Schools

JULY 2, 2024, regular meeting

• Public comment
• Recognitions and awards
• Superintendent’s comments
• Treasurer’s report
  
  

Present were President Jodi Sourini, Gabe Crenshaw, Dan Heintz, and Phil Trimble. Malia Lewis was excused. Also present were Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby and Treasurer Scott Gainer. The meeting was called to order at 7 p.m. and adjourned at 7:50 p.m.

JUNE 18, 2024, work session

• Departures and new staff
• Root cause analysis update
• Treasurer’s report
  
  

Present were President Jodi Sourini, Dan Heintz, Malia Lewis, and Phil Trimble. Gabe Crenshaw attended virtually. Also present were Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby and Treasurer Scott Gainer. The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. and adjourned at 8:45 p.m.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine visited Oxford Elementary School on May 16 to meet students receiving new prescription eyeglasses through the work of Vision to Learn, a new CH-UH school district partner.

As the pilot site for the partnership, Oxford welcomed the Vision to Learn team in March. Team members screened each Oxford student and returned a few weeks later to complete follow-up exams. In all, 93 students were found to need glasses—nearly a third of all Oxford students. 

On May 16, the DeWines and Ohio Department of Health Director Bruce Vanderhoff met with Oxford students and staff and discussed the governor’s new Children’s Vision Strike Force. Vision to Learn also was on hand that day to fit 11 Oxford students for their new glasses. The rest of the students received their glasses on May 23.

JUNE 4, 2024 regular meeting

• Public comment
• Recognitions and awards
• Board action
• Monticello Middle School principal
• Superintendent’s report on goal alignment
• Group C policies
• Treasurer’s three things
• State legislation
• Monticello name change
  
  

Present were President Jodi Sourini and members Gabe Crenshaw, Dan Heintz, Malia Lewis, and Phil Trimble. Also present were Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby and Treasurer Scott Gainer. The meeting began at 7 p.m. and ended at 8:45 p.m.

MAY 9, 2024, regular meeting

• Recognitions and awards
• Student cadre report 
• New curriculum coordinator position
• Superintendent comments 
• Policy revisions
• Treasurer’s report – public records
• State education issues
• Monticello Middle School name change 
• Free dental and vision services for students
  
  

Present were Gabe Crenshaw, Dan Heintz, Malia Lewis, and Phil Trimble. President Jodi Sourini was excused. Also present were Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby and Treasurer Scott Gainer. The meeting was called to order at 7 p.m. and adjourned at 8:30 p.m.

MAY 2, 2024 work session

• Music root cause analysis report
• Student transportation costs
• Board comments
  
  

Present were Jodi Sourini (president), Gabe Crenshaw, Dan Heintz, Malia Lewis, and Phil Trimble.  Also present were Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby and Treasurer Scott Gainer. The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. and adjourned at 8 p.m.

Lace-up your running shoes—it’s time for the 3rd Annual Tiger 5K, benefitting all seven CH-UH elementary schools. The community event will kick off at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 18, at the Cleveland Heights High School track.

The race will begin and end on the Heights High track. The certified 5K is open to all ages and abilities. Walkers are welcome!

In addition to the 5K, the CH-UH elementary school PTAs will also host a 10 a.m. Fun Run for younger runners, which will also take place at the high school track.

APRIL 2, 2024 regular meeting

• Recognitions and awards
• T-Mobile contract 
• Policies group C, first reading 
• Summer programs
• Early childhood program
• Superintendent comments 
• Treasurer’s report
• President’s report
  
  

Present were President Jodi Sourini, Gabe Crenshaw, Dan Heintz, Malia Lewis, and Phil Trimble. Also present were Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby and Treasurer Scott Gainer. The meeting was called to order at 7 p.m. and adjourned at 8:45 p.m.

MARCH 7, 2024 - regular meeting

• Recognitions and awards
• Board actions
• New math curriculums
• Superintendent’s comments 
• Treasurer’s report
• Board president’s report
• Board comments 
• Committee reports
• Other agenda items

FEBRUARY 20, 2024 - work session

• Attendance update
• Academic proficiency 
• Graduation rate and requirements
• State chronic absenteeism rules

The Cleveland Heights High School Swim Cadets will present their 85th annual show—Swim Cadets Live the Teenage Dream!—March 7–9.

The 15-member synchronized swim team will perform three shows, Thursday through Saturday, March 7–9, at 7 p.m., at the Heights High Natatorium, 13263 Cedar Road. (The entrance is on the west side of the building, door #8.)  Tickets are $12 and available in advance from Swim Cadet members. A limited number of tickets will be sold at the door. The Friday-night show will also be live-streamed on the district’s YouTube channel.

