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Dear parents, caregivers, residents, partners, and friends-

As you know, the District has engaged over the past year in long-term planning for our schools that included analyzing data and gathering stakeholder input.  Last month, I presented to you and to the greater Cleveland community a set of draft recommendations for proposed impacts to our K-8 and high school portfolio.

Following extensive community engagement on these initial recommendations at meetings across the city, and in discussions with our Board of Education, we have explored additional options with District staff.  Based on those steps, I am releasing a revised set of recommendations that will be presented to the Board of Education for their consideration on Tuesday evening.   The full set of revised recommendations will be available shortly at QualitySchoolsforCLEKids.org.

Although much of the plan proposed in October remains unchanged, I am recommending two significant amendments to our high school recommendations.

Our community received an early Christmas gift this week for on Tuesday, November 19, 2019 when the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) backed away from their official announcement made a month earlier that Collinwood High School (CHS) would be officially closed next year.  I don’t have to tell anyone what a blow this announcement was.  When they officially notified my office on October 18, of their decision to close our historic high school, it hit me like a tons of bricks.

As I indicated publicly at the time, the announcement was devastating. How did we collectively act after the announcement?  We started to mobilize alumni, residents, businesses and community activists to form a united front against the decision that we believed would have a devastating impact, not only on our students and their future but the stability of the Five Points Business District, property values and future development opportunities throughout the St Clair Corridor.  

Well, they heard us loud and clear.  Of the ten schools they were proposing to merge and /or close, there was no greater outpouring than there was for Collinwood High School.  I wish to thank everyone who wrote emails, letters, made phone calls, signed petitions, and who attended CMSD Meetings. I further wish to thank Dr. Lisa Thomas and Ms. Louise Dempsey, CMSD Board Members who became major cheerleaders for the Collinwood cause, due to their close relationship to the community. They were a major factor in believing in Collinwood, along with my colleague, Ward 10 Councilman, Anthony Hairston, and another Railroader, who lobbied against their plan.  Thanks also to Mayor Frank G. Jackson who took the time to talk to me on three separate occasions about the Long-Term School Plan and the future of CHS. I made it clear to the Mayor that the plan, as presented, would do irreparable harm to Cleveland’s east side, in light of the fact that CMSD had already closed more than twelve (12) elementary schools on the east side over the years. 

It’s that time of the year again! Santa and his helpers are in full force spreading holiday cheer. Please come join us at our Annual Breakfast with Santa on Saturday, December 7, 2019 from 9:30am-12pm at Cleveland Job Corps Gym 13421 Coit Rd Cleveland, Oh 44110, entrance off of E. 140th Street . Sponsored by Greater Collinwood Development Corporation, Councilman Polensek and Councilman Hairston, and Cleveland Job Corps. The food will be donated by Gus’s Diner 185 and we will have volunteers from Cleveland Job Corps.

Dear parents, caregivers, residents, partners, and friends-

I wanted to take this opportunity to send a brief note of thanks for your engagement in and contributions to our long-term school planning process.

The journey involved a great deal of data and information, difficult conversations and tough decisions.  Your time and input were invaluable in helping me, my team, and the Board of Education arrive at a set of decisions that move our system towards greater efficiencies and effectiveness in schools and programs.

For your reference, the final decisions approved by the Board of Education at their November 19th business meeting are available at QualitySchoolsForCLEKids.org.

We’ve reached the end of this first phase of consideration and engagement.  Yet, there is much more work to do in the coming months to achieve good implementation for students, staff and our families.  We may not have agreed on all of the results, yet we appeared to agree on the foundational goal --- ensuring that all students have access to the best possible education our improving system can provide, while also achieving the efficiency that taxpayers deserve.

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Collinwood Connects, a community engagement campaign coordinated by Greater Collinwood Development Corporation, hosted Neighborhood Family Feud Grand Finale Friday, November 15 at the historic LaSalle Theater. Six teams competed for the grand prize of $4,000 towards their community projects, with East 185th Market Park winning the final round. The team plans to establish a market park that will include a manicured green space with center performance deck, tents along the perimeter for makers and merchants, and two shipping containers placed on-site for storage and administrative purposes.

Ten total teams competed over the course of two Neighborhood Family Feud events with Collinwood Connects. Eight teams will receive $500 funding towards their community projects, and Haldane Road Block Party will receive the $2000 runner-up prize for their beautification and civic engagement project.

Each of the ten teams pitched their ideas to Collinwood Connects over the 2019 summer season. The Neighborhood Family Feud competition also includes a short workshop series to facilitate the development of team projects, partnership between the teams, and avenues for identifying matching funds.

Collinwood Connects also gave away gift cards to The Standard, Dave’s Supermarket and Winter Wonder Cleveland at the Grand Finale event with a total value of $250+. Neighborhood Family Feud Grand Finale, catered by The Standard fine dining restaurant on East 185th, was well attended by the community as well as City Council and Greater Cleveland placemakers.

Cleveland Clinic Euclid Hospital was awarded an ‘A’ in the fall 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a national distinction recognizing achievements protecting patients from harm and providing safer health care (Leapfrog news release).  Other east side Cleveland Clinic hospitals receiving A grades include Main Campus, Hillcrest, South Pointe and Marymount Hospitals.

