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10^th graders at MC²STEM conduct research at University of Arizona 

The MC²STEM sophomore class was in Tucson recently to conduct research at the University of Arizona's Biosphere2, one of the world's most advanced facilities dedicated to the research and understanding of global scientific issues.

The students studied soil samples and trace gasses. They also learned how different plants from the forest and rainforest could be used as an organic source for developing medicines or manufacturing materials such as plastics. The MC²STEM students participated in ongoing research at the university. 

MC²STEM High School is a project-based STEM school intent on preparing students for college and successful careers in science, technology, engineering and math. The school's curriculum shows students how the various disciplines of social studies, English, math, engineering and science are linked.

Internet math makes problem solving fun

As they return from spring break, hundreds of students at 10 elementary schools will learn that they are contenders in the national and state First In Math online competition that continues until Friday, April 30.

A team at Newton D. Baker ranked No. 1 in Ohio, and a team at Scranton ranked No. 7.

First In Math players at Riverside ranked No. 5 in school-wide rankings in Ohio (No. 42 in the nation), and players at Paul L. Dunbar were No. 8 in Ohio (No. 63 in the nation).

In individual player rankings, one Riverside student was No. 4 in Ohio and No. 15 in the nation; another student was No. 9 in Ohio and No. 57 nationally. In Ohio rankings, a third Riverside student was No. 20; a Charles A. Mooney student, No. 10; and a Baker student, No. 21.

"All Cleveland students combined have solved more than 41 million math problems since last November," said Mike Hughes, a First In Math administrator.

First In Math is an online program that encourages students to solve math problems. It provides immediate feedback so they can improve their math skills. The First In Math game allows students to complete math problems 24/7 on any computer with Internet access. Students advance at different rates, according to their individual skill levels.

Flexible Content Expert Liz Nelson, who serves as the District's math coordinator, said the students "play the games and do a different activity every day, spending at least 10 minutes a day solving (First In Math) problems."

Teachers use incentives to encourage students to solve math problems. Some schools give out stickers, others recognize a "Math Student of the Day" or allow top-achievers to go to the head of the lunch line, Nelson said.

Students at Riverside, Paul L. Dunbar, Newton D. Baker, Charles A. Mooney, Marion C. Seltzer, Benjamin Franklin, Scranton, William Cullen Bryant, Thomas Jefferson Newcomers and Clara E. Westropp ranked in the top 100 teams by school or as individuals in state and national rankings.

These students are competing against other players in Ohio, as well as in Alabama, California, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin. 

East Tech Junior Samira Malone interviews Shelley Stewart, founder of the Mattie C. Stewart Foundation.

'InsideOut' documentary challenges students to stay in school

 
Administrators, guidance counselors and community members gathered at the Barbara Byrd Bennett Professional Development Center to preview InsideOut, a documentary that will be incorporated into the District's K-8 social studies curriculum.

InsideOut was developed to help educators, administrators, parents and community leaders fight the nation's dropout epidemic. It allows students to see firsthand the importance of the choices they make.

The 26-minute documentary, which is told through the voices of prison inmates, shows the lasting impact of dropping out of school. The documentary is accompanied by a teacher's guide and a set of related classroom lessons.

One lesson calls for students to write letters to family members as if they were writing from prison. The teacher's guide and classroom lessons have been used in classrooms and community centers in 47 states and Canada.

Journalism students from East Tech High School attended the preview. "I was watching the film, and I felt inspired to continue in my quest to graduate from high school and go to college," said Shadi Thompkins, an East Tech student.

Verizon Wireless provided funding so that all CMSD K-8 schools and high schools receive copies of the documentary.

Shelley Stewart, creator of InsideOut, spoke to attendees following the preview. Reflecting on his personal adversities, Stewart said he learned the value of education early on, and he felt it was his responsibility to impress that same lesson upon young people.

"The dropout rate in the U.S. has reached unbelievable proportions," he said. "We have to use creative approaches to reach our youth and encourage them to stay in school."

To view a video of Stewart's visit to CMSD, go to  YouTube. To learn more about InsideOut, visit  www.mattiecstewart.org.

 

Spring comes early to Campus International School

Rui Zhao spent her first Chinese holiday in America. Zhao, a Beijing native, is in Cleveland on a two-year teaching assignment as Campus International School's Mandarin teacher. Excited to share Chinese culture with the Campus International community, Zhao introduced the idea of celebrating Chinese New Year.

