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Heights High junior Antonio Harper (left) and senior Bryan Clark are members of the Tiger TV News club that produces a regular news program for and about Heights High students.

The Tiger TV News Club at Cleveland Heights High School is producing a new program: “Tiger TV News: For Students, By Students.” 

Perhaps the best news is that anyone can watch it. The first edition is on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gm5nVaMEAs

Posted in late March, the first show includes coverage of the school talent show auditions, reviews of the video game “NBA 2K13” and the movie “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” season overviews of the bowling and boys’ basketball teams, and a feature on Heights alumus Jon Hayden and his Coventry Road shop, Focused Tattoo.

2012 Home How-To for Women participants learn to repair windows from volunteer instructor Eliot Watts. Photo by Rebecca Stager.

Designed for women who want to learn how to make home repairs themselves, HRRC’s Home How-To for Women course in Carpentry Repairs will cover how to install ceramic tile, repair windows, build handrails, repair plaster and drywall, and complete other carpentry projects. The Carpentry Repairs module will include eight two-hour classes, held on Wednesday evenings from June 5 through July 31 at HRRC’s Teaching Center in Cleveland Heights.

Applications are now being accepted, and early registration is suggested. Only 18 spots are available, to encourage small-group learning. Tuition is $120 for Cleveland Heights residents and $150 for nonresidents; low-income participants are eligible for reduced rates.

MAY 7, 2013

• Heights High musicians recognized
• Continuing contracts
• Lay Facilities Committee (LFC)
• Gearity 4th grade trip
• School transportation options
• Teacher evaluation policy
• Donations
• Property tax collection
• Heights tennis team champions
• Acknowledgements
  
  

All board members were present.

On May 15, the City of Cleveland Heights announced that it has extended the deadline for submittal of Requests for Proposals (RFPs) until June 6 for five city-owned properties.

Links to the RFPs for new development on Euclid Heights Boulevard near Lee Road, at the intersection of Cedar and Coventry roads, on Noble Road near Greyton Road, at the Turkey Ridge site on Edgehill Road, and at Noble Road between Greyton and Woodview roads can be found at http://www.clevelandheights.com/index.aspx?page=365.

The 2012–13 KYEP class, with CCWA Executive Director Maura O'Donnell-McCarthy.

The Cleveland Council on World Affairs (CCWA) is seeking host families for its Kosovo Youth Exchange Program (KYEP) for the upcoming school year, when Cleveland Heights High School’s Renaissance International School will welcome up to three students. The application deadline is May 25.

“Opening myself up to a new family and a new culture was the best decision of my life,” said Dorotea, one this year’s KYEP students. A sophomore from Pristina, Kosovo, she is studying at Magnificat High School, where she’s made friends, joined the debate team, and made the honor roll. Along with other Cleveland-based KYEP students—Gresë, also a student at Magnificat, and Arbias, enrolled at Mayfield High School—Dorotea is taking advantage of what the program has to offer. Gresë agrees that her experience has been life-changing: “The friendships I have created are priceless. I am very lucky!”

MAY 6, 2013

• Citizen comments
• Bicycle legislation
• National Preservation Month
• Savings on bonds interest
• Community Development Block Grants
• Special Improvement Districts (SIDs)
• Water and sewer code
• Equipment purchases
• Zoning variances
• Bluestone Mayfield development
• Tax abatements
• Nighttown expansion
• Phoenix Coffee loan
• Building code alignment
• Amusement devises
• New ambulance
  
  

Council Member Janine Boyd was absent.

The City of Cleveland Heights is asking residents to help identify AT&T utility boxes at which landscaping should be replaced. Residents should send photos of the box and the location (the nearest building’s address) to Richard Wong, director of planning, at rwong@clvhts.com, by May 24.

AT&T has offered to improve the landscaping that surrounds the boxes, however, it would like to initiate all of the work at one time. The company identifies its boxes with stick-on letters and numbers, such as those in the adjacent photo. 

To the Editor:

I am worried about one of the opinions expressed by Mary Dunbar in her article "Cleveland Heights road repairs" [Heights Observer, April 1]. Ms. Dunbar wrote, "Though charming, Cleveland Heights's few remaining brick roads can be cost prohibitive to maintain. Covering them with asphalt improves driving safety and makes repairs affordable."

