The Bedford May 29 - June 12, 2014Volume 5 :: No. 11

CommunityNews!

StandardMore articles at www.thebedfordstandard.com

Celebrating 4 years in Bedford!

A Canine Comes to School

Students in Meghan Kohout’s 1st-grade class at Glendale Primary School had a special visitor on Wednesday, May 21st.

Aro, from the Walton Hills K9 Unit, was a special guest, along with Police Officer Mike Gervace, his handler. Officer Gervace

explained and demonstrated the role of the canine officer in helping the police department.

Cleveland Clinic has 16East Side addresses.One at South Pointe Hospital

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2 :: 17 of Iyyar, 5768 :: May 22, 2008

www.thenewstandard.com The New Standard

The Bedford Standard

Wild Streak Streaks to Fourth in Row in Friday Co-ed SoftballWild Streak continued their winning

was on Friday, May 9th by defeating Pawnee Lanes twice by the scores of 14-0 and 12-11. Game one was all about the defense as Wild Streak allowed only five hits. All but two players collected hits for Wild Streak. Bob Wysocki had two of Pawnee Lanes hits. Game two came down to Paul Metzger’s single scoring Manager Frank Gwiazdowski with the winning run in the last inning

to secure the win and sweep. Brian Rouse had three hits. Leah Yurichak and Will Casson each had four hits for Pawnee Lanes.

Mr. Gee’s II also won a pair, they defeated Fun Game Sports twice by the scores of 16-5 and 14-4. John Rivera had four hits and seven RBI in the game one win. Chuck Velotta had four hits in the nightcap for Mr. Gee’s II. Scott Kronstein had two hits for Fun Game

Sports. Cloverleaf Lanes and Mr. Gee’s split

their doubleheader. Cloverleaf Lanes took the first game by the score of 17-7, while Mr. Gee’s evened things up with a 20-10 win in game two. Manager Todd Piskach, and Dale Reed each had six RBI for Cloverleaf Lanes. Mike Matousek had three hits for Mr. Gee’s in game one. Mr. Gee’s Robert Gentry had three hits and five RBI in the game two win.

Matt Rusch had three RBI for Cloverleaf Lanes.

Wing Whse. stayed undefeated with a 15-4 win over Rare Breed. Tony Canzoni and Mike Toler each had three hits for Wing Whse. Stephanie Conrad and Don Jenkins each had two hits for Rare Breed.

St John Funeral Home

Celebrating 101 Years of Continuous Service by the

St. John Family

1913-201416381 Chillicothe Road

Bainbridge Twp., OH 44023

(440) 708-1308

923 Broadway Ave.Bedford, OH 44146

(440) 232-1155

Cross Country Mortgage, Mr. Gee’s, and Twerk That Pitch Share Mon/Wed Coed Softball LeadThere’s a three way tie early in

the season in the Bedford Recreation Monday/Wednesday Coed Softball league. On May 5th Sirna’s Café took the measure of Scoreboards by the score of 22-7. Dave Kus had four hits and four RBI. Pam Westbrooks had two hits and scored twice for Scoreboards. Winking Lizard broke open a tie game in the last inning with five runs to beat Scoreboards 17-12. Dan McWilliams

had four hits, all doubles, and three RBI. Nick Molnar had three hits for Scoreboards.

Sirna’s Café beat Net Shape Tech 26-9. Paul Klimko had four hits and six RBI, and Denise Gillombardo had two hits. Brandon Shorter had four hits for Net Shape Tech. Winking Lizard completed their sweep of the night with a 14-8 win over Net Shape Tech. Manager Adam Moehring had five hits and knocked in

four. Charles Meneffee had three hits for Net Shape Tech.

