THE

Volume XXIII, Number III Periodical of the Perry Local School District December 2011

District Office 4201- 13th Street S. W. Massillon, Ohio 44646 TECHNOLOGY (330) 477-8121 http://perrylocal.org A look at technology in Perry schools! Perry High School 3737 - 13th Street S.W. Elementary students in Perry are answering more and more questions in class Massillon, Ohio 44646 since the beginning of the school year. This is due to some new technology that (330) 477-3486 all preschool through second grade classroom teachers are using. The SMART http://perrylocal.org/phs Response LE interactive response systems are specifically designed for early ele- http://facebook.com/ perryhighschool mentary students. The simple, colorful handheld remotes (clickers) allow students to answer questions, receive instant feedback, and stay engaged in lessons. Stu- Edison Middle School dents throughout Perry’s five elementary 4201 - 13th Street S.W. Massillon, Ohio 44646 buildings are excited about the “gamelike” (330) 478-6167 feel that the clickers bring to the classroom. http://perrylocal.org/edison Walter, a first grader in Mrs. Deuble’s class at Lohr agrees, "I like the clickers because they Pfeiffer Intermediate School are just like a video game." The technology 4315 - 13th Street S.W. even has one Lohr student excited about Massillon, Ohio 44646 math. "I like the clickers because it's like a (330) 478-6163 computer and I love doing anything on the http://perrylocal.org/pfeiffer computer, even math!" said Marcus. Genoa Elementary The clicker systems also allow students to 519 Genoa Road S.W. participate who otherwise may not because of Massillon, Ohio 44646 shyness, or they were simply not called on to answer. Tyler, a second grader in (330) 478-6171 http://perrylocal.org/genoa Mrs. Baker’s class from Whipple agrees, “I like them because I don't have to talk out loud." Immediate feedback on skills and lessons learned is one of the benefits Knapp Elementary that clickers provide. Genoa’s first grade teacher, Miss Mitchell states, “SMART 5151 Oakcliff Street S.W. LE has assisted in providing immediate feedback which has helped me to drive Canton, Ohio 44706 (330) 478-6174 direct instruction and create flexible groups within my classroom.” The data that http://perrylocal.org/knapp can be generated has allowed Mrs. Libster, a first grade teacher at Watson to, “look at students’ results and make quick interventions as you see necessary.” Lohr Elementary Over eighty lessons and activities using 5300 Richville Dr. S.W. Navarre, Ohio 44662 the clickers have been created by district (330) 484-3924 preschool through second grade teachers http://perrylocal.org/lohr that are shared across buildings. One such example was the election day activity Watson Elementary completed by Mrs. Rochford’s class. Her 515 Marion Ave. N.W. Massillon, Ohio 44646 kindergarten students voted on their fa- (330) 832-8100 vorite U.S. symbol using the clickers. http://perrylocal.org/watson The clicker technology is quickly becom- ing a favorite of teachers and students. Whipple Elementary The engagement and feedback provided 4800 12th Street N.W. continues to be examples of how Perry is providing a 21st Century education with Canton, Ohio 44708 (330) 478-6177 a focus on student achievement. http://perrylocal.org/whipple DID YOU KNOW? There are over 2,000 computers in Perry Local Schools. A MESSAGE from our Superintendent and School Board President The holiday season is a perfect time of year to think about the truly important issues in our lives. I’m reminded of an article I read in which the very poor parents of two boys struggled to save enough money to buy a train set for the two brothers. They scrimped for months and then spent more than they could probably afford for a Marx electric train for their sons. On Christmas Eve, a cousin stationed at a nearby military base pulled into the driveway. Open- ing the trunk of his car he lifted out a large heavy box. The brothers could hardly wait to see what it was. On Christmas morning they opened it first, and unwrapped an expensive new electric train set. Then they opened the presents from their parents-- another electric train, that wasn’t nearly as nice as the one from their old- er cousin. The parents were hurt, as the boys barely even noticed the present that they had worked so very hard to give them. The outlay of money for an unmarried Air Force lieu- tenant was very little compared to the sacrifice the parents had made, but all the children saw was the glamour of an expensive train.

