About Our District

John Stoddard
Superintendent

January 2023

Dear Berkshire Local Schools Community,

The district has recently launched a new website to improve the communication, functionality, and access to information that is readily available to parents and the community-at-large. You can visit our new website here, and please be sure to continue utilizing this platform as a resource for information and updates. The website is being updated on a daily basis with school news, items of significance, and more. Please take a moment to visit the new site at your convenience.

The month of January is Board Recognition Month in the State of Ohio, and on behalf of everyone in the Berkshire Local Schools family, we thank our individual members of the Board of Education. These individuals are true public servants and pursue the best interests of the Berkshire Local Schools. They sacrifice time and energy and serve as the public’s liaisons with the administration. In helping to set the strategic direction for the Berkshire Local Schools, the Board of Education helps the district realize its mission to maximize student potential and our collective vision. Please join me in recognizing our Board of Education members: John Manfredi, Mary Hipp, Jody Miller, Linda Stone, and Bryan Wadsworth. Thank you all, once again.

On Tuesday, January 17, the curriculum department will be having a community night outlining the process the district uses when selecting curricular materials. This will include the selection, vetting and final choice processes that are used and backed by research. Specifically, we will be talking about the current status of the English Language Arts curriculum. This event will take place at 6 pm in the Auditorium and the presenter will be Matt Morbeto. 

As always, the purpose of this email is to share some exciting learning opportunities experienced by our students since the last edition. Several of these are below.

5th Grade Solar System Walk Creatively Explains Valuable Science Lesson

Last month just before winter break, John Patterson Way was transformed into a half-mile stretch of the solar system, beginning with the Sun on the grass by the district’s athletic fields and stretching all the way to Neptune near Claridon-Troy Road. This was all underway due to a fifth grade science lesson, courtesy of Mrs. McCandless, who intended to shrink the solar system to an understandable footprint. Fifth grade students had to ‘shrink’ the solar system proportionally to a half-mile radius, and also the diameters of each respective planet.  The fifth grade team is very thankful for Mr. Dan Galdun who helped tremendously with this project, as well as the Educational Resource Center at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History who loaned their solar system resources. Congratulations to all on a great assignment and hands-on project for our fifth grade students!

Berkshire HS Hosts Swearing-In Ceremony for Geauga County Commissioner Jim Dvorak

Berkshire High School students had the opportunity to learn about the importance of public service while witnessing newly re-elected Geauga County Commissioner Jim Dvorak take the oath of office during a special ceremony in the school gym late last month. Standing before a prominent display of the United States flag courtesy of the Chardon VFW, Geauga County Court of Common Pleas Judge Carolyn J. Paschke administered the oath of office to Mr. Dvorak, as he placed his hand on a Bible held by Berkshire Schools Board of Education Vice President Jody Miller. The ceremony held a special significance as Mr. Dvorak has chosen to recite the oath of office in front of Berkshire High School students several times during his career as a public servant.

In addition to Mr. Dvorak, Judge Paschke also took the oath of office before the start of the new term beginning in January 2023. Several public officials attended the ceremony and provided remarks. Former Ohio State Representative John Patterson, who played a key role in the early planning of the location of the district’s new PreK-12 campus, shared his excitement at seeing the project come to fruition. Ohio State Senator Jerry Cirino spoke to the entire student body about the importance of voting and encouraged students to be active members of their community. The Berkshire Local Schools would like to thank all elected officials in attendance for their public service and speaking to our students about the importance of civic participation.

Thank you for your continued support of the Berkshire Local Schools. As always, Go Badgers.

GO BADGERS!

John Stoddard
Superintendent 
Berkshire Local Schools

12/16/2022

• Friday, 12/16/2022