February 11, 1998
At the February 10, 1998 meeting of the Shaker Heights Board of Education, the Board met in
joint session with members of the Shaker Heights City Council and the Board of Trustees of the
Shaker Heights Public Library.
Items discussed included the need for a modernized and expanded gymnasium at Shaker Heights
High School, plans for collaborative improvement of after-school youth programming, plans for
the development of a teen area on the second floor of the Main Library, and the City’s
“visioning” project.
The Superintendent of Schools presented the following statement:
The current gymnasium, used for men’s and women’s basketball and women’s volleyball, as
well as for physical education classes, is substandard in a number of respects. Built in the 1930s
and partially updated in 1962, it is seriously outdated and inadequate for interscholastic
competition. This is felt most acutely in varsity basketball, but affects other activities as well.
Initial conversations with staff members and architects have identified some of the deficiencies
that need to be corrected:
Safety and security concerns – The end walls are a very short distance from the basketball court
boundaries, increasing the possibility of injury to a student, teacher, player, official or spectator.
At interscholastic events, the layout of the gym makes it impossible to seat home and visiting
spectators separately. This leads to crowd control problems.
Students’ instructional and training needs – Locker room and weight-training facilities must be
updated to accommodate physical education classes, team sports, and the growing demand for
women’s athletics. Although spring-season interscholastic teams compete outdoors, they begin
training in March. It is not unusual for severe weather to prevail until April. Athletes in men’s
and women’s lacrosse, men’s tennis, baseball, and softballf frequently spend the bulk of the early
season on indoor training and drills, for which facilities are inadequate. With the growth in
enrollment and need for additional classroom space at Woodbury, the wrestling gym will be
converted into the school library. Wrestling will be relocated to the High School’s multipurpose
room. The women’s hockey field on the front lawn of the High School is substandard in size and
drains poorly. The field on the Woodbury west front lawn could be used for field hockey and is
regulation size.
Size and spectator facilities – Shaker’s seating capacity is only 25% of the Lake Erie League
average and 36% as large as the next-largest venue (see chart). There are no restrooms to serve
spectators, no concession area, and no lobby to facilitate crowd flow. Access to the makeshift
concession area and nearest public restrooms is difficult at best, and virtually impossible when
the gym is full. A significant number of the spectator seats are in a balcony that has poor sight
lines and may pose a safety concern.
Seating Capacity – Lake Erie League School Gyms
Cleveland Heights
2,000
Garfield Heights
2,300
Lakewood
2,100
Mentor
3,000
Normandy
2,800
Parma
1,400
Shaker Heights
500
Shaw
2,200
Valley Forge
2,300
Warrensville Heights
1,500
LEL Average
2,010
Use of modernized facility – Current and projected demand for adequate physical
education/athletic facilities is sucthat High School programs would make full use of a
modernized education/athletic facilities For this reason, it will be designed primarily to meet
school needs as identified by faculty and staff members, who will be involved in the planning. A
modernized gym would complement the track and soccer and football fields that have been
updated in recent years.
Americans With Disabilities Act Compliance and Parking Needs – The modernized gym would
meet ADA requirements. Modifications are needed elsewhere at the High School, particularly at
the main entrance, to comply with ADA. Some of these needs can be met through the
construction of a semicircular driveway and a new, handicapped-accessible front entrance.
Students, staff members, parents and community members with disabilities could be dropped off
or park in close proximity to the entrance. The front entry area is, of all the entrances to the High
School, the best suited to ramping and other modifications needed to meet the requirements of
the Americans With Disabilities Act. Additional student and/or visitor parking spaces could be
created along the driveway. Through careful design and landscaping, the architectural integrity
and aesthetic appeal of the High School’s main entrance can be preserved and enhanced.
The Superintendent said the work on the entrance will probably be completed in the summer of
1998. Planning for the gymnasium modernization will continue with the selection of an architect,
followed by design and bidding.
Following the joint meeting, the Superintendent reported the following:
• Since 1983, the Student Group on Race Relations (SGORR) at Shaker Heights High School has
promoted positive social relations among Shaker’s highly diverse student body. Working with
sixth-graders (and, more recently, with fourth-graders), the SGORR students create an awareness
of racial issues, peer pressure, and problem-solving strategies. Additionally, SGORR serves as a
powerful leadership development experience for the High School students who participate.
SGORR has been recognized by the State of Ohio, the Shaker Heights Human Relations
Commission, and national education organizations, and has been adapted by schools and
organizations all over the United States. A new video on SGORR, created by New York
filmmaker (and Shaker alumnus) Stuart Math, was shown. The video will be used to help even
more schools and organizations benefit from the SGORR experience. Representing SGORR
were faculty advisor Marcia Jaffe and the members of this year’s core leadership group. They
are: Dionna Bailey, Matthew Baringer, Danielle Barnes, Jocelyn Berger, Lauren Dietrich,
Austin Frank, Sarah Frisof, Adam Grossman, Candace Hamilton, Harry Hanson, Michael
Hood, Dinesh Joseph, Michael Lee, Landon Lockhart, Jonathan Malangoni, Aaron
McMickle, Heather Schubeck, Andrea Sledge, Erin Snyder, Ricardo Spicer, Danielle
Thornton, Erin Whitehouse, and Jed Wolpaw. Ms. Jaffe and the core leaders were recognized
by the Board.