Amidst the glittering ornaments and flashing Christmas lights, the craziness of shopping and wrapping, of get-togethers, parties, presents, trees and turkeys — it is important to re- member our most important gifts: the gifts of our faith, our families, our friends, and our freedoms in this country, just to name a few. What gets more attention from us: the deeply meaningful relationships of faith, friends and family or the quickly-wrapped department store gifts that are often forgotten in a week’s time? As we participate in this season of the year, we encourage you to spend time on the important people, beliefs, and relationships in your lives. We are both extremely thankful for the very special Perry community, and con- sider ourselves servants on our students’ behalf. We are blessed with wonderful families, individuals, pro- grams, and events in our schools and township, making Perry a great place for a family. Thank you so much for your support of our students and schools! We wish you the most wonderful of holiday seasons! Perry Local Schools Mission To emphasize excellence in learning With gratitude and holiday cheer! and provide opportunities for every child to realize his/her potential Sincerely, in a safe environment. To encourage students to become re- John V. Richard, Superintendent sponsible, productive citizens and life- Michael Brenner, School Board President long learners.

MIZICKO NAMED HEALTH TEACHER OF THE YEAR Congratulations to High School Health Teacher Rob Mizicko for being selected as the 2011 Health Education Teacher of the Year by the Ohio Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Rob has been teaching for 18 years, the last 14 years at Perry where he is also the Head Coach of the Boys Cross Coun- try team and the Head Coach of the Boys and Girls track teams. Coach Mizicko received his Health Teacher of the Year award on De- Top DARE Students: cember 1, 2011 at the OAHPERD Convention From Left to Right: in Columbus. Way to go Rob! You make Perry proud. Mackenzie Spehar Audra Deitz Perry would like to wish our very own Bette Mizer a Happy Morgan Hancock Birthday! She turned 96 on 11/11/11. It's very fitting that someone as patriotic as Bette would have been born on Veteran's Day! SENIOR MOMENTS from Bette Mizer A time for sharing feelings which too often we postpone…the holidays are a perfect time to make our warm thoughts known. It is the time to count our many blessings, name them one by one!

Special days in November: 6 th - Daylight Savings Time ended; 8 th - Election Day; 11 th - Veter- ans Day; 24 th - Thanksgiving Day. November is American Heritage Month. For all Senior Cit- izens celebrating a November birthday; Topaz is your birthstone and the Chrysanthemum is your flower.

Special days in December: 7 th - Pearl Harbor Anniversary; 21 st - first day of winter; 25 th -Christmas, 31 st - New Year’s Eve. For all Senior Citizens celebrating a December birthday; the blue turquoise is your birth- stone and the Holly is your flower.

All Perry Township Senior Citizens are cordially invited to attend the annual Holiday Luncheon on Wednes- day, December 14 th at Edison Middle School, from 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. (program and dinner). A $3.00 do- nation will be collected at the door. For reservations, please complete and return the attached form to Perry Local Schools, 4201 13 th St SW Massillon, OH 44646.

Christkindl Market celebrated their 40 th Annual Fine Arts and Crafts show this season at the Cultural Center for the Arts. Congrats to this group on making this a Canton holiday tradition!

Students of Mr. Mark Byrd’s class at Perry Local Schools are helping to build new “birds of prey” cages at the Sanders Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.

DID YOU KNOW? Wyoming was the first state to be admitted to the Union after our Constitution was amended, to allow WOMEN to vote and hold office.

NOTHING IS AS CONTAGIOUS AS ENTHUSIASM!

Perry Township History Club, Inc. continues to preserve and display the township’s history. Goals of the Club are to restore the 1893 Genoa school house and to coordinate events for the township’s bicentennial in 2014. For information, please contact President Charles Taylor, 330-575-2379.

LADY LIBERTY : The Statue of Liberty celebrated her 125 th birthday (October 18, 1886) this past October 18th, 2011. During a week of special events, many high tech gifts surrounded her.

Closing Thought: Win new friends, but keep the old; the first are silver, but the other gold! Perry Rotary Seeking Nominations for With Perry Pride, Outstanding Senior Citizens Nominees for this award must be 60 years or older and a resident of Perry Township; someone who has or is con- tinuing to make a positive impact on Perry Township and the surrounding area. The male and female recipients of this award will not be announced until their recognition at the Holiday Luncheon.

