Superintendent News - March 2024

March 2024 | Superintendent News

A Message From Kenston Schools

Kenston Schools are committed to serving students from all backgrounds creating greater intercultural awareness to help all students thrive and succeed. District policy is in place to ensure that students are protected from harassment (any threatening, insulting, or dehumanizing gesture, use of technology, or written, verbal or physical conduct directed against a student) based on race, color, national origin, or any other characteristic protected under federal or Ohio law. Our goal is to create a learning environment where all students feel safe, secure, valued, and respected. The Kenston community is welcome to share concerns of this nature with their building principal or any member of the District’s administrative team.

Kenston Intermediate School Showcase

At the March 18 Board of Education Meeting, Kenston Intermediate School Principal Ms. Walker, along with PEAK Ambassadors, the fourth and fifth grade Student Council Presidents, and two members of the Sunshine Club shared an update on service projects the school has been working on this year. Ms. Walker shared that at KIS, service is an intrinsic component of education, enriching the lives of students and preparing them to become compassionate leaders of tomorrow.

Peaceful Environment at Kenston (PEAK) Update:

Wylan Pol, a PEAK Ambassador from the fourth grade, shared about the holiday service project benefiting the WomenSafe organization in Geauga County. This service project helped to collect over 550 food and household items to support the mission of WomenSafe. Students also created cards of care to share with staff, volunteers, and residents to let them know they are loved and appreciated.

Fifth Grade PEAK Ambassador Anna Getting, shared about the February service project where students participated in a Cards for Military Challenge. For the second year in a row, students were provided with the opportunity to connect with heroes in all branches of the military by creating cards to send them. Partnering with the PTO, the Intermediate School created and collected over 450 cards. The PEAK Ambassadors worked to ensure all 450 cards met the criteria before shipping them to the military.

Student Council Update:

Fourth Grade Student Council President Dominic Miozzi and Fifth Grade Student Council President Julianna Barr, presented information on the Rescue Village service project. Members of the KIS Student Council researched the needs at Rescue Village and presented speeches to their homerooms. They created posters to promote the service project and helped in the collection of the items. During this service project, students were reminded of how important it is to serve others and their community.

Sunshine Club Update:

The Sunshine Club is a new addition to KIS and was created to help make the school brighter and happier for everyone. Bella Liotta and Savannah Susman presented this idea to Ms. Walker, with the goal being to spread cheer and serve others. This club has created short videos about being kind, shared notes of cheer around the school, started the recess buddy program, and welcomes anyone who would like to join.

Musical Arts Association at Kenston (MAAK)

Mrs. Suzanne Taber, President of the Musical Arts Association at Kenston, also known as MAAK, presented an update at the March 18 Board of Education Meeting. MAAK is a non-profit 501c3 parent booster group existing to support the musical arts at Kenston High School, including the Marching Band, Concert Band, Dance Team, and all of the Chorus and Chorale groups.

MAAK would like to congratulate all the members of the band, chorus, and Bomberettes on a very successful year. Recently at the Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA) Competition, the Kenston High School and Kenston 8th Grade Bands received a Superior Rating and the Kenston High School Chorus received an Excellent Rating.

To support these activities, MAAK’s primary fundraising effort is operating the concession stands for home athletic events (boys and girls soccer, football, lacrosse, and track) held in our Bomber Stadium in the Fall and Spring. This year there were 55 Fall events, with 40 spring events planned at Bomber Stadium. MAAK is comprised of a team of parent and student volunteers including the MAAK Board of Directors and Coordinators. This year, volunteers worked over 644 hours logging inventory, staffing, maintaining, and cleaning the concession stands at every home game. MAAK also hosts their famous poinsettia sale, helping to beautifully decorate the Auditorium during the Winter concert. Additionally this year, MAAK spread cheer by donating any unsold poinsettias to the Weils in Bainbridge.

In the 2023 - 2024 school year, there were 82 students in the KHS Bands (Marching, Concert, Symphonic, Jazz, and Flute Ensemble); 11 Bomberettes; and 101 students involved in the Chorale program, including the Chorale, Chorus, and the Varsity Jazz Singing Group.

MAAK memberships help with:

Care and maintenance of the uniforms
Purchasing new instruments
Providing five (5) $750.00 College Scholarships on a competitive basis to MAAK seniors.
Master classes for students to participate in to enhance their music education experiences.
Student recognition with plaques, letters, and corsages.

Thank you to everyone who supports MAAK on all levels; from the parent volunteers who help things run smoothly; our Kenston families and students who purchased our top-selling pizza, Coca-Cola, trail mix, or candy from the concession stands; our wonderful music education teachers with their combined efforts in the development of lifelong musical skills in our students - we would not be successful without you.

We appreciate the efforts of MAAK President, Mrs. Suzanne Taber, MAAK Board, and all members for all that they do to support the musical arts at Kenston.

MEMBERSHIP!

All parents/guardians of students participating in one of the musical arts ensembles are granted membership in MAAK. If you have a student in band, chorus, or on the dance team and have not received emails, please get in touch with MAAK at [email protected].

Bomber Rightsizing Update

To help keep families updated on information, frequently asked questions, and more; a new Bomber Rightsizing Plan tab has been added under the Quick Links section on the District's main webpage.

Click here to view the presentation shared by Superintendent Sayers at the March 4, 2024, Board of Education.

We encourage families to check this periodically as information is being added as it becomes available.

Reminder: Solar Eclipse Day

Kenston Online Survey

Kenston Schools is committed to informing our community through clear and effective communication. We value your insights and thank you for your commitment to shaping the future of our educational community. Your participation is instrumental in finding the right leader for our school district.

Please take a few minutes to complete the Kenston Stakeholder Survey. The answers to this survey will be shared with Finding Leaders (the search firm Kenston is working with) and district employees will not have any access to the results. Additionally, the survey will not collect names, emails, etc.

News from Kenston Nutrition Services

For further questions or if you are interested in other Gluten Free options offered at the schools, click here to email Nutrition Services Director, Andrew Mendez.