Posted by FINAL (BLOCKBUSTER!) BULLDOG BLOG OF THE YEAR!
Welcome to the last official blog post of the 2023-2024 school year! We’ve enjoyed sharing news from across our school district with you throughout the year. This final post is PACKED with positive stories from the close of the school year and the start of summer. We hope you’ll find a comfortable spot to settle in, relax and catch up on all the latest news! Stay safe, be well and enjoy the remainder of summer in Bulldog Country! See you for the first day of school On August 22 (grades 1-9) and August 23 (grades 10-12)!
COMING SOON! BRAND NEW DISTRICT WEBSITE FOR OFCS
We’re excited to share the news that Olmsted Falls City Schools will be launching a brand new district website later this month! Watch your email for an official launch announcement once the site has gone live. Our http://www.ofcs.net website address will remain the same, but the look and navigation will be all new! We look forward to providing our school community with a fresh, streamlined website experience for accessing the information you need. Stay tuned…
**DEADLINE IS SATURDAY!!** BULLDOG FAMILIES WITH ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION REQUESTS FOR THE UPCOMING 2024-2025 SCHOOL YEAR MUST COMPLETE THE ONLINE FORM BY JUNE 15th**
The deadline to submit Alternate Transportation Requests for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year is Saturday, June 15th. The OFCS Transportation Department uses an online Alternate Transportation Request Form, which can be accessed via the link below or any time on the Transportation Department web page:
OFCS ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION REQUEST FORM
If you have any questions or need assistance completing the online form, please contact the OFCS Transportation Department at (440) 427-6350.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2024!
The OFHS Class of 2024 Commencement Ceremony took place Thursday evening, May 30th, on Vitamix Field at Charles Harding Memorial Stadium in front of packed stands filled with family, friends, and members of our school community. The OFHS Band did an outstanding job of providing music for the occasion. Thank you to the many people involved behind the scenes in producing this very special event for our graduating Bulldogs!
The event was livestreamed on YouTube and a replay can be viewed by clicking HERE. A copy of the official Class of 2024 Commencement Program can be viewed by clicking HERE.
Congratulations to all 273 graduates of the Class of 2024 and their families. We can’t wait to see what you will do next! Here are just a few photos from the events of the day. Good luck, Bulldogs!
🎓 Ahead of their May 30th commencement ceremony, the Class of 2024 received some special deliveries! Staff members, administrators, and special helpers volunteered their time to deliver and place congratulatory signs in the yards of our Bulldog graduates to celebrate this major event in their lives. We love seeing this long-running tradition being carried out each year!
👏 🎓 Surrounded by claps and cheers, the Olmsted Falls High School Class of 2024 walked through all of the Olmsted Falls school buildings following Commencement practice. This is part of a long-standing farewell tradition in Olmsted Falls for the graduating class to ride buses and visit each building in the district to let the younger Bulldogs and their former teachers wish them good luck ahead of their big day.
CHECK OUT WHERE OUR BULLDOGS ARE HEADING NEXT:
The Olmsted Falls High School Class of 2024 will travel across the state, around the country, and even to Australia! to pursue pathways in colleges, technical schools, military service and the workforce. A custom interactive map may be viewed by clicking HERE (or on the map graphic above) to see exactly where our Bulldogs will be heading next. Once the map is opened, simply click on each location for additional information.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THIS YEAR’S EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION AWARD WINNERS
🌟This year’s recipients of the Educational Service Center (ESC) of Cuyahoga County’s “Excellence in Education” awards were celebrated at the annual OFCS Helping Hands Awards Dinner. The process for determining the recipients begins with nominations at the local school district level, coordinated by our district’s Helping Hands organization. Winners are recognized by the ESC in three categories: Outstanding Student Achievement, Outstanding Peer Achievement, and Outstanding Educator Achievement.
👏 Please JOIN US in congratulating our Outstanding Student, Luke Largent, Outstanding Peer, Ella Atkins, and Outstanding Educator, Haley Browning, for receiving this year’s top honors! Thank you to these award recipients and to all who were nominated for making our district an amazing place to learn!
Also, a huge thanks to OFCS Director of Food Services Sam Chin and his team for providing a delicious dinner! We appreciate you!