2011 Perry Outstanding Senior Citizen Senior Citizen Holiday Luncheon Name: ______

Reservation Form Address:______Telephone Number:______December 14, 2011 12:00- 2:00PM List 3 community activities that this individual has Name______participated in during the past 5 years: Address______Telephone______Number Attending ______Submit by December 9th to: For reservations, please complete and return this form to Perry Local Schools Perry Local Schools, 4201 13th St SW 4201 13th St SW Massillon, OH 44646 Massillon, OH 44646 $3 Donation at the door. Attn: Marcia Higgins AWARDS & HONORS 5 YEARS OF SUPERIOR BUS RATING 2011 MIDDLE SCHOOL The J. Babe Stern Award for superior bus rating in STARK COUNTY & Stark County was presented to Perry Local Schools FEDERAL LEAGUE at the annual Stark County School Bus Banquet. INDIVIDUAL CHAMPION: This is the 5th year in a row Perry has received this LEXI ECHELBERRY award. This past middle school cross- Here's how the award is determined: The Highway country season was again another Patrol inspected the buses for various things under success. One of the members of the hood, under carriage and inside the buses during the girls team; Lexi Echelberry, the month of July. Out of 55 buses, we only had 3 not only had a successful season, incidents where a bus needed to be fixed before it but had one of the best seasons could get a sticker. The highway patrol then tallied ever in recent memory by an in- the results from all the districts in Stark County and dividual at the middle school lev- Perry was the district with the lowest percentage of el. Lexi is one of the best cross- issues. We won again!! Congratulations Mitzi and country runners in the area. This the Perry Team of: Walt Eagle, Joel Boughman, Lois is an outstanding accomplish- Krynock, Annette Radsick, Veronica Fach, Missy ment for Lexi who is a 7th grader Capuano, Stacey St. Jean, Seth Good, Dan Gooding at Edison Middle School, since and Anna Fach. this was her first year competing If you get a chance, please thank all of them for their at the middle school level. Lexi hard work and dedication to the Perry Local competed in ten cross-country Schools. You make us proud. Congratulations! races this past season where she took first place in all but one. After Lexi’s first competition at the Golden Eagle PERRY RECOGNIZED FOR EFFICIENCY IN Invitational, where she received second place, she never OPERATIONS looked back and came up first in her remaining competi- The independent education analyst group, tions. Lexi took 1st place at the North Canton Dave Knowledge Works, recently ranked Perry Local Clegg Invitation, Malone XC Invitational, The Stark Schools as tops in the state for operational efficiency County Championships, Stow Bulldog Invitational, and in two different areas. Our Food Services program finished the season by winning the Federal League was rated #1 in the state in our demographic catego- Championships. Not only is Lexi Echelberry the 2011 ry, and our Central Office efficiency was rated #5 in Federal League Champion, but she is also the Stark the state! Superintendent John Richard took part in a County Champion where she competed against every panel on a televised event in Columbus to spread the runner in the county. We want to congratulate Lexi on word on the keys to success in these areas. Congrats an outstanding cross-country season and look forward to to all parties involved in making Perry a statewide more great accomplishments from her. Lexi you make standout! all of us at Perry very proud. Lexi could not have ac- complished all this without the encouragement of her teammates. Members of this year’s middle school cross- country team were: Kasie Perretta, Jessie Williams, Ra- Home of the chel Brown, Hope Price, Shannon Howley, Lauren Die- trick, Hannah Petitti, and Jaylee George for the Girls Panthers Team. Boys Team: Evan Evanko, Alex Bevington, Scott Essig, Aaron Singo, Daniel Cronk, Sam Aegerter, Kyle Betivas, Logan Riley, and Seth Brand. DID YOU KNOW? There are 450 Video Projec- tors in Perry Local Schools. These video projectors show the image of a computer, camera or DVD play- er so the entire class can view it at the same time. We are Perry SCHOOL NEWS WHIPPLE ELEMENTARY WHIPPLE ELEMENTARY (perrylocal.org/whipple) TECHNOLOGY ENHANCED READING READING IS A COMMUNITY EFFORT Kids love technology! Ten years ago, Whipple decided Normally Whipple graduate, Mike Evans, (son of to pair that love of technology with reading by incorpo- Whipple Secretary, Kathy Evans) fights fires and rating a software program called Accelerated Reader. rescues people in distress in our local area. Howev- This has turned out to be a great program for the stu- er, Mike took a day dents! Students in grades 2, 3 & 4 are encouraged to out of his busy read various leveled books in the library and then take schedule to share computerized comprehension quizzes over those books. his love of fire- The students are awarded points, based on their perfor- fighting with Whip- mance on those quizzes. These points can then be trad- ple’s first grade ed in for prizes in the library. Students may spend their classes in an effort points each month or save them for larger prizes. to partnership com- Through the help of our PTO, we are able to stock our munity and school AR prize shelves with a huge assortment of prizes rang- in encouraging stu- ing from erasers and baseball cards to larger things such dents to read. How as disco lights and Webkinz! do you accomplish Students are encouraged to take AR quizzes in the li- that? What child brary, computer lab or in their class (whenever there is doesn’t hold fire- extra time). In order to encourage students to do their fighters in high es- best, additional bonus points are awarded for each teem? Now, hand him a book that not only tells 100% grade that a student receives on a quiz. It has about firefighting but also has the sounds to go proven to be a very along with it and then sit back and watch as successful incen- awestruck students become engaged. If he dons tive and great read- firefighting gear and breathing apparatus and fol- ing program. lows that with useful information that just might Whipple’s second save their lives -- you now have their full attention! grade classes Throw in a paper fire truck and a handshake from a (pictured) have real life firefighter and you now have a memory been notoriously about reading that hopefully will last a lifetime! enthusiastic with What an awesome experience for our Whipple first the AR program! graders! Ms. Nolan loves to tell how eagerly her 2nd grade class has embraced AR! She is thrilled to see how they budget their study time so that they have extra time to read and take AR quizzes! Technology certainly has GO PANTHERS! helped to enhance the love of reading at Whipple!

