Page 1 The Standard Is Excellence

Home Summer he of t The online only rs Rove Rootstown 2021 Communicator Rootstown Local Schools • 4140 State Route 44 • Rootstown, Ohio 44272 • (330) 325-9911 News From Around the District Rootstown Lions Club By Donna Reckner Hello Rootstown! Thank you for your overwhelming response to our Veterans Banner Project. Together, we honor our Veter- ans, past and present. Remember, the money raised from that project goes right back into our community. We were delighted to award five – FIVE – $500.00 scholarships this year. Congratulations to Adam Beery, Isabella Cambareri, Chase Taubler, Kasidy Smith and Adriana Cooper! We are planning a Chili Cook-Off and Sip & Paint events for this Fall. Keep an eye on our Facebook page to see what’s going on with your Rootstown Lions Club. If you are interested in joining the Rootstown Lions Club to help serve your community, please join us on the first Wednesday each month at 7:00 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Rootstown. Don’t forget to visit our Fair Booth – we have BBQ beef, meatball subs, homemade sloppy joes, baked potatoes, and more. See you at the Fair!

The Rootstown Foundation and Alumni Association By Denny Pickens, President The Rootstown Foundation proudly presented $4,000.00 in continuing education scholarships to seven deserving seniors at the Senior Awards ceremony on May 16th. Michael Farkash received the $1,000.00 “Rootstown Spirit Award.” Paige Schindler, Adam Beery, Ava Brunty, Isabella Cambareri, Chase Taubler and Madeline Billock all received $500.00 awards. The Foundation is also extremely humbled by the passionate efforts of the Rootstown Sports Boosters to help get the final fund- ing in place for the new all weather track. Construction has begun and completion is scheduled for August 2021.

Sixth graders enjoyed writing descriptive paragraphs, stories, or poems about the tractors the seniors drove to school Six tractors all different sizes, some with buckets and some without. Some red and some green. Some shiny and some rusty. All of them parked in the school parking lot. Everyone crowded around to see. All because of tractor day we shout out with glee. -Olivia Workman Superintendent’s Message As I reflect upon the 2020-21 school year, I am extremely proud of the progress that our students have made during this unique and unprecedented time. The students have made some impressive accomplishments inside and outside of the classroom. I want to express my appreciation to the staff, students, parents, and community members who have worked together so we can continue providing our Rootstown students with the best all- around education possible. Also, I would like to thank the parents and community for your continued support of the Rootstown Local Andrew Hawkins School District. In the past couple of months we are extremely thankful to the community for the passage of the Superintendent renewal levy and to the Rootstown Foundation and Alumni Association and Rootstown Sports Boosters for the monetary donations that will enable our district to install a new all weather track in the stadium. The track will be completed by the beginning of the 2021-22 school year. Finally, I also would like to congratulate the Class of 2021 and wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors, and welcome our incoming Kindergarteners, the Class of 2034! If you have any questions regarding our school district, feel free to contact me. Have a great summer! Andrew Hawkins Superintendent Page 2 News From the Treasurer’s Office Thank you to our local community groups who have partnered with Rootstown Schools to complete a new eight-lane track! With donations from the Rootstown Foundation & Alumni Association and the Rootstown Sports Boosters, the new track is becoming a reality. Set to open this summer, many individuals have worked for years to make this stadium upgrade happen. We are grateful to have the opportunity to open the track for physical education students and athletes. We are excited for the opportunity to open the track to the community, providing the area’s only free, safe place to walk or run for all our residents. I am looking forward to spending my lunch hour taking advantage of this beautiful facility. Thank you Rootstown voters for passing the recent renewal levy! This levy collects $1,045,000 annually and was originally passed Connie Baldwin in 2011, which was the last time the district Treasurer asked for new money for operations. The difference in the most recent renewal was to extend the collec- tion period from five years to ten years. The Rootstown Board of Education has been working on a strategic plan to address finances. One of the goals has been to eliminate the continual renewal cycle, where back-to-back renewals were required. Extending this levy to ten years means the district can save money by not being on the ballot as often. With the support of our local groups and loyal voters, the Rootstown Board of Education is committed to achiev- ing the goals of fiscal responsibility as well as making the Rover facilities more accessible for all of our residents.