CONGRATULATIONS BULLDOG RETIREES!
At the end of the school year, we celebrate our retirees! They have a total of 511 Years of “Bulldog Service”! WOW! 👏
THANK YOU for your commitment to serving our district! We wish you all the best!
At the close of each school year, staff members are invited to nominate fellow colleagues for the annual Employee of the Year awards. A special committee of local Olmsted Falls Kiwanis Club members then reviews these nominations and selects the awardees. Thank you to our local Kiwanis Club for your support of our school district employees!
👏 Congratulations to Virginia Wendling, Stephanie Rivera, and Harold Haun for receiving the 2024 OFCS Employee of the Year Award from the Olmsted Falls Kiwanis Club! These Bulldog staff members received multiple nominations and exemplify #TheBulldogWay. We are proud of you, and appreciate all you do for our school community! 🙌
OFEA FRIENDS OF EDUCATION AWARD PRESENTED TO MEG DIFILIPPO
Congratulations to Meg DiFilippo, the outgoing president of Olmsted Falls PTA Council, recipient of the 2024 Friends of Education Award! Each year, Olmsted Falls Education Association (OFEA) members nominate deserving individuals or organizations to receive the Friends of Education Award. As a school district, we have been extremely fortunate to have so many people who are willing to give so much of their time and talent to enrich the lives of our students. The OFEA honored Meg for her years of volunteer service and dedication to our school system and community. Congratulations, Meg!
WEB LEADERS VISIT OFIS TO WELCOME INCOMING STUDENTS TO OFMS
As their last official WEB (Where Everybody Belongs) event of the year, 8th-grade WEB Leaders visited OFIS to welcome the incoming 6th graders to the middle school this fall! They did activities, talked about the WEB Program, and invited them to 6th-grade WEB Orientation on Thursday, August 15th!
OFMS BANDS SCORE SUPERIOR RATING AT CONTEST
CLASS OF 2024 LOCAL SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS NIGHT
🌟 On May 2, Olmsted Falls High School hosted its 2024 Senior Local Scholarship Night. A total of 321 scholarships, amounting to $176,000 were awarded to many of our Bulldogs! It was an epic night for this class!
👏 THANK YOU to our generous sponsors and community partners for investing in the future of our Bulldogs. And, CONGRATULATIONS to our student recipients of these scholarships!
KEY CLUB AT OFHS SERVES OUR COMMUNITY
Students in the OFHS Key Club have logged over 4,338 hours of community service this year! The Key Club International is a student-led, service-minded organization. The OFHS chapter is led by Key Club advisors Mrs. Soko and Mrs. Brumbaugh as an extracurricular activity for students.
Bulldogs, keep up the incredible work, and THANK YOU for serving our district and community!
Mrs. Connelly’s students created number lines to help them learn fractions and decimals. The students are having fun and learning too. Great job, Bulldogs!
OFMS JAZZ BAND MAKES BEAUTIFUL MUSIC AT CEDAR POINT
The Middle School Jazz Band performed at the Music in the Parks competition and earned 1st Place overall Jazz Band and a Superior Rating! Special shoutout to Logan P who earned best overall jazz soloist for his guitar solo in Enter Sandman! Way to go, students!
SCIENCE STUDENTS PARTNER WITH THE ZOO TO HELP CLEAN UP THE ENVIRONMENT
Science Honor Society and Environmental Science students volunteered their time to collect, sort, and count donated electronics as a part of Ms. Flanigan’s E-Recycling Drive! Outdated/broken electronics were collected in partnership with the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo to reduce the amount of electronic waste in our landfills and reduce the amount of metals mined out of the Congo to protect the habitats of endangered species like the gorilla! Great job, students!
🌟 Olmsted Falls Intermediate School was pleased to welcome parents and community members for two days of career exploration, learning, and fun!
✈️ 🚒 🧑⚕️ Fifth-grade students held their career day on May 17, and fourth-grade students held theirs on May 24. On both days, small groups of students rotated between stations to explore the different careers of the adult participants. Occupations varied widely and provided a great opportunity for students to ask questions and learn more about the types of careers that they are interested in!
🙌 A huge thank you to Mrs. Schmid at OFIS for coordinating the event and to all of the adult career day presenters who volunteered their time to connect with our students and spark their curiosity. We love seeing parents and community members engaging with our students!
