December 10, 1997

At the December 9, 1997, meeting of the Shaker Heights Board of Education, the Superintendent reported the following:

• The Shaker Heights schools were well represented at the conference of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) last month in Detroit. Board of Education President Marvin A. McMickle delivered the keynote address. Among the Shaker faculty members who made presentations or participated in NCTE leadership activities were High School curriculum chair William Newby, language arts specialist Regie Routman, Mercer teacher Loretta Martin, High School English Department Chair Jon Bender, and drama teachers James Thornton and John Morris. Several theater students also made a presentation.

• Board of Education President Marvin A. McMickle has successfully defended his dissertation and will be awarded a Ph.D. He will speak on his dissertation topic, the depiction of African-American ministers in film, at 7 p.m. on January 6 at The Cleveland Play House. The lecture is open to the public.

• Because of high interest in the High School men’s varsity basketball program, the Athletic Department has arranged to host three home games at Brush High School. They are as follows: Shaw, Saturday, December 20 at noon; Warrensville, Saturday, January 10 at noon; and Cleveland Heights, Saturday, January 31 at noon. The Brush facility seats more than 2,000, and fans from competing schools can be seated separately. With this change in venue, more fans can enjoy these contests in safer, more comfortable surroundings than can be offered in Shaker’s varsity gym.

• More than 40 students participated in the High School’s winter theater production, Shakespeare’s “As You Like It,” December 4 through 6. The guest director was Ned Galloway.

• A group of Shaker faculty members took advantage of a “video marathon” last Friday evening featuring instructional practices endorsed by Asa Hilliard. The event was initiated by the curriculum committee at Shaker Heights High School. Professor Hilliard, of Georgia State University, is a nationally recognized authority on academic achievement among minority students. He was the featured speaker at a districtwide professional development workshop in October.

• Approximately 20 Woodbury families are participating in the new “Parents as Proficiency Partners” program. Under the guidance of staff members Gail Rose, Jacqueline Gholson, and Marcia McMillan-Davis, parents meet weekly to learn techniques for helping their children prepare for the 6th grade proficiency tests.

• The school district continues to provide students with travel opportunities that enhance the instructional and co-curricular programs. The High School has scheduled several such trips over the next few months. These include a trip to see “Rent” (starring Shaker alumnus Michael McElroy, ’85) in New York City in February; orchestra/choir/band tours of Goslar, Germany, and other European sites during spring vacation; and a fine arts trip to France and Italy over spring vacation. In the planning stages are summer study trips to Costa Rica, France, England, Germany, Japan, and Russia.

• Thirty-six faculty members representing all eight schools have been awarded grants by the Shaker Schools Foundation to carry out educational enrichment projects. They are: Kevin Hill of Boulevard, $200 for an after-school science club for 1st graders; Karen Jolly of Boulevard, for take-home reading bags for 1st graders; Sue Fitzpatrick, Christine Hoegler, and Deborah Woods of Fernway, for puppets and props to foster dramatic play and early literacy skills among kindergartners; Christine Cachat, Kay Dunlap, Paula Freiberg, Debbie Harsa, Kathleen Mohney, and Norris Ross of Fernway, for integrated learning activities for 1st through 4th graders; Elisabeth Tuttle of Lomond, for a 1st grade interdisciplinary project on ice skating; Cathy Grieshop and Elizabeth Schutter of Lomond, for a supplemental book room that will enable teachers to select books based on each individual child’s ability; Barbe Kilroy of Lomond, to help 3rd and 4th graders learn how to use e-mail and the Internet through a scavenger hunt in cyberspace; Marilyn Eppich and David Stewart of Mercer, for the production of math videos for 3rd graders; Jeannine Perry of Mercer, for 3rd graders to explore the varied architectural styles of Shaker Heights through photography; Sandy Bender of Onaway, to photograph K-4 students’ artwork to document their growth over time; Martin McGuan of Onaway, to record students’ work on computer diskettes, creating “electronic portfolios”; Chris Hayward of Onaway, for a classroom aquarium; Nancy Johnston of Onaway, for a nonfiction library for 1st graders; Patricia Strater of Woodbury, to support the production of student-written productions by the Woodbury Drama Club; Carol Corea of Woodbury, for globes, atlases, and maps for geography activities; Nancy Seabrook of Woodbury, for a computerized reading assessment program; Lillian Lichtman of the Middle School, for inclusion of special education students in activities; Gail Rose, parent involvement specialist, to help Middle School students and their parents develop habits that facilitate achievement; Bill Moroney of the Middle School, for books on audiotape for learning-disabled students; Norma Guice of the High School, for a Latin American dance workshop; Ruben Henderson of the High School, to support the publication of a student-written children’s book based on the study of African-American history; Patricia Lawrence of the High School, to purchase American art books for the library; Monroe Kennedy, Jr., of the High School, for a support program for African-American students in honors and Advanced Placement classes; Becky Bunosky of the High School, for a workshop at Elements Gallery in Peninsula for the advanced ceramics class; C.J. Bott and Natalie Sekicky of the High School, for books for a reader’s circle for female students; and Roderick MacLeod of the High School, for a spectrophotometer for use in research and analysis by advanced and honors chemistry students.

The Board of Education heard the following:

• Four Shaker students reprised the presentations they made this fall when faculty members from The Ohio State University visited. The students, Kelly Gibson, Jessica Gordon, Lisa Lazarus, and Landon Lockhart, spoke about their academic and co-curricular experiences at Shaker Heights High School.

• Farewells from Anthony Lockhart and Judith Stenta, whose service on the Board is ending on December 31. Mr. Lockhart and Mrs. Stenta were presented with captain’s chairs bearing the Shaker logo in appreciation for their years of service to the District.

The Board of Education approved the following:

• Personnel actions, including appointments, temporary employees, tutors, substitutes, special assignments, supplemental contracts, leaves of absence, and resignations for certified and classified employees.

• Special education related services, placement, tuition and excess costs.

• Policy IGBL, Parent/Guardian/Caregiver Involvement in the Schools (third reading and adoption).

• Financial statements for November 1997, interim investments, transfer between funds, and a supplemental appropriation to accommodate a grant from the Safe, Drug-Free Schools program.