Assistant Superintendent’s Message Terri Hrina-Treharn - Assistant Superintendent, (330)325-2014 R Stars!!! Hopefully you take some time to look at our posts on social media or have been a parent/guardian lucky enough to get a phone call to hear your child has been chosen! This is the fourth year of this incen- tive. Monthly, I visit a classroom in each building and the teacher announces their “R-Star” as well as the reasons that child was chosen. Students then get their picture taken with the R-Star, receive an R-Star t-shirt, get a backsack, and I call a person of their choice to share the good Terri Hrina-Treharn news. For the second year now, these students are also recognized Assistant at a Board meeting. Please check out our R-Stars from the second Superintendent semester!

Farewell I wanted to take a brief moment to THANK everyone for the last 20 years in Rootstown! My time here has afforded me to work with a wide variety of stakeholders on various projects and I am appreciative of that. I am also grateful for all the students I either got to teach when I was in the classroom or come in contact with for other reasons since I have been out of the classroom. I will certainly miss R-Town (community and parents), R-Students, and R-Staff. To that end, I have been offered and accepted a Superintendent position with the Geneva Area City Schools starting in the 2021-2022 school year. Though it will be hard to leave, I also look forward to the next chapter in my career. While I will now be an Eagle, a part of me will always be a Rover.

Social Media If you are not already following us, please do so. Facebook (Rootstown Local Schools) Twitter (@Rovers_District) Instagram (Rovers_District) Page 3 From the Office of Special Education Marcy Spence - Director of Special Education, (330)325-4144 SCESC and Preschool Hello! With the return of warm weather and sunny days, isn’t it great to see spring blossoming into summer? The special education department hopes that all of our Rootstown families have had a fulfilling school year and that the summer season will be a time for relaxation, lots of fun and perhaps some new family adventures! As the department looks forward to the upcoming school year, we have some exciting news to share that has been “sprout- ing,” of sorts, over the past school year. Next school year, 2021 - 2022, the district will be aligning with the Summit County Educational Service Center (SCESC). As a bit of background knowledge, every district in the state of Ohio must be aligned with an Educational Service Center. The district feels most fortunate to have the opportunity to partner with SCESC! While we will be utilizing a variety of assessment, curriculum and professional development consultation with Summit, a rather significant portion of our collaboration will be in the area of special education. With Rootstown’s oversight, SCESC will be Marcy Spence providing staff to fulfill our school psychology needs as well as our occupational, physical and a portion of our speech-lan- Director of Special guage therapy essentials. Further, they will provide other related services in the upcoming year the district may need such as Education audiological and behavioral support. Finally, SCESC will also be tasked with getting our early learners off to an outstanding educational start, again, in collaboration with Rootstown, by providing their preschool organizational and staffing expertise. As the special services director, I couldn’t be more pleased about our new partnership! It’s truly exciting to be a part of this “spring rebirth!” It is important to stress that as the district finalizes the move to SCESC this summer, we will continue to plan for the outstanding preschool and special education services that our department prides itself on and our families expect. To that end, I’d like to take this opportunity to update families on a few preschool housekeeping items. First of all, to all of our current preschool families, please be assured that next years’ preschool classroom will continue to be offered in the same manner it currently is operating. At no time will service be disrupted or stopped as we finish out this school year and reopen with SCESC in August. Secondly, Summit ESC has just finished updating their preschool registration packet and is asking all of our returning and prospective fami- lies to complete this packet. Packets will be sent home with our current students during these last weeks of school and will be available to pro- spective families through a variety of ways. If convenient, through the month of June, parents are welcome to stop by the special services office in the elementary building and pick up a packet. If that arrangement is not possible, parents can call the SCESC at 330-945-5600, ext. 511259 and speak to Ms. Brandie Kresowaty, Summit’s preschool registration coordinator. She will make arrangements to send families a packet either through email or the postal service. Once either returning or prospective students’ registration materials are completed, parents can drop off their packet at the special services office, again through June, or make arrangements with Ms. Kresowaty to return them to her. The district will make sure that any completed registration packets returned to the special services office are forwarded to Ms. Kresowaty. Lastly, if there are any questions or concerns regarding the preschool enrollment process, special education services or general education spots available for our community preschool students, please don’t hesitate to contact Rootstown’s special services office at 330-325-2010. I know that our preschool families will be as impressed with Summit’s services as I am. They presently serve over 500 preschool students across Summit and Portage counties and take great pride in their ability to help students attain the social and pre-academic skills necessary to be suc- cessful lifelong learners. The district looks forward to a long and fruitful collaboration with them! Have a wonderful summer everyone! Around the District