In a battle of undefeated, Mr. Gee’s beat Twerk that Pitch 14-12. Twerk that Pitch mounted a last inning rally that just fell short. John Rivera had three hits and three RBI. Justin Stupka had three hits for Twerk that Pitch. Twerk that Pitch bounced back and beat Cross Country Mortgage 18-7. Eric Radney had four hits and four RBI and Michelle

Niznik had five hits. For Cross Country Mortgage, Mike Fiorilli had three hits. Cross Country Mortgage also split on the night winning their second game by defeating Mr. Gee’s 13-12. Kelley Jones singled in Ashley Payne with the game winner. Mike Toler had three hits for Mr. Gee’s.

May 29 - June 12, 2014

Heskett Student Competes at State Power of the Pen Writing Tournament Congratulationsto Heskett 8th grader

Jennifer Watley who compted on Friday, May 23rd in the State Power of the Pen

writing competition at the College of Wooster. She was one of 800 students from an initial pool of 8,000 students

where were invited to compete. Jennifer was accompanied by her Power of the Pen Advisor Jamie Cole, who also served as a

registrar and judge at the tournament.

Hydrant FlushingHydrant flushing begins in June.

Temporarily discolored, rusty water will occur in the vicinity of flushing. You may

also experience low or no water pressure. Please allow time for the water to be moved through the system. Signs will be

posted in the neighborhoods to notify residents when hydrants in their area will be flushed.

2014 PARTIES IN THE PARKBedford Gazebo on Wednesday Evenings

JUNE & JULY 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. AUGUST 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

June 4 ………Ralph Szubski, Accordion Man & Party Band (variety)

June 11……………………………...John Dusek Orchestra (polka-mix)

June 18…..............................Bob Lubek & the Sidemen (variety-polka)

June 25 …………….Steve Radecky-Jukebox Junction (variety-swing)

July 2……………………………….. Akron Big Band (variety-big band)

July 9 ……….…………………….….Dan Peters Orchestra (polka-mix)

July 16…………………………………........Buzzy J & The Verb (variety)

July 23……………….………………….….….…Northcoast Mix (variety)

Raine Austen (variety)

May 22, 2008 :: 17 of Iyyar, 5768 :: 3

Celebrating 5 Years of Award-Winning Journalism in Central Ohio www.thenewstandard.com

The Bedford Standard May 29 - June 12, 2014

Cuyahoga County Opens First 10,000 College Savings AccountsJoined by officials from KeyBank, the

Cleveland Metropolitan School District, and the Cuyahoga County Educational Service Center, Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald held a press conference at Campus International in Cleveland today to announce that his administration has opened college savings accounts for public school students who began kindergarten during the 2013-2014 school year.

“Access to higher education is one of the most critical pieces of ensuring that our children will enter the workforce prepared for success,” said FitzGerald. “Young people today will be competing in a global economy, and we need to do everything we can to provide them with every possible opportunity to succeed. I am proud that Cuyahoga County is establishing the first countywide college savings account program in the nation in order to promote higher education every young person today.”

The Cuyahoga County College Savings Account program is the first such initiative to establish universal savings accounts at the county level of government. Welcome packets will be sent out within three weeks to roughly 10,500 households with students in public districts along with a book of deposit slips to promote participation in the initiative. Students outside the public district systems will also receive welcome packets for the College Savings Account program at a later date. Additional information regarding the College Savings Account program is available at http://collegesavings.cuyahogacounty.us.

“One of the central tenets of the Cleveland Plan is an emphasis on career and college readiness beginning in

the earliest years,” said CMSD CEO Eric Gordon. “The County’s college savings program directly supports this goal.”

Gordon said the program aligns with the work of CMSD partners like College Now and the Higher Education Compact that are helping CMSD to increase the number of students who enroll in and complete college.

Research has consistently demonstrated the benefits of establishing college savings accounts for children. A 2010 study found that young people who expect to graduate from college and have a savings account are about seven times more likely to attend college than their peers. In addition, a Sallie Mae study found that 62% of families were saving for college prior to the last recession, but only 51% were saving afterwards. FitzGerald’s program should be especially helpful for low and middle-income families, since only 27% of low-income families and 40% of middle-income families currently have a plan to save for college.