GENOA ELEMENTARY (perrylocal.org/genoa) SMART BOARD, SMARTER STUDENTS Our kindergarten through second grade students have the opportunity to use Smart Response LE clickers! Shown is Miss Mitchell’s first grade students using clickers to practice weekly vocabulary words. Miss Mitchell reads a sentence for students to fill in the blank on the Smart Board. Students try to answer using the choices given with their hand-held clickers. The answers transmit to the Smart Board and provide imme- diate feedback. The feedback given is displayed in a way that each student’s response is kept confidential to the rest of class, only the teacher knows who made the responses. The class, with the help of the teacher, takes time to discuss correct answers. The teacher can easily see who is on target or who will need additional support. The students have so much fun using this hands-on technology as they learn! GENOA ELEMENTARY (perrylocal.org/genoa) WATSON ELEMENTARY (perrylocal.org/watson) APPRECIATING VETERANS DAY GIRLS ON THE RUN 2nd YEAR IN A ROW On Tuesday, November 8th the second graders at Girls on the Run is so much fun! This is the chant that Genoa Elementary School walked over to Perry is heard from the girls participating at the end of each High School to visit the Veterans’ Memorial. Girls on the Run (GOTR) training session. Watson has While there, we discussed the importance of the offered this wonderful after school program to 3rd and holiday and read through the names of those men 4th grade girls who are written on the plaques. We took a mo- for two years ment of silence to honor our veterans and then al- now. The partic- lowed the students to place ipating girls flags around the memorial started training in and do some rubbings of September. Their the names. Prior to our training sessions visit we spent time learn- were to prepare ing about Veterans Day for the 5K race and read two amazing but also for books. The first book is The Wall by Eve Bunting building confi- and the second book was written by our own Matt dence, self esteem as well as the direct benefit of im- Patron and it is called I Love You, Dan, Good proving their health and fitness. Night! The students loved this experience and The Watson Girls on the Run also demonstrated their have really come to love and respect our veterans. civic mindedness by making Thanksgiving cards for residents at a local nursing home. They also donated KNAPP ELEMENTARY (perrylocal.org/knapp) canned goods for the community Perry Helping Perry GREAT THINGS WITH TECHNOLOGY! Food Bank. Great things happen all the time at Knapp Elemen- It was a great day for a race on Saturday November 13 tary when it comes to technology. Every day our as our GOTR Girls participated in the 5K race held at students interact with technology through the use of Lake Cable. The race is well known and part of the our smart boards. Every classroom has an interac- Subway challenge series. The training for the June race tive, electronic whiteboard which enhances instruc- will start in March and culminate with the 5K race at tion and learning. The teachers create content rich, Walsh University. engaging lessons which address specific skills that promote student success. The teachers are able to LOHR ELEMENTARY (perrylocal.org/lohr) use online learning LOHR LOVES activities, games and TECHNOLOGY short video clips that Lohr Elementary stays up to are being taught in date with the 21st century in class. many ways! We currently The iPod Touch is have a computer lab which another cool piece of all students visit weekly technology that our equipped with 28 comput- 3rd graders in Mrs. ers. We also have interac- Foen’s class use sev- tive smartboards in all K-4 eral days a week. These little hand held computers classrooms which is one of are perfect for reviewing skills that have been the many ways our teachers taught in all subject areas. Some of the students are engaging students and favorite apps are word salad, language and grammar improving learning in the classroom. Take a quick games, and most importantly math flashcards. Mrs. tour of our building by visiting our webpage and Foen’s states, “The kids love it! Every day they watching a short movie we made using our flip video want to know if we are using the iPods in class.” camera! Our website is also a great place parents can What a perfect combination, students learning keep up to date on what is going on in our building and through the use of technology and having fun at the in their child’s classroom by going to their teacher’s same time. class webpage! LOHR ELEMENTARY (perrylocal.org/lohr) STUDENTS EXPERIENCE TECHNOLOGY IS THAT A MAGNA DOODLE? Pfeiffer Intermediate students have a wide variety of That’s not a magna doodle! It’s a wireless slate! The technologies they utilize on a daily basis. Pfeiffer is wireless slate allows teachers to interact wirelessly fortunate to have SMART boards, clicker response with the Smart- systems, netbooks with building-wide wireless, a tech board. The class and web-based programs that supplement learn- wireless slate is ing for student use. a great way to The most noticeable form of technology is the engage students SMART board. Students may interact with the while at their SMART board on their own or the teacher may use it desks. The to make a lesson more engaging by incorporating teacher can use websites or videos into the lesson. Teachers may al- the slate to keep so save their lessons from the SMART board and up- the momentum load them to a website so students who were absent of the lesson don’t fall behind. moving or the students can pass it around to answer Another technology that students use at Pfeiffer is the questions on it too. The students love the wireless Senteo clicker system. A clicker system is a device slate because it is “like magic.” Whenever a child that students hold in their hands can say education is “like magic” it must mean they to input information for the are engaged and excited about learning! teacher to analyze. This infor- mation could be a response to a question, answers to a test or PFEIFFER INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL (perrylocal.org/pfeiffer) the value of a math problem. PFEIFFER RUNNING CLUB Students receive instant feed- Pfeiffer’s Running Club had record numbers this back from the device and teach- year. This was the fourth consecutive year that ers can make informed decisions about whether or Pfeiffer held a running club which meets in the fall not students are learning the material being taught. months. Each year the running club is expanding and Teachers also use the clicker systems to analyze com- this year was no different. The Pfeiffer Running mon assessments that are given at the end of each Club consistently had 45 runners who would meet nine weeks to check how students are progressing after school