Fit Club at the Elementary School! By Wendy Lara This is the 8th year that Fit for Kids (Fit Club) has been meeting at the Elementary School. It is organized by students from Northeast Ohio Medical University along with Ms. Danielle Rudloff, Elementary School Counselor, Mrs. Wendy Lara, High School Secretary, and Licensed Zumba Fitness/Zumba Kids Instructor at Sequoia Wellness. This year was a bit different as we met virtually via Google classroom. Since everyone was joining from home, we had numerous appearanc- es from pets wanting to join in on the fun! Fit Club meets once a month after school from October through the end of May and includes 4th and 5th grade students. The students have a fun time learning about how being active is good for their bodies. They enjoy different types of activities such as stretching, Zumba Fitness, scavenger hunts and calisthenics challenges. Most students who join in 4th grade come back in 5th grade for a second year because they enjoy it that much.

Pictured left to right: Kristen Lentz (NEOMED student), Savannah Stephan (4th grader), and Mrs. Wendy Lara Hala Daglas-Yusuf (NEOMED student) Page 4 High School A3: Academics... Arts... Athletics Ward Davis Building (330) 325-7911 • James Conley - Principal Teens of the Month Class of 2021 Congratulations to Joshua Plona for being As the school year nears completion there are al- named Rootstown High School December Teen of ways incredible programs and celebrations honoring the Month. Joshua is the our senior class. Despite COVID-19, our Class of son of Stephanie and Josh- 2021 is now ready to embark on their journey after ua Plona of Rootstown. He high school. I have enjoyed this class so very much, is a senior who splits his each and every one of them. Due to their persever- time between Rootstown ance and grit, despite the obstacles of COVID-19, High School and Kent State we have marched through the school year in all University through the Col- James Conley types of learning modes; in-person, remote, and Kathy Sandberg lege Credit Plus program. H.S. Principal hybrid. They are flexible, resilient and ready to Joshua was nominated for face the challenges of their life journey. It has been H.S. Counselor his high moral character, my privilege to serve them and it is my hope that strong work ethic, fun loving attitude, and great no matter how far they roam, they always remember their roots. grades. One of my favorite things each year is our Awards Ceremony. We Congratulations to Ally Glass for being held it the week after Mother’s Day this year and I marvel at how much named Rootstown High School December Teen the community gives back to our seniors. This year was certainly excit- of the Month. Ally is the daughter of Amy and ing as over $46,500 was distributed through local organizations to our Brian Glass of Rootstown. She is a senior who seniors. It is always heartwarming to hear the donors speak passionate- splits her time between Rootstown High School ly about their specific scholarship. I am grateful for their words to our and Kent State University through the College seniors as well as the continuous generosity. Our Rovers are blessed Credit Plus program. Ally was nominated for to have a community that supports them the way Rootstown does each her high moral character, strong work ethic, and and every year. great grades. Another interesting fact about our Class of 2021 is that as of this writing over 1 million dollars has been offered to our seniors in schol- Congratulations to Jakob Miller for being arships from institutions all over the United States of America. It is named Rootstown High School April Teen of the definitely a tribute to the type of student the Rootstown community Month. Jakob is the son of Tracie and Andrew and school district produces. Many of our students who headed off to Miller of Rootstown. Jakob was nominated for college had multiple offers from many institutions of higher learning. his musical talent, future goals, strong work Finally, I am proud to announce that our Class of 2021 will be ethic, and his high academic standing. awarded 299 Graduation Seals in the areas of Citizenship, Science, Technology, Student Involvement, Community Engagement, Military, Ohio Means Job, Fine and Performing Arts, College Ready and the Ohio Industry Credential Seal. This is remarkable considering the Ohio Department of Education has not made it mandatory for the classes of 2021 and 2022 to earn graduation seals (Please see the Ohio Depart- Congratulations to Kyale Schoepe for being ment of Education website for additional information on graduation named Rootstown High School April Teen of seals). I am very proud of each of our graduates. It is my hope that the Month. Kyale is the daughter of Farrah and they continue to distinguish themselves following graduation and be the late Rick Schoepe of Rootstown. Kyale was the difference our world needs. nominated for her high moral character, strong work ethic, positive attitude, and involvement in extracurriculars.