The show is a product of four months of 12- to 15-hour practice weeks, and the cadets are responsible for all aspects of the show, including choreography, costumes, and fundraising.

Synchronized swimming in high school is rare, and Heights Swim Cadets is the oldest student-run club at the high school. The club's traditions span decades, bonding the girls to the generations before them. It is not uncommon for the members to be second- or even third-generation Swim Cadets (daughters, sisters, and nieces of former cadets). Many current and past members have participated in or coached the synchronized swimming program at Cumberland Pool over the summer, emphasizing the continuity between the community pool and the public school.

Beginning March 6, each Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District elementary school will host a Kindergarten Information Night for incoming and prospective families. Attendees will have an opportunity to meet school principals and teachers, ask questions, and take tours of the buildings.

To find the school that corresponds to your address, use the district’s online interactive boundary map, at www.chuh.org/InteractiveBoundariesMap.aspx.

Each information night will run from 6 to 7 p.m., on the following dates:

• Boulevard - Thursday, March 14

FEBRUARY 6, 2024 - regular meeting

• Public comment
• Recognitions and awards
• Board actions
• New math curriculum
• Superintendent comments 
• Treasurer’s report
• Music program root cause analysis
  
  

Board members present were President Jodi Sourini, Gabe Crenshaw, Malia Lewis, and Phil Trimble. Dan Heintz was not present. Also present were Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby and Treasurer Scott Gainer. The meeting lasted about 1.75 hours.

JANUARY 23, 2024 - work session

• SEL model and curriculum
• Direct support partners and services
• Indirect support partners and services
  
  

Board members present were President Jodi Sourini, Gabe Crenshaw, Dan Heintz, Malia Lewis, and Phil Trimble. Also present were Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby and Treasurer Scott Gainer. The meeting lasted about 1.75 hours.

Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby will deliver the 2024 State of our Schools address on Feb. 7, 7 p.m., at Cleveland Heights High School.

The in-person event is open to the public. The event will also be live streamed via the district's YouTube channel.

Kirby will discuss strategic-planning updates, achievements and notable events from the past year, and major new initiatives that are taking shape.

The event will also feature performances by students, and building highlights.

The Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District has welcomed two new members to its Board of Education, Gabe Crenshaw and Phil Trimble.

Crenshaw and Trimble, who were elected in November, took the oath of office at the board’s Jan. 9 organizational meeting.

Crenshaw is a graduate of Cleveland Heights High School, along with her husband and their oldest daughter. Their youngest currently attends Heights High, and all three of their children attended Fairfax Elementary School and Roxboro Middle School.

Crenshaw was appointed to the Heights Libraries Board in 2020 and finished her term as its president.

JANUARY 9, 2024 - regular meeting

• Recognitions
• Approval of transportation policy
• Superintendent’s comments
• Treasurer’s report
• Board comments

DECEMBER 19, 2023 - regular meeting

• Recognitions and awards
• Student Cadre report 
• Policies group B
• Attendance incentive program
• Superintendent’s update 
• Treasurer’s report

DEC. 5, 2023 - special meeting for library board interviews

Present were Board President Beverly Wright and board members Dan Heintz, Malia Lewis, James Posch, and Jodi Sourini. The meeting ran three hours and 40 minutes

[Because the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library is a school board library, the CH-UH school board is responsible for appointing members to the library’s board of trustees. See p. 78 of Here’s Cuyahoga County, which can be found on the LWVgreatercleveland.org website under Resources/Publications.]

The board interviewed seven applicants for one position on the CH-UH Library Board of Trustees. They asked each candidate the following five questions:

1. Can you please tell us your motivation for applying to join the library board and describe the experiences and skills that you would bring to the board?
2. Can you please tell us what you see as the strengths of the CH-UH library system and areas that need improvement?
3. The term of a board member is seven years; how would you measure success at the end of your term?
4. If a community member asked to have a book removed from the library, how should the library respond?
5. Can you please tell us your thoughts about the possibility of the CH-UH library merging with the county library system?

NOV. 16, 2023 - work session

• Tuscarawas Valley accident
• Board actions
• MSAN 
• Middle school MSAN
• High school MSAN
• Superintendent’s comments
  
  

Present were board members Dan Heintz, Malia Lewis, James Posch, and Jodi Sourini. Board President Beverly Wright was not present. Also present were Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby and Treasurer Scott Gainer. The meeting ran for one and one half hours.