November's topic of interest was the ongoing construction happening along E 185th St - & on surrounding streets. 

PROGRAMS, EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Friday, Dec. 6

Friday, Dec. 6

Friday, Dec. 6

VASJ ended a very positive season under first-year head coach Elvis Grbac with a 21-10 loss to visiting Warren JFK at Sparky DiBiasio Stadium in Euclid on Nov. 2.

VASJ students Rhiannan Edwards ’20, Annalise Gibbons ’21, Sophie Sito ’20 and Faith Thompson ’21 are now commissioned as Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. 

The VASJ community observed All Saints’ Day with an all-school Mass the morning of Nov. 1. Fr. Patrick Schultz from Communion of Saints Parish presided at the Mass. 

The Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School Athletic Department is excited to announce the appointment of Liz (Guard) Sellers ’02 as the new head women’s volleyball coach.

The city of Cleveland should try and fix up the Collinwood High School so that the people of Collinwood have a place to send their kid for programs and learning programs. The school should be saved as a piece of history. Fix up the school to house arts offices and other things that would help the area to grow. Also try and fix up the police station and fire dept as well. I think there is a lot of growth for homes to be rehabbed and all people can come back to the area. Mike Polensik should look into this idea and see if they can be done. The history of Cleveland lies in its neighborhoods and the people who have been there for years. Let’s try and move to bring back this area and work to get it back, so all walks of life can find their place in Collinwood.

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The SJN Jets took second place in the Bethany Lutheran 2019 Pre-Season Tournament, only falling to Redeemer at the last minute in a close 48-51 game that was the definition of what competitive basketball should be. We look forward to a strong season.

Chris Cipriani and Rozenia Cunningham

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November 14, 2019 was a day full of energy at The Shore Cultural Centre. Planned and organized by Chris Cipriani. "The Play On Words day was such fun. It was wonderful to see families making poetry, writing stories, making art and books together. From the storytelling, to the Graffiti selfies, everyone learned about ways to tell their own story, "said Chris Cipriani, Director of Programming for Shore Cultural Centre. 

We hope you will join us for as many of these special services as you are able during this season of Advent.

Advent is time of preparation for the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  How do you prepare for this momentous event?  Go to stjeromecleveland.org on Facebook and share your favorite traditions.  Here are some ideas we thought of:

IMPROBABLE PLAYERS (Left to right) Karen Snyder, Marcus Cothran, William Drake, Christina Strong, Joy Gadberry, and Mark Isler

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Nine actors with the Cleveland chapter. Plays and workshops. Keegan Carty, Marcus Cothran, William Drake, Joy Gadberry, Mark Isler, Jenny Keaton, Christina Strong, Karen Snyder and Lindsey Webb, five of whom grew up in different parts of Ohio.
ImprobabIe Players, led by Ohio Regional Director Karen Snyder, have performed at schools, community centers, and treatment centers. They educate through theatre with their own personal experiences. This troupe (or family as some players called it) shares a common bond of sobriety.

Stop by Phone Gallery ANY TIME of day now through the end of January 2020 to view Tom Megalis’ work of mixed media. He worked on shows like KABLAM! and his work can be seen at Choolaah restaurants.

Now through the end of January 2020, Cleveland artist Tom Megalis (http://www.tommegalis.com/) will be exhibiting in Phone Gallery (15302 Waterloo Rd, Cleveland, OH  44110) - Cleveland's smallest art gallery and inventive space for solo visual exhibitions inside a once vacant pay phone box in the burgeoning Waterloo Arts District - designed in 2013 and continuously curated by Collinwood resident, architect and artist Allison Lukacsy-Love. 

Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School has been a participating school in the Educational Choice Scholarship (EdChoice) Program for many years. Thanks to recent rule changes made by the state, VASJ has been able to offer vouchers to even more local students who are eligible.

Wednesday, Dec. 11

Wednesday, Dec. 11

Saturday, Dec. 7

Saturday, Dec. 7

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2019-2020 School Year Theme
Our Hearts Are Good & Kind.

Important Information

Important Facts about St. Jerome School

St. Jerome Catholic School provides a quality education to students of all faiths through the development of spirit,
mind, and body. We value the diversity of our students and provide a firm spiritual, academic, and social foundation
upon which they can build their future.

Volunteers at the Hunger Center with Thanksgiving Chickens for the Community

The Hunger Center, operated primarily by St. John Nottingham, is a part of the Cleveland Hunger Network. It supplies 3-days’ worth of food - 3 meals per day - to qualified, registered individuals. This service is offered once every 30 days. Nearly 300 households, consisting of more than 700 adults and children, are eligible to be serviced through the Pantry.

Pastor's Marcis and Rollins preparing the Angel for Candlelight Service

With Thanksgiving now past the Christmas Season is fast approaching. In fact, the days between Thanksgiving are the shortest in 2019. But that time between these two festive holidays is the season in Christendom known as Advent. It is the beginning of the new Church year and so it is a time of preparation: preparing for Christ’s First Advent, or coming, which we celebrate as Christmas, while also preparing for His Second Coming, when He will come in glory to judge both “the living and the dead.”