 

Despite its winter occurrence, Chinese New Year is known as a Spring Festival, the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. The holiday signifies the end of winter and the coming of spring.

 

True to the school's international focus, the Campus International Explorers embraced the idea of bringing Chinese New Year to their school hallways. During the weeks leading up to Spring Festival, members of the school community worked to make the school look as authentic as possible.

Rui Zhao

 

Adorned with red paper lanterns, a decoration that is used for the holiday to bring good luck, the school's gymnasium mirrored the décor of a home in China during festival time. 

 

Students dazzled dozens of parents and school supporters as they took center stage to sing "The Sun, The Moon, The Stars" in Mandarin, showcase their Kung Fu skills and perform the Lion Dance.

 

Campus International students credit their Spring Festival experience to the hard work of Zhao and volunteer parents who planned the event.

 

"This was such a great experience. I felt like I was in China," said first-grade student Isaiah Payne.

 

During the celebration, students participated in other Spring Festival traditions such as solving riddles on lanterns, giving New Year cards to the adults and receiving red envelopes with "lucky" money inside. The color red is traditionally symbolic of happiness or good luck. The event culminated with the Explorers eating Chinese dumplings.

 

While it was difficult for Zhao not to be with her family, as Spring Festival is usually a time for families to come together, she was excited to share the traditions with her Campus International family.

 

"I was with family," Zhao said. "My students and my colleagues are now a part of my family."

 

Max Hayes Robotics Team

goes to international competition

Click button above for more information about VEX Robotics Competition.

 

A donation from the Third Federal Foundation to cover travel costs made it possible for four Max Hayes High School students to attend an international robotics competition in Orlando, Fla., April 14 to 16.

 

Alec Peck, Dawan Shabazz, Dale Clevinger and Dennis May, members of Team Red Dragons - the Max Hayes Robotics Team - qualified for the Vex Robotics World Championship when they won a qualifying tournament at Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center in March.

 

Kurt Karakul, president and director of the Third Federal Foundation, gave the team a check for $6,500, which made it possible for the students and their adviser, Lee Browning, to be among the 517 teams from 14 countries to compete at the robotics event. The Vex Competition is the fastest growing robotics program in the world. Sponsored by the nonprofit REC (Robotics Education and Competition) Foundation, it supports robotics and programs that aim to inspire and motivate students to advance in STEM education.

 

Maxine Jackson, head of Max Hayes tech programs, said Vex was a great experience and opportunity for the team, which "they would not have had if they did not work hard to get to this point. I am proud and happy for them."

 

The team is also sponsored by the Youth Technology Academy of Cuyahoga Community College. That group works to help the Max Hayes team build a creative, innovative robot and encourages team members to enhance their science, math and technology skills in the spirit of competition and collaboration. 

 

The public can view the robot and watch the Max Hayes Robotics Team perform at the Manufacturing Matters Showcase, Thursday, May 12 at the Cleveland I-X Center, sponsored by WIRE-Net.org. 

 

Glenville senior wins $25K scholarship

Cedric Thorbes

Cedric Thorbes, a Glenville High School senior, won a $25,000 scholarship this month when he placed second in the "Stop the Hate! Youth Speak Out" essay contest, sponsored by the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage.

In his essay, Thorbes recounted the way he was treated in southern Ohio at another essay contest. He shares how quiet racism inspired him to get involved in social-justice organizations.

"I couldn't understand why I didn't receive applause from the crowd. Was it because I was black? Was it because I was from the inner city? I had no clue why they gave off this vibe. Being one of only six blacks in the room made me feel uneasy with this company. They showed they weren't too fond of my being there. I had no idea why this discrimination and racism occurred. After my experience on the panel, my spirit was crushed."

Go here to read the entire essay.

Thorbes, who is the golf team captain and former member of his wrestling team, loves poetry and performance art. He also won the Youth Individual Community Service Award for 2011 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Concert on Jan. 16 at Severance Hall. Thorbes plans to major in business education and become a teacher in the Cleveland area.  

Submit information about other scholarship recipients to Carolyn Kovach at Carolyn.S.Kovach@cmsdnet.net.  

Parker inducted into

(L to R) Benedictine Alumni Coordinator Christopher Lorber and Cardell Parker.