Heights High seniors Niko Bell and Caleb Green have been named National Merit Scholar Semifinalists in the 2024 competition, and now have the opportunity to advance to the finalist level and qualify for National Merit Scholarships.

Natalie Bier, Laurel Buescher, Sean Egbert, Marcus Holland and Mason Spieth were named 2024 Commended Students, placing among the top 5 percent of the students who entered.

More than 1.3 million students entered the National Merit Scholarship qualifying competition by taking the PSAT test in the fall of their junior year. Nationally, 16,000 semifinalists were recognized, representing less than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors, and there were 34,000 commended students.

NOVEMBER 7, 2023 - regular meeting

• Public comment
• Recognitions and awards
• Board actions
• Canterbury IB program
• Taylor Tudor development
• Superintendent’s comments 
• Treasurer’s report
• Board member comments
  
  

Present were Board President Beverly Wright and board members Dan Heintz, Malia Lewis, James Posch, and Jodi Sourini. Also present were Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby and Treasurer Scott Gainer.

October 17, 2023 - special meeting

Present were Board President Beverly Wright, Vice President Jodi Sourini, and board members Dan Heintz and Malia Lewis. James Posch was not present. 

Board actions 

The board approved a consent agenda comprising personnel matters, two high school field trips (to Wisconsin and to France and Spain), the financial reports, and the purchase of a truck. The truck purchase was a Ford 550 dump truck, at a cost of $77,215, to be used for snow removal and other uses, to replace one that is no longer working.

Heights High will present performances of “The Addams Family - A New Musical Comedy” on Nov. 3, 4, 10 and 11, at 7 p.m., and on Nov. 5 at 4:30 p.m.

The show will feature more than 200 high school students performing in two casts and in the pit orchestra, and managing backstage operations. Nearly 40 middle-school students will sing in the chorus.

The show’s themes of family, relationships, embracing individuality, and growing up are relevant to the lead performers, who spoke about the show recently.

“The musical is, for a lack of a better word, weird,” said senior Ruby Tugeau, who plays Alice Beineke. “But that’s why it’s so entertaining to watch! The audience will be completely enveloped in the Addams’ world as the characters manage to find love and acceptance despite their abnormal traditions.”

OCT. 3, 2023 - regular meeting

• Public comment
• Recognitions and awards
• Board resolutions and policy reading
• School spotlight: Roxboro Middle 
• Superintendent’s report 
• Treasurer’s report
• Board comments
   

Present were Dan Heintz, Malia Lewis, James Posch, and Jodi Sourini. President Beverly Wright was not present. Also present were Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby and Treasurer Scott Gainer. The meeting lasted about two hours.

SEPT. 19, 2023 - work session

• Consent agenda
• Superintendent’s report
• Strategic plan update goals 1 and 2
• College career day
  
  

Present were board president Beverly Wright and board members Dan Heintz, Malia Lewis, James Posch, and Jodi Sourini. Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby was also present.

SEPTEMEBER 5, 2023 - regular meeting

• Public comment
• Employee retention
• Supplemental contracts
• Spotlight - Gearity STEM 
• Superintendent comments
• School lockdown 
• Student dress code
• Treasurer’s report
• High school swimming pool use
• Board comments

Present were President Beverly Wright, Dan Heintz, Malia Lewis, James Posch, and Jodi Sourini. Also present were Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby and Treasurer Scott Gainer. The meeting lasted about one hour and thirty minutes.

AUGUST 15, 2023 - work session

• Recognitions and awards
• Consent agenda
• Strategic plan presentations
  
  

Present were Board President Beverly Wright and members Dan Heintz, Malia Lewis, and James Posch. Jodi Sourini was not present. Also present were Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby and Treasurer Scott Gainer. The meeting ran one hour and 40 minutes.

The 2023 Heights Homecoming Parade, set for Friday, Sept. 22, is on track to be bigger than ever, with a parade route that has been extended thanks to the construction on Lee Road.

The parade will begin at 5 p.m. on Scarborough Road, near Fairfax Elementary School, and head north through the Lee Road business district. Instead of ending on Tullamore Road, as in the past, the parade will continue north, crossing Cedar Road—with police assistance, and only when the traffic light is green—then turning onto Washington Boulevard, behind the high school.

