A media source by and for the Cleveland neighborhood of West Park
PHOTO TAKEN FROM: https://www.constellationschools.com/information/photo_gallery_new
One of the very best charter schools in the state is right here in West Park.
Westpark Community Elementary, located at 16210 Lorain Ave., has earned the rank of #2 of 194 of the ‘Best Charter Elementary Schools in Ohio.’
See more here. https://bit.ly/2U4xXTG
CMSD NEWS BUREAU
9/17/2019
CMSD has created the Family Partnership Institute to provide families with important information on District initiatives, goals, supports and more.
The institute will emphasize the importance of working together to ensure students’ success. The free sessions will include a keynote speaker, workshops, a healthy meal, displays by community partners and networking.
The first two sessions will be held Wednesday, Oct. 16 at Lincoln West Campus, 3202 W. 30th St., and Wednesday, Oct. 30 at East Tech High School, 2439 E. 55th St. Additional sessions will be held Wednesday, Feb. 19 and Wednesday, March 4 at locations that are to be determined. All of the sessions will run 5:30 to 8 p.m.
The Family Partnership Institute replaces the Parent Leadership Institute, which began as a vehicle for networking and information for members of school PTAs, SPOs and principal advisory groups.
For more information contact Carla Hempstead at 216-838-0336 or by email at carla.hempstead@clevelandmetroschools.org
PHOTOS & STORY COURTESY OF CMSD NEWS BUREAU
12/13/2019
The percentage of CMSD graduates enrolling in college is up for the first time in five years.
According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, 44 percent of the District’s 2019 graduates enrolled in college for the fall. That was up 4 points from the previous year, and the figure could rise if additional students enroll for spring.
The rate declined from 49 percent in 2014 to 40 percent in 2016 and had stayed flat until now, even as CMSD’s graduation rate, currently at 78.2 percent, continued to set new record highs for the District. Many attributed the trend to the rising cost of higher education.
CMSD graduates received a boost this year from new Say Yes to Education scholarships that pay up to the full value of tuition, minus federal and state aid. The scholarships may be used at all public colleges and universities and Pell-eligible training programs in Ohio and more than 100 private colleges and universities across the country.
Say Yes Cleveland provided $635,000 for scholarships to the Class of 2019 for the fall semester.
“We’re pleased to see that in this first semester, we’ve had a larger increase in enrollment than projected, while at the same time our scholarship payouts came in below projections,” said Diane Downing, executive director of Say Yes Cleveland. “Students are enrolled in college now, thanks to Say Yes scholarships, and we look forward to more and more students taking advantage of the scholarship each year.”
Say Yes scholarship payouts for fall semester have been approximately 40 percent less than projections, due largely to an increase in grant money that Ohio gives to students with high financial need. Many of those students received enough federal and state aid to cover all tuition at their chosen institutions.
The increase in college enrollment was primarily at two-year community colleges, according to the data.
About 28 percent of the class enrolled at four-year institutions, but that number essentially remained flat. One reason could be that many four-year colleges and universities cut off fall admissions before or shortly after Say Yes was announced on Jan. 18.
The largest numbers of students enrolled at Cuyahoga Community College and Cleveland State University, followed by Kent State University and the University of Akron.
Say Yes scholarships are available to graduates of CMSD or eligible partnering charter high schools. Starting this year, students must be continuously enrolled in one of those schools and live in Cleveland or the District from ninth grade until graduation to qualify.
Community leaders have raised $92 million for the Say Yes endowment fund, which is intended to last for 25 years.
For more information on Say Yes, go to sayyescleveland.org
PHOTO CREDIT: NASA PICTURED: Marla Pérez-Davis
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has named Marla Pérez-Davis director of the agency’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, effective immediately. Pérez-Davis has been serving as the acting director of Glenn since Oct. 1, 2019.
“I appreciate both the scope of responsibility Marla has taken on and the estimable abilities she brings to the table as a longtime member of the Ohio community,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “I look forward to working with her in her new position as we move forward to achieving NASA’s, and the nation’s, ambitious Moon to Mars exploration goals.”
As Glenn’s director, Pérez-Davis will lead a center that has a decades-long tradition of excellence in aeronautics and spaceflight, with more than 3,200 civil service and contractor employees and an annual budget of approximately $933 million.
Prior to this appointment, Pérez-Davis was the deputy director of Glenn, sharing responsibility with the center director for planning, organizing, and managing the agency-level programs and projects assigned to the center.
Her prior leadership positions include serving as deputy director of the center’s Research and Engineering Directorate, where she was responsible for leading, planning, coordinating, and managing all phases of Glenn’s research and engineering activities to accomplish NASA missions.
