Starting Jan. 24, citizens will have an opportunity to participate in a three-day online forum with the Democratic candidates for Cuyahoga Country Prosecutor. Presented by the Civic Commons and the Citizens League of Greater Cleveland, the forum will take place on the Civic Commons website (www.theciviccommons.com) from Tuesday morning, Jan. 24, through Thursday, Jan. 26.
Sam Bell, a member of the Sustainable Heights Network, has organized a series of meetings to discuss school facilities and sustainability. At the meetings, Bell hopes to develop lists of local resources that can be made available to a director of sustainability for the CH-UH school system (should the district decide to hire one), along with lists of concrete proposals for the district to evaluate.
After years of playing at Forest Hills Park, the Heights High Lady Tigers Fastpitch Softball team is hoping to play on a new home field at the High School this spring. The newly-formed Lady Tigers Fastpitch Boosters club is working with the CH-UH City School District Athletic Department on a strategy to build the field for the girls, and they need help from the community to make it happen.
Any businesses interested in purchasing advertising opportunities at the heavily-traveled intersection (the school is located at the corner of Cedar and Lee roads) should contact the Cleveland Heights Fastpitch Boosters Club at heightsfastpitch@gmail.com or 216.554.2002. Individuals can support the girls through a raffle to win an iPad 2 and by purchasing limited-edition “TIGER NATION” license plate frames. The winning raffle ticket will be selected Feb. 10 at the Heights Symphony concert. License plate frames are available at the high school athletic office.
Heights High Senior Soloist Charlotte Sperl will play the Viola Concerto, B minor, in the Style of Handel, by Henri Casadesus, accompanied by the Heights High Symphony as part of a concert at the school on Feb. 10, at 7:30 p.m.
Music has always been a part of her life. Her father plays bass in the Cleveland Orchestra and her mother plays oboe in the Youngstown Symphony. “I remember hearing my parents play beautiful music when I was little,“ she said. “That inspired me to want to play, too.”
She began playing the viola in the fourth grade at Fairfax school. One of the things she appreciates about Heights High is that there are many great student musicians. “Having the symphony play behind me is an amazing experience,” she said. “They are supportive in many ways. Their melody introduces the solos.”
Douglas Heuer, superintendent of the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District will deliver the district’s annual State of the Schools address on Wednesday, Jan. 25, at 7 p.m. in the Cleveland Heights High School Social Room (13263 Cedar Road). Heuer will recap the events and achievements of the 2011 calendar year and outline the ways that CH-UH educators are working to build on the district’s progress. Heuer will underline the district’s vision for Educational Pathways and talk about the need for school environments to capture the vision and help motivate and inspire children to learn.
To the Editor:
As I recently drove down Warrensville Center Road, I saw dozens of felled trees. Since it now seems inevitable that the Oakwood development will go forward, I have a few requests for Mr. Schneider that I think would minimize the negative impact of the loss of green space.
First, please preserve some real, usable green space for the community (in contrast to Legacy Village).
Meals on Wheels, a program that delivers fresh meals to seniors and those with disabilities, seeks volunteers to package and deliver meals.
Volunteers assist program staff by filling containers with hot and cold food and then placing the containers in a heater or cooler for delivery. Each Heights-area route has from five to nine clients. Volunteers deliver the food to the door of each home on a pre-assigned route, and if invited in, spend a few minutes visiting with the recipient.
This past summer, 50 members of Forest Hill Church broke into small, mixed-race groups and had numerous dinners together in each other’s homes. With "Courageous Conversations," they tried to gain a better understanding of racial bias and inclusivity in the community (see Volume 4, Issue 6 for full article). Forest Hill Church (FHC) is committed to continuing the race conversation and its first series of events will celebrate Black History Month. On each of the four Sunday services, FHC youth will speak about an African American who is an inspiration to them. Throughout the month of February there will also be special events honoring African Americans and their community.
Thinking of buying an e-reader? Try one out first at Heights Libraries. Heights Libraries has recently added e-readers to the collections at the Coventry Village, Noble Neighborhood, and University Heights locations. The Lee Road Library has had e-readers available since January 2011.
