Kudos have been give to a number of people associated with the North Royalton City Schools lately. In addition, the North Royalton High School has recently received the distinction of being FOX 8’s Cool School.
North Royalton High School won the Cool School honor over two other schools, after people starting sharing the school’s nomination on social media. North Royalton High School Principal, Sean Osborne, did not know who nominated the school, and learned that the school had won through a Twitter post. “This was a nice way to show the community a small sample of the great opportunities we provide students. It was also evident in the video that our students feel that we are a family at the high school and that we take care of one another. Every day I am reminded how special the North Royalton Schools are, and I am so proud to be part of this team,” said Osborne.
The Ohio Association of School Business Officials (OASBO) recently named North Royalton School Assistant Superintendent, Jim Presot, the Outstanding Business Manager of the Year.
He will be recognized at the Ohio School Board’s Association Capital Conference on November 16, which will be held at the Columbus Convention Center, where he will receive a plaque and a $500 scholarship to present to a graduating senior from the North Royalton City Schools. In addition, his name will be added to a plaque of all recipients of this award, located in the OASBO offices.
In addition to his participation in a number of professional organizations, Presot is currently a member and former treasurer of the North Royalton Educational Foundation, Cuyahoga Valley Career Center’s Vision Eight Committee, Ohio School Councils Business Advisory Council, NE Ohio School Business Officials Advisory Group, Summit County School Business Officials’ Advisory Group, the Stadium Foundation, and chairperson of the Suburban Health Consortium . He is responsible for the coordination of the School Business Advisory Council and the Crystal Starfish Recognition Program.
“Jim is a great example of the power of involvement in one’s community as well,” said Greg Gurka, superintendent, North Royalton City Schools. “From helping out with the youth baseball and soccer groups to attending band and choir Booster Club events, these groups know Jim and they also know he truly supports them and the children involved.” Presot is the co-founder of the North Royalton Schools/City Health and Wellness Expo. He is a member of the North Royalton Community Emergency Response Team and works directly with the North Royalton Recreation Director and the Recreation Board on the improvement of school and city owned recreational fields. Presot is also on the Executive Council for the Greater Cleveland Safety Council and has assisted with the Girls on the Run program. “The list goes on and on of his volunteer and community service efforts and the entire Board of Education and administration team and staff wholeheartedly thank Jim for his commitment and dedication to North Royalton City Schools,” said Gurka. OASBO Board President, Ryan Jenkins noted that “it is an honor to be nominated by individuals from your district and selected from a pool of highly qualified candidates from across the state.”
Members of the North Royalton School Board are being honored as northeast Ohio’s Most Outstanding School Board Team, a relatively new award that is given by the Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA). Only three school boards in the state have received this honor. The North Royalton Board is the only board receiving the award this year out of a 19-county area. The Board was formally recognized at the OSBA October 5 conference.
“What a great school board to have three earn the award of achievement, which is unheard of; you have Jackie Arendt who networks on the federal level; having Heidi Dolezal gives instant credibility and a wealth of institutional knowledge and she was an All-Ohio School Board recipient for the northeast region in 2013, which means she was the best school board member that year; and Dr. John Kelly was the only one to receive the master board member in the northeast Ohio region. It’s unheard for a school board to have members who are this active, and they work very well as a team and we took that into consideration,” said Reno Contipelli, OSBA northeast Ohio Regional Manager.

By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer