Bay Schools Introduce One Rocket Nation News

Bay Village Schools released their inaugural issue of One Rocket Nation News this week. Below are some stories from their first monthly, digital newsletter. Check out how to subscribe at the bottom.

Welcome to the inaugural issue of One Rocket Nation News!

This monthly, digital newsletter will share a snapshot of happenings in Bay Village Schools. Each month, we will also share a profile of the many community organizations the District collaborates with. If you’d like to share an idea, news item or photo for future issues, or know someone who’d like to subscribe, please send us an email. Enjoy!

A Note from the Superintendent

As the first month of the new year comes to a close, we are happy and hopeful. Happy to have our students back In-building, and hopeful with the advent of the vaccine. Unfortunately, as we practice optimism and await the steps in returning to normal, a new strain of the virus has been discovered that spreads even more quickly. Two steps forward; one step back. Our One Rocket Nation will not be deterred, however. Despite the pandemic, our students and staff continue to learn, achieve and lead in the region and beyond, and we celebrate their efforts within this inaugural edition of our One Rocket Nation News.

As we head into February, I wish everyone peace, kindness and good health. May we remember the past by learning from our challenges, and continue to turn toward 2021 with hope and commitment to a better tomorrow.

Supt. Jodie Hausmann

Time Travel: Antique Clock Returned to the District

Before Winter Break, the District received an antique clock from Illinois resident Greg Nolan, who found the clock at an estate sale in his home state. He was told the clock came from an old Bay Village, Ohio schoolhouse, and he felt the clock should “come home.” The District reached out to local historian Eric Eakin of the Bay Village Historical Society to see if any archives show photographs of the clock in early school buildings. Unfortunately, the clock’s history has yet to be validated, but Bay Village Schools’ Director of Teaching and Learning Char Shryock hopes to have the clock repaired and hung in the District Office. If you have any information on the clock, please drop us a line.

Anne Ashley, Bay High School Social Studies Teacher & PTA Council President

Where are you from? Rocky River, Ohio.

Personal…My husband Drew and I have three sons (Matthew, Bobby and George), and a Wheaten Terrier named Tater.

Hobbies and interests…Watching sports (go Rockets!), trying new local restaurants, listening to podcasts, collecting lake glass and traveling to new places.

What’s one thing most people don’t know about you? I’m an only child.

What did you want to be when you grew up? A wedding planner. I had a business plan and everything — “Purdy’s Pretty Weddings”.  In the summers, I was always coaching swim team and giving swim lessons, and absolutely loved school, so my future as a teacher was probably always hidden in there somewhere!

Favorite color…Mint blue.

Favorite thing about Bay Village…The sense of humble pride people have for their community. My children treat Homecoming like it is a holiday, which says so much about the community leaders, schools and families that live and work here. Everyone holds the door, smiles and waves and often goes out of their way to care for others during good times and bad.

Favorite thing about the CLE…How pleasantly surprised people are when they come to visit. Cleveland is a hidden gem, full of incredible people doing amazing things every day. We have world-class restaurants, museums, schools and attractions, but can still maintain the familiar small-town feel.

Favorite quote…“Our potential is one thing. What we do with it is quite another.” ~ Angela Duckworth And my favorite song lyric is “Don’t hide in the dark, you were born to shine. In a world full of hate, be a light” from the song Be a Light by Thomas Rhett.

Rockets in the News

Sharing news clips of our students and staff making headlines in the region and beyond!

Upcoming Events

  • January 26–Virtual Kindergarten Information Night, 7 p.m.
  • January 28–AP Night, 7-9 p.m.
  • January 29–Rockette Junior Line Performs at basketball game, 7:30 p.m.
  • February 1-6–Bay PTA Council Scholarship Raffle
  • February 2–Middle School PTSA Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
  • February 4–PTA Council Meeting, 7 p.m.
  • February 6–ACT, 8 a.m.
  • February 8–Board of Education Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
  • February 9–High School PTSA Meeting, 7:30 a.m.
  • February 9–Bay Middle School Student Scheduling Meeting, 9 a.m.
  • February 9–Normandy PTA Meeting, 7 p.m.
  • February 10–Bay Middle School Student Scheduling Meeting, 7 p.m.
  • February 10–Westerly PTA Meeting, 7 p.m.
  • February 11–Bay Middle School STEM Parent Meeting, 7 p.m.
  • February 12–Rockette Senior Line Performs at basketball game, 7:30 p.m.
  • February 15–Presidents Day; No School
  • February 16–Virtual Town Hall, 6:30 p.m.
  • February 20–Snoball Run, 8 a.m.
  • February 22–Board of Education Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
  • February 25–Rocket Family eAcademy, 7 p.m.
  • February 27–Bay High School Talent Show, 7 p.m.