every Monday and Thursday for about an towards learning goals throughout the year. hour. The club started in August and ran through Oc- A new website that students at Pfeiffer are using is tober. When the running club would meet, they the Scholastic Reading Inventory, or SRI, and the would learn about stretching, running and nutrition, purpose of this website is to measure students’ read- not just run for fun. The running club had several ing levels. Students answer questions about a reading chances to showcase their running abilities in races passage and the program assesses their reading ability against other running clubs from the area. Pfeiffer’s and even offers suggestions about books to read runners outshined all other running club members. based on ability and interests. Teachers have utilized The runners also competed against themselves in try- the results of the SRI tests to ensure they are select- ing to improve their own personal best racing times. ing appropriate books and passages for our students We want to congratulate those who participated in and to measure growth over the course of the year. this year’s Running Club. We also wanted to thank We have already observed growth in our students the Running Club members for making this year the from the first SRI test! most exciting year of Running Club yet and can’t Recently, Pfeiffer Intermediate received upgrades to wait until next year to continue the excitement for its wireless network and the whole building is now Pfeiffer’s Running Club. covered! Teachers no longer have to sign up for a lab, and this allows for more flexibility in their schedules. In conclusion, Pfeiffer students use and interact with technology on a daily basis. We are fortunate for the technologies that are available to them, and there are more to come in the future! EDISON MIDDLE SCHOOL (perrylocal.org/edison) HAT DAY RAISES $1,000 MONEY RAISED IN HONOR OF Edison Middle School donated money to wear their VETERANS DAY favorite hats in honor of our friend, Nate Baker. Nate The Edison Middle is an 8th grader from Edison who is battling cancer School students sold and we wanted to show our support in a special way. paper links to create Edison students patriotic paper chains and staff raised in honor of Veterans $1000 from Hat Day this Day to support year. (Pictured: Sean Nate and his fami- Quinn & Zharyea Stokes) Our school's patriotism ly. We are proud was shining with over $1,000 being collected to do- of the attitude of nate to the Dan Patron Scholarship Fund. This was giving from our a great way to show how thankful we are of all their students! sacrifices. Thank you veterans! He’s a great guy NATE BAKER PERSON OF CHARACTER He’s a great fighter Nate Baker was honored as Edison’s choice for a He’s got Perry pride Person of Character at a recent ceremony at RG He makes life brighter. Drage. Nate’s nomination form read: Nate Baker is an 8th grade football Show him your love player and wrestler at And donate today Edison Middle Because you know School. Nate has been It will help him in every way. diagnosed with adre- Seventy is his number nocortical carcinoma which is a rare form Out on the football field of cancer. He is cur- He played clean and fair rently receiving chem- But he got cancer so rare. otherapy. Nate has shown what it means to be a true To me this is not fair model of character. He has a sense of determination and strength coupled with a positive attitude that He had to go through this lifts the spirits of those around him. He is the kind We love you very much Nate of person that shows up at football games to support And don’t you ever forget. his team even when he may feel like staying home. Keep Fighting Nate! He is the kind of person who shows up at a blood (written by Edison Student who wishes to remain anonymous.) drive in his honor to thank those who are donating because he is truly grateful. We should all aspire to BUMP, SET, SPIKE have the heart, perseverance, and compassion of a Edison and Pfeiffer staff teamed up to play volleyball person like Nate Baker. Congratulations, Nate! against the Perry High staff before a varsity game. Staff played as Want to advertise in the Perryite? part of Contact us: [email protected] "Volley for • Business card size only. the Cure" in • Electronic submission through email. support of • $250 per issue. breast cancer • Your advertising will been sent to nearly 15,000 research. The homes in Perry township. • Your advertising dollars help pay for this publication gym was as well as getting the word out for your business. decked out in • Limited space, contact us soon. pink and our team came to play. It was a great time! PERRY HIGH SCHOOL (perrylocal.org/phs) MARCHING BAND GOES TO STATE AP SCHOLARS ANNOUNCED On October 15th, the Perry The following 2011 Perry graduates have earned the High School Marching Band designation of AP Scholar by the College Board in entered into an Ohio Music recognition of their exceptional achievement on the col- Education Association lege-level AP Exams taken in May 2011. Marching Band competition. AP Scholars with Distinction : The students were evaluated These students are Emma Anderson, David Buzinski, on musical performance, Michael McBurney and Matt Meeks marching performance, per- AP Scholars with Honor: cussion, and overall "general These students are Bradley Linerode and Tyler Yoder. effect" of the performance. AP Scholars: The Marching Panthers com- Our Scholars are Emily Betz, James Bruder, Avery peted in class AA (based on Demchak, Savannah Fox, Eric Harmon, Nicholas school size, AA being the Justyn, Shelby Logan, Meghann Vodopich and largest) and earned a 1st place finish for their class. Danielle Wagner. In addition, Perry earned a Superior rating which Congratulations to these individuals and their teachers qualified them for the State Finals in Dayton, OH. for a job well done! This is the first time in school history that the Marching Band has earned a selection to State Fi- nals, and the only Marching Band in Federal AP RECEIVES NATIONAL RECOGNITION League history to earn this honor. We are very The College Board has named Perry Local School Dis- proud of our students as they continue to set the trict as 1 of 367 school districts in the nation to be rec- standard for Stark County. ognized on its AP Achievement List! We will be high- The theme for this year's show was "The British lighted for opening AP classroom doors to a significant- Invasion", featuring songs by The Who, Rolling ly broader pool of students, while maintaining or im- Stones, and the Beatles. proving the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher. PHS now offers 10 AP courses. This year alone, more than 175 college credits will be eligible for PRIDE our students through the AP program. This is an inspi- EXCELLENCE rational benchmark for our district. TRADITION

