POLARIS HONORS THE BEST OF 2017 STUDENTS OF THE YEAR KATHERINE RANDOLPH AND KRYSTEN CASTENIR SUMMER 2017 EDITION INSIDE THIS ISSUE

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1 SUMMER 2017 EDITION INSIDE THIS ISSUE ON PAGE 5 POLARIS HONORS THE BEST OF 2017 STUDENTS OF THE YEAR KATHERINE RANDOLPH AND KRYSTEN CASTENIR Teacher Spotlight Bob Yuravak Polaris Building Renovation to Begin in 2018 GEMS Club Caters to Girls with an Interest in STEM Polaris HVAC Senior Named Student Employee of the Year

2 TEACHER SPOTLIGHT BOB YURAVAK POLARIS AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY INSTRUCTOR Great schools start with great teachers. Polaris is blessed with excellent instructors who possess a passion for teaching and a strong desire to share their industry knowledge with our students. Now in his 34th year at Polaris, Bob Yuravak, Automotive Technology Instructor, has built an award winning program featuring many successful graduates. When instructing his students, Bob Yuravak frequently draws on his 42 years of education and automotive service experience. "Polaris has become a second family to me." This foundation for success began in the 1970s when he graduated in the top 10 of his class at the Denver Automotive & Diesel College. Yuravak is ASE Master Certified which requires re-certification every five years. He also holds a professional CTE teaching license from Kent State University. Prior to joining Polaris, he honed his skills at both family owned and dealership service departments. He began his teaching career in the Polaris Adult Education department in 1983 and later joined the ranks of our High School teaching staff in He is well-known for his engaging and enthusiastic teaching style. Former students regularly drop in to visit their former teacher and mentor. His love of Polaris and his students is always evident. We are a tightknit group here. Polaris has become a second family to me, says Yuravak. BOB YURAVAK'S RECIPE FOR A HEALTHY CAR 2 CUPS OF KNOWLEDGE CHECK TIRE PRESSURE AND TREAD WEAR REGULARLY STIR WITH PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE CHANGE OIL EVERY THREE MONTHS MIX IN A GENEROUS PORTION OF TENDER LOVING CARE REPLACE FILTERS WHEN NEEDED A PINCH OF ATTENTIVENESS ADDRESS ISSUES AS SOON AS THEY COME UP UPCOMING EVENTS Adult Job & Career Training Program Open House August 8, st Day of School August 21, 2017 Restaurant & Bakery Open October 4, 2017 Business Leaders & Inspirational Speakers Series (BLISS) October 25, th Grade Visitations November 13-15, 2017 Polaris Open House November 16, 2017 COMPASS 2

3 POLARIS BUILDING RENOVATION TO BEGIN IN 2018 By Robert Timmons, Superintendent Congratulations, Class of 2017! These are exciting times at Polaris. We have just witnessed the graduation of almost 750 high school, satellite and adult education students who are well on their way to achieving career success. We are also on the cusp of building an exciting NEW Polaris! Since the Polaris levy passed last fall, we ve been laying the groundwork for the renovation of all Polaris labs and classrooms. Construction is slated to begin in April of 2018 with an anticipated grand re-opening in January of We are excited about the opportunities this will create for our students and employer partners. During the construction, we will continue to provide a quality education for our students. We invite you to monitor our progress on polaris.edu and on all of our social media channels. Best of luck to the Polaris Class of 2017! #PolarisMeansJobs! The Welding Technology lab will be completely updated with new equipment and a new classroom. AROUND POLARIS POLARIS HOSTS 10TH ANNUAL POLARIS- CUYAHOGA COUNTY CAREER FAIR Polaris attracted 75 employers and hundreds of job seekers to its annual career fair. This one was extra special as we celebrated our 10th anniversary! ENGINEERING STUDENTS GRAB FOURTH STRAIGHT STATE CROWN Polaris/Olmsted Falls seniors, Stephanie Schroth and Joselyn Rabbitt, brought home a fourth straight championship in Robotics & Automation at the state SkillsUSA competition. POLARIS REPEATS AS NATIONAL CHAMPS! Polaris won a second straight national championship in the Culinary Team event at the ProStart Invitation in Charleston, South Carolina. Combine this with eight straight state titles and you ve got yourself a dynasty! ELECTRONICS & ALTERNATIVE ENERGY STUDENTS CLIMB WIND TURBINE Four seniors in our Electronics & Alternative Energy program climbed the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds Wind Turbine to see what it s like to be a wind turbine tech now that s what we call a real-world educational experience. COMPASS 3

