Congrats to Brentmoor for statewide honor

BOUQUETS >> To Brentmoor Elementary School in Mentor, on being selected as a 2017 Hall of Fame School by the Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators.

“The Hall of Fame School award recognizes schools that engage faculty, students and the community to provide a quality school experience,” according to a news release from OAESA.

“The school staff submitted an extensive application documenting the effectiveness of their education program in several areas.”

Schools chosen for the award are selected by two committees made up of members from the OAESA, one which reads the applications and the other which conducts the on-site evaluations.

According to the news release, committee members wrote “Brentmoor Elementary provides a nurturing culture for students to learn and grow. Students are grouped into four “houses” that embrace the pillars of character to support one another.

“These multi-age groups, along with service teams such as Kids Care and clubs like Robotics Club, assure that research-based practices provide quality instruction that meets the needs of all learners ... Innovative practices help students to be creative problem solvers and transfer knowledge across disciplines.”

Clearly, Brentmoor Elementary is a deserving recipient of this statewide award.

BOUQUETS >> To the James A. Garfield National Historic Site in Mentor, for having an impressive economic impact on the region in 2016.

A new National Park Service report shows that more than 45,000 visitors to James A. Garfield National Historic Site last year spent $1.6 million in communities near the site.

Site Manager Todd Arrington said national park tourism is a significant driver in the national economy, returning more than $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service, and is also a big factor in the local economy.

Arrington said 2016 was expected to be a banner year, with opportunities such as the PBS American Experience Garfield documentary “Murder of a President,” the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, and the yearlong celebration of the National Park Service centennial.

Talk about a year to remember for the administration and staff of the James A. Garfield National Historic Site.

BRICKBATS >> To Gabriel Hearn of Cleveland, after he admitted shooting a 16-year-old boy in Eastlake.

Hearn, 20, was arrested on warrants for attempted murder, aggravated robbery and felonious assault following the June 30 incident.

He pleaded guilty April 24 in Lake County Common Pleas Court to reduced charges of robbery and felonious assault with a firearm specification.

He will be sentenced May 25 by Judge Vincent A. Culotta.

Hearn and two other people came to a man’s home claiming to have an association with a friend of someone who lived there, Eastlake police said previously.

“They smoked marijuana with the individuals in the house. They made demands for cellphones and wallets, and a melee takes place,” Assistant Lake County Prosecutor Carolyn Mulligan said. “(Hearn) shot (the victim) through the shoulder and left with two codefendants.”

The trio fled the home with a credit card and an automatic rifle belonging to a resident.

The victim was treated at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland.

Mulligan said she will recommend Hearn serve seven years in prison.

We believe that a prison term of that length is justified, based on Hearn’s role in this violent crime.

BRICKBATS >> To Torace Weaver, the pastor of a Dayton church, after he was convicted of murder and other charges in the death of his 2-year-old foster son.

Weaver, 38, was found guilty April 20 by a jury in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court. An attorney for Weaver argued that the death of his client’s foster son was accidental.

He said the boy hit his head on a wall while Weaver was spinning him around, playing what they called “the Superman game.”

The attorney said that Weaver panicked and that’s why he initially told police that the boy fell. However, the coroner said the child had 20 head injuries, a severe arm burn and injuries on his back.

Prosecutors argued that Weaver couldn’t explain the burn and never had it treated. The boy died of a catastrophic skull fracture in November 2015.

In our opinion, the jury acted properly in finding Weaver guilty.

His explanation of how the child suffered fatal injuries is simply not believable.