Congratulations to Jacob Collins for being named Rootstown High School May Teen of the Month. Jacob is the son of Jennifer Collins and Jared Collins of Rootstown. He is a senior who splits his time between Rootstown High School and Kent State University through the College Credit Plus program. Jacob was nom- inated for his strong work ethic, involvement with extracurricular activities, ability to always make people smile and his high academic standing. Congratulations to Erica Moore for being named Rootstown High School May Teen of the Month. Erica is the daughter of Rhonda and Scott Moore of Rootstown. Erica was nominated for her strong work ethic, positive attitude, involvement in extracurriculars, and high academic standing. Page 5 Middle School Learners Today - Leaders Tomorrow

Mabel Schnee Building (330) 325-9956 • Robert Campbell - Principal Eighth Grade Math Rubber Band Contest Continued... Eighth grade students finished their school Along with the invention, each student wrote an year in Math class working on various projects. essay explaining what the invention was, how it One of the projects was based upon real world worked, how the rubber bands were incorporated, applications where students were given hypothet- and how the world would benefit from the inven- ical jobs and salaries based upon their interests. tion. Students then used that information to plan and Caitlyn Hays is a finalist in the Science and Engi- budget their money, after taxes, to pay for student neering category and won $75.00. loans, apartments, insurance, cars and many other Please see the website, www.rubberbandcontest. expenses (some of which were unexpected ex- Robert Campbell penses) that they will encounter as they enter their org., for more information. adult lives. Students conducted research to shop M.S. Principal and plan for groceries along with other living ex- Helping Keep Minds Healthy penses that are incurred throughout independent During the school year many students come into life as an adult. Students had an academically the office to talk and look for support and guidance. enriching and enjoyable experience working During the summer months, students still need the through this project. Some student thoughts support of someone to talk to, but since school is relating to the project are listed below: not in session it is not available to them. Below is “Being an adult and managing your finances a list of various mental health agencies for Portage is hard. You have to make sacrifices and you County. If you believe your child could benefit can’t always get what you want.” - Abby Borbely, pictured above from these services, please do not hesitate to con- tact them. “You have to be smart with your money, but you can still spend Amelia Mohan money on things you enjoy.” - Anthony Cambareri Children’s Advantage offers a range of mental health services to children and families, including M.S. Counselor “Why my parents say no when I ask for something (is) because they counseling, psychiatry, case management, in-home have to buy a lot.” - Lindsay Putnam treatment, school-based consultation and counseling, and early child- “It is pretty hard to buy stuff you want and pay your bills at the hood interventions. Phone: 330-296-5552 same time.” - Tristan McKibben www.childrensadvantage.org Food Drive in Math Coleman Professional Services provides Students in eighth grade math also conducted a food drive of mental health and addiction services for adults and children including non-perishable food items to donate to a local food bank. After the 24/7 crisis intervention and stabilization, counseling, psychiatry, case items were collected and before they were donated, the students used management, supportive and permanent housing, the items, along with adult day employment, jail liaison, and diversion paper/cardboard and services. Phone: 330-673-1347 other materials, to www.coleman-professional.com design and build ro- bots. Students cal- Akron Children’s Hospital Behavioral Health Services are staffed culated the volume with professionals that have advanced training in helping children and of each item and teens with emotional, behavioral and developmental disorders. They created a personality offer outpatient consultation to children and adolescents dealing with or job for their robot the stress of a chronic medical condition, anxiety, depression and other as they completed mental health issues. The mental health services offered include medi- the project. cation management, educational consultation and testing, psychological testing, individual therapy and family counseling. Poem Contest By Toni Mervine Phone: 330-543-5015 Sixth grade students in Mrs. Mervine’s AC ELA https://www.akronchildrens.org/departments/Be- class entered the American Chemical Society’s Illus- havioral-Health.html trated Poem Contest. Family & Community Services provides a range of services from https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/out- Raylee Kahoun reach/ncw/plan-an-event/illustrated-poem-contest. meeting life’s basic needs (food, clothing, and housing) to counseling, html psychiatry, in-home therapy for families, domestic violence and home- less shelters, and a men’s residential treatment for For the Akron area, Raylee Kahoun is the first addiction problems. Phone: 330-297-7027 place winner and Lorelai Taylor is the second place winner. They received Amazon Gift cards. www.fcsserves.com Congratulations to both of them! Townhall II offers 24/7 crisis helpline, counseling Lorelai Taylor for youth and adults with substance use disorders and gambling addic- Rubber Band Contest By Toni Mervine tions, residential treatment for women, alcohol and drug prevention This is the first year that Rootstown sixth grade students in Mrs. programs, sexual assault and child abuse prevention, victim outreach, Mervine’s AC ELA class have participated in the Rubber Band and advocacy. Phone: 330-678-3006 Contest for Young Inventors sponsored by the Akron Global Polymer www.townhall2.com Academy at the University of Akron. The students were required to “demonstrate their creativity and ingenuity by creating an invention that incorporates the use of rubber bands.” Page 6 Elementary School Respectful, Responsible, Role Models