ANNUAL PTA VOLUNTEER AWARDS
🌟 The Olmsted Falls PTA held its annual Volunteer Celebration and Installation Dinner at OFHS On May 22. The evening was hosted by outgoing PTA Council President Meg DiFilippo and incoming Council President Joy Iannicca with entertainment provided by Joy Kiedrowski and the OFHS Golden Expressions. Special guests from Ohio PTA were on hand to present several awards to both staff and students.
👏 This year’s Olmsted Falls PTA Helping Hands Award went to PTA volunteer, Mike Beard, who was nominated by OECPTA! Congratulations to Mike and all of the other nominees including: Sheila McDougall, nominated by Falls-Lenox/ECC PTA, Brigette Ross, nominated by OFIS PTA, Chrissy Ferrone-Pettit, nominated by OFMS PTA, and Michelle Kaminski, nominated by OFHS PTA. Additionally, Sheila McDougall received recognition from Ohio PTA as the region one Helping Hands winner for the state! Congratulations, Sheila!
👏 This year’s “T” in PTA Award went to OFIS Principal, Don Svec, who was nominated by OFIS PTA! Congratulations to Mr. Svec and all of the other nominees including: Nancy Becker and Christina Ohmer, nominated by FLECC PTA, Kristina Robertson-Kelly, nominated by OFMS PTA, and Virginia Wendling, nominated by OFHS PTA.
PTA Council presented a special recognition and “thank you” to Mrs. Kelli Cogan, OFCS Assistant Superintendent, who will leave Olmsted Falls Schools to become the new Superintendent of Independence Local Schools next school year. Thank you, Mrs. Cogan!
🌟 Additionally, PTA recognized and honored the following long-time PTA members whose youngest children are graduating with the Class of 2024 this year: Linda Parkowski, Kelly Walker, and Leslie Ziegler. Thank you for your years of service to our schools!
All incoming officers for the five PTA units in Olmsted Falls were officially installed by Ohio PTA. Thank you for your willingness to serve your schools next school year!
Congratulations to all PTA and staff members who were recognized at this annual celebration!
Congratulations to the following students who received recognition at the state level from Ohio PTA for their entries in the PTA Reflections contest! These students were honored at the recent PTA Council Volunteer Celebration.
Dance Choreography
🌟Evana Borden High School- Award of Merit (3rd Place)
Film Production
🌟Arya Boyd Intermediate- Award of Outstanding Achievement (2nd Place)
🌟Tommy Parsons High School -Award of Merit (3rd Place)
🌟Saif Qamhawi Special Artist- Award of Excellence (1st Place)
Literature
🌟Chloe Caldrone Primary- Award of Merit (3rd Place)
🌟Neha Kulkarni Intermediate- Award of Excellence (1st Place)
🌟Phoenix Novak Special Artist -Award of Excellence (1st Place)
Music Composition
🌟Evan Lukes High School- Award of Excellence (1st Place)
Photography
🌟Bella Suter Primary- 3rd Honorable Mention
🌟Olivia Suter Intermediate- Award of Excellence (1st Place)
🌟Tyler Peck Middle School-3rd Honorable Mention
Visual Arts
🌟Mackenzie Close Primary -2nd Honorable Mention
🌟Julianna Laurent Special Artist- 2nd Honorable Mention
Additionally, two students were recognized for winning at the NATIONAL level! Evan Lukes received an Award of Merit for Music Composition, and Olivia Suter received an Award of Merit for Photography! What an incredible achievement for these students and for Olmsted Falls to have 2 national winners! Congratulations to all of the honorees. Keep on creating!
Recently, Mrs. Wible’s geology students were challenged to find a glacial erratic and take a picture of themselves with it. Senior Cort Zahorchak found a big one and had his picture taken on top of it. Claas Scharnberg went with his host family to Avon Lake and had his picture taken next to a tower constructed out of glacial erratics. Great job, students!
BULLDOG ALUM SHARES HIS ENTREPRENEURIAL JOURNEY WITH OFHS
Former OFHS grad Garett Fortune spoke with the business students before graduation to share how his decorated military background launched his entrepreneurial journey. Owning over six companies, this local hero always gives back to Ms. Kotz’s business students. Thank you, Mr. Fortune!