SPEECH & DEBATE THANKS The Perry Speech & Debate Coaches and Executive Of- DUAL CREDIT IS ROARING ficers of the Boosters would like to extend our gratitude At a recent statewide meeting, Stark County was rd to the many parent volunteers who gave their time and ranked 3 in the state in terms of dual credit offer- energy for the Perry Speech & Debate Tournament ings to high school students. Dual credit, or dual November 4 & 5, 2011. Also, a sincere thank you goes enrollment, refers to courses that high school stu- to these local businesses which donated and/or discount- dents take and simultaneously receive high school ed food for the tournament: Subway inside the Canton and college credit. PHS teachers are certified by Walmart, El Campesino’s Restaurant and Snyder’s Pota- local colleges to teach college-approved courses to Chips. Thanks also to Schnab’s Burgers and TGIFri- right here at PHS. As the only Stark County day’s for your recent support of our fundraisers. Your school district offering a full 2-yr Associates De- generosity is most sincerely appreciated. The Perry gree within our high school walls, Perry is clearly Speech & Debate Team will also sponsor the Big Dis- leading the way state-wide in this area. This has trict Tournament in February. We look forward to part- been a key component to helping us reach nearly nering with all of you again. To the Perry Community: 80% in the number of graduates entering college please patronize our generous supporters. within two years of graduation from Perry. PHS ACHIEVES NATIONAL CERTIFICATION LADY PANTHERS SIGN WITH PROJECT LEAD THE WAY NATIONAL LETTERS As supporters from business and academia looked on, OF INTENT Bob Ballinger, PLTW Instructor, Sherrie Kibler, PLTW Instructor, Stephanie Laskey, Gateway to Technology Congratulations to the Instructor, Mary Jo Bowersox, Perry High School Guid- following Panthers on ance Department Chair, Cortney Ehret, Guidance Coun- signing with colleges to selor, and Jennifer Reese, Assistant Principal/Career further their career in aca- Tech Director, all from Perry High School recently ac- demics and athletics. cepted a plaque proclaiming national certification from Jayla Saibene (top) Project Lead the Way (PLTW). PLTW offers students National Letter of Intent either a pre-engineering or a biomedical sciences track to play Softball for The in an effort to Ohio State University in help schools 2012-2013. Macy Byrd increase the (middle) National Letter number and of Intent to play Basket- quality of engi- ball for Tiffin University neers and bio- in 2012-2013. medical science Shelbi Tilton (bottom) students gradu- National Letter of Intent ating from col- to play Softball for Kent leges and universities in the United States. To achieve State University in national certification, a PLTW school must adhere to 2012-2013. strict requirements, including—among other things— teaching the PLTW curriculum, administering the ex- ams provided, working with local business and industry, offering students a way to take all of the basic courses FOLLOW YOUR PANTHERS ALONG offered and providing them a clear pathway into post- WITH TWITTER secondary education. Here are the available twitter feeds: Since our school has achieved certified status, pre- -PerryLocal engineering students may now take their high school -PerryAthletics credit earned in Project Lead the Way and receive credit -PerryBaseball at several national PLTW affiliate colleges and universi- -PerryGymnastics ties such as Purdue, Penn State, and Rochester Institute -PerrySoftball of Technology. In addition, several Ohio colleges and -PerrySwimDive universities have already worked out or are currently -PerryTennis working out details that will allow pre-engineering stu- -PerryTrackXC dents to enter a large number of Ohio colleges with col- -ThePHSNews lege credit, depending on the program and the require- For more information, check out twitter.com. ments of the specific college. COMMUNITY NEWS

