Mantua – In early February, Crestwood High School classroom aide Heidi Duke was nominated for the 2022-23 National LifeChanger of the Year award. Duke was nominated by Superintendent Dr. David Toth for being instrumental in leading the credit recovery program at Crestwood High School. In this capacity, Duke works with students who are at the most risk of not graduating high school. “She is always enthusiastic with her work with these students and succeeds where others cannot. There is no doubt in my mind that without her, these students would not receive their diplomas,” stated Toth. Duke is one of 24 nominees in Ohio and 558 nominees nationwide. The LifeChanger of the Year award is sponsored by the National Life Group Foundation and recognizes the very best K-12 educators and school district employees across the United States.
In late February, five CMS Power of the Pen students qualified for the regional competition at Kent State University. These strong competitors made it to the top 50% of all writers in the state. At the competition, Cas Jessel placed fourth out of 105 eighth graders competing from 34 schools. The team of Brielle Hunter, Cas Jessel, Piper Rowan, Schwerko, and Abby Wild are anxiously awaiting the results to see who will qualify for the state competition in May at Ashland University.
In nutrition news, the first week in March is National School Breakfast Week. Crestwood Schools are grateful for Lakeside Sand & Gravel for sponsoring this week at the Primary and Intermediate schools, providing complimentary breakfast to kindergarten through sixth graders for the entire week. Fittingly, this year’s theme is “Dig into School Breakfast”.
More good news at the Primary and Intermediate campus, students now have a new option at recess, as GaGa ball pits have been installed at the shared playground. For those unfamiliar, Gaga ball is a variant of dodgeball, the classic playground sport. Instead of hurling balls at will, players in a confined ‘pit’ slap or hit the ball, aiming to hit other players at or below the knees. If you’re hit, you’re out. The last player in the pit is the winner. The game is relatively inclusive, since kids don’t need to be able to run fast, and smaller kids may even have an advantage over taller ones. As the weather warms up, participation in the GaGa Ball pit is sure to increase.
Lastly, Dr. David Toth shared in a letter to the community that the district continues to struggle to fill positions for bus drivers, substitute teachers, and custodians. He notes that most school districts in the area and across the country have the same issue. He noted, “Due to this reality, there may be a time when we may have to prolong or cancel a bus run. We may also have to have a virtual day for one of our school buildings due to the lack of substitute teachers.” He explained that a virtual day is when the students would receive their assignments from Google classroom and work on them at home. “I hope this situation does not happen, but I want you to be aware of the possibility so that you may prepare,” he concluded.
The next regular School Board meeting will take place on Tuesday, March 14th at 7 pm; residents are encouraged to attend.