“The College Savings Program provides many advantages for our children. In addition to building a financial foundation, the program also gives parents the opportunity to begin conversations with their children about financial education,” said Lisa Oliver, KeyBank Cleveland Market President. “Through proper use of the program, we are positioning our children to have brighter futures.”

Approximately 15,000 students enter kindergarten each year in Cuyahoga County through 31 school districts and more than 150 charter, parochial, and independent schools. Every student enrolled in kindergarten by October 31 of a school year will be eligible to participate, with families reserving the

right to opt out at their discretion. New accounts will then be established for students entering kindergarten on an annual basis each fall. FitzGerald was joined this afternoon by Lucia Johnson, a single mother whose kindergartner attends school in Cuyahoga Heights.

“I’d like to thank County Executive FitzGerald for his vision and leadership,” said Dr. Bob Mengerink, superintendent of the Educational Service Center of Cuyahoga County. “The Cuyahoga County ESC views this program as a powerful way to increase the aspirations of every family and child in Cuyahoga County as they begin preparing financially and educationally for success in our competitive global society.”

Moving forward, Cuyahoga County will receive annual data from schools and school districts with assistance from the County’s Educational Service Center (ESC) and provide the list of students to its partners at KeyBank, which will generate account numbers for students enrolling in kindergarten. Families will be able to make deposits at KeyBank braches, by mail, or through direct deposit. Although the program is starting with kindergarten students this year, families with older children are encouraged to work with KeyBank to establish alternative savings programs.

FitzGerald first outlined the importance of establishing a countywide college savings program during his 2010 campaign for County Executive, and just last year the

Cuyahoga County Council approved his request for $2 million to establish $100 college savings accounts for every student entering kindergarten in the county.

“Children’s Savings Accounts (CSAs) are gaining traction around the country and collectively, these innovations are helping thousands of students, many low-income, save for college,” added Dr. William Elliott, director of the Assets and Education Initiative at the University of Kansas. “In the absence of national CSA policy, some states and localities have blazed the path and developed their own children’s savings initiatives such as in Cuyahoga County, strengthening the case for broader CSA implementation.”

Campus International, the only International Baccalaureate candidate school in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, prepares students in grades K-5 for international citizenship with a rigorous and comprehensive IB, global curriculum. Situated on Cleveland State University’s downtown campus, the K-4 Mandarin Chinese immersion school provides students with easy access to city and campus events, programs and cultural opportunities. Downtown Cleveland and CSU provide an expansive classroom for students attending this New & Innovative School in CMSD’s expanding portfolio of “Effective” and “Excellent” school models.

BHS Students Assist with Memorial Day Observance

Several Bedford High School students assisted the Garvin Family in their annual ritual of placing flags on the gravesites of area veterans at Bedford Cemetery. The project was sponsored by Student Senate. The students’ efforts were documented in an article in the

Plain Dealer on Sunday, May 25th: Special thanks to our Bedford High School students and teachers who assisted the Garvin family in placing flags at the gravesites of area veteran’s at Bedford Cemetery in observance of Memorial Day. –

4 :: 17 of Iyyar, 5768 :: May 22, 2008

www.thenewstandard.com The New Standard

Columbus & Ohio4 The Bedford Standard

Standard

thebedfordstandard.com

The Southeast branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library is located in Bedford at 70 Columbus Road, 440.439.4997 (Programs where registration is required/requested are marked with an *)

ADULT

*Show You Care: Become a Foster Parent: Saturday, May

31st / 2:00 p.m. May is National Foster Care Month, and there is an urgent need for qualified foster care parents. Join representatives from Applewood Centers as they present information on the requirements and pre-training to become a foster parent.

*Internet Next Steps: Tuesday, June 3rd / 10:00 a.m. to 12:00

noon. Learn how to explore the rich content available on the Internet. Prerequisite: Internet Essentials or equivalent.