COLLINWOOD HIGH SCHOOL UPDATE

A couple of weeks ago, I attended the CMSD board meeting at which the hold on closing Collinwood High School was to be announced. What did I learn?

That East Tech has a terrific (and deafening) drum line (I love drum lines).

That Councilman Polensek envisions a new career-oriented curriculum at CHS as a model for the city, and does not see one year as an adequate allowance. (Some members of the board have already pressed for three.)

That Jamar Doyle (Greater Collinwood Community Development Corp.) believes that with 2000 jobs going unfilled every year for want of trained workers, CHS is well placed to rebuild  the CHS curriculum. (When Jamar called for Collinwood attendees to stand, most of the auditorium rose to its feet – including a long line of students with posters.)

 That the Save CHS Committee has received calls from Peter Lawson Jones (former County Commissioner, now an actor and playwright), Felton Thomas, director of the Cleveland Public Library,  Dan Moore and Jack Schron, neighborhood industrialists.

That Robert Gatewood of GamerHaven on E185 is ready to set up a business incubator on the third floor.

That Judge Suzan Sweeney sees a restored CHS as a crucial component in her campaign to save the teenagers who so often appear before her.

That former City Councilman Zack Reed (now statewide minority affairs coordinator) wants to end mayoral control of the school system.

That all we have to do now is work ferociously for the next year, taking advantage of our advantages.

Featured today is our 5th grade homerrom/Social Studies Specialist, Mr. Alec Lawlor. Alec is a 9 year teaching veteran who came to SJN in 2015 from Gilmour Academy in Gates Mills. He holds degrees from Concodia University Chicago and oversees the social studies curriculum at the school. One of Mr. Lawlor's favorite class to teach is U.S. History because he hopes to help his students realize their true potential as citizens and inspire them to shape the world into a place of freedom and justice. Mr Lawlor also works dilligently to help guide his students on their walk in faith and spiritual growth.

SJN students work on creating rap battles in American History class

St. John Nottingham has been offering a quality, Christ-centered education since 1892. Founded as a literal one-room schoolhouse, with the Pastor as Principal, Teacher, Chaplain, and Janitor, SJN has continued to be the most stable private Christian school on the east side of Cleveland for generations. 

What can SJN offer you? Small class sizes (an average student to teacher ration of 15 to 1), a dedicated, diverse staff with a solid mix of seasoned veterans and young go-getters (with a combined total of almost 200 years of experience between them), daily religious instruction, highly-involved pastoral leadership, competitive sports teams, high academic rigor (including classes not mormally found in elementary schools such as American Sign Language, Speech, High School Prep, Classics, and others) accredited to standards higher than required by the state of Ohio, varied teaching methodolgy, a departmentalized middle school with Science, Math, English, and Social Studies specialists, a 95% overall pass rate for the Third Grade Reading Guarantee, high behavioral standards, and a unique and innovative system of both student discipline and positive recognition of student achievement and character.

And all of that at potentially very little cost to the family! SJN believes in removing as many barriers to getting a Christ-centered education as possible, and in pursuit of that goal, accepts both Ed Choice and the Cleveland Scholarship (Voucher) program grants as payment in full for tuition. SJN church pays the registration fees for all students in good academic standing, and the dress code is easily managed with very affordable options. 

On Thursday, December 19th, the students of St. John Nottingham School will present a worship service of Lessons and Carols celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. The service will begin at 7:00 in the Sanctuary of the church, and is entirely student-led, with a short homily from SJN Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Marcis. The entire community is invited! Come and worship with us as we praise God for the eternal gift of His Beloved Son!

What is your favorite season? Is Christmas your favorite holiday? Unscramble the Christmas words below.

Mirabile's Tavern

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1919 was a boom year in Collinwood. We've noted earlier this year the centennials of St. Jerome's and the Slovenian Home on Holmes Avenue. Three generations of the  Mirabile family have also operated a family business from the corner of Kipling and Ivanhoe for the last 100 years. Initially their grandfather operated a barbershop out of the corner storefront. Purchasing the building in the twenties, they would then open the tavern as prohibition was repealed in 1933. In 1990 they then opened Messina's Bakery, named for city in Sicily where the family was from, two blocks down on Ivanhoe. There you'll find everything from fresh baked breads, pizzas, prepared subs, and pastries. 

Are you having doubts about shopping for gifts this season?  Before you say "Bah Humbug", think about BEING the GIFT.  Yes, you can give of your time, your energy and most of all your Spirit.  Wrap your gift of peace, liberty, justice and understanding with encouragement, wisdom and compassion.  Lift your consciousness to Peace.  Be centered in Divine Mind and let nothing disturb the calm peace of your soul.   Be the emissary of love and peace and share these gifts with others.  Start with a smile, continue with words of comfort and joy.  Identify where a helping hand is vital to someone's well being.  Be a friend... make a new friend...pay it forward and experience the true joy of the season.  Blessings to all.