Athletic
Hall of Fame

 

Cardell Parker, CMSD's student hearings and appeals director, was inducted into the Benedictine Athletic Hall of Fame, March 6. 

Parker is a 1971 graduate of Benedictine, an all-male Catholic college-preparatory school in Cleveland. 

During his Bengal years, Cardell combined his 6-foot-4-inch, 240-pound frame and his sprinter speed to become one of Cleveland's top defensive players. He played on Cleveland City Championship teams in each of his two seasons. 

In 1969, he played defensive tackle and was an All-East Senate choice and the only junior named to The Plain Dealer All-Scholastic team. As a senior linebacker, he was selected for All-East Senate, the PD All-Scholastic and Cleveland Press All-Scholastic. 

Cardell also excelled in track, running in the winning 880-yard relay team at the 45th annual Greater Cleveland Interscholastic Indoor Track Meet. 

After graduating from Benedictine, he played football at the University of Louisville and then served with the Marines. Today, he lives with his wife, Hazel, and two children in Solon.   

(L to R) Riakeem Gardner and Kassandra Brown read their original poems at the America SCORES Fifth Annual National Poetry SLAM.

 

Walton students read poems onstage at Harlem's Apollo Theater

 

Two Walton K-8 students had a night to remember on April 11 when they were among 30 students from 15 cities to perform the Motown signature song, "Dancing in the Street," with legendary diva Martha Reeves.

Kassandra Brown and Riakeem Gardner were onstage with Reeves at Harlem's Apollo Theater, where they read their original poems at the America SCORES Fifth Annual National Poetry SLAM. "Dancing in the Streets," written by Marvin Gaye, became a hit after Reeves and The Vandellas first performed it in 1964.

Kassandra and Riakeem were chosen to go to New York after they read their poems last November before a crowd of 500 people at Cleveland State University's Waetjen Auditorium. Kassandra, a fifth grader, read her poem, "One Day." Riakeem, a third grader, read "Hands and Feet."

They competed against 16 other CMSD students who participated in the annual poetry SLAM, organized by America SCORES, a nonprofit organization that provides after-school programs in sports and creative writing for the District. The program serves more than 400 students, ages 8 to 15, in nine schools located in the Clark-Fulton, Glenville, Hough, North Broadway/Slavic Village and Puritas-Longmead neighborhoods.

"Both Riakeem and Kassandra like to express themselves in written word. They look forward to writing poetry," said Leida Diedrichs, the students' poetry coach and chaperone for the weekend. "I am excited for them because this event celebrates every performer. They left New York feeling like celebrities."

Cleveland's two New Tech High Schools were national models earlier this month during a regional New Tech Network Showcase at a downtown Cleveland hotel. 

More than 90 superintendents, principals, teachers and students from Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia came to Cleveland on April 14 to discuss how to create a successful New Tech High School and to tour CMSD's two New Tech academies, which opened last August under the Academic Transformation Plan. New Tech @ Garrett Morgan is headed by Principal Erin Frew, and New Tech @ East Tech is headed by Principal Ryan Durr.  

Chief of Staff Christine Fowler-Mack described the process of successfully opening the New Tech schools, supported by grants from the Cleveland and Gund foundations. Fowler-Mack joined CMSD in 2009 as head of the New and Innovative Schools Office and continues to support the office since assuming the chief of staff role last year. 

CMSD's two New Tech academies are the first Ohio schools to join the New Tech Network, a nationwide organization, which supports high schools that stress a "project-based" curriculum. The national network started in 1996 with the opening of California's Napa New Technology High School and, by next fall, is expected to have more than 80 schools in 14 states. The educators who visited Cleveland were interested in opening New Tech schools in their districts. The New Tech organization provides bi-monthly training at its schools and shares best practices through regular meetings, conferences and updates.    

Fowler-Mack told the visiting educators that CMSD educators "get it," explaining that "we understand that our students, in order to be prepared for their future, need a set of skills, experiences and emerging networks of support that will assist them in making learning relevant and sustainable." 

She noted that in addition to the New Tech schools, the District has an expanding portfolio - currently 14 schools - of innovative learning environments, including single-gender academies; Campus International; MC²STEM, Design Lab Early College, Ginn Academy, Cleveland School of Science and Medicine, Cleveland School of Architecture Design and Early College high schools.  