Since joining Glenn in 1983, Pérez-Davis has held a number of other key positions, including director of the Aeronautics Research Office; chief of the Project Liaison and Integration Office; and chief of the Electrochemistry Branch. She also participated in the NASA Administrator’s Fellowship Program and served her tenure at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez Campus, where she developed and implemented initiatives leading to K-12 teacher’s professional development and other outreach activities in Puerto Rico.
Pérez-Davis, a native of Puerto Rico, earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Puerto Rico, a master’s degree from the University of Toledo and a doctorate from Case Western Reserve University in chemical engineering. In 2006, she completed NASA’s Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program and the Office of Personnel Management Program. She is the recipient of numerous NASA awards including the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal and the prestigious Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Executives.
For information about NASA’s missions, programs, and activities, visit:
*Every Third Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at 5 Points Coffee and Tea, located at 3600 W. Park Rd.
2/19/2020 The Great Unexpected, by Dan Mooney
3/18/2020 Room, by Emma Donoghue
4/15/2020 Educated, by Tara Westover
5/20/2020 A Dirt Road to Somewhere: A Dirt Road to Somewhere, by Ramona Robinson
6/17/2020 The Giver of Stars, by JoJo Moyes
7/15/2020 Reading Behind Bars: A Memoir of Literature, Law, and Life as a Prison Librarian, by Jill Grunenwald
Please consider joining us!!!
Like us on Facebook : Westpark Book Club
PHOTOS & STORY COURTESY OF CMSD NEWS BUREAU
1/9/2020
Adjusting to college can be hard. But, at times, it can be even harder to navigate for first-generation students who may not know who to turn to if they have a question or an issue.
That is where College Now Greater Cleveland can help. Through its mentoring program it matches College Now and Say Yes to Education scholarship recipients with mentors who can answer those questions and offer words of encouragement.
Close to 500 mentor and mentees gathered Thursday afternoon inside the ballroom at the Renaissance Hotel for the College Now MentorInCLE Connect Luncheon and Career Fair. College Now honored those who have dedicated their time and energy to helping CMSD and other graduates succeed in college.
“That’s why we want to honor our mentors,” said Jabari Dorsey, mentoring program manager with College Now. “They put in so much time, so much dedication outside of their busy schedules to help change a student’s life.”
Lori Wolfe-Fratiani is one of those mentors. She signed up during College Now’s recruitment of more than 1,200 mentor to support the 2019 graduating class.
Simone King, her mentee, is a John Marshall Campus graduate and currently a freshman at Tri-C’s Eastern Campus majoring in nursing.
“As soon as I have some questions, she’s always there responding,” King said. “As soon as I’m telling her what is going on with school, she’s there and giving me good advice that I needed to hear.”
Wolfe-Fratiani says some of the topics the two have discussed during the King’s first semester are getting involved, staying focused and learning how to be an adult.
“It’s the first time you’re really seen as an adult by other people in your community,” said Wolfe-Fratiani. “And that was a hard adjustment to advocate for yourself. So that was a big, big hurdle that we got over.”
Youngstown State University freshman Trinidy Maines says she experienced some rocky periods and relied on her mentor, Ruth Clemens, for moral support and guidance.
“At some points I was discouraged,” said Maines, a Cleveland School of Science and Medicine graduate. “I was just like, ‘I don’t know. I’m not doing that well right now. I failed the test. I don’t know if I should keep pursuing this path.’ And she helped me. She told me it’s OK, you can bounce back. Tutoring might help.”
Maines took her advice and passed her first semester.
College Now reports that in the last three years of the program, 92 percent of freshmen returned for their sophomore years.
Dorsey says the program is also helping to increase the 60 percent graduation rate for students who are paired with a College Now mentor.
“We still have more work to do,” said Dorsey. “But we know that having a mentor paired with that student is going to increase that graduation rate.”
Roughly 200 CMSD employees are currently mentors in the program.
Dorsey says College Now is always looking for more mentors and is hoping 1,200 people with either a two- or four-year college degree will sign up to support the 2020 graduating seniors.
WKYC will start a recruitment push with a Mentor Monday promotion on Jan. 27.
January is also National Mentoring Month.
CMSD NEWS BUREAU
12/23/2019
Seven CMSD schools have received state Momentum Awards for achieving academic growth that exceeded expectations last school year.
It is the largest number of District schools to earn the award since it was started in 2015.
Glenville High School won its third Momentum Award and Paul L. Dunbar PreK-8 School received the award for a second time.
First-time winners included three PreK-8 schools — Clara Westropp, George Washington Carver and Miles – and two high schools – Cleveland High School for Digital Arts and Rhodes College and Career Academy.