PERRY HELPING PERRY PERRY CHRISTIAN CHURCH EVENTS Upcoming events: GRADES 7-12 The food pantry and clothes closet will be held December 16th - Basketball 5th Quarter 9-11:30pm the 3rd Saturday of each month at Trinity Unit- December 30th - New Year's Eve Eve all-nighter ed Methodist Church from 10am-12pm. Proof of 10pm-7am residency is required. Donations can be dropped January 20th - Basketball 5th Quarter 9-11:30pm off at this time. If you need someone to pick up For more info: perrychristian.org, your donations to PHP, whether it be food or email [email protected], clothing, please call 330-418-4148 or 330-949- Facebook: Perry Christian Church-Youth 1628 and we will have someone pick up your do- Twitter: @perryyouth nation. We will be collecting items for our FIRST SATURDAY DINNERS "NEW" Christmas voucher program to help those Richville United Church of Christ Perry Residents in need during the holidays. 6125 Richville Drive SW Please visit our website for a complete list of January 7, 2012 4-7pm items needed at www.perrylocal.org/ Beef Tips and Noodles perryhelpingperry/ $8/adult $4/child (12 & under) Please contact Patty Knotts at 330- February 4, 2012 5-7pm 418-4148 or Kelly Hajba at 330-949- Spaghetti and Meatballs 1628 with any questions or email us at perryhelp- $8/adult $4/child (12 & under) [email protected]. Call for more information 330-832-1891. Join us on FACEBOOK! SOUP WITH SANTA BREAKFAST WITH SANTA O2 Ministries invites everyone to Soup with Santa on When: Saturday December 10, 2011 December 11th from 5-7pm at TC Knapp Elementary. Where: Perry High School Cafeteria Get your picture taken with Santa and Mrs. Claus, make Time: 9:00 am - 11:00 am a craft, sing songs, watch videos, eat soup, hang out with Price: Adults- $7.00 Kids- $5.00 friends and get in the holiday spirit. The whole event is Preschool to 5th grade welcome FREE. For more information call 330-949-6827. For more information please contact Charlotte Fisher at 330-833-7629. STARKPARKS.COM Make checks payable to Perry Cheer Club. Full Moon Hike : December 10th at 7 pm FREE PERRY COMMUNITY DINNERS Erie and Ohio Canals: December 27 & January 31 December 15th at 6 pm 4:00-7:00 pm Little Explorers- Deer: Reedurban Presbyterian Church December 21st at 10am & 11:15am Corner of 12th & Perry Canalway Center Explorers For more information: 330-477-2838 December 27th-29th at 11am and 1pm Everyone is invited!