Navigating the college application process can be stressful enough for students and their families without the added pressure of “How do I pay for college?”
JANUARY 3, 2012
All council members were present.
JANUARY 3, 2012
All council members were present.
JANUARY 3, 2012
Board President Karen Jones was excused.
Families looking for a Montessori-based Christian education program are invited to a "Godly Play" Festival at Hope Lutheran Church on Saturday, Feb. 18, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Hope Lutheran is located at 2222 North Taylor Road in Cleveland Heights.
The Food Not Lawns movement is both international and hyper-local, dedicated to replacing lawns—or some portion of them—with edible gardens in the name of sufficiency and sustainability. “Edible” in this context broadly includes food for butterflies, birds and other wildlife as well as fruits, vegetables, flowers and herbs. The same plants often serve many functions, benefiting humans and other species alike. The non-native grass varieties that make up most lawns feed no one, with the possible exception of the Japanese beetle larvae that thrive in their roots.
Debra Adams Simmons, editor of The Plain Dealer; Richard J. Clark of the John P. Murphy and Kulas foundations; Bruce Hennes of Hennes Paynter Communications; and Valarie J. McCall, chief of government affairs for the City of Cleveland discuss the role of philanthropy, government and media in civic life during a CLI session in July.
This winter, Cleveland Leadership Center (CLC) and four chambers of commerce are cooperating in a whole new way. For the last two years, Civic Leadership Institute (CLI) has brought together business owners, executives and key nonprofit and community leaders with seminars designed to foster understanding about how the city and its suburbs work together—and sometimes against each other.
Beginning Feb. 1, the CLI will bring its six-part program to Cleveland’s eastern suburbs.
When Angie Polman, executive director of the Heights-Hillcrest Regional Chamber of Commerce, attended the fall session of the CLI at its usual downtown City Club location, ideas percolated. “CLI gave me great insight into the history of our regional economy and sharpened my civic dialogue skills,” said Polman.
Internationally known education expert Bob Pearlman has praised the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District’s Pathways initiative as a groundbreaking model for education. Pearlman, school consultant and author, recently learned about the program.
“I haven’t seen anything comparable nationally,” he said. “As implementation moves forward, I see the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District as being a national model for 21st-century learning.”
Pearlman was brought to the district by Fielding Nair International, one of the architectural firms working with the Cleveland Heights-University Heights District on its Master Facilities Plan. He is a widely-recognized expert in education reform efforts, school structuring, and technology, and was director of strategic planning for the New Technology Foundation from 2002 to 2009. He consults in the United States and the United Kingdom on 21st-century learning, focusing on new school development and district-wide implementation of 21st-century skills.
On Jan. 3, the first city council meeting of 2012, Edward Kelley was reelected mayor of Cleveland Heights by his city council peers. Dennis Wilcox was elected vice mayor.
In a prepared statement, Mayor Kelley said, “As we look ahead to the next two years, we as a city council and every city employee must be prepared to meet our challenges head on, and give an effort of 1,000 percent. We must be proactive and not reactive. The status quo is no longer good enough and should not be accepted as we move forward.”
FutureHeights, in concert with the Cleveland Heights Historical Society and the Cleveland Heights Landmarks Commission, is partnering with Cleveland State University's Center for Public History + Digital Humanities in 2012 to create content for the Cuyahoga Arts and Culture grant-funded "Historic Heights Mobile App Tours" project. The project will add 40 places (sites) to the existing Cleveland Historical mobile app (for iPhone and Android) that correspond to four focal points in Cleveland Heights: Coventry Village, Dugway Brook, Euclid Golf, and Noble Road.
The Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District will hold its second facilities master plan community meeting from 6:30–8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 11 in the Heights High Social Room, located at 13263 Cedar Rd. The district encourages parents, students and members of the community to attend. Food, childcare, and activities for children will be provided.
In a letter to her customers and friends, Tammy Currier, owner of Heights Floral Shoppe, announced that she was closing her store effective immediately. Heights Floral, located at 3451 Fairmount Boulevard, in the Fairmount Taylor Business District, was known for its eye-catching displays and gifts, as well as its unique floral designs.