AUGUST 1, 2023 - regular meeting

• Recognitions and awards
• Holocaust education
• Heights School Foundation update
• Superintendent announcements
• Treasurer’s report
• Board comments
  
  

Present were President Beverly Wright, Dan Heintz, Malia Lewis, James Posch, and Jodi Sourini. Also present were Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby and Treasurer Scott Gainer. The meeting lasted about one hour and thirty minutes.

For the past three years, the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District's cross country and track and field teams have held a late-summer fundraiser—the 24-Hour Relay.

This year's 24-Hour Relay will begin on Saturday, Aug. 5, at 7 a.m., and end on Sunday, Aug. 6, at 7 a.m.

It is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Cleveland Heights Running Boosters, a group of parents and coaches who support the cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track and field teams at the youth, middle and high school levels in the CH-UH school district.

JULY 11, 2023 regular meeting

• Recognitions and awards
• Consent agenda
• Policies Group C
• State budget
• Superintendent’s comments 
• Five-year-forecast
• Finance - three things

JUNE 27, 2023 work session

• Board actions
• Semester 2 Academic Update
• New administrators
• Treasurer’s report

JUNE 13, 2023 regular meeting

• Recognition and awards
• School spotlight
• Summer school
• Mathematics pilot curriculum
• Policies: Group C, second reading
• Resolution against HB 103 
• Treasurer’s report
• CTE strategic plan
• School Calendar

MAY 16, 2023, work session

• Equity principles
• Integrated Comprehensive Systems partnership
• Treasurer’s report
  
  

Present were Dan Heintz, Malia Lewis, James Posch, and Jodi Sourini. President Beverly Wright was absent. Also present were Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby and Treasurer Scott Gainer. The meeting lasted about one hour and thirty minutes.

The Cleveland Heights High School Academic Team had a remarkable end to its 2022–23 season, with a local championship victory and a trip to a national tournament.

Seniors Derek Korane, Kenji Sakaie, Noah Sears, and Arthur Stadlin; juniors Natalie Bier and Niko Bell; and freshman Gabe Dodson comprised the team.

On May 27, News Channel 5’s "Nordson Academic Challenge" television show aired its Championship Finale, in which Heights High and the season’s other top teams, Revere and Cloverleaf, faced off. In an extremely tight competition, Heights pulled off a come-from-behind win.

MAY 9, 2023 regular session

• Public comments
• Recognitions and awards
• Board action
• Superintendent comments
• Treasurer’s report
• Board comments

Present were President Beverly Wright, Vice President Jodi Sourini, and members Dan Heintz and James Posch. Malia Lewis was not present. Also present were Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby and Treasurer Scott Gainer. The meeting lasted one hour and 40 minutes.

APRIL 18, 2023 work session

• GEAR UP update
• Tri-C College Credit Plus partnership
• English Language Arts testing

President Beverly Wright, Dan Heintz, Malia Lewis, James Posch, and Jodi Sourini were present. Also present were Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby and Treasurer Scott Gainer. The meeting lasted about one hour 30 minutes.

MAY 2, 2023 work session

• School climate overview
• Safety planning
• Social and emotional supports
• Multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS)
• Climate root cause analysis (RCA)
• Enhancing communication
• Board comments

Present were President Beverly Wright, Dan Heintz, Malia Lewis, James Posch, and Jodi Sourini. Also present were Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby and Treasurer Scott Gainer. The meeting lasted about two hours fifteen minutes.

Anyone interested in ice cream for breakfast? Then get on your mark, and join the CH-UH elementary schools for the second annual Tiger 5K and Fun Run on May 20.

All proceeds will be split equally among the Heights elementary schools, supporting PTA programming across the district.

At 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 20, at Cleveland Heights High School, the CH-UH elementary school PTAs will host a districtwide 5K, followed by a Fun Run for younger runners at 10 a.m.

The Cleveland Heights High School academic team recently competed on an episode of "Academic Challenge," scheduled to air on Saturday, April 15, 11:30 a.m., on WEWS Channel 5. Heights High senior Arthur Stadlin and 11th-graders Natalie Bier and Niko Bell participated for the Heights team.

Led by coach Karl Neitzel, an economics and history teacher at Heights High, the team has nine members from a range of grade levels. They participate in regional competitions where they face-off against other high schools, answering questions from all areas of academics, including science, literature, math, and even pop culture.

Members of the team will be traveling to Atlanta in May to participate in the National Academic Quiz Tournament. Heights qualified for the nationals by taking first place at an October regional tournament held in Solon.

