NRCS Honors “Teacher ” and “Support Staff” Person of the Year

North Royalton City Schools announced the Teacher of the Year and Support Staff Person of the Year. The Teacher of the Year is Cheri Rourke, who is a first-grade teacher at Royal View Elementary School.  She has worked in the District since 1989.  “Mrs. Rourke is a dedicated, knowledgeable and passionate educator,” said Principal Kirk Pavelich.  “She also excels in our District as a leader, as her experience makes her an invaluable resource not only for her colleagues in the first grades, but also for her fellow teachers throughout the building and the District.  When it comes to ea ....

May 4, 2021

Mother’s Day is a chance to reflect on your journey as a Mom

Life before kids can be largely egocentric. Every milestone we achieve before having children typically serves ourselves and our own best interests. We are, essentially, living for ourselves. But when women have kids, something switches over. We stop living for ourselves and start living for our children. And while this switch is beautiful and purposeful, it’s not always easy. Sometimes it is downright hard, and our knees buckle from the weight of it. But this loss of identity and time of adjustment also paves the way for a new and greater sense of self. Mother ....

May 4, 2021

Students share Covid experiences through words

It may be hard to believe or imagine, but there may come a day when today’s youngest students don’t really remember the events that unfolded during the Covid-19 pandemic. Though they will likely recall the mask-wearing and remote schooling to some degree, the day-to-day details and nuances of academic life during a pandemic may get fuzzy as the years go on and they mature into older adults in the decades to come. In reflecting on this thought and the popular book series “I SURVIVED” that tells terrifying and thrilling stories from history from the eyes of fictional kids who lived thro ....

May 4, 2021

Schools announce winners of the Crystal Starfish Award

During the week of April 12, North Royalton City Schools announced the winners of this year’s Crystal Starfish Award presented by First Federal of Lakewood. At Valley Vista Elementary School, Counselor Dana Kesselem was presented with the Crystal Starfish Teacher Award. Besides the award, she also received a $250 Professional Development Grant from First Federal of Lakewood. Kesselem was nominated by two parents. Her nomination states: “My children, like a lot of others, were impacted mentally with the pandemic. Mrs. Kesselem gave them tools to identify and address their feelings, as wel ....

May 4, 2021

Royal Redeemer hosts ‘Servant Saturday’ event

For many people, the pandemic has only strengthened their desire to reach out and lend a hand to those in need. For the third time since the pandemic started, the community of Royal Redeemer Lutheran Church has come together to perform service projects in North Royalton and surrounding suburbs. And though their volunteer event, “Servant Saturday,” didn’t stem from the pandemic (it’s been a staple of the church for more than a decade), it has created many new service project opportunities and renewed feelings of stewardship. “I especially enjoy seeing all of the new people we are ab ....

May 4, 2021