Bertha Bradshaw Building (330) 325-7971 • Jeffrey Turner - Principal Dear Rootstown Elementary Families: Open House 2021-22 (tentative) It is amazing to see that the end of the year Rootstown Elem. will host parents of grades K-5 on Aug. 26, 2021. arrived so quickly. I want to thank all of you for the support, flexibility and patience that you have 5:00-6:00 p.m. - Kindergarten, 5:30-6:30 p.m. - 1st and 2nd Grade shown over the past 9 months. Despite the many 6:00-7:00 p.m. - 3rd grade, 6:30-7:30 p.m. - 4th and 5th grades challenges we faced as a school this year, there were many successes. We continued the work needed to Summer is a time to rest and reset from a busy be done to ensure the safety and educational needs of academic year. In light of all the challenges we our students. The staff, students and parents of this have faced in the last year, this summer is especial- community did not allow the pandemic to define ly important to take time for students and families us, but made us stronger as we persevered through to rest and regroup. Below is a list of suggested ac- these difficult times. Jeffrey Turner tivities and ideas for summer fun, as well as ideas I would like to thank our hard working staff for E.S. Principal to continue the educational progress throughout the their leadership during this year. Their commitment summer (adapted from summerlearning.org): was outstanding and our students benefited from this. Thank you for 1. Read, read, read: participate in summer reading providing an excellent educational experience despite the myriad of programs, continue daily reading as a family, take the challenges with changing learning models from in person to hybrid and time to read books for fun and of interest. Danielle Rudloff then remote learning within the year. It should be acknowledged that Elem. Counselor Mr. Hindman, Ms. Hluch, Mrs. Cebulla, Mrs. Kavali, Mrs. Morgart, 2. Have fun with numbers, from counting clouds, bak- Mrs. Bing, Mr. Springirth, and the fourth grade teachers (Mr. Apthorpe, ing, math facts in sidewalk chalk, and so on. There Mrs. Duvall, Mrs. Strope, Miss Pepper) took on the task of teaching are many ways to make number sense and math facts fun! all or some of their day remotely this year. Additionally, Mr. Rodstrom 3. Limit screen time: take the time to go outside, take trips, and have fun managed the online Jefferson County Program for grades 5-12. This without a device. form of instruction and learning is extremely difficult, but this group of teachers was up to the challenge! Furthermore, establishing safety 4. Create art and/or do science projects: there are many ideas online that allow protocols such as distancing, wearing masks and handling changes to students to learn while having fun! the schedule seamlessly did not go unnoticed. 5. Get out of the house: go outside, go for a hike or walk, check out area mu- Lastly, I would like to thank our students for their efforts to make seums, zoos, parks, etc. Being outdoors has many health benefits and can this a successful year. Each of you handled the distancing, wearing promote continued learning. masks and other changes to the normal routines extremely well. I wish 6. Add activities that allow for continued social emotional learning/practice: all of you a happy, safe and enjoyable summer. Please be sure to take allow your child to spend time sharing with others, playing games, and the time as a family to talk, play and READ together! learning how to share kindness/respect with peers. I look forward to seeing all of you in August. To our fifth graders 7. Get some sleep and have routines: It is important to have fun this summer, moving to middle school, good luck and continue to demonstrate the 3 but children still need adequate sleep daily and will thrive utilizing routines. R’s - Respectful, Responsible and being a Role Model! Create daily routines that allow for bedtime schedules, academic time, Sincerely, having fun, and eating healthy. Implementing these strategies will allow for an easier transition back into the school year in September. Jeffrey Turner Principal I hope you and your family have a wonderful and relaxing summer! Field Day (Navigate “R” Ship) 2021 Red Flags This year, the fifth grade This year, our 5th grade class completed the Red Flags program. Student