The Cleveland Heights University Heights Board of Education has begun planning the next 50 years of school and administrative buildings programs. It is anticipated that a number of existing buildings will be closed, renovated, rebuilt, or replaced at a cost likely to run into several tens of millions of dollars. The process has already begun, and is gaining momentum. I worry lest "sustainability" become just a fashionable buzzword to which everyone pays lip service but for which no one person is actually responsible or accountable. While sustainability has been identified as a key concern, no one individual has been given responsibility as a Director of Sustainability.
On Dec. 22, the undefeated Blue East first place Cleveland Heights Tigers took on their mightiest opponent yet, the Cleveland Heights Mite A2 team, in an exhibition game. The game was especially fun for Eddie Babcox, Tigers head coach; he was a Heights Mite in the first Mite/Heights High exhibition game in the 1986-87 season. He played against the team that would turn out to be the state champs that year.
The Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District invites parents and guardians of children entering preschool or kindergarten to attend the district’s open houses from 9:30 to 11:15 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 19.
Preschool open houses will be held at Gearity Professional Development School, located at 2323 Wrenford Rd. in University Heights, and Noble Elementary School, located at 1293 Ardoon St. in Cleveland Heights.
Kindergarten open houses will be held at all district elementary schools.
Antonio Pompa-Baldi
Internationally acclaimed Cleveland Heights pianist Antonio Pompa-Baldi will perform as part of the Tri-C Classical Piano Recital Series at 2 p.m, Jan. 29 at the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Gartner Auditorium, 11150 East Boulevard in University Circle.
The program, a keyboard extravaganza, features four emotional masterpieces. The first half of the program includes two Pre-romantic works: Carl Czerny’s Variations on a theme by Rode, “La Ricordanza,” and Johann Nepomuk Hummel’s powerful Sonata No. 5, Op.81, in F# minor. Romanticism dominates the second half with two keyboard titans: Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Variations on a theme by Corelli, Op. 42; and Franz Liszt’s "Vallée d'Obermann," "Au bord d'une source" and "Orage," from the first volume of “Années de Pèlerinage.”
Thank you for the wonderful article on The Wine Spot in the Jan. 4 Heights Observer. We are very excited to be up and running and appreciate the enthusiastic support from the local community. We are proud to be in Cleveland Heights and to have our shop in the historic Seitz-Agin space.
A couple of additions and clarifications:
Jan. 12, 2 p.m.
Lisa Cellura, outreach educator for Cleveland Sight Center, will present the award-winning video, “Hope & Cope–Living with Macula Degeneration.”
Declan Synnott, owner of Parnell's Pub, pours a pint behind the bar.
For more years than anyone can remember, 2167 Lee Road, next door to the Cedar Lee Theatre, has been a bar. For the last 15 years, it has been the Charles Stewart Parnell Pub, under the watchful eye and keep of Irish-born owner Declan Synnott. Better known in the neighborhood as simply Parnell’s Pub, it’s likely the old oak bar holds more stories and secrets than most high school students.
Arriving in Boston in 1994 from County Meath, Ireland, Synnott was enticed to move to Cleveland by the promise of opening a family-owned Irish restaurant--Flannery’s on East 4th Street. After opening and managing the place for a few years, he knew it was time for him to have his turn.
DECEMBER 19, 2011
All council members were present.
DECEMBER 13, 2011
All board members were present.
Kevin Monroe, of Monroe Constructs; Adam Fleischer, owner; Tommy White, CIA professor of painting; and Chris Whittey, CIA vice president of faculty and academic affairs. Photos by Deanna Bremer Fisher.
The Wine Spot, a purveyor of wine and microbrew beers opened on Lee Road on Dec. 16. The opening, attended by an estimated 400 people, featured the inaugural exhibit of The Art Spot, a student-run gallery exhibiting the works of Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA) students.
Four of the exhibit’s student paintings were sold during the opening, and Wine Spot owner Adam Fleischer said he expects the exhibit to be the first of many quarterly shows of student work.
