For a $10 donation per adult, you’ll get to hear featured poets including Allison McClain, Gail Bellamy, Eris Zion Venia, Ray McNiece, Shakka Hasberry, Tierra Briggs , and Roxboro Middle School Poets. Enjoy hors d’oeuvres from local restaurants, homemade desserts, Restless Coffee and other beverages. Most importantly, support school poetry clubs at Boulevard, Canterbury, Gearity, Fairfax Elementary Schools and Roxboro Middle School. More than 100 kids in 4th-8th grade participate weekly in poetry clubs, with a final poetry celebration at the Heights Main Library on April 24th. The poetry clubs receive funding from Reaching Heights and school PTAs. This benefit aims to raise $500.00 for additional instructional time, guest poets, poetry books and journals, and publishing costs for each club’s poetry anthology. Questions: Contact Cynthia (216-321-9711 or cynthia_larsen@sbcglobal.net)

The 19th Annual Reaching Heights Adult Community Spelling Bee takes the stage at the Heights High auditorium on Wednesday, April 21, at 7 p.m. More than two dozen teams each raise at least $500 to support Reaching Heights grants to CH-UH teachers. 2009 Reaching Heights Spelling Bee champions The Know Knothings, Anne Kugler, Fran Lissemore, and Jim Wright will defend their title. 2009 Fundraising Champions were the Language Lovers at $3,676 and CWRU’s Upper Case team at $1,275. Judges for this year’s competition are Cleveland Heights Municipal Judge A. Deane Buchanan, CH-UH Superintendent Doug Heuer, Rev. John Lentz, pastor of Forest Hill Presbyterian Church, and Heights Library Director Nancy Levin.

Reaching Heights has sponsored the Bee each year since 1992. Proceeds from this friendly competition - more than $250,000 to date - go directly into the Heights schools through our School Team Grant program.

Up to 26 teams can compete. All kinds of teams find their way to the stage at Heights High - teachers, lawyers, librarians, local merchants, musicians, elected officials, developers, PTA-sponsored parent-teacher teams and church and university affiliated spellers. Loud cheering sections add to the festivities.

So please join in the fun April 21, 2010. at 7 p.m.in the Cleveland Heights High School Auditorium, and cheer on your favorite team. Admission is free, and you can see the words as they’re spelled (they’re projected on a screen that the spellers can’t see). For more information, contact Reaching Heights at (216) 932-5110, or send an email to patrick@reachingheights.org. More about this year’s Bee can be found here.

Instructions for spellers, and link to a word study page, are here.

Bee rules are here.

Jeffery Talbert, superintendent of the Osnaburg school district near Canton, was hired March 2 to be the new assistant superintendent of the Cleveland Heights-University Heights school district.

Mr. Talbert has an extensive career in education. He began as a special education teacher at Glen Oak High School in 1996. He was then Assistant Principal at Woodridge Middle School in Peninsula, Ohio. Following  Woodridge, Mr. Talbert spent two years as a House Leader for the Canton City School District’s Freshman Academy, and in 2004 he became the Principal of Maple Heights High School. Mr. Talbert then moved on to be Campus Principal at Canton McKinley High School. “I am extremely excited to be joining the CH-UH staff and teachers. The district stands out in Ohio for its progress in the classroom and its exceptional programming,” Mr. Talbert said.

The CH-UH school board hired Talbert effective Aug. 1, though he will work on a per-diem basis as available before then. CH-UH Superintendent Doug Heuer, quoted in a story by Ed Wittenberg in the Sun-Press, said:

As assistant superintendent, Mr. Talbert will be a crucial component of my administration.  His experience as a teacher, coach and administrator will make him a valuable addition to the CH-UH school district.

Ted Wahl, president of Osnaburg Local School Board, was quoted in the East Canton Press-News:

Mr. Talbert has informed the Osnaburg Local School Board of his intent to accept another employment opportunity and therefore leave Osnaburg Local following the end of the school year. While the timing of this decision is not the best, myself and the school board do not wish to impede Mr. Talbert’s opportunity to better himself or to further his career. The short time that Mr. Talbert has been here, he has been a wonderful asset to this district and we wish him further success in the future.

Talbert talked about the move in the Canton Repository:

“I’ve always thought that [Cleveland Heights-University Heights schools ]were on the cutting edge of providing a 21st century education.”

For example, he said, the district has wireless access for all students and elementary students learn the Mandarin Chinese language. In that, Talbert said he sees an opportunity to grow as an educator, and as an administrator.

The CH-UH press release announcing Talbert’s hire can be found here.

Press coverage can be found by following these links:

• The Sun-Press
• The Canton Repository
• The East Canton Press-News

This informational evening will be an opportunity for parents to meet CH-UH kindergarten teachers and learn more about the kindergarten program and school district. Topics to be discussed include kindergarten readiness, kindergarten curriculum, and related services. Parents will learn more about the before/after school program, student services, food service, transportation, and more.

Due to the format and time of this meeting, please limit attendance to adults only. Registration will not occur at this event, but parents will have the opportunity to make a registration appointment. Parking can be accessed from both the Lee Road and Euclid Heights Boulevard entrances. The main building entrance is accessible. For more information, please contact the Early Childhood Center at 216-371-7356.

Summer is a perfect time for busy students to focus on their interests. If your 5th-8th grader’s interest is music, now’s the time to sigh up for the 2010 Heights Summer Music Camp. It gives students in the CH-UH school district’s instrumental music program a chance to explore music in an intensive yet leisurely environment.

The camp helps students perfect skills and deepen their commitment to music, both of which help build on our district’s great musical tradition.

The Cleveland Heights-University Heights School District provides a home for the camp. Reaching Heights sponsors and organizes the camp: recruits and enrolls campers; recruits and manages the staff; solicits scholarship donations and awards camper scholarships; manages auditions and daily camp operations. Families provide camper fees, encouragement, commitment to music education, and their eager campers.

The camp meets daily for a week in June (June 21-26, 2010)  and ends with a Saturday morning finale concert. The daily routine includes two orchestra rehearsals, chamber groups, sectional rehearsals, music theory, and recreation and lunch breaks. Students also participate in one of three electives: chorus, jazz or guitar. The camp targets students in the district’s instrumental program ages 10 to 15 who have two years of experience with their instrument  or a year of private instruction. It is open to any district resident who meets the eligibility requirements. Up to 85 campers may participate.

Click here for more information and to apply.

Year: 2009 - 2010
Subject: Science
Amount: $250
Project Manager: Janett Korb
School: Fairfax Elementary

Year: 2009 - 2010
Subject: Foreign Language                                                                                                                                                                                                                Amount: $250
Project Manager: Elenny Tuleta
School: School District

Year: 2009 - 2010
Subject: Special Education                                                                                                                                                                                      Amount: $250
Project Manager: Harvey Horwitz
School: Heights High

Year: 2009 - 2010
Subject: Science
Amount: $250
Project Manager: Colin Milne
School: Oxford Elementary

Year: 2009 - 2010
Subject: Science
Amount: $250
Project Manager: Joe Mendes
School: Gearity Elementary