Council in coordina- With this program, students learned what positive mental health is, how tion with the elementary PTA, to obtain it, what mental illness is including depression, the signs and worked together to create symptoms of depression, and who/how to seek help. This class did a Navigating “R” Ship - an up- phenomenal job participating, asking questions, and learning the infor- dated twist on the elementary mation. Because untreated depression has a high correlation with sui- school’s yearly field day. Stu- cide attempts and completions, it is my belief that there exists a strong dents participated in activities need for this type of curriculum to be offered for our students. Sadly, and games from around the suicide still is the third leading cause of death in teenagers and young world. Students took part in adults. As a parent, listed below are signs and symptoms of depression: crafts from Australia, delica- cies from South America, and • Anger, irritability and agitation are typical full-body movements from • Deep feelings of sadness and hopelessness Asia and Africa. The Student • Anxiety and fearfulness Council and PTA created a • Physical complaints: headaches, stomachaches day that was not only fun, but • Withdrawal from family & friends allowed students the chance • Loss of interest/pleasure in activities to create lasting memories • Extreme sensitivity to rejection & failure through diverse activities that showcased different cultures and helped • Low self-esteem, guilt, feel worthless students get to know each other better within “R” community! • Trouble concentrating & making decisions • Loss of energy/increased fatigue Kindergarten Baseline Screening and Schedule • Insomnia or oversleeping • Screening dates: August 24th or 25th (students were scheduled • Changes in appetite & weight (up or down) during registration in April) All parents might see any of these symptoms in their children on • Classroom assignments for Kindergarten only will be posted on the occasion. It is time to seek professional help when: west doors after 3 p.m. on August 25th. • Half of Kindergarten attends school on September 2nd and the oth- • Multiple symptoms appear er half attends on September 3rd. All Kindergarten students attend • Symptoms occur over a long period of time school on September 7th. • Please contact the elementary office at 330-325-7971 or email • Symptoms are interfering with the child’s ability to function: refusal to go Mrs. Paolucci (secretary) or Mr. Turner with any questions. Please to school, personal hygiene, grades, lack of friends, troubled relationships, know that the elementary office does not open for the 2021-22 running away, self injury, substance abuse school year until August 17, 2021. • Child talks about wanting to die and has thoughts of suicide Page 7 Athletics Keith Waesch - Athletic Director, (330) 325-2006 P.T.C. Champions Rover Winter Sports Scholar-Athletes Rootstown High School enjoyed an outstanding The following winter sports participants earned spring sports season. The baseball program won its scholar-athlete status during the 2020-21 school fourth consecutive Portage Trail Conference cham- year. A student-athlete becomes a scholar-ath- pionship. The girls’ track team won back-to-back lete by earning a varsity letter and a 3.4 grade- conference titles for the first time in school history. point average or higher during the season. Meanwhile, the softball program claimed its first CHEERLEADING: conference championship since 1997! The boys’ track team also enjoyed a great spring, finishing as Sarah Dresp, Avarey Scott, Esther Shackelford, P.T.C. runners-up. Keith Waesch Gabi Simms, Abby Goforth, Courtney Taylor & Alexis Waligura Athletic Director GIRLS BOWLING: Ava Brunty, Keira Jefferis, Clara Butcher, Tracey Lohman, Kristen Williams & Payton Curall BOYS BOWLING: Jake Girtz, Drake Mason & Logan Furry GIRLS BASKETBALL: Karlie Duvall, Kyale Schoepe, Kasidy Smith, Katie Plecko, Aubrey Kline, Kylie McColloch, Lindsay Smith & Abby White BOYS BASKETBALL: Adam Beery, Jake Collins, Josh Plona, Tommy Weese, Donovan Birkett, Xavier Birkett, Brandan Nicholas, Dominic Shipp & Branden Bobbs WRESTLING: Alex Banks, Mason Kline, Chase Taubler, Cameron White, Cody Coontz, Bryce Edwards, Lane McKenzie, Darren Furry, Tony Karp & Kyle Kuharich