Students Paul Hervey enjoy a 330.437.0026 FZRLAW.COM lesson in Canton front of Estates / Trusts / Probate the Corporate formation SMART Business planning, Litigation Board Banking and creditors’ rights and the use of Senteo Clickers. Perry Local Board of Education Perry Local School District Nonprofit Organization U.S. POSTAGE Mike Brenner, Marlene Capuano 4201 13th Street S.W. PAID Jon Deitz, Betsy Elum & Bob Schnabel Massillon, Ohio 44646 Canton, Ohio ______Permit No. 2286

Meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of each month at ECRWSS 6:30 pm at Pfeiffer, and are open to the public.

The Perryite is published six times a year by the Perry Local Postal Customer Board of Education, and distributed to the community resi- dents, businesses, and staff members.

The Perry Local Schools is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or handicap with respect to employment and educational programs and opportunities for students. Perry Hall of Fame Please join us at The Executive Event Center for the induction of the Class of 2012 Perry High School Athletic Hall of Fame starting at 5:45pm on January 13, 2012. The following inductees will be honored: Craig Day – Baseball, Class of 1969 Bob Edwards – Basketball, Class of 1988 Shane Fichter – Wrestling, Class of 1994 Zakiya Harris – Track, Class of 2001 Eric Heinzer – Football, Class of 2001 Gigi Hopple – Cross Country, Class of 1997 Chris Roddy – Diving/Swimming, Class of 1992

NAME______STREET ADDRESS______CITY______STATE______ZIP______PHONE: ______

NUMBER OF GUEST TICKETS ______AT $30.00 each TOTAL = $______PLEASE MAKE CHECK OR MONEY ORDER PAYABLE TO: PERRY ADULT BOOSTER CLUB Return to: Perry High School Attn: James M Ziegler 3737 13 th St SW Massillon, Ohio 44646

NO LATER THAN DECEMBER 23, 2011 TICKETS WILL BE SENT TO YOU BY MAIL ON JANUARY 3, 2012 NO TICKETS WILL BE SOLD AT THE DOOR.