OFIS STUDENTS VISIT NASA GLENN
OFIS science teachers Mr. Michael Moore and Mr. Michael Schafer accompanied 25 5th-grade students to the 2024 NASA Tech Day at NASA’s Glenn Research Center. The students participated in a STEM challenge and toured the facility’s jet propulsion laboratory. #TheBulldogWay
OFHS SCIENCE HONOR SOCIETY STUDENTS EXPLORE FUTURE CAREERS
The Science Honor Society wrapped up another exciting year, featuring a College Panel where OFHS alumni shared advice on science careers and college. Members explored science careers with trips to Vitamix and the Cleveland Clinic in Fairview. Each member also completed at least 20 hours of science experience, including volunteering at Camp Invention, working as a lab aide or tutor, and participating in community cleanups. Farewell and good luck to our 19 senior members!
OFMS STUDENTS MAKE LEARNING FUN WITH SCIENCE AND STEM ACTIVITIES
KINDERGARTEN KICKBALL FUN
Mrs. Budzik’s class at the ECC spent the morning of field day with some team bonding! They played kickball & had SO much fun together! Their class has become a close family this year & will be sad once summer comes. They are making as many memories as possible!
BULLDOG GRAD TO PLAY LACROSSE FOR ITALIAN NATIONAL TEAM
OF Senior Jameson DeMarco was named to the Italian National team and will represent Italy in Poland at the Men’s u20 European Lacrosse Championships in July! 
All games broadcast here: https://www.youtube.com/@LAXTv529/featured GOOD LUCK, JAMESON!
PIZZA BAGELS FOR THE WIN!
Always looking to make lunchtime healthier and more exciting, Mr. Chin, our Director of Food Services, has found a potential new item to add to the menu next year – Pizza Bagels. He and his Falls-Lenox team offered samples at lunch to students and staff. There was a buzz in the cafeteria as the kids tried them and weighed in with their opinion – WINNER! The kids were all thumbs-ups! These are sure to be a popular lunch item next year!
BULLDOG BUDDY PROGRAM BRINGS COMMUNITY AND KIDS TOGETHER
Falls-Lenox partners with The Renaissance Retirement Campus and other retired community members each year for our Bulldog Buddy program. Students spend time with their buddies each week for the school year and attend a celebration hosted at the Renaissance. We are grateful for this partnership, which is mutually beneficial for both the child and the adult. We are excited to begin again next year!
SECOND-GRADERS SHOW OFF THEIR ACTING SKILLS FOR FAMILIES
Mrs. Timura’s second graders transformed the Falls Gym into a fancy theater where they performed funny fairy tales for their parents and loved ones. They practiced learning their lines all month, and each student shined as they acted out fabulously funny plays. They even had costumes and props and made the programs. It was a wonderful way to round out the year!
On Friday, May 31st, the 6th-grade students at the middle school had an amazing opportunity to meet Glenn Somodi, a graduate of Olmsted Falls and now a very well-accomplished and successful children’s book author. Mr. Somodi talked about his series, Olly and the Spores, and thoroughly engaged students by telling them how to write their own stories by finding inspiration, brainstorming ideas, and using their imagination to invent a story.
Mr. Somodi donated copies of his books to the middle school media center, which will be available for checkout in August when they return to school. Thanks, Mr. Somodi!
FRENCH STUDENTS PRACTICE LANGUAGE SKILLS AT ART SHOW Students in French have been learning to describe things and express their opinions. What better way to use all these language skills than to look at and provide positive feedback about the wonderful art our students have produced this year at Olmsted Falls High School? Students used scaffolding to provide content-specific vocabulary and help them structure their opinions about the works of art they enjoyed at the student art show.
OFHS STUDENTS TRY SOMETHING NEW ON “YOU DO YOU” DAY Olmsted Falls High School tried something new this year! On You Do You Day, teachers had an opportunity to share a passion or hobby with students, and students could sign up for courses that piqued their interest. Several students decided to try their hand at scrapbooking with Madame Murphy. They had a great time designing layouts and trying different paper crafting tools. They created some great projects to take home, too!