"The cooperative gallery venture is one of many partnerships that The Wine Spot hopes to cultivate with local artists and artisans," said Fleischer.
Heights High students in Olivia Fatica’s Spanish classes spend several days each year learning the traditional dances from Spanish-speaking countries. A dance instructor from Cleveland Swing and Salsa recently taught students the merengue. “When students learn a culture’s dance traditions, they learn more about the people and history,” Fatica said. “The dances tell a story and express emotions between the dancers.”
In the past four years, University Heights City Council has kept a watchful eye on the city administration, exercising the checks and balances of government, as they should. This will change with the 2012 council.
Many on the new council, along with the mayor, have close ties to one another and to Jeffrey H. Friedman, an attorney. Most members are supported and/or endorsed by both the mayor and Friedman.
Start the new year with programs for all ages at the Heights Libraries. Learn sign language, join a book discussion group, make a shadow puppet, and more. Visit www.heightslibrary.org for a complete program calendar.
One of the most watched races in Cuyahoga County next year will be the one for county prosecutor. It is one of only two countywide offices authorized by the new charter, which was voted in place in 2009. It carries considerable power because it sets priorities for the types of crimes that are prosecuted more vigorously. When sitting prosecutor Bill Mason announced last year that he would not be seeking re-election, it left a wide-open field that has attracted six candidates so far, all Democrats.
Playwrights’ GYM, a program offered to local playwrights by Dobama Theatre, announces a series of workshops and full-length productions. The GYM comprises two parts—GYMworks, in its second year; and GYMrep, in its inaugural season. The goal of Playwrights’ GYM goal is to nurture new work in a safe environment, and to develop plays for future production at Dobama Theatre.
Fairmount Cooperative Preschool will hold an open house on Sunday, Jan. 22, from 3-5 p.m. The school will offer refreshments, a tour of the facility and a chance to meet the teachers.
Die-hard denizens of Luna Bakery and Café will no longer have to brave the cold and drizzle in order to enjoy their crepes and pots de crème au chocolate. The popular spot at Fairmount and Cedar is small, and close to one-half of its available seating is on its outdoor patio. With only about 25 seats inside, panini munchers and kids eating cupcakes could be found seated outside even on the worst of days.
But there is good news for these dedicated Lunites. The café and bakery is expanding its indoor dining area. This is being accomplished by expanding into the space next door, walling off a portion of one of the dining rooms occupied by The Mad Greek.
FutureHeights will launch a new dinner series in 2012 to raise funds for its community engagement programs and support its mission of creating a vibrant, sustainable future for the Heights by supporting the local economy.
FutureHeights plans to launch the series with a “Meet, Greet and Eat” dinner at Rockefeller’s Restaurant on Wednesday, Jan. 25. “We're excited to launch this new effort,” said Richard Stewart, vice president of the FutureHeights Board of Directors and chair of the marketing committee. “Community members are invited to show their support by having dinner at Rockefeller’s anytime that evening. FutureHeights staff and board members will show up at various times, and we’d like to meet and greet all that attend.”
Thrity Umrigar, author, neighbor and professor of English at Case Western Reserve University, said that a chance meeting with an old friend was the inspiration for her fifth and latest novel, The World We Found.
While on a visit to India in 2008, Umrigar encountered an old friend whom she had not seen in 25 years. During their conversation, the friend spoke about how the Hindu-Muslim riots of the early 1990s had changed her forever. The conversation lingered in Umrigar’s mind as she pondered how youthful idealism often changes over time, an idea she explores in her new novel.
The World We Found is the story of four women and the two men who loved them. All were university students, close friends and political activists during the 1970s, a time when the Indian government declared a state of emergency and suspended elections and civil liberties. The novel opens with the news that Armaiti, the friend who left India to study in the United States, married and later divorced her American husband, has developed a brain tumor.
This devastating news will bring the four women together once again. But this is not a book about only the women. What prevents this novel from falling into the “chick lit” category is that Umrigar develops her male characters as fully as her female ones.