*Email Essentials: Tuesday, June 3rd / 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

Create, send, organize and attach files to emails. Prerequisite: Computer Essentials or experience using a mouse. Registration required

Afternoon Book Discussion: Wednesday, June 4th / 1:30 p.m. The

Afternoon Book Discussion is held on the first Wednesday of each month. Books will be available one month before the discussion. June title: The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton DiSclafani.

*Digital Photography: Tuesday, June 10th / 7:00 p.m. Join us

for this beginning digital photography class. Explore f-stops, shutter speed, ISO and how they relate to camera icons for better control of your final image.

*Archiving Personal Memories: Thursday, June 12th / 7:00 p.m. Many

of us have collections of family photos, letters, diaries and scrapbooks. Amy Manella, Archivist and Records Analyst from Cuyahoga Community College, will share how small changes in storage and handling can help preserve your memories.

The Hot Urban Book Club: Saturday, June 21st / 2:00 to 3:30 p.m.

For those who love urban drama and have to have hip hop lit, this is the book group for you. Club members can recommend books, talk about urban lit authors and review upcoming releases. Book group members will be the first to get copies of new releases and find out about urban lit book events.

*Garden Bullies: Saturday, June 21st / 2:00 p.m. Join David

Emmitt from Tri-C to learn about the many plants that are popular for their showiness turn out to be not such good neighbors to other plants in the garden. The worst bullies are discussed as well as places that they may actually be useful. This talk does not address plants that are considered invasive, just pushy.

African-American Authors Book Club:Tuesday, June 24th / 7:15 p.m. Join us

to explore all genres of African-American writing. All adults are welcome. We will read African American classics, historical fiction, science fiction, mysteries, autobiographies,

nonfiction, fiction and urban fiction. Copies of the book are available one month before the discussion date. June title: Never Goin’ Back: Winning the weight-loss battle for good by Al Roker.

TEEN

G2P: Animé Club: Wednesdays, June 4th and 18th / 7:00 p.m.

(Ages 11 – 18) Join us to play video games, board games and Yu-Gi-Oh trading card duels, as well as participate in craft projects.

*Pen 2 Page Writing Crew: Saturdays, June 14th, 28th, July 12th, 26th,

August 9th, 23rd / 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. (Grades 6 – 12) Ink it up in this creative writing club for teens. We will provide writing prompts and exercises to help you improve your skills and provide a welcome place to share your work and practice your craft.

CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS

Family Storytime: Wednesdays, June 4th thru July 30th / 6:30

p.m. (Caregivers and their children ages Birth – 8 years) Join us for rhymes, songs, fingerplays, and stories.

*Jr. Discovery Camp: Get Your Think On! Monday, June 16th

thru Thursday, June 19th / 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. (Children ages 7 – 8 years old). Summer brain drain got you down? Leap ahead and get into the global grove with four days of interactive math, science, reading, art and culture. Register in person at the branch in order for a parent or guardian to fill out required paperwork prior to the program.

*Kindergarten Club: Monday, June 16th / 7:00 p.m. Do you have

a child entering kindergarten in the fall? Then Kindergarten Club is for you and your child. Join us monthly for free food, fun and family activities to prepare you and your child to enter kindergarten this fall! This program is intended for children who did not attend preschool. There will be free books for the children and a family prize for attending. Register in person or call 440-439-4997.

MIXED AGES

Summer Reading Open House: Saturday, June 7th / 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Come

help us kick off Summer Reading and take a tour of our newly renovated branch. Enjoy some refreshments, browse our book sale, sign up for the Summer Reading and celebrate with us!

Summer Lunch at the Library: Monday thru Thursday, June 16th to August

7th / 11:45 am to 12:30 p.m. Are you 18 or younger? Looking for a place to have lunch this summer? Come to the library where we will be serving brown bag lunches provided by the Cleveland Food bank. While supplies last

Daring to be Dumbo: Saturday, June 28th / 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.

(Family) A reimagining of the original story that is set in a contemporary Junior High School, where Dumbo is now a thirteen year old girl who is bullied. The original themes of triumph over adversity still ring through at the core of this new program.