To qualify, schools must earn straight A’s in applicable measures of value-added, a measure of whether groups reach the level of growth forecast for them. Measures include growth by students with disabilities, students in the lowest 20 percent of achievement and gifted students.
Statewide, 173 schools received Momentum Awards.
Photo & content submitted
CIFF and Playhouse Square are elated to announce that in 2021 the Festival will permanently move to Playhouse Square. This move marks a new chapter for two of the region’s most beloved cultural gems.
By moving to Playhouse Square, CIFF will remain in downtown Cleveland and under one phenomenal roof. Festival attendees will have the opportunity to screen films in historic and stunning venues, including the Allen Theatre, KeyBank State Theatre, Mimi Ohio Theatre, and Connor Palace. Plus, movie-goers will be steps away from dining and nightlife spots in the Playhouse Square District.
With more than 100,000 guests each year, CIFF brings the world to Cleveland — through the films it programs and the filmmakers (and film lovers) who attend. What better destination than one of the nation’s most renowned performing arts centers?
The move to Playhouse Square in 2021 follows a 14-year run at Cedar Lee Theatre and 30 years at Tower City Cinemas. Playhouse Square will only be the third home in the Festival’s history.
As it has for the past several years, Opening Night for #CIFF44 will take place at Playhouse Square. The Festival, as a whole, will remain at Tower City Cinemas in 2020.
Find program details for the 44th Cleveland International Film Festival at clevelandfilm.org on February 28. Program guides hit the streets the week of March 2.
Tickets to #CIFF44 go on sale to members on Friday, March 6, and to the public on Friday, March 13. Stay tuned to clevelandfilm.org and our social profiles for details.
By Jerry Masek
If you ask Rosemary Mudry, “So, where are you from?”, please be patient. The answer could take a while. She has lived, worked, or been educated in Shaker Heights, CSU Downtown, Old Brooklyn, West Park, Ohio City, Oberlin and Glenville. Each place taught her sometime new about urban living. Along the way, she earned a Masters in Urban Planning, Design and Development. Now, she can utilize those skills and experience to help West Park prosper and grow. She started work Nov. 18 as Executive Director of the West Park Kamm’s Neighborhood Development, formerly known as the Kamm’s Corners Neighborhood Development Corp., or KCDC. She replaces Steve Lorenz, who retired after 18 years. The group’s new name was introduced last year to reflect an expanded mission and serve all of Ward 17.
Well qualified
Mudry spent the last 5 years as Director of Neighborhood Development at the Old Brooklyn Community Development Corp., a large neighborhood just south of the Metroparks Zoo. “I was responsible for economic development, business relationships, housing and planning,” she said. “Those skills should translate well to our work in West Park.” Mudry is comfortable in her new role.
“I was born at Fairview General Hospital, and as a young adult, lived near Jefferson Park. There’s great nightlife here. Many of my friends and relatives have lived and worked in this area.”
Why is this job attractive?
“I am interested in making an impact, growing my skill set and challenging myself. Our goal is serve ALL of Ward 17, and for residents to know they have a voice at the table.” Her first goal — work with the staff and Board to evaluate past activities “with a critical eye. We want to take what’s great and make them even greater.” That evaluation may continue until mid-year. “We want to start the decade as strong as possible, and improve events so they attract and serve a broader community.” Planning continues for the June 20 Hooley event, and the award-winning Farmers Market, which runs June-October.
A full calendar
Mudry’s office window gives her a great view of Kamm’s Plaza, and she keeps active in the community. Her first weeks here have been full and fruitful. “Everyone has been warm, inviting and overwhelmingly gracious,” she said. “They seem eager and happy to meet me.” She has already met folks at West Park Holiday Cheer, a West Park Neighbor Night, a Celebrity Bartender event at Working Class Brewery, the Indoor Farmers Market, and the West Park Holiday Passport celebration.
Define success
“Success is a trait of an organization, not a single person,” Mudry says. “In neighborhood development, success takes time. It may take 3 years to open a high-quality business, or renovate a building. We want Ward 17 residents to feel hopeful and optimistic about their future here.”
With sidebar: how to contact WPKND, and staff list
An estimated 500 persons attended a fundraiser, the West Park Pizza Bake-off, held at St. Patrick’s gym on Monday, January 20.
Judges selected Brothers Pizza #1, and Happy’s Pizza #2. The People’s Choice winner was Brothers Pizza, with Athens PIzza the runner-up.
Paxton Karnavas, age 8, of West Park, certainly ate his fill. (Photos by Jerry Masek for The West Park Times).