Iqbal, the only Muslim in the group, has married Nishta against the wishes of both families, and has become a religious fundamentalist. The author describes his religious devotion with compassion and a deep understanding for what he has suffered for his faith.
“Iqbal rose from the floor. He could still feel the imprint of the cool tile of the masjid floor where he had prostrated himself a moment ago. The cool was a welcome comfort from the hot, busy thoughts that raced like red ants through his mind. So was the peace that he’d felt during the evening namaaz, as the sonorous, musical chanting and the repetition of prayer . . . fell like raindrops over his fevered brow.”
Umrigar takes her time, allowing this engrossing tale to unfold at a leisurely pace. She has certainly done her homework, and the scenes in which Armaiti begins to experience new and frightening symptoms of her illness are among the most affecting and authentic in the book.
Armaiti, walking on the beach, turned to face the ocean, when suddenly “she felt something come loose inside her head. That’s how she remembered the feeling later.” The world around her, so sharp a moment ago, disappeared and became a fuzzy image. “The inclination was to panic, of course. Every cell, every electrical impulse in her body was ready for battle, to go into overdrive. And Armaiti gave into her fear, caught in its undertow. She blinked furiously and shut her eyes, but each time she opened them the world remained unclear.”
Of the book’s six main characters, some are more believable than others. Adish may seem a little too good to be true, but who wouldn’t want a spouse as understanding, loving and supportive as Umrigar presents him.
Since 2003, the Jazzercise students of instructor Mary Beth McCann have spent the holiday season raising money for worthy causes. In past years, the students raised money for needy families through the MetroHealth Foundation and Malachi House.
This year, McCann asked her students to nominate their favorite charities and vote to determine which would be the recipient of this year’s drive. The clear winner was the Cleveland Foodbank.
On Dec. 15, the City of Cleveland Heights honored Cleveland Heights sports teams at a Special Recognition Night at the Community Center. A spokes person for the city said, “The city was honoring our young people, and their coaches and families, for their dedication, discipline and teamwork.”
At the final 2011 meeting of the Cleveland Heights City Council, Council Member Ken Montlack was honored for his 24 years of service.
“Over the years, Ken has always looked for solutions to any issues that our city has faced,” said Mayor Ed Kelley. “His goal has been to make our Cleveland Heights community the best that it could be.”
During his six terms, which spanned the administrations of four Cleveland Heights mayors, Montlack chaired all six of the council committees. “On each committee he has done his best for our community,” said Kelley, who went on to highlight Montlack’s key contributions to each.
The Sustainable Heights Network—an informal group created to connect people and ideas to help build a more sustainable future for the community—has launched an initiative to facilitate community gardening. Goals include locating sites that could be used for community gardens, providing a mechanism for people interested in community gardening to connect with one another, and accessing resources that support new community gardens.
The Heights Observer and the staff and board of directors of FutureHeights wish you and your family a Happy New Year. The Heights Observer exists to provide a voice for Heights residents. Please keep your stories coming!
It’s been 70 years since Park School closed. Most of the former students have died or grown old, and memories of that place have grown dim.
But Christmas is a good time to remember one of the special customs of that long-gone school: The Yule-log hunt and bonfire.
Every year, just before school closed for the Christmas break, Fox Smith, our sports coach, went out into the surrounding forest, (it’s still on the grounds of Park Synagogue) to find a log for our Christmas bonfire. He would mark it with a distinctive sprig of beribboned holly. Classes would be dismissed and all the students would spread out in the woods to find the log.
Two recycling consortiums developed by the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste Management District are paying off in the form of recycling rebates paid to cities. Fifteen communities in Cuyahoga County, including Cleveland Heights and University Heights, participate in two recycling consortiums that were developed to help cities get a better recycling deal. Since the fall of 2010, the consortium participants earned $557,337 in rebates on over 10,000 tons of recyclables collected through their community recycling programs. In addition, these cities saved more than $310,000 by not having to landfill the same materials.
It's come to this. Finally. I'm begging. I'm begging for a pro bono lawyer, or for someone(s) with deep pockets.
Because. I. Don't. Want. To. Lose. We can't lose. It's way too important.