Southeast Library Spotlight

May 29 - June 12, 2014

© 2014 University Hospitals BMC 00662

Saturday, June 7 | 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

University Hospitals Bedford Medical Center invites you to attend a free comprehensive health assessment. Our experienced physicians will provide evaluations for:

• Diabetes risk • Vascular disease• Chronic, nonhealing wounds • Food disorders

Follow-up recommendations and specialist referrals will be provided when necessary. So, if you have a history of diabetes, nonhealing wounds, or vascular disease, we encourage you to attend.

To register for this free event, call 440-735-4726 and leave your name and telephone number, including area code. You will be contacted with your appointment time.

Participants should check in at the welcome table in the main lobby 10 minutes before their scheduled appointment.

At University Hospitals, our mission is you.

A free event to learn about your risk for diabetes and vascular disease.

440-735-3900 | UHBedford.org44 Blaine AvenueBedford, Ohio 44146

BMC 00662 5.25x13 Ad.indd 1 5/14/14 4:12 PM

May 22, 2008 :: 17 of Iyyar, 5768 :: 5

Celebrating 5 Years of Award-Winning Journalism in Central Ohio www.thenewstandard.com

Columbus & Ohio The Bedford Standard

Come Out and Play at Night in MetroParksCamping is one of the best ways

to reconnect with nature. It doesn’t matter if you bring all the latest gear or the bare essentials. Join Cleveland Metroparks for a weekend of overnight camping in three different reservations in the Park District. Experienced campers and interested beginners should take advantage of these fun, easy overnights that will hold you over until your next big camping trip. Enjoy a family campout close to home with these upcoming camping programs in June:

Family Campout at Squire’s CastleFriday, June 27 - Saturday, June 28 ∙

6 p.m. to 11 a.m.Squire’s Castle ∙ North Chagrin

ReservationCustomize your camping experience

at Squire’s Castle. Bring your own tent or rent one of ours. You can choose to play disc golf, go slacklining, enjoy the bonfire or take a nighttime hike at Squire’s Castle. Or, you can choose to do all of the above. Before you pack up in the morning, enjoy breakfast around the fire. Registration and fee ($10 for individuals, $20 for a family of two, $30

for families of three to six people) are required. Dogs are not allowed. Squire’s Castle is located off Chagrin River Road in North Chagrin Reservation, south of Chardon Road/Route 6 in Willoughby Hills. For more information and to register, visit clevelandmetroparks.com or call 216-341-1704.

Great American CampoutSaturday, June 28 – Sunday, June 29

• 5 p.m. to 10 a.m.South Chagrin ReservationSpend a night camping in

South Chagrin Reservation. Bring your tent for a fun night of outdoor activities, a hike, and dinner and breakfast around the fire. This campout is for children ages 7 years and older with an adult. Registration by June 23 and fee ($15 per person ages 7- 15 and $20 per person ages 16 and older) are required. For more information and to register, visit clevelandmetroparks.com or call 440-247-7075.

CanalWay CampoutSaturday, June 28 – Sunday,

June 29 • 7 p.m. to 11 a.m.CanalWay Center ∙ Ohio & Erie Canal

ReservationBring your family and friends to Ohio

& Erie Canal Reservation for an evening under the stars. Watch bats fly over the canal during the night hike and sing songs around the campfire. Enjoy a light breakfast and hike before packing up on Sunday morning. This program is for children ages 6 and older with an adult. Registration and fee ($25 per

family) is required. CanalWay Center is located on Whittlesey Way, off the East 49th Street entrance of Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation, between Grant Avenue and Canal Road in Cuyahoga Heights. For more information or to register, visit clevelandmetroparks.com or call 216-206-1000.

Renowned Museum Leader and International Scholar Dr. William Griswold Named 10th Director of the Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art’s Board of Trustees today voted unanimously to name Dr. William M. Griswold, a distinguished scholar, renowned curator and experienced museum leader, its next director. Griswold’s confirmation comes at a unique time in the life of the institution, which recently completed a historic and comprehensive $350 million expansion project on time and under budget. As it approaches its 2016 centennial anniversary, the Cleveland Museum of Art is renown for the quality and breadth of its collection and its historic role as a leading American museum.

