Watch the above video to learn more about the specific skills identified by the community as necessary for success after graduation, and included in the District's Graduate Profile below.
For more information on the topic(s) listed below, please click the "+" sign to open.
Berkshire Local School District serves more than 1400 students enrolled in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from the communities of Burton, Claridon, Montville, Thompson, and Troy. The district is located on approximately 30 acres behind the Kent State University - Geauga campus.
Berkshire High School offers students many course offerings. Classes available include honors level, Advanced Placement (AP), College Credit Plus (CCP), career technical education, art , music, and several elective options. Additionally, students have the opportunity to participate in several clubs, activities, and athletic teams.
The Berkshire Local Schools is dedicated to providing supplemental educational opportunities and resources for its students. Please utilize the links below to learn more about such opportunities. Thank you for your continued support of our school district.
Click to View the Berkshire Local Schools Extended Learning Plan
Click to View the Berkshire Local Schools Tiered Levels of Support
Watch the above video to learn more about the specific skills identified by the community as necessary for success after graduation, and included in the District's Graduate Profile below.
John Stoddard
Superintendent
Berkshire Local Schools
John has been married for 24 years to Rena Stoddard, and they have three children; Max, Lucas, and Hayley. Mr. Stoddard has 24 years of experience as an educator. He started his teaching career as the lead instructor at the Drake Planetarium inside Norwood High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. After a year at Drake, John moved to Blanchester Junior High School and taught 8th grade Science for one year. Mr. Stoddard left Blanchester for a job closer to home with the Oak Hills Local School district, where he spent 17 years as a teacher and administrator. At Oak Hills, he served as a 7th grade Math and Science teacher, an assistant principal at the elementary and middle school levels, a curriculum coordinator, and a principal at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. John’s last position with Oak Hills was as the Oak Hills High School principal. Mr. Stoddard left Oak Hills to take the role of Superintendent for Berkshire Local School District. Mr. Stoddard has served as the Superintendent for Berkshire over the past five years. Since joining Berkshire, he has helped to implement innovative instructional practices such as Project-Based Learning. The coordination of partnerships has led to the construction of the new PK-12 school campus that houses all Berkshire students. The new campus is being built at the Kent State University regional campus in Burton.
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
Educational Service Center of the Western Reserve (ESCWR)
Business Advisory Council (BAC)
The mission of the GCESC Business Advisory Council is to foster cooperation among our member schools, businesses, and the communities they serve to make our education system more aware of the local labor market; promote work-based experiences within businesses; and help students prepare for successful learning and employment opportunities.
Joint Statement from Geauga County ESC and Business Advisory Council
Geauga Park District is a proud community partner of the Berkshire Local Schools. Please find below information related to current and upcoming Geauga Park District events for students.
2022 Summer Camps
Get outside for some fun with summer 2022 day camps from the Geauga Park District! Camps are available for students entering grades 3-10. Registration opens on March 20, 2022. For more information, call 440-286-9516 or visit http://bit.ly/gpdcamps. Families can also view the following promotional flyer.