Fowler-Mack said CMSD chose to work with the New Tech school model "because of the fundamental ways in which it engages students in collaboration, integrated learning and leadership." She added, "Students guide the exploration. Students demonstrate learning and manage accountability. Students engage with the community and the New Tech Network."

 

Silverman donates school uniform vouchers to families affected by fire

 

Silverman's department store donated 80 uniform vouchers to families that were affected by the fire that devastated a Euclid Avenue apartment complex on April 13.

The four-story Erie Square Apartments on the East Side sustained significant damage after a 2:30 a.m. fire quickly spread throughout the structure that houses more than 40 apartment units. According to news reports, the fire started in a fourth floor unit at the rear of the building

It took fire crews more than three hours to get the blaze under control. No residents were killed or injured, but all of them are now without a place to live, and many lost everything they own.

The American Red Cross of Greater Cleveland is assisting the displaced residents, and the District's Family and Community Engagement (F.A.C.E.) Office is providing uniform vouchers to the District families impacted by the fire. If you know a family that lived in the Erie Square Apartments and needs uniform vouchers, contact F.A.C.E. at 216.858.0117.

The Nigerian Community in Greater Cleveland (NCGC), in collaboration with CMSD and the Cleveland Public Library, will hold its Third Annual Health Fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, May 7, at the Health Career Center, Martin Luther King Jr. Campus.

The Health Fair will provide free health screenings for anyone who does not have the resources for adequate health care. Screenings will include dental hygiene, blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, respiratory, prenatal and more.

Basing its estimate on last year's numbers, NCGC is expecting more than 1,000 people to attend this year's fair. More than 30 physicians and 30 nurses will volunteer their services.

If you know of families that would benefit from free health screenings, please make them aware of this event.

For more information, contact Lee Kareem, Health Fair Planning committee chairman, at 440.263.5584.             

 

Wraparound model seeks to enrich, change school culture

 

Many are familiar with the work of Geoffrey Canada and the success of the Harlem Children's Zone. Lauded as a national model for connecting impoverished families to social-support services, the Harlem Children's Zone now serves 8,000 children and 6,000 adults. What fewer may realize is that a similar model exists here in Cleveland.

As part of the Academic Transformation Plan, the wraparound model was implemented in four schools - East Tech, Lincoln-West, H. Barbara Booker and Harvey Rice. The community wraparound academies replicate certain aspects of the Harlem Children's Zone, combining academics, enrichment and social services to create a comprehensive support network for students and families.

Principal Paul Hoover of East Tech's Community Wraparound Academy (CWA) understands the need for this model, not just in Cleveland but nationally. "Teens are dealing with the splintering of the American family," Hoover said. "It's not just happening in Cleveland. It's not just happening in the Central Neighborhood. It's happening around the nation."

A significant part of the school's mission is to serve as a community hub, bridging the gap between students, neighborhood resources and the community. Although Hoover refers to this year as a training year for teachers and administrators, the academy has begun to lay the groundwork for what CWA teachers and students believe will be something special.

In January, the school partnered with the Neighborhood Leadership Institute to begin an extended school day with enrichment opportunities three days a week for students and families. East Tech After Hours, the after-school enrichment program, was developed based on survey results about program offerings that students and parents considered valuable. 

Over the months, student participation has been slowly building. With only a few dozen students staying after school, Hoover recognizes that it's going to take a culture change for students to get into the habit of staying after the school day ends.

Fitting for a wraparound academy, community outreach plays a major role in the academy's work. The academy hosts a community event every two months.

Hoover radiated with excitement as he shared his vision for CWA. Currently, the academy serves 340 students in grades 10 to 12. In a year, CWA would like to boast a 90 percent attendance rate, OGT scores in the upper half of the city and at least a 50 percent student participation in the after-school enrichment program.

Hoover credits much of the school's progress since the start of the school year to the resilience of his students. "I'm blown away by the level of maturity and class that my students have exhibited during this period of change," he said. "I've watched students grow happier, grow in purpose and grow in curiosity. This academy is going to have a profound impact on these students and this neighborhood."

Transforming Education will be an ongoing column. Each month, Angela Buford Payne, media specialist, will share stories about how teachers, coaches, administrators and staff are using different approaches to educating children - approaches that are transformative. If you have a success story that you would like to share with readers, contact Angela at 216.858.6994 or angela.buford@cmsdnet.net.