Unless we get it reversed in a court, the ill-advised and unconstitutional rezoning of the Oakwood golf course in South Euclid will, too late, be recognized as the turning point upon which the Near East Side Suburbs (NESS) began their rapid decent.
“Unconstitutional? What the heck is he talking about?” you may well ask.
Cristie Snyder, program officer at the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste Management District, offers these tips for reducing holiday waste this season:
Ohioans and other Americans traditionally put 25 percent more trash at their curbs in the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Years--mostly wrapping paper, ribbons, party decorations and mail-order catalogs. Overall, Americans generate about 1,000,000 extra tons of trash per week during that same time period, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Here are some tips for reducing the amount of trash you throw away this holiday season:
DECEMBER 6, 2011—library board interviews
All board members were present.
A RAAM competitor is followed closely by his support crew.
"Bicycle Dreams," the award-winning documentary about the Race Across America (RAAM), has its Cleveland premiere at the Coventry Big Dog Theater in Cleveland Heights on Thursday, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m. The Race Across America is an epic, 3,000-mile bicycle race from the Pacific to the Atlantic. First held in 1982, RAAM is considered the most challenging sporting event in the world. Top riders finish in under ten days, riding more than 300 miles each day and sleeping only a few hours each night.
Avital Lugasy was visiting her sister in Austin, Texas, last summer when her parents informed her that she had been awarded the Jewish Family Service Association’s Raskind Family Scholarship.
Councilman Phil Ertel was absent.
Local residents discussed community values as part of the master facilities planning session. The next community meeting will take place on Jan. 11 at Heights High.
Approximately 100 residents participated in the first community meeting for the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District facilities master plan on Nov. 30.
The meeting was an opportunity for the district to share its educational vision and explain the planning process to the community. It also provided residents with a means to communicate their priorities and goals.
NOVEMBER 21, 2011
All board members were present.
The judges of the Heights Libraries fourth annual photography contest faced a challenge selecting ten finalists from more than 75 entries.
“This year’s theme, ‘Focus on the World,’ really inspired our contestants,” said Jennifer Greene, contest organizer and adult services librarian. “This year’s entries were fantastic—it was hard to choose!”
Staff from both the Heights Libraries and Cedar Center MotoPhoto, the contest sponsor, whittled the entries down to ten finalists. During November, the top ten photographs were displayed for one week at each library branch, where library visitors could view them and vote for their favorites. In total, 630 votes were cast, resulting in the following five winners:
The beginning of the New Year is a time when many of us resolve to make positive changes in our lives. This year, consider resolving to be a good neighbor to a senior adult in need. Is there a senior in your neighborhood who lives alone, or a senior couple who have trouble getting around? It is common for an older person to feel isolated and depressed, especially during the winter months when it is difficult for them to leave home.
There are many things we can do to reach out to our older neighbors. One of the most appreciated gifts is simply to spend time talking with them. Helping people feel special and cared about is one of the greatest gifts we can give.
Here are some ways to help seniors our local seniors:
John Carroll University alumnus Frank Schilling and his wife, Helen, have pledged a total of $16 million to endow scholarships for undergraduate students at the university. The Schillings had previously agreed to give $10 million to create the Schilling Endowed Scholars Program in 2004, but they now have increased their gift to $16 million. Rev. Robert L. Niehoff, president of John Carroll University, made the announcement at the university’s 125th Anniversary Gala, held Dec. 2. The gala capped a year-long celebration of John Carroll’s history and Jesuit educational tradition (see www.jcu.edu/125).
“The Schillings are among our most generous benefactors and the additional funding will be transformational for John Carroll University,” said Father Niehoff. “Their generosity has given—and will continue to give—the best students the opportunity to earn a John Carroll degree and make a positive difference in the world.” Currently, there are three Schilling scholars enrolled at John Carroll. The Schillings’ endowment will eventually fund more than 20 scholarships each year, which are renewable with continued academic achievement.
DECEMBER 19, 2011
Council member Kevin Patrick Murphy was excused.
NOVEMBER 21, 2011
All council members were present.