This seems to me to be a curious statement from a member of Cleveland Heights City Council. Cleveland Heights is blessed with many charming homes, commercial buildings and parks. If we only consider cost, I guess it is true that all of our charming assets could be replaced with alternatives that would make them less "cost prohibitive to maintain," but then Cleveland Heights would be just another suburban clone community.

HBC members (from left) Corrie Holliday, Ian Hoffman, Greta De Meyer, Brandon Henneman, Walter De Meyer and Joy Henderson rode to the CH City Council meeting on May 6, along with HBC member Lee Reis, who took the picture.

To mark the start of Bike Month, a group of Heights Bicycle Coalition (HBC) members rode from the arch at Coventry P.E.A.C.E. Park to Cleveland Heights City Hall to address the city council at its May 6 meeting.

At the meeting, Brandon Henneman, HBC spokesperson, thanked Cleveland Heights City Council and staff for making the city more bicycle-friendly and suggested new ways of collaboration.

Henneman thanked council for designating the month of May Bike Month. He also thanked the city for increasing the number of bike racks in commercial districts, including bike officers on its police force, adding designated bicycle lanes to North Park Boulevard, adding bicycle-friendly provisions to the city’s Sustainable Zoning Code, collaborating with HBC to improve connections between University Circle, and adding bicycle infrastructure to the resurfacing project at Edgehill Road.

Mayor Ed Kelley helps cut the ribbon to dedicate the garden.
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Saturday, May 11, was a good day for community, sharing and—dirt. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Montford Community Garden Association (MCGA) members, including Patrick Byrne, John Ludway, Laurel Freeder, Diane Frederick, Curt and Suzie Coker, Michael Jones, Leslie Bates, and others assembled raised beds and filled them with soil in preparation for planting, which will begin in the next two weeks.

Several young people were on hand to help. Olivia Jones and her friend, Ashlee Woldman, took a break from shoveling and raking to help Mayor Ed Kelley cut a ribbon, tied between two Fiskar’s shovels, to dedicate the garden.

Hundreds of Church of the Saviour volunteers and community members will work to feed thousands of starving children in the developing world. Through a partnership between the church (at 2537 Lee Road in Cleveland Heights) and Minneapolis-based Feed My Starving Children (FMSC), volunteers will prepare 100,000 potentially life-saving meals at an FMSC MobilePack event on Saturday, May 18, in the church’s Great Hall

Zoe Cook

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As the school year winds down, Reaching Heights, a nonprofit that supports the CH-UH public schools, is holding its annual Thank-A-Teacher drive to recognize teachers and foster an atmosphere of appreciation in our schools.

Parents and community members can pay tribute to a Heights teacher by making a contribution to Reaching Heights in honor of that teacher. The teacher receives a note of thanks, the teacher’s principal is notified about the honor, and Reaching Heights uses the donated money to fund its small grants program to enable school-based projects at CH-UH schools.

“Teachers are vital to the success of all students,” said Patrick Mullen, director of Reaching Heights. “Reaching Heights invites the community to thank the people involved in creating safe and productive school days for our children for the work they do.”

Following are a few of the notes of appreciation written by Cleveland Heights High School seniors.

Zoe Cook

Mrs. McDade was my ninth grade World History teacher and my AP US History (APUSH) teacher. She truly cares about each of her students and always pushed me to do my best while also being very supportive. APUSH was definitely the most challenging course I have taken at Heights. Her personal story of being in the Peace Corps was very inspiring and sparked my interest to travel abroad.

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A common pleas judge has rejected an attempt by the City of Cleveland Heights to block a public records case from going to trial.

[We], Cleveland Heights residents Douglas Whipple and Susan Tuck-Whipple, had submitted two public records requests to the city in 2011--before the project began. They sought records relating to the conduct of city council and the administration leading up to the rehabilitation of Taylor Road. The project narrowed South Taylor Road and allocated all of the resulting green space to the commercial east side of the street and none to the residential west side.

