Fairport’s students are real winners

BOUQUETS >> To Fairport Harbor’s McKinley Elementary School on its International Baccalaureate program.

McKinley is the only International Baccalaureate World School in Lake, Geauga or Ashtabula counties, and Superintendent Domenic Paolo is justifiably proud.

The school earned its IB designation on Oct. 19 of last year, according to the International Baccalaureate website.

That accomplishment was highlighted during Paolo’s recent State of the Schools speech.

The IB program has an emphasis on learning through inquiry. It calls for students to investigate, do experiments and work on projects, and not just be told something by a teacher, memorize it and repeat it back, Paolo explained.

“We are building our school around this notion — that if it’s worth teaching, we want it to last,” he said.

Paolo said other important aspects of the International Baccalaureate program at McKinley Elementary include:

• Transdisciplinary learning.

• Solving real problems through the action cycle.

• The learner profile, which aims to develop learners who are inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced and reflective.

The International Baccalaureate organization works with schools, governments and organizations around the globe to develop challenging programs of international education and rigorous assessment.

Developing such a program doesn’t come cheap.

The district received grants for three years from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation to help lay the groundwork for its International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program.

Funding was used for items such as application, visitations and membership fees; and hosting a training detail from IB, which visited Fairport Harbor, rather than Fairport Harbor having to send its staff cross-country to train, McKinley Elementary School Principal Jennifer Polak said previously.

Paolo lauded Polak and the teachers at McKinley for playing a pivotal role in earning the designation.

Great work by district officials and educators, but the real winners here are the students.

BOUQUETS>> To Special Olympian Joe Persavich.

Persavich has been a consistent competitor and winner in the Special Olympics for 13 years. He recently earned two medals in skiing competitions at the 2019 Winter Special Olympics held at Brandywine Ski Resort.

And he was chosen to carry the Flame of Hope torch and light the cauldron which officially opened the games.

Chris Bundy, Lake County Special Olympics’ local coordinator, has worked with Persavich throughout several Special Olympics and nominated him for the honor.

Bundy said that Persavich is a really good all-around skier and athlete and deserved the privilege.

This year 145 athletes represented 14 programs. Lake County was represented by 21 athletes, including unified (individuals without intellectual disabilities), competing in downhill skiing, speed skating, figure skating and crosscountry skiing.

Special Olympics promote unified sports for the purpose of social inclusion through shared training and competition experiences.

A multi-sport competitor, Persavich says skiing is his favorite.

“Every time I’m on the hill I get so relaxed,” said Persavich. “Everything just melts away. It’s like ‘Ahhh!’”

Who wouldn’t want to feel that way? We applaud all the donors and volunteers who make the Games possible.

BRICKBATS >> To Basheera Perry, the 45-year-old Euclid woman who will spend more than nine years behind bars for fraudulently enrolling students into Ohio community colleges to defraud the U.S. Department of Education out of $1.8 million.

Perry, who was ordered to pay nearly $1.9 million in restitution, pleaded guilty to numerous charges, including conspiracy, wire and mail fraud and aggravated identity theft.

She conspired with others between 2009 and 2017 to defraud the education department by using the fraudulent students’ name, date of birth and social security numbers to enroll them in community colleges.

Perry then applied for financial aid on behalf of the students, which came in the form of loans and grants.

Authorities said many of the “students” participated in the scheme for money and did not have any intention of going to school or using the financial aid for school-related purposes.

Many of the students did not have a high school diploma or GED, making them ineligible to receive financial aid.

Perry’s greed and dishonesty led her to where she belongs.