About Town

Boy Scout Troop 810 from Church of the Assumption in Broadview Heights hosted an Eagle Court of Honor for five Eagle Scouts last month.

Several of these Scouts recently earned the prestigious rank in Scouting, while a few additional scouts earned the rank during the COVID-19 pandemic, but were not able to hold their own ceremony.

Ayden Hunter, Sean Brown, Michael Siegrist, Sam Eldridge and Brighton Peters earned Eagle Scout status over the past two months and were joined by Colin O’Leary and Joe Botzman who held their own Courts of Honor last month.

Andrew Eicher and Adam Lozar recently earned their Eagle rank, but were not able to attend, said Paul Botzman, assistant Scout leader of Troop 810.

To achieve the rank of Eagle Scout, Botzman said Scouts are required to demonstrate leadership throughout a community project. The nine Scout projects included a picnic table for the Maliki community hunger center; the installation of wooden steps on a steep park trail at a local national park; the construction of a Broadview Heights community garden at The Fields; construction on the entryway to an American Legion post; roofing pavilions at Heritage Reserve Park; construction of a resting bench and garden at the Chippewa Place retirement center; a clothing drive and party for local veterans; updating the Brecksville Broadview Heights High School senior outdoor area; and the creation of a kindness bench at Independence High School for a fellow Scout the community recently lost.

The Court of Honor ceremony included readings by Scout youth and family members. Each Eagle Scout was presented their Eagle-rank patch and award by their parents and Scoutmaster. The candidates were then given the opportunity to outline their projects and to thank those in attendance who supported their achievement. Each Scout was very appreciative to their adult leaders as well as the ongoing support of the Troop sponsor, Church of the Assumption on Broadview Road in Broadview Heights.

The Brecksville-Broadview Heights City Schools has announced that five of the district’s students have been named National Merit Scholar semifinalists. Those students include Joshua L. Ackerman, Jillian R. Butler, Frank G. Gallo, Vikram S. Iyer and Zachary B. Zywiec.

Specifically elevating to the status of National Merit Semi-Finalist, the BBHCSD students now rank among the top 16,000 students in the entire nation for this 68^th annual contest hosted by the National Merit Scholarship Program.

The nationwide pool of semifinalists represents less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors and includes the highest-scoring entrants from each state in the country. These seniors now have an opportunity to continue in the compete for 7,250 National Merit scholarships worth nearly $28 million in total value.

The Brecksville-Broadview Heights City School District has recognized Maria Schneider, a health and life skills teacher at Brecksville-Broadview Heights Middle School, who helped contribute an informative article recently in the nationally renowned publication. Shape America. The piece centers around emotional learning and building appropriate connections to drive learning. Within the article, Schneider devotes thought to the idea of focusing on the EQ, otherwise known as emotional intelligence, in student development, in addition to a student’s IQ, or scholastic aptitude only. She discusses the importance of always being open minded and prepared for meeting students at whatever emotional juncture they might exist.

Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School Senior Leah Spacek was named a top-10 finalist in the Cleveland Shining Star competition, sponsored by Menorah Park, this past September.  The Shining Star competition recognizes the top high school vocalists in Northeast Ohio in an adjudicated contest.  This was Spacek’s second time qualifying for the program.

Parents of students who are starting to outgrow their Bee spirit wear, listen up. The Schools Foundation is looking for donations of gently used Bees shirts, hoodies, sweats, backpacks and more. These items can be donated toBees Bargains at Star Sports. Donated items will be resold on Facebook Marketplace, and the proceeds will be donated to the Schools Foundation for programming benefitting students.

Hannah Olsen, BBHHS Class of 2014, graduated from Harvard Medical School and has started her pediatric residency at Boston Children’s Hospital. She plans to pursue a pediatric hematology/oncology fellowship after residency.

Lauren E. Cassidy, BBBHS class of 2015, will have “Meditations,” one of her paintings and related musical compositions, on display at the Smithsonian-affiliated and curated Annemarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center in Solomon, Maryland as part of the national juried exhibition “Out of Hand: Tradition Meets Tech.” The show runs through Jan. 22, 2023 and features 44 artists who use technology in their works. This is Lauren’s eighth gallery showing in four years. If you can’t make it to the Chesapeake Bay area, she can be seen and heard on Instagram @lauren.e.cassidy or on her website. laurenecassidy.com.