Board of Education Update

District to Offer Tuition-free, All-day Kindergarten for 2021-22 School Year

By Board of Education Vice President Dave Vegh

At the December 11, 2020, Bay Village Board of Education meeting, the Board unanimously voted to adopt a full-day, tuition-free kindergarten program, starting with the 2021-22 school year. A full-day, tuition-free program was offered this school year due to the pandemic, but prior to the 2020-21 school year, the district offered a tuition-based option, along with the no-cost, half-day program.

In adopting this resolution the Board considered many factors in making our decision, including research, the surveying of surrounding districts, providing equitable access to all students, our current staffing and facility resources, and others. This new, all-day model aligns with the District’s and community’s commitment to providing a high-quality education, as well as with all current and federal guidelines surrounding foundational literacy and math instruction, along with social emotional learning. We hope the Class of 2034 — and all classes to follow — benefit from this program.

To read the All-Day Kindergarten Resolution in its entirety, please click here.

Board Officers Retain Their Roles for 2021

During the January 11, Organizational Board meeting, current Board President Lisa Priemer and Board Vice President Dave Vegh were nominated to retain their same roles for 2021. The votes were unanimous for both positions.

School Board Recognition Month

January is School Board Recognition Month, and at the January 11, Bay Village Board of Education meeting, the district honored its five Board members: President Lisa Priemer, Vice President Dave Vegh, and Members Beth Lally, Scott Schulz and Paul Vincent. Bay High School senior James Bish, representing the Bay Village Schools’ student body, read Gov. Mike DeWine’s Proclamation for School Board Recognition Month. James also shared his personal gratitude for the Board members’ service…”Although I am not as fancy as the Governor, on behalf of the Bay student body, I would also like to extend my appreciation to the School Board for the hard and often thankless work they do, keeping us safe, happy and learning.”

Alumni Update

When Cleveland Metropolitan School District turned to virtual learning this past fall, sisters and Bay High School alumnae Laura Geuther and Allison Pohlkamp decided to build and donate desks to students at James A. Garfield Elementary School after hearing some of the second- and third-graders didn’t have access to desks or learning spaces at home. The duo learned woodworking skills from their grandfather, Del Fink, and a respect for education from their mother, Barbara Woodburn, a fourth-grade teacher at Westerly. (Their sister, Diane Poretsky, teaches first grade at Normandy.) To date, the two have made and delivered 138 desks, and plan to donate an additional 24 for refugee students.

To read more, please click here.

Community Focus

The Bay Alumni Foundation

The Bay Alumni Foundation (BAF) is a nonprofit organization established by a group of alumni who wanted to ensure Bay High School graduates have a way to stay connected, stay informed, support the schools, and celebrate the school and community they love. BAF President Judi Krueger says the group’s mission is simple: “To inform our alumni through the publication of The Shoreline newsletter; to provide assistance for classes with their activities, reunions and other class functions; to select and honor our distinguished alumni and educators; and to be a resource for activities relating to the affairs and interests of Bay Village Schools, Bay Village, Ohio, and its students, thereby fostering a spirit of loyalty and fraternity among the alumni, faculty and students.”

BAF maintains a database of more than 14,000 alumni, has a website and publishes The Shoreline three times a year. The group also participates in Homecoming, awards scholarships to deserving Bay High School seniors, maintains a Facebook page and participates in graduation events to welcome the newest members of the Foundation. Every other year, BAF honors Distinguished Alumni and Distinguished Educators into its Hall of Fame, and is currently accepting nominations for the next class of inductees, who will be introduced during Homecoming weekend, September 24-25, 2021.

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