Follow Rover Athletics on Twitter Rootstown athletic director, Keith Waesch, has established a Twitter account to keep Rover fans updated on upcoming events and game scores involving our middle and high school teams. You can receive daily tweets by following us @roverathletics, the official Twitter home of Rootstown athletics. Those who don’t have a Twitter account, can still receive updates via text message. Simply send a text to 40404. In the body of the text, type follow @roverathletics. Booster Club Meetings Set The Rootstown Sports Booster Club regularly meets on the first Sunday of each month in the high school cafeteria at 7 p.m. All Roots- town residents are welcome to attend. For more information on the booster club and its meetings, contact the athletic director, Keith Waesch, at 330-325-2006. Rover Sports Schedules on Internet Rootstown middle and high school sports schedules are available on the Internet. Schedules can be accessed by logging on to www. bigteams.com and then clicking on the school search icon. The schedules are as up-to-date as those in the athletic office. Sched- Check back here after June 9th ules are subject to change. for results from the Boys’ and Girls’ State Track meet!

Photos on this page are courtesy of Eldreth Photography Page 8 2021/2022 School Calendar August December May 26 All Certified Staff In-service 22-31 Winter Break - No School 30 Memorial Day - No School (1/2 day) 27, 30 All Certified Staff In-service January June 31 First Student Day 17 MLK Day - No School 3 Last day for Students 21 1st Semster Ends 5 Graduation - Seniors September 6 All Certified Staff In-service 6 Labor Day - No School February (1/2 day) 24 Staff Prof. Dev. Day - No 17 Parent/Teacher Conf. -Elem/ School HS/MS Calamity Days begin on June 6, 2022 18 Staff Prof. Dev. Day - No October School 7 Parent/Teacher Conf. - HS/ 21 President’s day - No School MS/ES 8 NEOEA Day - No School March 12 Parent/Teacher Conf. - HS/MS 25 3rd Grading Period Ends 14 Parent/Teacher Conf. - Elem 28-31 Spring Break - No School 29 1st Grading Period Ends April November 1 Spring Break - No School 25, 26, 29 Thanksgiving Break - 15 Good Friday - No School No School

The regular Board of Education School District Personnel meetings are held every month Superintendent...... Mr. Andrew Hawkins ...... 330-325-9911 at 6:00 p.m. Please visit our Treasurer...... Ms. Connie Baldwin ...... 330-325-9911 district website at Assistant Superintendent...... Dr. Terri Hrina-Treharn ...... 330-325-2014 www.rootstown.sparcc.org for Director of Special Education...... Ms. Marcy Spence ...... 330-325-4144 the specific dates. The public Elementary Principal...... Mr. Jeff Turner ...... 330-325-7971 is cordially invited to attend all Middle School Principal...... Mr. Robert Campbell ...... 