KINDER COUNCIL SHARES ADVICE WITH INCOMING KINDERGARTENERS
Kinder Council held a class meeting to discuss advice they would give next year’s students. They brought those ideas to their last meeting and made a video using the ideas that they felt were most important. These students are learning that their voice matters! Check out the video HERE.
STUDENTS CELEBRATE THEIR ROLE MODELS
✨ Students in Mrs. Barylski’s language arts class did poetry presentations and were able to invite guests in to watch their performance! The topic for the poems was: Who is your role model? Check out their answers below:
NORTH OLMSTED SCHOOLS OFFERING FREE SUMMER MEALS TO OLMSTED FALLS FAMILIES
North Olmsted Schools is inviting our families to participate in their summer meal program. It is free for any child ages 1-18. No registration is required. Children must eat the meals on-site. See the flyers below for menus and more information. Families of ALL income levels are eligible to participate.
Is your child ready to become a Bulldog? Enrollment in Olmsted Falls City Schools kindergarten for the 2024-2025 school year is open!
PLEASE REGISTER ASAP to be included in important upcoming screening activities in May.
Visit https://www.ofcs.net/5/Content2/2024-2025-preschool-kindergarten–registration to get started on your child’s educational journey. It’s easy as 
!
We look forward to welcoming your Itty Bitty Bulldog to the Early Childhood Center!
MAKE MUSIC THIS SUMMER WITH THE OLMSTED FALLS SUMMER BAND PROGRAM
Don’t miss the opportunity to “tune up” your music skills this summer! See the flyer below for information about this great opportunity to learn and have fun!
STOPit! ANONYMOUS REPORTING SYSTEM™
Olmsted Falls City Schools utilizes the STOPit! Anonymous Reporting System to allow individuals to anonymously report any safety, security and/or wellness concerns.
The system features a 24/7/365 Incident Crisis Response Center to monitor, manage and immediately escalate life-threatening concerns and incidents to our local school district administrators and/or local safety forces. A Crisis Text Line is also integrated into the app and website for fast, easy access to trained mental health counselors for students and their families.
THREE WAYS TO ACCESS THE OFCS STOPit Anonymous Reporting System™:
- Download the “STOPit App” for free from Apple App Store or Google Play. Then click “Search for Your Organization” and enter the school building name to initiate a report.
- Visit the STOPit website portal at https://appweb.stopitsolutions.com/directory. Then click “Search for Your Organization” and enter the school building name to initiate a report.
- Call the STOPit phone line at #440-581-7333 to speak anonymously with the 24/7 incident response center.
SUMMER YOUTH TENNIS LEAGUE STARTS JUNE 19th
Join OFHS Varsity Tennis Coach Laura Graham this summer to learn tennis, work on skills, practice match play and have FUN! All details are in the flyer below. Click HERE to download a printable copy of the registration. Don’t forget to email Championstennis1@aol.com to be added to the roster before the first night. Questions? Call 440-567-6910 or email Championstennis1@aol.com.
OLMSTED FALLS BOYS BASKETBALL SUMMER CAMP SIGN-UPS NOW OPEN
Boys in grades 3-8 are invited to attend this one-week camp on June 24-27th. Learn fundamentals and teamwork and have FUN! Sign-up at the Olmsted Community Center website: www.olmstedcc.com. See below for session times and more information.
BULLDOG YOUTH FOOTBALL CAMP REGISTRATION OPEN NOW
Athletes entering grades 3-6 in the fall are invited to register for Bulldog Youth Football! Practices begin July 29th. Sign up using the QR code below. Questions? Contact ofbyfootball@gmail.com
COMMUNITY FOR BETTER LIVING OFFERS FOOD PANTRY SUPPORT TO ALL FAMILIES
The Community for Better Living operates a non-profit food pantry at 7074 Columbia Road in Olmsted Township. The group is dedicated to providing nutritious food assistance to individuals and families in need within our community and beyond. The food pantry offers a variety of shelf-stable and perishable food items, frozen meats, and fresh produce. It is open to clients on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The pantry currently serves over 200 families each evening. There are no residency or income requirements. The pantry works in partnership with the Cleveland Foodbank and serves anyone in need. You can find additional information at www.communityforbetterliving.org
OLMSTED FALLS SCHOOLS Bulldog Blog 