4 OR VISIT #polarismeansjobs SPOTLIGHT ON STEM GEMS CLUB CATERS TO GIRLS WITH AN INTEREST IN STEM Since last November, 35 girls from Olmsted Falls Middle School have been exploring the exciting world of STEM in the new after school GEMS (Girls in Engineering, Math and Science) club. When these STEMinists get together, they run experiments, do 3-D printing, take part in STEM challenges, explore robotics and refine their photo editing skills. This year, they even took time to support RePlay and helped re-purpose toys for children with special needs. In May, several of the girls traveled to Columbus to compete in the state SkillsUSA middle school robotics competition where they brought home gold and silver medals. GEMS Club STEMinists meet after school to explore STEM. It s amazing how many girls in the school have an interest in STEM. It s really exciting! Mikayla Kosar, a current 8th grader, joined the club to spend time with girls with similar interests. It s amazing how many girls in the school have an interest in STEM. It s really exciting! Kosar is continuing her STEM journey at Olmsted Falls High School next year where she has enrolled in the Polaris Engineering program. She ultimately hopes to use this experience as a springboard to a mechanical engineering career. INTERESTED IN HEARING MORE ABOUT THE GEMS CLUB AND OTHER POLARIS SATELLITE PROGRAMS, CONTACT DIANE XANDER AT OR DXANDER@POLARIS.EDU. COMPASS 4

5 POLARIS HONORS THE BEST OF 2017 Krysten Castenir, Medical Professions, Berea-Midpark High School, and Katherine Randolph, Baking & Pastry Arts, Berea-Midpark High School, were named the Outstanding Seniors for the Polaris Class of 2017 during the 41st Annual Polaris Senior Awards Ceremony on May 22, Both students excelled throughout high school and plan to use their Polaris experience as a springboard for college and career success. KRYSTEN CASTENIR MEDICAL PROFESSIONS BEREA-MIDPARK HIGH SCHOOL Krysten Castenir is a two-time state SkillsUSA competition qualifier in medical terminology who placed 3rd as a junior and 2nd as a senior. She is a member of National Honor Society and National Technical Honor Society and was named the Outstanding Program Student as a junior in Exercise Science & Rehab Therapy and as a senior in Medical Professions. Castenir is active in school and the community. She served as a Polaris and Berea-Midpark student ambassador, was a member of Key Club and was on the cheerleading squad and gymnastics and track teams. She is the recipient of a Berea Board of Education Scholarship and a four-year Mount Union University Trustee Scholarship. She plans to attend the Mount Union University honors college this fall and major in nursing. Her ultimate career goal is to earn an advanced practice degree and become a nurse practitioner. KATHERINE RANDOLPH BAKING & PASTRY ARTS BEREA-MIDPARK HIGH SCHOOL Katherine Randolph is a two-time Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) state champion in the pastry tray event. She holds a baking and pastry arts certificate (equivalent to an associate s degree) from Cuyahoga Community College, was inducted into both the National Honor Society and National Technical Honor Society and was named the Outstanding Program Student in Baking & Pastry Arts as a junior and senior. Randolph juggles a busy school, work and extra-curricular schedule. She took classes at Tri-C, volunteered with the Special Olympics and currently works as the head pastry chef at Crop Bistro in Cleveland. Katherine is the recipient of the American Culinary Federation, Culinary Institute of America and Berea Kiwanis Scholarships. She plans to attend the Culinary Institute of America this fall to major in pastry arts and minor in business. Her goal is to someday create a bakery that is also a fine dining experience. COMPASS 5

6 7285 Old Oak Boulevard Middleburg Heights, OH FOLLOW US ON #PolarisMeansJobs Simply scan this QR code with your smart phone and automatically be directed to our website POLARIS BOARD OF EDUCATION Mr. Richard O. Micko, President Strongsville City School District Mr. Thomas R. Herbster, Vice President North Olmsted City School District Mr. Fred Szabo Berea City School District Dr. Neal Postel Berea City School District Mr. James Oper Brooklyn City School District Mrs. Debbie Tidwell Fairview Park City School District Mr. James Weisbarth Olmsted Falls City School District Mr. Robert Timmons, Superintendent Polaris Career Center Mr. Mike Robinson, Treasurer Polaris Career Center POLARIS HVAC SENIOR NAMED "STUDENT EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR" When a student is placed with a local company, the employer evaluates the student s skills and provides feedback on their progress in the workplace. There is no better indicator of success than to hear from employers that Polaris students are meeting and exceeding their expectations. Based on positive employer feedback and overall performance in the workplace and in the classroom, Kayla Quintiliano, HVAC, Brooklyn High School, has been selected as the 2017 Student Employee of the Year. Kayla is a strong-willed person who will be very successful in this field she truly recognizes the value of career-technical education. Rick Reitz, Polaris HVAC Instructor Kayla currently works as an HVAC/R Intern for The Hattenbach Company in Cleveland. Upon graduation, she will continue to work with Hattenbach where she will begin her apprenticeship and as she puts it, rack up the industry certifications! Kayla Quintiliano, 2017 Polaris Student Employee of the Year Quintiliano s HVAC Instructor, Rick Reitz, believes she has a bright future. Kayla is a strongwilled person who will be very successful in this field. I could see her managing an HVAC company someday. She truly recognizes the value of career-technical education. Kayla was recognized as the Student Employee of the Year during the annual Polaris senior awards ceremony. COMPASS 6