Dr. Griswold, 53, who is currently the director of the Morgan Library & Museum in New York City, will assume his duties in Cleveland as the museum’s 10th director in early fall, 2014. He brings to the position a depth of experience gained in America’s leading museums, including the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as an expertise in Italian drawings from the Renaissance and the 18th century.

“The Board of Trustees is thrilled with Bill Griswold’s appointment,” said Steven Kestner, Chairman of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Board of Trustees. “We couldn’t have found a better, more experienced candidate and we’re looking forward to Bill’s leadership for years to come. Bill is joining the museum at an incredible moment in its history, with the additional capacity of a newly completed expansion and a 100th anniversary swiftly approaching. It is the perfect moment to begin his legacy of scholarship, innovation and community outreach.”

During his tenure at the Morgan Library & Museum, Dr. Griswold spearheaded the growth of the Morgan’s collections, exhibition program and curatorial departments, most recently adding

Photography as a focus. He oversaw a number of important exhibitions and scholarly exchanges with leading international museums, including the Louvre, London’s Courtauld Institute, Munich’s Graphische Sammlung and Turin’s Biblioteca Reale.

Dr. Griswold previously served as Director and President of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, from 2005 to 2007; Acting Director and Chief Curator of the J. Paul Getty Museum, in 2004 to 2005; and Associate Director for Collections at the Getty, beginning in 2001. Prior to joining the Getty, Dr. Griswold had been Charles W. Engelhard Curator and Head of the Department of Drawings and Prints at the Morgan Library since 1995. From 1988 to 1995, he was on the staff of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, first as Assistant and then as Associate Curator in the Department of Drawings and Prints. Dr. Griswold earned his bachelor’s degree at Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, and his Ph.D. at The Courtauld Institute of Art, London.

“It’s an incredible honor for me to join the Cleveland Museum of Art, an institution I have long admired, so well-known for the quality of its collection and its fine tradition of community engagement,” said Dr. Griswold. “I’m especially glad to be part of this world-renowned institution now, as it embraces its second century with an emphasis on becoming stronger, more relevant and more welcoming to the city of Cleveland, the nation and the world.”

May 29 - June 12, 2014

Prostate cancer: do you know your risk?

Sam Abraksia, MD

Did you know African-American males are more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer at a younger age and have a more aggressive form of the disease?

Certain risk factors can be changed while others can’t. Advanced age does increase the risk for prostate cancer, but

it’s not an “old man’s disease” – 35 percent of those affected are younger than 65.

A strong family history of prostate cancer can increase your chances of developing the disease.

Prostate cancer occurs more often in African-American males.

trans fat contribute to cancer risk.

By following these prevention methods you can reduce your risk of the disease.Eat foods high in Omega-3 fatty acids (salmon, almonds) and

monounsaturated fats (olive oil, peanuts) as well as fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

Participate in 75 minutes of vigorous activity, or 150 minutes of moderate activity, weekly.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network recommends baseline PSA screening for healthy men ages 50 to 70 every one to two years, and a majority of the panelists recommend baseline testing for men ages 45 to 49, too. Talk with your doctor about the pros and cons of prostate screening. For African-Americans or those with a family history of prostate cancer, ask if screening should begin earlier.

Sam Abraksia, MD, is an oncologist and medical director at the Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center at South Pointe Hospital.

Nursing and Rehabilitation Center

6 :: 17 of Iyyar, 5768 :: May 22, 2008

www.thenewstandard.com The New Standard

Columbus & Ohio6 The Bedford Standard

Ellen Augustine, M.A.

What’s up, America? Choose the Right Answer: Test or Teach?

For the past couple decades nearly all the TV commentaries on education have been talk of “failing schools” and the vilification of teachers and their unions. But is that the whole story, or the truth of the matter?