APRIL 4, 2023, regular meeting

• Public comments
• Recognitions and awards
• ELA curriculum and Group B Policies  
• PBIS Reward Program results
• Treasurer’s report - three things
• School funding resolutions 
• Announcements

Present were President Beverly Wright, Dan Heintz, Malia Lewis, James Posch, and Jodi Sourini. Also present were Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby and Treasurer Scott Gainer. The meeting lasted about one hour 30 minutes.

MARCH 28, 2023, work session

• MetroHealth Partnership update
• Community Learning Centers update

Present were President Beverly Wright, Dan Heintz, Malia Lewis, James Posch, and Jodi Sourini. Also present was Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby. Treasurer Scott Gainer was absent. 

Nancy Peppler, supervisor of community and school partnerships, introduced two programs under her department, the MetroHealth Partnership and Community Learning Centers.

Mobius, formerly known as RoxArts and REAP, has planned a fun-filled event to celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, and to raise money for the organization. The event will take place on Saturday, May 6, at 6 p.m., at the B-Side Lounge in Coventry Village.

Proceeds benefit Mobius, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, whose mission is to create opportunities for K–8 students in the Cleveland Heights–University Heights City School District to engage in creative and critical thinking that extends and enriches the curriculum.

The name change—from RoxArts and REAP to Mobius—occurred in 2022. The organization’s board of directors believed the change was needed to indicate the continuity of arts programming from elementary school through the middle-school grades.

According to Kenyon College, Cleveland Heights High School is the only school in the state, and one of a handful across the country, to offer its students a college-level neuroscience class. The one-semester course, new to Heights this year, is taught by Nicole Zubik. It provides students with four college credits from Kenyon, plus credit for one full year of high school science.

More than that, Introduction to Neuroscience: Perspective and Emotion gives students a glimpse into how their brains work. They ponder questions such as, Can we control our emotions or only how we react to them? and, What’s happening in our brains when we feel sad, angry, or happy?

Zubik brings everything back to hard science, connecting content to human brain development. The students appreciate that what they’re learning is relevant to their lives. “We actually learn how science relates to our emotional well-being,” said Nico, an 11th-grader.

The Heights community is invited to participate in the first annual wiffleball tournament, to benefit Heights High baseball. The tournament will be held on the turf field at Denison Park on Sunday, April 16, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

Anyone is welcome to create a team and register. Teams can comprise four to six players of any age and ability.

MARCH 7, 2023, regular meeting

• Recognitions and awards
• School Spotlight
• Diversity and equity
• ELA curriculum
• Policies B 
• Treasurer’s report
• Board comments and announcements

Present were President Beverly Wright, Dan Heintz, Malia Lewis, James Posch, and Jodi Sourini. Also present were Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby and Treasurer Scott Gainer. The meeting was called to order at 7 p.m. and adjourned at 9:30 p.m.

On March 14, 6–8 p.m., a community forum will explore "Cleveland Heights-University Heights Schools and COVID – Achievements and Needs."

The forum will take place at the Heights High cafeteria, at 13263 Cedar Road.

The forum's panel will comprise CH-UH City School District teachers, counselors, and administrators who will speak from their professional experiences and perspectives, uniquely grounded in the Heights’ schools.

Each panelist will speak for about five minutes and take written questions from the audience.

FEBRUARY 21, 2023, work session

• Academic success update

Present were President Beverly Wright, Dan Heintz, James Posch, and Jodi Sourini. Malia Lewis was absent. Also present were Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby and Treasurer Scott Gainer.

Beginning March 14, each Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District elementary school will host a Kindergarten Information Night for incoming and prospective families. Attendees will have an opportunity to meet school principals and teachers, ask questions, and take tours of the buildings.

To find the school that corresponds to your address, use the district’s online interactive boundary map, at www.chuh.org/InteractiveBoundariesMap.aspx.

Each information night will run from 6 to 7 p.m., on the following dates:

Boulevard - Tuesday, March 14
Canterbury - Wednesday, March 15
Fairfax - Thursday, March 16
Gearity Professional Development - Tuesday, March 21
Noble - Thursday, March 16
Oxford - Thursday, March 16
Roxboro - Wednesday, March 15

FEBRUARY 7, 2023, regular meeting

• Public comments
• Recognitions and awards
• African-American History and LGBTQ+ Pride months
• School Spotlight: Roxboro
• ELA curriculum recommendations
• Policies group B
• School funding and policy
• Announcements

Present were President Beverly Wright, Dan Heintz, Malia Lewis, James Posch, and Jodi Sourini. Also present were Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby and Treasurer Scott Gainer. The meeting was called to order at 7 p.m. and adjourned at 9:30 p.m.