330-325-9956 meetings. High School Principal...... Mr. James Conley ...... 330-325-7911 Director of Facilities...... Mr. Al Marzec ...... 216-410-4037 Note: Date may occasionally Director of Transportation...... Mrs. Kimberly Isaman ...... 330-325-0189 change due to inclement weather Director of Food Services...... Mrs. Peggy Shewell ...... 330-325-4139 or holidays. Board of Education President...... Mr. Craig Mullaly ...... 330-283-0415 Board of Education Vice President...... Mr. Eric Kline ...... 330-357-1495 The monthly board agenda and Board of Education Leg. Liaison...... Mr. Paul McEwuen...... 330-389-1211 minutes can be found on the Board of Education Student Ach. Liaison...... Mrs. Amanda Waesch ...... 330-351-1945 district website at Board of Education Member...... Mr. Tom Siciliano ...... 330-325-2176 www.rootstown.sparcc.org.

Other Numbers of Interest Rootstown Schools, in US Senator Rob Portman...... 202-222-3353 collaboration with the US Senator Sherrod Brown...... 202-224-2315 community, will provide a US Representative Anthony Gonzalez...... 330-630-7311 quality education in a safe Governor Mike DeWine...... 614-466-3555 environment for students to State Senator Jerry Cirino...... 614-644-7718 become productive, State Representative Gail Pavliga...... 614-466-2004 Ohio Department of Education...... 877-644-6338 lifelong learners. Student Success Committee Page 9 By Terri Hrina-Treharn The Student Success Committee has been extremely productive this year! Despite dealing with COVID, over the past school year the group has accomplished quite a bit. They created a “brand” which has already been infused into our schools. Additionally, we unveiled our logo to go along with it that many of you helped us choose. Hopefully you have noticed it on such things as our website, letterhead, email signatures, and social media. Starting this fall, expect to see things such as banners, murals and the implementation of a QR code system in which you can earn logoed prizes for attending school events! From there, we created targets for student achievement and will be tackling the areas of technology and culture in the fall. Most recently, we finished our Portrait of a Graduate which you can see below. This will also be showcased on the Battelle for Kids website. A big THANK YOU to Kaylen Rantilla for the design! The committee put a lot of work into this and are thrilled to start developing these attributes with our incoming kindergarteners. While we already feel we have great students who graduate from Rootstown, being intentional with developing these attributes will ensure creating well-rounded individuals with the needed skills to be productive citizens in society and the workforce.