Pulitzer Prize-winning author Taylor Branch, a national authority on America's civil rights movement, will speak at Shaker Heights High School on December 5 at 7:30 p.m. Branch is an author and historian best known for his award- winning trilogy of books chronicling the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the history of the American civil rights movement. The final volume of the 2,912-page trilogy ? collectively called America in the King Years ? was released in January 2006. Branch?s appearance is sponsored by the Allstate Foundation and by Facing History and Ourselves, a national nonprofit organization whose mission is ?to engage students of diverse backgrounds in civic education that encourages the skills, promotes the values, and fosters the ideals needed to sustain a democratic society.? The event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited so reservations are recommended. For more information, call 321-9220 or e-mail Tracey_Frie rson@facing.org

In accordance with a new state law, all schools in Ohio must now hold a lockdown drill every year. These lockdown drills will take place in each Shaker school sometime before winter vacation. The School District?s lockdown protocol was developed with the assistance of the Shaker Heights Police Department. During a lockdown drill, students and adults will be required to clear halls and other open spaces and go to the closest classroom or other area that provides some cover. Teachers are being trained in how to conduct the drills, and students will be informed about them before they occur.

More than 50 Shaker Heights High School students served as poll workers, technicians, or campaign volunteers in the November 7 election. Election officials have been reaching out to high school and college students to assist with elections, particularly with the new technology used. Among the winning candidates were Shaker alums Lee Fisher ?69 (Lieutenant Governor), Marc Dann, ?80 (Attorney General), Lance Mason, ?85 (State Senate), and Stuart Friedman, ?62, Common Pleas Judge.

Do you have a few hours to devote to students' learning through hands-on science? The Middle School Science Fair needs additional judges on December 14, from 3-5 p.m. or from 4-6 p.m. If you?re interested in helping out, e-mail Eileen Sadowsky with your contact information, science background, and preferred time slot.

Bids will be opened later this month for the installation of new windows at the High School and Boulevard Elementary School. Formal action by the Board of Education is anticipated in December so that design and fabrication of the windows can proceed in time for installation in the spring and summer of 2007. As with the previous window replacements at Woodbury, Onaway, Fernway, and Lomond, the new windows will be energy-efficient and low-maintenance. The window replacements will be financed with bond issue funds.

Design work is proceeding on the renovation of the Large Auditorium at Shaker Heights High School. The space will be outfitted with new wiring, carpet, heating and ventilation, seats, stage, curtain and rigging, and sound and lighting systems. The vintage plasterwork and other architectural features will be restored. The cost will be shared between the District and the Shaker Schools Foundation. The High School?s music and theatre departments will remain the primary users of the auditorium, but it will be open to use by all the Shaker schools and the community.

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