the K-12 and college market, along with Wolfe’s Camera, celebrates the creative and innovative talents of student photographers from schools across the country each year. This competition empowers students to positively capture their school experiences and share the stories of their entire school communities through photography. The award-winning photos will be showcased in the next release of the Jostens Look Book that serves as a mode of inspiration for yearbook staffs across the country.
Entries from 4,000 student photographers were submitted from across the country. From these entries, 85 winners were selected. Photo contest submissions were judged by a panel of four judges consisting of professional photographers and photography instructors. The judges focused on composition, artistic merit, and technical qualities, as well as the ability to convey a compelling story.
Shanklin is in Angie Jameson’s photojournalism class at Chagrin Falls High School.
“I am so pleased to hear that Mackenzie has been recognized for her outstanding photography, and I am pleased that she will be one of the leading editors for our 2017-2018 book,” said Jameson. “She is such an organized, hard-working student and deserves this recognition. I can’t wait to see what she does to push our book to the next level next year.”
One Grand Prize winner was selected along with 1st – 5th place and honorable mention winners from ten categories: Academics/Community Service, Graduation, Photo Illustration/Manipulation, Portrait, ReplayIt Mobile, Sports: Athletes in Action, Sports: Sidelines & School Spirit, Student Life & Traditions, Yearbookers in Action, and Junior High/Middle School.
“Jostens is thrilled to recognize the remarkable photographic talents of students nationwide. The winners of the photo contest were able to capture a variety of school experiences and tell a story through the lens of the camera,” said Sara Sausker, Jostens program manager, education.
“The judges held the photographs to professional standards. The technical quality and story-telling ability of these photos are outstanding and cannot be surpassed.”
Five Chagrin Falls High School Students Selected as Recipients of 2017 Awards for Aspirations in Computing
Five Chagrin Falls High School students–Annabella DeBernardo, Danielle Curry, Milly (Emily) Mason, Grace Hass-Hill and Jillian Zaffiro–were selected as winners and/or honorable mention recipients for the 2017 Ohio Affiliate of the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) Award for Aspirations in Computing. This prestigious honor recognizes high school women from across Ohio for their leadership and involvement in technology, robotics and applied science, along with their academic success and plans for post-secondary education.
Mason and Hass-Hill are recognized as winners and were highlighted on the NCWIT website at . Currey received an Honorable Mention. DeBernardo and Zaffiro received Certificates of Distinction.
“These young women were instrumental in the creation of Club Code, a community service activity which pairs high school computer science students with Gurney Elementary students,” said Computer Science Teacher Carolyn Petite, Chagrin Falls High School. “The high school students teach the Gurney students how to write code for Sphero robotic balls. The award winning students planned lessons, recruited volunteers, and helped run the club sessions every week.”
The students attended an awards ceremony and luncheon at the Quest Conference Center in Columbus, Ohio on April 1st. They had the opportunity to meet and interact with other award winners as well as technology leaders from KeyBank, Huntington Bank, TECH CORPS, Center for Arts Inspired Learning, Muskingum University, Youngstown University, TutorGen Inc. and NCWIT.
Chagrin Falls High School After Prom Community Invitation
The Chagrin Falls High School After Prom Parent Committee invites all members of the community to walk through the Chagrin Falls Middle School gym on Saturday, May 13th from 10:00 p.m – 11:00 p.m. to see its transformation to this year’s After Prom theme celebrating everything Cleveland, “Believeland.”
Please enter through the Middle School gym entrance. The After Prom, a 30-year Chagrin Falls tradition, is a free, fun, safe and sober event for all Chagrin Falls High School upperclassmen following the school sponsored prom.
Chagrin Falls High School Costa Rica Trip: June 11 – 19, 2018
It is time to start planning for the June 2018 Chagrin Falls High School trip to Costa Rica. There will be an informational meeting for parents and students entering grades 9 – 11 on Thursday, May 4th at 6:00 p.m. in Room 213 of the high school. Registration will go live on Friday, May 5th. If you have any questions, please contact Brittany Anderson: brittany.anderson@chagrinschools.org.
Tiger Prep Q&A with Assistant Superintendent Lisa Shannon May 10th
Parents are invited to attend the “Parent Question & Answer Session Related to Special Education and Struggling Students” with Assistant Superintendent Lisa Shannon and Tiger Prep, on Wednesday, May 10th, 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m, in the Sands Community Room. Tiger Prep is pleased to offer parents of students at all grade levels this opportunity to ask questions concerning any aspect of special education at Chagrin Falls Schools. Tiger Prep President Steve Thompson will facilitate this one hour session. If you have any questions about this event, please email us at info@tigerprep.org.
Pictured In Photos
- Pictured In Left Photo: Chagrin Falls High School student Mackenzie Shanklin recognized for phenomenal photography in Jostens 2017 Photo Contest.
- Pictured In Top Right Photo: Graham Smith, Chagrin Falls High School April 2017 Rotary Student of the Month.
- Pictured In Bottom Right Photo: Five Chagrin Falls High School Students selected as recipients of 2017 Awards for Aspirations in Computing