On Sunday, May 19, the Heights Community Garden Network will host a seed swap and plant sale in the auxiliary parking lot of Fairmount Presbyterian Church, across the street from the church at the corner of Fairmount Boulevard and Coventry Road. The Seeds & Starts, Swap & Sale will feature several plants and seeds—mostly edibles and herbs—just in time for the planting season.

APRIL 23, 2013

• High school ISSN field trip
• Reduction of teaching staff
• Safety and security plan
• New policy adoptions
• Mathematics textbook
  
  

All board members were present.

APRIL 15, 2013

• Public comments
• Arbor Day
• Mayors Against Illegal Guns
• Figure skating honors
• Utility vehicle purchase
• Fernwood, Channing water lines
• Internet auction of city goods
• Street resurfacing
• Former Fuchs Mizrachi School
• Overnight parking
• Electronic device use while driving
• John Carroll University banners
• Back taxes found
• University fencing
• Home exterior inspections
• Executive session
  
  

All council members were present.

The Lay Facilities Committee (LFC) will present its recommendations for a school facilities master plan to the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Board of Education (BOE) at the board’s May 7 meeting. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the Deborah S. Delisle Educational Options Center, 14780 Superior Road.

The public is invited to attend, and the meeting agenda includes an opportunity for audience members to make statements following the LFC's presentation. [Note that BOE meeting protocol requires that audience members wishing to speak at the meeting sign in prior to the start of the meeting. Anyone wishing to make a statement should arrive early to sign in.]

Franklin and Diana Cohen, of Cleveland Heights, are co-artistic directors of ChamberFest Cleveland.

Following the success of its inaugural season last year, aptly themed “Big Bang,” ChamberFest Cleveland is expanding its 2013 schedule to include more concerts and new venues.

ChamberFest’s 2013 season, “(IT’S) ABOUT TIME,” begins on Thursday, June 20, and runs through Sunday, June 30. In addition to a concert, the opening night festivities will feature an after-party at L’Albatros in University Circle as well as a free pre-concert recital showcasing this season’s resident young artist, cellist Gabriel Cabezas.

ChamberFest Cleveland is an intensive chamber music festival, featuring world-class musicians and innovative classical music performances in unique venues. Diana Cohen, a Cleveland Heights native, founded ChamberFest in an effort to bring an international-level chamber music festival to the Cleveland area. Despite its rich cultural and musical traditions, Greater Cleveland had never hosted a festival of this caliber. Cohen and her father, Cleveland Orchestra principal clarinetist and Heights resident, Franklin Cohen, are co-artistic directors of the festival.

Soli Collins
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Soli Collins, a Roxboro Middle School student, is the first-prize winner among the 8th-grade finalists in the Maltz Museum’s fifth annual "Stop the Hate: Youth Speak Out!" essay contest. The awards ceremony was held May 2 at Severance Hall.

The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage created the annual competition in 2008 to encourage middle- and high-school students to focus attention on the corrosive effects of hatred, discrimination and intolerance, while developing critical thinking and communication skills.

This year, more than 1,600 students from seven Northeast Ohio counties submitted essays. The students’ essays address a variety of issues, including cyber-bullying, racism, anti-Semitism and Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) issues, and offer heartfelt and innovative solutions.

Juliette Godard and her father, Lance, were among several participants at Roxboro Elementary School in last fall's Walk or Bike to School Day in the CH-UH district.

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In observance of National Bike Month, many bike-related events are being held this May throughout the Heights.

At the May 6 Cleveland Heights City Council meeting, council members passed a resolution designating this month Bike Month in Cleveland Heights. Prior to the meeting, bicyclists gathered at the arch at Coventry P.E.A.C.E. Park and rode together to city hall, to thank the city for making the community more bicycle-friendly.

On Wednesday, May 8, Boulevard, Canterbury, Gearity and Roxboro elementary schools and Monticello Middle School will participate in National Bike or Walk to School Day. According to the Heights Bicycle Coalition (HBC), kids who walk or bike to school are better able to learn, get the exercise they need for optimal health, navigate neighborhoods and avoid polluting the environment.

