Ted Lysiak

Garrettsville - James A. Garfield Middle School has participated in The Power of the Pen writing tournament for 17 years under the direction of Mrs. Jackie Lovelace, 7th grade teacher. This year the organization has taken on a new name, Pen Ohio. Pen Ohio started out as a writing...

This month we would like to focus on the partnership between J.A. Garfield High School and Maplewood Career Center. Maplewood Career Center provides a quality education for many of our students. The programs available to students are: Applied Engineering and Machining, Animal Science, Auto Collision Technology, Auto Service Technology, Carpentry,...

Garrettsville - On Wednesday, April 11th the James A. Garfield Local Schools, in partnership with our first responders, will be hosting a community safety meeting from 6pm-7:30 in the Iva Walker Auditorium at Garfield High School. The purpose of this event is to review Garfield’s safety procedures, plans and...

Garrettsville - James A. Garfield Local Schools was recently recognized by the State Board of Education for an excellent academic accomplishment. The Momentum Award was presented by the State Board of Education District 7 Board Member Sarah Fowler to the James A. Garfield Board of Education at their March 8th...

Garrettsville - The Garfield Middle School Chapter of National Beta Club held their 15th annual induction ceremony last week. The 17 current members assisted club director and Middle School art teacher, Mrs. Gilmer, to conduct the ceremony. This year Garfield Middle School inducted 12 eighth graders and 23 seventh...

Garrettsville - James A. Garfield Elementary is very proud to be a Leader in Me school, one where students and staff work together hand-in-hand to create a culture anchored in leadership. Successful leadership requires many traits, including, respectful interaction, responsibility, kindness, and communication. One need look no further than...

Garrettsville - Morning announcements at JAG Elementary are now being visually broadcasted by a group of students from our Student Leadership Team. Listening to news and information over the speaker system has given way to viewing daily newscasts via YouTube. Students, staff, as well as parents, have given this...

The Portage County Teen Board recently announced Garfield Senior Katie Synnestvedt as their Teen of the Month for October and November. Katie has been a member of the varsity softball team all four years of high school, serving as captain in 11th and 12th grades, and while being so active,...

It is time for Garfield School’s annual visit from the Mobile Dental Team! They will be on the school campus March 3rd and will be available to evaluate and offer treatment to any student who has not received dental services in the past six months. Services offered include a dental exam,...

Garrettsville - On November 3, 2017, the James A. Garfield Local School District was recognized by the State Board of Education for an excellent academic accomplishment. The Momentum Award is presented by the State Board of Education and recognizes schools for exceeding expectations in student growth for the year. To earn...

Garrettsville - Over the summer the State of Ohio Auditor’s Office conducted a Performance Audit on our district. While we will get into the details in this article, there were two main points we gleaned from the audit. First, our district is running at an extremely lean level. There...

On Wednesday, November 8, 2017 we will celebrate something very dear to us…our families. Our second “Family First Night” will be held in our community. Throughout the school year our lives become extremely hectic, which often causes us to sacrifice our family time in order to accomplish everything in...

Students, parents, community members and visitors will be treated to numerous updates to the campus as school resumes on August 29th. Three major areas of the campus were updated with the help of an extremely supportive community. Stadium Three years ago the Garfield Board of Education partnered with the JAG All...

These times are estimated times. Please adjust your schedule after the 1st week of school to reflect the actual time. *Liberty street will be closed starting 8/29/17, the route will be adjusted. Times and places may be adjusted. **We are hoping that Center Street will have 1 lane open for the...

James A. Garfield Local School District today announced its 2017-2018 program year policy for free and reduced meals for students unable to pay the full price of meals served under the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program. Each school office and the central office has a copy...

This summer, the James A. Garfield Local Schools will be updating three areas of technology in an effort to make communicating with our parents and community easier and more efficient. DIGITAL FORMS We are very excited to announce that the James A. Garfield Local Schools has partnered with FinalForms, an online...

On Thursday, May 25th, members of the Garrettsville Police Department visited the James A. Garfield Local Schools’ campus in an effort to keep kids safe as a part of the “Click it or Ticket” program. With the help of free Dairy Queen ice cream certificates donated by Roger...

The James A. Garfield Local Schools have always taken great pride in providing an outstanding education for every student. The District released a Quality Profile in 2016 (this can be found on the district website) that showcases a tremendous value on a well-rounded education. One critical component of a...

Garrettsville - If you have been in our buildings you know that our custodial and maintenance staff do an outstanding job of keeping them looking spectacular, but there is only so much our staff can do to maintain an aging building before some changes need to be made. As...

Garrettsville - Last week, our safety plans were put to a test, and it was clear that we were prepared on all fronts. The situation resulted in all students leaving our campus safely. We were prepared and could not have accomplished what we did without the help of our...

The James A. Garfield Schools have always viewed themselves as the cornerstone of an excellent community. Last spring, JAG staff worked to define what excellence looks like within the school community.  A survey was sent to all staff members asking each person to identify the values that define our...

Garrettsville - Numbers released recently from the State of Ohio on school spending continue to reinforce the tremendous educational value at the James A. Garfield Schools. With a total expenditure of only $8,685 per student, Garfield is the second lowest in the area (Portage, Summit, Geauga, and Cuyahoga Counties)....

Garrettsville - While we have avoided it for most of the season, winter weather is officially upon us. With this weather comes the ‘polarizing’ topic of Snow Days. Each year this is a decision we don’t look forward to making. A snowy forecast means a sleepless night is certain....

Garrettsville - On or around June 1st of every year, children begin to realize summer break is quickly approaching for the James A. Garfield Schools. After nine long months of exerting academic rigor, athletic competition, artistic prowess and community service, our students gain a little extra energy as the end of the school year nears. While our students are excited for the long summer break, our staff begins to take an emotional roller coaster ride. They are excited to begin planning another year with students, but are sad to see a group of familiar students move to the next grade. They are inspired by the speeches of our graduating seniors, but feel a brief sense of emptiness as the seniors walk out our doors for the final time. Whether you are a student or staff member, the one common feeling we all share is a sense of pride in what we have accomplished this year. Here is a quick glance in the 2014/15 rearview mirror...

Garrettsville - Unless your address is “Under a Rock” Boulevard, you have most likely heard some degree of controversy surrounding testing in schools. The new tests have become a hot topic on social media and the buzz around the tests is becoming a distraction to education for students, staff,...

In all aspects of our organization we exceed minimum expectations. Our test scores reflect teachers and students going above and beyond. The condition of our grounds and buildings reflects doing much more than just the minimum. With new testing for students, higher standards and the Third Grade Reading Guarantee, this is no time to lower our expectations to a minimum.

We should all be very proud of our students, staff and administrators. This award affirms what we have known for some time. Our teachers work hard to foster great relationships with kids. They use data to help learn about student strengths and weaknesses and then work together to make sure all students grow. This, coupled with the support of a great community and parents is an obvious recipe for success. Congratulations to James A. Garfield Elementary School staff, students and administrators on their phenomenal work.