Across the country there is an uprising against teachers being hammered to teach to the standardized test. Yes! Magazine has devoted its Spring 2014 issue to the movement to take back, renew, and revitalize our public school system. Excerpts from four key articles follow below.

Journalist Dean Paton begins by debunking “The Myth Behind Public School Failure”

“In the rush to privatize the country’s schools, corporations and politicians have decimated school budgets, replaced teaching with standardized testing, and placed the blame on teachers and students. Until about 1980, America’s public schoolteachers were iconic everyday heroes painted with a kind of Norman Rockwell patina—generally respected because they helped most kids learn to read, write and successfully join society. Since then, what a turnaround: We’re now told, relentlessly, that bad-apple schoolteachers have wrecked K-12 education; that their unions keep legions of incompetent educators in classrooms; that part of the solution is more private charter schools; and that teachers as well as entire schools lack accountability, which can best be remedied by more and more standardized ‘bubble’ tests.”

“To truly understand how we came to believe our educational system is broken, we need a history lesson. Rewind to 1980—when Milton Friedman, the high priest of laissez-faire economics, partnered with PBS to produce a 10-part television series called Free to Choose. He devoted one episode to the idea of school vouchers, a plan to allow families what amounted to publicly funded scholarships so their children could leave the public schools and attend private ones.”

‘You could make a strong argument that the current campaign against public schools started with that single TV episode. To make the case for vouchers, free-market conservatives, corporate strategists, and opportunistic politicians looked for any way to build a myth that public schools were failing, that teachers (and of course their unions) were at fault, and that the cure was vouchers and privatization.”

“Armed with Friedman’s ideas, President Reagan began calling for vouchers. In 1983, his National Commission on Excellence in Education issued ‘A Nation At Risk,’ a report that declared, ‘the educational foundations of our society are presently being eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very future as a Nation and a people.’”

“For a document that’s had such lasting impact, ‘A Nation At Risk’ is remarkably free of facts and solid data. Not so the Sandia Report, a little-known follow-up study commissioned by Admiral James Watkins, Reagan’s secretary of energy; it discovered that the falling test scores which caused such an uproar were really a matter of an expansion in the number of students taking the tests. In truth, standardized-test scores were going up for every economic and ethnic segment of students—it’s just that, as more and more students began taking these tests over the 20-year period of the study, this more representative sample of America’s youth better reflected the true national average. It wasn’t a teacher problem. It was a statistical

misread. The government never officially released the Sandia Report.”

“In 2001, George W. Bush enacted sweeping legislation called ‘No Child Left Behind.’ Supporters described it as a new era of accountability—based on standardized testing. The act tied federal funding for public schools to student scores on standardized tests. It also guaranteed millions in profits to corporations such as Pearson PLC, the curriculum and testing juggernaut, which made more than $1 billion in 2012 selling textbooks and bubble tests.”

“In 2009, President Obama created a program called ‘Race to the Top.’ It didn’t replace No Child Left Behind; it did step in with grants to individual states for their public schools. It put desperate states in competition with each other.”

“Since 2001 and No Child Left Behind, the focus of education policy makers and corporate-funded reformers has been to insist on more testing. For a dozen or so years, this ‘accountability movement’ was pretty much the only game in town. It used questionable, even draconian, interpretations of standardized-test results to brand schools as failures, close them, and replace them with for-profit charter schools.”

“Finally, in early 2012, then-Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott kindled a revolt of sorts, saying publicly that high-stakes exams are a ‘perversion.’ His sentiments quickly spread to Texas school boards, whose resolution stating that tests were ‘strangling education’ gained support from more than 875 school districts representing more than 4.4 million Texas public-school students.”

“Then, in January 2013, teachers at Seattle’s Garfield High School announced they would refuse to give their students the Measures of Academic Progress Test—the MAP test. Despite threats of retaliation by their district, they held steadfast. By May, the district caved, telling its high schools the test was no longer mandatory.”