APRIL 15, 2013

• Cleveland Heights poet laureate
• Citizen communication
• Wine Spot Liquor license
• Recycling brochure
• Road salt
• Sponsor signs at athletic events
• Police vehicle purchases
• Employee dental program
  
  

All council members were present.

APRIL 15, 2013

• Heights Knowledge and Innovation Center opening
• Book bike to debut at Memorial Day Parade
• March projects
• Public Service Report highlights for March
• Friends Mega May Book Sale
• Friends’ fundraiser
  
  

All board members were present.

The Cleveland Heights City Council has posted the agenda for its May 6 meeting. The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Cleveland Heights City Hall.

The report from the director of finance/clerk of council includes notifying council that one notice has been received from the Ohio Department of Liquor Control advising that application has been made by the following:

Vero Bistro, Inc., NEW, premises located at 12421 Cedar Road, 44106.

The University Heights City Council has posted the agenda for its May 6 meeting. The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. at University Heights City Hall.

The agenda includes a resolution authorizing the Mayor to enter into an agreement with ODOT to purchase sodium choloride (rock salt) for the 2013-14 winter season and declaring an emergency. It also includes consideration of an ordinance authorizing transfer of funds from the general fund to the street lighting fund and debt service fund.

Fairmount Presbyterian Church will hold a public meeting on the future of its former manse on Tuesday, May 7, at 7:30 p.m. The meeting will be held in the church’s chapel at 2757 Fairmount Blvd.

The church had used the house at 2765 Fairmount Blvd. as the manse for its head pastor from 1968 to 2011. The almost 9,000-square-foot structure was designed by Meade and Hamilton, a prominent Cleveland architectural firm, in 1912 as a single-family residence. The building has not been significantly altered since it was built; however, the church currently uses a portion of the backyard for parking.

Peggy Spaeth

The Cleveland Arts Prize has announced that Peggy Spaeth, executive director of Heights Arts, is a 2013 winner of the Martha Joseph Prize for Distinguished Service to the Arts.

Spaeth, who plans to retire from her position as Heights Arts director in July, is one of three winners of this year’s Martha Joseph Prize. The other 2013 winners are Jill Snyder, executive director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland; and Fred and Laura Bidwell, art collectors and philanthropists, who opened the Transformer Station, a new exhibition space for contemporary art, in Ohio City in January.

Team members Ayanna Jackson, Miranda Coble, Courtney Stuckney and Shaylah Patterson hold a banner recognizing Motorcars, which sponsored the new field.

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After two years of fundraising and planning, the Cleveland Heights Lady Tigers Softball program opened its new home field on April 23. A warm, sunny day brought out a standing-room-only crowd, including Cleveland Heights Mayor Ed Kelley, and Council Members Jason Stein and Mary Dunbar. The festivities were led by Kristin Hughes, athletic director for the CH-UH schools, and booster co-leaders, Jennifer Vinson and Larry Sollisch. The real winners were the players, who for years were bused to Forest Hills Park to play their home games, and the community, which saw the corner of Goodnor Road and Washington Boulevard brought to life by the new facility.

"The Red Mill" was performed at Cain Park in 1951.

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“The City of Cleveland Heights recognizes and promotes our aesthetically diverse neighborhoods,” said Kara Hamley O’Donnell, historic preservation planner for the city. It is one of the reasons why the city has participated in National Preservation Month for more than 20 years.

“We are particularly proud of the fact that Cleveland Heights is home to 11 historic districts listed in the National Register of Historic Places,” she said. “That puts us sixth in the state, behind only Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Toledo and Dayton.” 

On April 23, the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Board of Education (BOE) voted 5-0 to cut the positions of 42 teachers. According to the district, this constitutes a 7 percent reduction in its teaching staff.

Two of the 42 eliminated positions are half-time; all others are full-time positions, and comprised classroom teachers, special education teachers, a media specialist and social worker.

Oboist Mary O’Keefe and pianist Kate Miller will perform with the Heights High Symphony on Friday, May 3.

Heights High oboist Mary O’Keefe and pianist Kate Miller will perform with the Heights High Symphony on Friday, May 3, at 7:30 p.m. O’Keefe will perform “Oboe Concerto in One Movement” by Sir Eugene Goossen, and Miller will perform Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 1, First Movement.”