JANUARY 24, 2023, work session

• Career and technical education (CTE) update
• Funding sources for CTE

Present were President Beverly Wright, Dan Heintz, Malia Lewis, and James Posch. Jodi Sourini was not present. Also present were Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby and Treasurer Scott Gainer. 

After a three-year hiatus, the Fairfax Elementary School PTA's Cabaret fundraiser will return on Friday, Feb. 24, 7 p.m., and take place at the Heights High auditorium.

Students in kindergarten through grade five will showcase their wide-ranging talents for family and community members.

Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. for a pre-event dinner catered by Eugene's, which is owned and operated by Mike and Annie Schoen, a Fairfax family. There will be three meal options and sides, with prices ranging from $8 to $9. Tickets for the cabaret are $20 for the front row, and $10 for all other seats, and may be purchased online at www.fairfaxpta.org.

JANUARY 3, 2023, organizational and regular meetings

• Election of officers
• Treasurer’s report
• Committee assignments
• Board comments and announcements

Present were President Malia Lewis, Dan Heintz, James Posch, Jodi Sourini, and Beverly Wright. Also present were Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby and Treasurer Scott Gainer. The organizational meeting for election of officers was followed immediately by the regular meeting. The organizational meeting lasted about 20 minutes, the regular meeting was about 45 minutes, and the entire session was 1 hour 5 minutes.

DECEMBER 20, 2022, special meeting

• Library board appointment
• Recognitions and awards
• Superintendent’s report
• Treasurer’s report
• Title IX expansion
• Martin Luther King, Jr., essay contest
• School facilities announcements

Present were President Malia Lewis, Dan Heintz, James Posch, Jodi Sourini, and Beverly Wright. Also present were Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby and Treasurer Scott Gainer. The meeting started at 5:30 p.m. to interview and appoint Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library Board Trustees. The board then went into executive session, and the regular work session subsequently began at 7 p.m. and adjourned at 8:50 p.m.

Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby will deliver the 2023 State of our Schools Address on Feb. 1, 7 p.m., at Cleveland Heights High School.

The in-person event is open to the public. The event will also be broadcast live via the district's YouTube channel.

Back in-person, after nearly three years of online spelling, the 13th Annual Roxboro Middle School Spelling Bee was held in the school's auditorium on Dec. 6. Eight spellers, all sixth- and seventh-graders, competed for prizes and their name on the bee trophy. 

Brie Bourbeau, champion and seventh-grader, will represent Roxboro at the regional bee, which will be online. Spellers from Ohio and Michigan will compete in the event. Sixth-grader Marcus Shabalala was Roxboro’s second-place winner. He will be the alternate for the regional event. Congratulations also went to sixth-grader Gloria Chasney, who earned third place.

In addition to the three winners, Eliana Kennedy, Mila Seitz, Jachin Anderson, Jadien Richards, and Addie Craft competed. Participants were required to spell some difficult words, including bruise, traditional, donkeys, squinched, wrestle, unacknowledged, defunct, retribution, reenactment, configuration, intubated, counterfeit, and Brie’s winning word—fumatorium.

When we think about musicals, probably the first thing that comes to mind is the singers who take center stage. But there are many more people involved in creating a musical. Among the significant contributors are the musicians in the pit orchestra.

In Heights High’s November production of "Sister Act," 26 student instrumentalists took on the challenge of the pit.

According to Dan Heim, Heights High’s director of orchestras, playing in the pit requires a level of skill beyond what is needed in regular school ensembles. Heim should know; an accomplished professional violist, Heim was for several years a full-time orchestra member at Germany’s Theatre Lübeck, where, he said, “Probably two-thirds of the services were in the pit. We’d do operas, operettas, and musicals.”

NOVEMBER 1, 2022, regular meeting

• Public comments
• Recognitions and awards
• Progress in health instruction
• Purchase orders
• Expansion of Title IX protections
• Announcements

Present were President Malia Lewis, Dan Heintz, James Posch, Jodi Sourini, and Beverly Wright. Also present were Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby and Treasurer Scott Gainer. 

October 18, 2022, work session

• Advanced Placement program update

Present were President Malia Lewis, Dan Heintz, James Posch, Jodi Sourini, and Beverly Wright. Also present were Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby and Treasurer Scott Gainer. 

Advanced Placement program update

The superintendent and members of the administrative and teaching staff presented information on the Heights High Advanced Placement (AP) program. Four teachers presented their curriculum for the AP classes they teach: Biology, Spanish, Computer Science, and Studio Art.