At the March 10, 1998, Meeting of the Shaker Heights Board of Education, the Superintendent

March 11, 1998 At the March 10, 1998, meeting of the Shaker Heights Board of Education, the Superintendent reported the following: • The Shaker Heights City School District is providing support to the Shaker Historical Society and Museum for a permanent exhibit and the creation of instructional materials on the heretofore little-known black Shakers. A traveling exhibit from the restored Shaker settlement in South Union, Kentucky, has been held over at the museum in Shaker Heights, and information about black Shakers will be incorporated into 3rd graders’ study of the Shaker heritage. On March 15, Abel Bartley of the history department at the University of Akron will make a presentation on the black Shakers at 3 p.m. at the Shaker Community Building.

• The school district is exploring offering foreign language at the elementary school level. Under the leadership of Rosemary Weltman, Assistant to the Superintendent, a task force made up of foreign language teachers and other faculty and staff members will examine the options and make recommendations. • Ronald F. Ferguson, lecturer and senior researcher at John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, will speak on narrowing racial disparities in test scores at Shaker Heights High School on Monday, March 23. The program, which will begin at 3:10 p.m. in the large auditorium, is sponsored by the Shaker Heights PTO and the Shaker Heights Teachers’ Association in conjunction with Caring Communities Organized for Education. Dr. Ferguson is a Cleveland native who has written extensively on education-related topics. • The High School’s Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Hans Bohnert, received straight Superior ratings at the Lakeland Jazz Festival on February 27. The Jazz Band, directed by Thomas Deep, received an Excellent rating at the competition, which was sponsored by the Ohio Music Education Association and sanctioned by the International Association of Jazz Educators. • More than 250 members of the High School marching band, choir, and orchestra will travel to Germany during spring vacation on a performance tour. The centerpiece of the trip is a stay in Goslar, with several events planned in observance of the 20th anniversary of the Shaker-Goslar exchange program. This trip marks the first time all three musical ensembles have traveled to Europe together. • Shaker’s winter athletic teams have enjoyed a splendid season. The men’s varsity basketball team, ranked third in the state, begins district tournament play this week with a 19-1 record and the Lake Erie League and sectional championships under its belt. The men’s junior varsity team finished with a 20-0 record, while the 9th grade team went 13-5. The women’s varsity team also won the LEL with a 12-9 overall record and 10-4 in the league. Five Shaker wrestlers qualified for the district tournament and two will go on the state level. Both the men’s and women’s swimming teams posted 9-0 regular season records and their 65th consecutive LEL dual-meet victories en route to league championships. The women – celebrating their 12th straight LEL title – went on to win the sectional championship and finish 5th in the district meet. The men’s team won its 8th LEL championship in a row as well as the Shaker Invitational, the Timken Relays, and sectional and district titles, wrapping up with a 3rd place finish in the state meet. The ice hockey team concluded an outstanding season Sunday, losing the state championship game 5- 4 in overtime. In compiling a season record of 21-7-2, the team won the Baron Cup (city championship) and the district tournament. Shaker athletes and coaches will be celebrated at the May Board of Education meeting. • Shaker Middle School’s Power of the Pen team, recognized at the February Board of Education meeting for its 1st place finishes in the sectional tournament, continues its winning ways. In the regional competition, against 35 other public and private schools, the Middle School took 1st place in the 8th grade division, 2nd place in the 7th grade division, and the Sweepstakes Trophy for the highest number of total points. Several Shaker students are expected to advance to the state round. The Board recognized the following students: • Angela Groves, a Boulevard second grader, had a poem published in March 1998 edition of Highlights for Children, one of the best-known children’s magazines in the country. Her poem – quite appropriate for today – is titled “Winter Daydreams.” Boulevard fourth-grader Leticia Harris is helping spread the word about safety. Her artwork promoting the use of seat belts was selected to be in the 1998 HeadSmart calendar published by the Brain Injury Association in Washington, D.C. The Board heard the following: • Boulevard Principal Rebecca Kimberly welcomed the Board and guests. She described a painted tile mural currently being created by Boulevard students under the guidance of artist-in- residence George Woideck. • The Superintendent has held discussions with senior clergy at the two Shaker Heights churches that plan to participate in the Interfaith Hospitality Network for homeless families. It appears that the school district’s questions about schooling for the children of these families will be resolved. • James Paces, Executive Director of Curriculum, and William Newby, Chair of Curriculum and Instruction at the High School, made a presentation on Senate Bill 55, also known as the Performance Accountability Bill, which became effective in Ohio on November 21, 1997. Among other provisions, the bill establishes a new school rating system based on state performance standards for dropout rates, student attendance rates, and proficiency test passage rates. The Board of Education approved the following: • Personnel actions, including appointments, special assignments, substitutes, aides, tutors, and supplemental contracts.

• Special education program placements, tuition, and excess costs.

• A resolution authorizing the school district’s participation in the electricity purchase and electricity prepayment programs of the Ohio Schools Council.

• Financial statements for February 1998, interim investments, appropriation modifications, and transfer between funds.

• Supplemental appropriations for ESEA Title VI (Chapter 2), the Auxiliary Services Program, and the Special Rotary Fund.

• Budget revision for the Band Parent Boosters at Shaker Heights High School. The Board of Education will hold a special meeting at 8:45 a.m. Monday, March 16, 1998, in the Large Conference Room at the Administration Building.