The May 3 concert is one of three final performances this year by the Cleveland Heights High School Instrumental Music Department (IMD) scheduled for May 1, 3 and 10. All performances take place in the Dina Rees Evans Performing Arts Center at Heights High.

Rachel Bernstein is the new executive director of Heights Arts.

The Heights Arts Board of Trustees announced on April 18 that that it has selected Rachel Bernstein, arts administrator, educator and musician, to become Heights Arts' next executive director.

Bernstein will take over as director of the community arts organization on July 2. She steps into the position filled since 2000 by Peggy Spaeth, Heights Arts founding director.

Is too much good news harming our community? That is the contention of a few critics of the Heights Observer. The stories in these pages don’t seem important enough, or critical enough, in their view.

Heights High senior Antonio Harper.

Cleveland Heights High School senior Antonio Harper was the big winner at Hathaway Brown School’s iMagine Film Festival. On April 12, Harper’s film, "Larry," won first place in the comedy category, and then was named Best in Show as the festival’s single most outstanding film.

 “I was thrilled, excited and nervous all bundled into one,” Harper said. He added that his film’s humorous look at a day in the life of a Heights student came from staying true to his own creative instincts. “When Mr. Glass told me about the competition, I started thinking about complex things. But when it came down to doing it, I went with what’s natural to me.  I’m a comedian and it paid off.”

Lake Erie Ink (LEI) is a Cleveland Heights-based nonprofit that provides creative expression opportunities and academic support to youth in the Greater Cleveland community. The organization is wrapping up a year of creative programming with a Teen Fiction Symposium on Saturday, May 11, from 1–4 p.m.

Anna Grushetsky
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At the Western Reserve District 5 Science Day, sponsored by the Ohio Academy of Science, Beaumont students won seven awards. Of the 23 students who competed, 18 students scored high enough to qualify for State Science Day, to be held at Ohio State University on May 11. This is the largest Beaumont group ever to qualify for State Science Day.

The award winners in Category Awards were Anna Grushetsky '13, first place in mathematics; Megan Jones '13, second place in biochemistry; and Elizabeth Stanitz '14, third place in botany.

Beaumont students who received honors in the Sponsored Awards were Emily Boes '14, Akron District Society of Professional Engineers; Laura O'Meara '16, American Institute of Chemical Engineers; Courtney Prebul '13, ASM International; and Julia Parker '14, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations LLC. The awards were presented March 16 at the University of Akron.

A group of Heights High students, along with administrators and staff, traveled to Kent State University on April 11 to hear Elie Wiesel speak. Photo by Janet Century.

On April 11, 25 Cleveland Heights High School students visited Kent State University (KSU) to hear a speech by noted writer, professor, political activist and Holocaust survivor Elie Weisel, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986.

Professor Wiesel’s message to a large audience, including many students, was a call for compassion and for direct action to alleviate human suffering. He shared personal stories of persecution and suffering during World War II, including time at Auschwitz, and explained how these experiences influence his daily life. For example, when he goes to restaurants he asks the owner to arrange donation of leftover food for hunger relief.

The party invitation read, “How can you help send a child to school? It’s simple. Empower her Mom.”

Of course this caught my attention. The party was a benefit for Mercado Global, a nonprofit organization founded by Heights High graduate Ruth DeGolia, who has built a successful business that gives indigenous Guatemalan women financial stability. Mercado Global fosters women entrepreneurs and develops sales opportunities for the fashion accessories the women produce in their home-based workshops. It’s been a big success. Revive, on Lee Road, was an early outlet for these crafts, which are now also sold by national retailers including Nordstrom and Anthropologie.  

The Plant Sale Committee has assembled a terrific selection of annuals, vegetables, herbs, perennials and native plants for the 31st Annual Plant Sale at the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes.

