Chagrin Falls High School seniors claim victory in the Ohio Stock Market Game

CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio – Three seniors from Chagrin Falls High School teamed up to finish first in the Ohio Stock Market Game, a statewide competition sponsored by the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA).

Seniors Colin Cusack, Matisse Despres and Noah Girard, students of Nancy Vondrak’s financial literacy class, received a Target gift card and certificate from SIFMA for their victory.

The team was invited on April 29 to take part in a Portfolio Challenge via Zoom. There was a 10 minute presentation to a jury of finance professionals explaining everything they learned and gained from the experience.

“I’m so proud of these three seniors,” said Vondrak. “They worked and communicated well together to research, discuss and make investment decisions.

“This is really a student led activity, and Colin, Matisse and Noah made it. Finishing first in the state in this game is a great achievement and an honor, ”she said.

The Ohio Stock Market Game ran from February through April. Teams of students received $ 100,000 and based on their research or ideas, decided which stocks or mutual funds to invest in.

Students log into their accounts and trade through the Stock Market Game website. The team leaderboards were updated after the New York Stock Exchange closed each day and posted on the leaderboards page.

The art exhibition becomes virtual

The PTO 2021 art exhibition in Chagrin Falls has become virtual this year.

The entire art exhibition and the price videos will go live on Friday (May 14th) at 5:00 p.m. Log in to cfsartshow.com to view the show.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 show was canceled. When school started in the fall, according to a press release, the PTO was determined to find a way to showcase the many talented student artists this spring.

This year’s exhibition shows outstanding works of art by students from Chagrin Falls in grades 7 to 12 of all disciplines. Each piece was individually photographed and uploaded to a special art exhibition website created by the PTO for residents to see and share with friends and family from the comfort of their own home.

The exhibition features 953 works of art from all media, including emerging technologies such as animation and illustration, and digital manufacturing, that used the Chagrin Falls Innovation Center.

The website will be live all summer.

In addition to awards from the Arts Department, Headmaster, PTO, Dads Club, and Board of Education, awards from local art organizations Valley Art Center and Cleveland Print Room, as well as the Hamlet Awards, including Best In Show, are presented.

New this year is an award acquired by the Chagrin Falls Village Council. The winning piece will be exhibited in the Village Hall for a year.

All artwork that makes it onto the show will receive Silver Awards. The faculty then selects 60 gold award winners.

This year’s show was a judged show and the judging was blind. All the artist names were hidden in this version of the website, and each piece was identified by a three-digit number.

There are six Outstanding Artist Awards at Chagrin Falls High School – two each for photography, 2D and 3D. These awards are given for the cumulative work of a student.

Both Chairs, Nancy Burham and Beth Gresh, hope they can continue to produce an online version of the show in the years to come, as it will not only allow students to share the show with family and friends, but will also help raise awareness for the program.

Alison Brown, senior at Chagrin Falls High School (photo courtesy Chagrin Falls Schools)

Student of the month

Alison Brown, a senior at Chagrin Falls High School, was named Chagrin Valley Rotary Student of May.

Alison was chosen because of the leadership and service qualities she has shown in the community.

She won the Tiger of the Semester Award in 2018 and has also played in various clubs. She was the editor-in-chief of the school newspaper Tiger Times; was a staff photographer for the school yearbook Zenith; and was a writing intern at The Write Place.

Outside of class, Alison enjoys working at the South Franklin Circle Independent and Assisted Living Facility. She also spends time with her youth group.

During her tenure at CFHS, Alison took several accelerated courses including Honors Geometry, Honors Algebra 2, Honors English 11, and Honors Pre-Calculus.

Upon graduation, she plans to attend John Carroll University in University Heights, where she will have an emphasis in middle childhood with an emphasis on math and English.

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