CMSD NEWS BUREAU
12/27/2019
Students from five CMSD high schools have revealed videos that can be used to market those schools to prospective students and families.
The students are members of CEO Eric Gordon’s Student Advisory Committee. The videos premiered when the committee met Dec. 20 at Windows on the River.
At a meeting in October, the students’ concepts for the videos emerged as winners in a “Shark Tank” style pitch competition.
Students from Rhodes College and Career Academy, MC²STEM High School and John Marshall’s schools of Engineering, Information Technology and Civic and Business Leadership worked with the District’s communications team to make the videos.
The goal of the videos is to help CMSD students and their families choose from among roughly 30 District high schools. Gordon hopes the strategy will be replicated at other high schools and boost enrollment across the District.
The Student Advisory Committee is made up of 400 or so students representing District high schools. As a part of the state law behind The Cleveland Plan, a customized blueprint for education reform in the city, CMSD students have a voice in their education.
PHOTO CAPTION: Philanthropist and Say Yes to Education founder George Weiss mingles with the crowd at the John Marshall Campus after announcing that Cleveland had been named the nation’s fourth community chapter of Say Yes.
(PHOTO & STORY COURTESY OF CMSD NEWS BUREAU )
The first big story of 2019 — the arrival of Say Yes to Education in Cleveland — was also the biggest story of the year.
But while Say Yes grabbed headlines from start to finish, CMSD had other moments in the spotlight, especially when it came to state and national report cards. The District also set standards for others, inspiring plans to help students nationwide control their emotions and schools in Ohio improve attendance.
Here are the CMSD News Bureau’s Top 10 stories of the year:
The list could have been longer, or other stories could have arguably muscled their way into the Top 10. For example, seven schools — the largest number yet —received state Momentum Awards for academic growth that exceeded expectations. Shoes and Clothes for Kids and school-wear company French Toast launched a three-year pilot program that will provide uniforms and supplies to all K-3 classrooms in five schools in an attempt to improve attendance and reading scores. The Joseph M. Gallagher School chess team won a state championship. Only eight schools started classes with new principals, a testament to District efforts to develop and support school leaders.
Which stories will stand out in the new year? Follow our ever changing content at clevelandmetroschools.org/news and form your own opinions.
Have a story idea for the CMSD News Bureau? Email suggestions to newstips@clevelandmetroschools.org.
Our Lady of Angels School, located at 3644 Rocky River Dr., is scheduled to have an open house from noon until 2 p.m. on January 26.
Visit https://olangels.org/.
e-mail: Rosemary@westparkkamms.org
Phone: 216-252-6559, Ext. 1100
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram: @westparkkamms
Web site: www.westparkkamms.org
To receive a twice-a-month e-newsletter, sign up on the web site.
Every resident in Ward 17 is being added to the mailing list for a quarterly magazine, West Park.
The staff includes:
Franchesca Bodnar, Healthy Homes Community Engagement Specialist, franchesca@westparkkamms.org, Ext. 1700
Ben Campbell, Director of Commercial and Industrial Development, ben@westparkkamms.org, Ext. 1200.
JD Smith, Neighborhood Engagement Coordinator, jd@westparkkamms.org, Ext. 1300
Mollie Constanzo Wirtz, Manager of Marketing and Communications, mollie@westparkkamms.org, Ext. 1500
By Jerry Masek
Local fans of Steak-N-Shake food must now drive to Parma or Steelyard Commons.
The restaurant, 17325 Lorain Ave., has been closed since last summer. It will soon re-open as Arby’s #8792, the company has confirmed.
No timetable has been announced.
Arby’s describes itself as, “a quick-service restaurant, serving quality meats on hand-crafted sandwiches.”
Arby’s also operates restaurants in Rocky River, Brookpark, Middleburg Heights, and at 1421 W. 117th St., near Detroit Ave. Those sites are open until midnight or later.
During a Jan. 14 visit to the store, there were no signs of renovation work or other activity.
This story will be updated as details become available.
Arby’s may be coming to the site of the former Steak N’ Shake Restaurant, 17325 Lorain Rd.
According to the Director of Commercial & Industrial Development at the West Park Kamm’s Neighborhood Development Ben Campbell, it is unclear whether things have been finalized as of yet. However, Arby’s has the words ‘Coming Soon’ on their web site, indicating the location at 17325 Lorain Rd.
Find that information here.
https://locations.arbys.com/us/oh/cleveland/17325-lorain-road.html
To be featured in the February 2020 edition of the West Park Times.
Remember, Wednesdays and Thursdays are free dryer days at The Wash House and Cafe. Find more information at The Wash House and Cafe web page.