May flowers . . . and plants and herbs and vegetables . . . will color the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes parking lot during its 31st annual plant sale on Saturday, May 11, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The sale features a wide variety of hard-to-find native plants, perennials and annuals selected by a local team of experienced horticulturalists. Annuals can be purchased in flats, individually, or in convenient preplanted hanging baskets. There will also be a wide selection of vegetable plants ready for a kitchen garden, and plant assortments one can combine to create a beautiful container arrangement.

'Tis the season for fresh and abundant locally grown food! More and more Heights residents are assuring themselves an abundant supply of healthy produce from local farms by purchasing a share from one of our local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) groups.

For many area residents, Coventry Village is the hip place for great nightlife, unique stores, fabulous restaurants, and interesting, historical places to live and work. Unfortunately, the North Coventry area of the neighborhood does not conjure up these positive thoughts.

The North Coventry triangle extends into East Cleveland, bordered on the north by Forest Hills Park, on the east by the Community Center, and on the south by Mayfield Road and the prosperity of Coventry Village. This neighborhood has many vacant homes and apartment buildings. Property values are depressed, and there is an increased level of crime activity. The area north of Mayfield Road has long been a source of concern for the City of Cleveland Heights.

Community gardens are a tremendous asset to our community. In addition to providing a gardening opportunity to apartment dwellers and to homeowners who desire additional or better garden space, community gardens promote sustainable practices like food-waste recycling and local food production. They also improve community food security by enabling residents to grow their own food or donate what they grow for hunger relief, provide an engaging activity for youth and improve the appeal and property values of neighborhoods.

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May is Bike Month nationwide. The Heights Bicycle Coalition is supporting local celebrations of Bike Month through collaborations with Heights cities, schools and more. All are welcome to participate in free Bike Month activities in the Heights.

To the Editor:

The issue of gun accessibility and gun control divides our nation. Most Americans agree that sensible gun control is a good thing. Getting specific about what that looks like, however, separates us into confused and suspicious camps. Good people and good friends disagree. Within the Forest Hill congregation there exists a variety of opinions, shaped by where one grew up, where one lives now, previous gun usage or ownership, and one’s interpretation of the Second Amendment.  

Cleveland Heights Youth Advisory Commission. Back row (from left) Jeremy Holmes, Dee Marsky, Joey Niccoletti, Tre' Grady, James Moore, Emily Vinson, Amanda Murray, Quintero Mack, Alexandria Keller, Kayla Primes, Council Member Jason Stein, Laurel Brown, Payton Meeks and Garth Bennett. First row (from left) Joey Houser, Shani Gelles,  Ellen Posch, Alice Janigro, Sydney Cook and Joshselyn Smith. Picture by Pam Raack.

On March 18, the City of Cleveland Heights selected 15 ninth, tenth and eleventh grade residents to serve on its first-ever Youth Advisory Commission (YAC).

The formation of the YAC was spearheaded by Council Member Jason Stein, who came up with the idea because he wants young people in Cleveland Heights to have an opportunity to "speak out and be heard."

Members of the YAC met March 21 and April 18 and decided to host a teen night as their first project. While Stein serves as liason to the YAC and there are three non-voting adult members, Stein said that the group is "youth-driven."

Before youths could begin applying for a position on the YAC, Stein spoke to Doug Heuer, CH-UH superintendent, who was "very supportive" of the idea. He also sent letters to principals of private high schools in Cleveland Heights and nearby cities.

On April 26, the City of Cleveland Heights announced in a news release that "it has decided not to extend the development agreement with The Orlean Company for the Meadowbrook-Lee project"—a mixed-use development plan for rental apartments and retail space.

"Everyone worked hard to make this development happen," said Mayor Ed Kelley, "and it is disappointing to all of us that The Orlean Company needed an extension. Council and staff agreed that it was time to move on."

On April 23, the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Board of Education (BOE) voted 5-0 to cut the positions of 42 teachers. According to the district, this constitutes a 7 percent reduction in its teaching staff.

Additional cuts are planned to administrative and support staff, and are expected to be voted on at the board’s May 21 meeting.

A statement from the district distributed at the conclusion of the April 23 meeting said that the teachers “were recently notified that their positions will not be available next school year.” [Read the district’s statement here.]

On April 23, 25,000 volunteers gave away half a million books in more than 6,000 towns and cities across the country, including Cleveland Heights.