• Once again this year, Shaker’s K-4 elementary schools are sponsoring special Open Houses for
parents of children who will enter kindergarten in Fall 1998. The Open Houses provide an
opportunity for parents to tour the school, learn about the program, and meet the principal,
teachers, and fellow parents. Families will also be able to register their children on site. New this
year will be a video about the kindergarten program, produced by Shaker resident and parent
Thomas Keane. The Open Houses will begin at 7 p.m. on the following dates:
Boulevard Thursday, March 26
Fernway
Thursday, March 5
Lomond
Tuesday, March 17
Mercer
Wednesday, March 25
Onaway
Monday, March 2
• Parents of incoming kindergartners will also have a chance to register April 27 through 29.
Timely registration assists in planning and helps children make a smooth transition to school.
• Works by Shaker Heights student artists will be on display throughout the month of February at
the Shaker Heights Public Library. As part of its Black History Month observance, the Library
sought artwork based on African and African-American themes and techniques.
• “The Right to Dream,” a multimedia show about the struggle for civil rights as seen through the
eyes of a young African-American man in Mississippi, will be presented Thursday, February 12,
for Middle School students. The production was created by Living Voices of Seattle and is
presented locally by The National Conference.
• At Shaker Heights High School, upcoming African-American History Month activities include
“Community Saturday” in the High School library from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on February 2 1,
featuring an Afrocentric multicultural book fair, a health fair, food tastings, a study skills
workshop, and storytelling. On Sunday, February 22, students will take to the stage in the Large
Auditorium at 7 p.m. to present an original program recounting African-American history
through dance, visual art, poetry and song. Following the performance, inspirational speaker Lee
Jones will address the topic of leadership. All residents are invited to these weekend events.
• The Shaker Heights PTO Council will sponsor a workshop for parents of fourth graders who
want to help prepare their children for the Ohio Proficiency Tests. The workshop will be held at
7 p.m. on February 19 at the High School Social Room. Led by Gail Rose, the District’s parent
liaison, the workshop will introduce parents to games and other materials designed to boost
student performance. The workshop will complement the efforts of teachers and parents at each
of the K-4 schools.
• The High School’s A Cappella Choir, under the direction of Robert Schneider, will sing on
the Fox (Channel 8) morning show on Friday, February 20. The choir will sing several selections
between 7 and 9 a.m. The A Cappella Choir will also represent Shaker at the Lake Erie League
Choral Festival, featuring ensembles from each of the I I league schools, on March 4. Shaker
Heights is hosting the event and has arranged for the festival to be held, for the first time in its 65
years, at historic Severance Hall, home of The Cleveland Orchestra. The festival, commencing at
7:30 p.m., is free and open to the public.
Following a welcome by Middle School Principal Neil T. Glazer, the following students and
faculty members were recognized:
• Shaker Middle School students dominated the sectional level of the annual Power of the Pen
writing competition, winning first place in both the seventh- and eighth-grade divisions.
Members of the team are Emily Alpert, Rene Chelune, Laura Coscarelli, Camilla Cullis Faye
Gleisser, Meriem Lanseur, Noreen Malone, Alexandra Marcotty, Nathaniel Moore, Emily
Pfaff Amy Schiller, Whitney Smith, Roopa Vasudevan, Amanda Webb, Joanna Weinland,
and Marissa Wu. They are coached by teachers Ella Washington of the social studies
department and Katherine Brewster of the music department.
The Board of Education approved the following:
• Personnel items, including appointments, changes in assignment, special assignments,
supplemental contracts, additional assignments, resignations, and substitutes.
• Bids with Henle Builders, Miller Plumbing, and EL-O Electric for classrooms, the library, and
exterior stair alterations at Woodbury Elementary School.
• Financial statements and interim investments for January 1998.
• Appropriation modifications, return of advance to the General Fund, and transfers of funds.
• Supplemental appropriations and appropriation accounts to accommodate grants for the Title
11 – Dwight D. Eisenhower Professional Development Grant Program, the Goals 2000 Local
Professional Development Committee Program, the Safe, Drug-Free Schools & Communities
Program, the ESEA Title I Program, and the Goals 2000 – Building Partnerships Through
Networking Program.
• Student activity budget revisions for the Student Group on Race Relations, the Class of 1999,
and the Class of 2001, all at Shaker Heights High School.
• Hourly and unit rates for substitute nurses and substitute tutors (LD and SIP).
The Board of Education met in executive session to discuss litigation, personnel matters,
purchase or sale of real estate, and safety and security.