World Book Night (WBN) provides thousands of free, specially printed paperbacks to light or nonreaders across America on one single day. Volunteers help promote reading by going out into their communities and sharing free copies of books. The WBN mission is to find those without the means or access to printed books and give them special copies.

“We were so proud to have had four volunteers from our neighborhood this year,” said Constance Dickerson, Noble Neighborhood Library manager, who participated in the event for the second time.

Reaching Heights Executive Director Patrick Mullen presents the Bee trophy to John Lazzaretti, Bonnie Bealer and Becky Bynum of Squire, Sanders and Dempsey.
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The Barratrous Orthographers, a team of lawyers from Squire, Sanders and Dempsey, were the winners of the 22nd annual Reaching Heights Adult Community Spelling Bee.

The winning team consisted of four-time participants Bonnie Bealer and John Lazzaretti, and five-time participant Becky Bynum. They won in the ninth round of the bee, correctly spelling the word integumentary.

Last year's champions, the Noble-Oxford PTA team, came in second. They were eliminated in the ninth round when they misspelled the word makebate. The second-place team consisted of Lindy Burt, Kathy Soltis and Toni Thayer.

Finishing third and eliminated after misspelling nephelometric was the team representing the City of Cleveland Heights. It included Mary Dunbar and Cheryl Stephens, members of Cleveland Heights City Council, and community activist Jeff Coryell.

Both two- and four-legged visitors enjoyed the Cain Park Neighborhood Association's April 21 event welcoming dogs to Cain Park for a six-month trial period.

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This year, the dog days of summer will be dog-friendly days in Cain Park. For a six-month trial period, which began April 15, leashed dogs are allowed in the park.

On April 21, dogs and their owners met at Cain Park’s Lee Road entrance for a “victory lap” around the park. The walk followed a welcome from Dog Project leaders and Jason Stein, the Cleveland Heights City Council member who introduced the legislation.

Stein acknowledged the work of several volunteers in his remarks. "Thanks to the Dog Project members Kerri, Paul, Hannah and many others for working so hard to make Dogs in Cain Park a reality," said Stein. "We did it! This is OUR victory! Congratulations to everyone."

Ground rules and general information were shared at the event. According to the terms of the legislation, all dogs must be on a leash, and they must be confined to the park's paved pathways. Four waste stations are set up around the park.

Tallying the votes to determine the winners at the Cleveland International Film Festival.

The 37th annual Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) is now history—but what an exciting time it was! What follows may be old news for the thousands who attended the closing night celebration, but for those who missed the festival, here is what it was all about. 
      
CIFF, presented by Dollar Bank, hosted record-breaking crowds during the 12-day event held in downtown Cleveland. The festival welcomed 93,235 attendees (a 9.7-percent increase over last year’s record attendance). One of the most exciting moments came on the second Saturday when it was announced that festival fans had contributed more than $140,000 to the annual fund that Cuyahoga Arts & Culture will match. The festival’s goal had been to raise $100,000. The final amount on Sunday was $154,138 in Challenge Match donations.

With spring upon us, and inspectors preparing for exterior systematic inspections, homeowners should look to their local nonprofit, Home Repair Resource Center (HRRC) for assistance.

HRRC has everything a homeowner might need to successfully manage home repairs. From workshops on contracting repairs to tool rentals, HRRC is ready to help.

Some homeowners may not have the resources to handle a large and expensive repair, like roof replacement, where the cost can run into the thousands of dollars. HRRC’s Financial Assistance Programs can help make financing these repairs possible.

APRIL 9, 2013

• Recognition: Ellen Posch
• Public comment: Teachers’ Union, Parent concern
• Science Olympiad field trip
• Master teachers
• Library tax rate decrease
• State budget impact
• Upcoming events
  
  

All board members were present.

APRIL 8, 2013

• Fuchs Mizrachi School
• Bid requirements
• Spring cleanup
• Holocaust Remembrance Week
• Public Internet auctions
• Power Load System
• Overnight parking
• Texting while driving
• Sweepstakes Terminal Cafes
• Costs for civil cases
• Tree trimming
  
  

All council members were present. 

APRIL 3, 2013

• Liquor control application
• National Library Week
• Earth Day
• Parking garage inspections
• Monticello Boulevard
• Free mulch
• High school softball field
• NeuroWave loan
• National Community Development Week
• Thermal imaging cameras
• 1020 Rushleigh Road
  
  

All council members were present.

The Heights High Spring Gospel Choir Concert at on April 26, 7:30 p.m., will feature special guest J.J. Hairston, gospel recording artist.

Hairston is founder and director of the gospel group Youthful Praise, from Bridgeport, Conn. Hairston has received many awards including a Stellar, Grammy and Soul Train Award nomination.

Hairston got his start directing his own high school gospel choir, and enjoys working with and encouraging high school students. He will be performing three numbers with the choir.

Senior Citizen Happenings, sponsored by the City of University Heights, are open to all. Events take place on Thursdays at 2 p.m., at the University Heights Library. For information, and to suggest program topics, contact the UH Office for Senior Services at 216-397-0336.

Cleveland Heights High School Cheerleading Competition Squad

For the second year in a row, the Cleveland Heights High School Cheerleading Competition Squad took first place in their division (non-tumble/non-mount) on March 17 at Sylvania Southview High School, Sylvania, Ohio. The competition was sponsored by Cheer for a Cure, which made it even more special. The Heights High squad not only competed against two other teams in their division, they also raised more than $300 for cancer research.

The girls worked hard despite challenges along the way, including finding places to practice and illness. The team expressed special thanks to Coach Nellie Basit; assistant coaches, Coach Angie and Coach Bell; and Athletic Director Kristin Hughes, who all helped out whenever needed.

Gearity Professional Development School, 2323 Wrenford Road, University Heights, was constructed in 1947 as Belvoir Elementary School. Several additions to the building were constructed in the 1950s. Photo courtesy Cleveland Heights High School Alumni Foundtion.

The Lay Facilities Committee (LFC) voted April 10 to recommend Gearity Professional Development School as the site for the University Heights elementary school as part of its lay facilities plan. It also voted to recommend that the plan include geothermal heating and cooling systems in all buildings.

At the LFC's April 10 meeting, district consultants Fanning/Howey Associates and Regency Construction presented cost estimates based on the scenarios requested by the LFC on March 6. The LFC had asked the consultants to cost a scenario that would include the renovation of the high school; renovation of Roxboro and Monticello middle schools; renovation of Canterbury, Oxford and Roxboro elementary schools; construction of a new Boulevard elementary school; and the renovation of either Gearity Professional Development School or Wiley Middle School as an elementary school in University Heights. The LFC had also asked the consultants to estimate the cost of renovating all seven current elementary schools, in order to provide a benchmark.

Most of us know that our physical and mental abilities change as we age, but not many of us know exactly why. The short explanation is that, just like a car, parts naturally wear out over time. The longer explanation is an interesting look at human biology.

Back row (from left): Vice Mayor Dennis Wilcox, Richard Hollis, Pat McCarthy, Council Member Janine Boyd, Council Member Jason Stein, Cuyahoga Land Bank President Gus Frangos, Mayor Ed Kelley, Council Member Cheryl Stephens and Council Member Mary Dunbar. Front row (from left) Yaakov Stein, Avi Stein, Aaron Stein and Moshe Stein. Photo by Pam Raack.

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Demolition of the former Medic Drug Store/Pick-N-Pay building at Noble and Glenwood roads in Cleveland Heights began March 29. The building had been empty for years. The demolition project was a collaboration between the City of Cleveland Heights and the Cuyahoga County Land Bank.

Mayor Ed Kelley said that once demolition is complete, “the city will issue a Request for Proposal to determine interest from developers. The city is interested in proposals that will serve the neighborhood and the community well.”

On April 12, the city issued Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for four city-owned properties. Links to the RFPs for new development on Euclid Heights Boulevard near Lee Road, at the intersection of Cedar and Coventry roads, on Noble Road near Greyton Road, and at the Turkey Ridge site on Edgehill Road can be found at http://www.clevelandheights.com/index.aspx?page=365.