“Garfield’s boycott triggered a nationwide backlash to the ‘reform’ that began with Friedman and the privatizers in 1980. At last, Americans from coast to coast have begun redefining the problem for what it really is: not an education crisis but a manufactured catastrophe. In the bargain, weaken teacher unions, the largest labor organizations remaining in the United States. Push nonunion, profit-oriented charter schools as the solution. In Ohio, charter school teachers make 59% of what public school teachers make.”

“There has been a huge growth of U.S. charter schools in the last 10 years, from 2,500 to 6,000. Charter schools receive the same per-student payment that public schools get, roughly $11,000. In Michigan they spend $774 more per student on administration, and $1,140 less on instruction. Their profit is $366 per student.”

“But are charter schools succeeding? Stanford University studied test data from 27 states. In reading, charter schools showed 25% better results, and 75% ‘no improvement or significantly worse results.’ For math, it was 29% better results, and 71% ‘no improvement or significantly worse results.’”

Corporations recognize privatization as a euphemism for profits. Media mogul Rupert Murdoch’s Amplify corporation is already growing at a 20% rate, due to its education contracts. ‘When it comes to K through 12 education, we see a $500 billion sector in the U.S.’”

So what’s the alternative to teaching to the standardized test? One example is the New York Performance Standards Consortium, a coalition of 28 high schools across the state. “Coalition schools track student progress with performance-based assessments. Rather than take standardized tests, students do in-depth

research and papers; learn to think, problem-solve, and critique; and orally present their projects. This approach emphasizes critical-thinking skills over rote learning. Successful students have a true joy for learning which the modern focus on testing has stripped from classrooms.” (http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/education-uprising/pencils-down)

Is this resistance to standardized tests only from a few teachers in a few districts? Hardly. One of the leading proponents of No Child Left Behind “is among the few national public figures in education who have shown the courage to acknowledge publicly that the policies she promoted were wrong.” Diane Ravitch explains: “I believed in those things because they didn’t yet exist and sounded good in theory. Now they have been tried. I reviewed the evidence. I decided the rest of my life would be committed to reversing course and correcting what I got wrong.” Her book is Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools. “She examines charter school expansion, virtual schools, and how the application of the free market principles of competition and accountability hinders more than it helps.” (http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/education-uprising/i-realized-i-was-wrong)

One of the most unfortunate casualties of the academic pressure cooker is kindergarten! In “You Can’t Bounce Off the Walls If There Are No Walls: Outdoor Schools Make Kids Happier—and Smarter” (http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/education-uprising/the-original-kindergarten), educator David Sobel declares: “Kindergarten is the new first grade.”

“Kindergarten teachers are required to focus on a narrowing range of literacy and math skills; studies show that ‘some children spend up to 6 times as much time on those topics and on testing and test prep than they do in free play or ‘choice time,’ writes David McKay Wilson in the Harvard Education Letter. Teachers are required to use scripted curricula that give them little opportunity to create lessons in response to students’ interests.”

“The original kindergarten—the children’s garden—conceived by German educator Friedrich Froebel in the 19th century, was a place where children learned through play, often in nature. That idea is fast eroding. Children aren’t playing in the garden anymore; instead they’re filling in bubbles on worksheets in the indoor-ification of early childhood.”

Are there other possibilities?Sobel recounts: “On a November day,

I visit the Waldkindergarten on the Natick Community Organic Farm, outside of Boston. It is one of about two dozen forest kindergartens around the country. It’s below freezing, so children arrive bundled up in snow pants, down jackets, winter boots, and wool hats. The outdoor classroom is a sun-dappled acre of towering pines with smaller, scattered oaks. There are a couple of log circles, a low balance-beam structure, some homemade hobbyhorses, and a ‘bakery’—a sandpile with lots of kitchen equipment, a digging pit, and child-sized rough-hewn tables. The centerpiece is a storybook cottage with a steep-pitched roof. The children spend about 90% of their time out in the forest and only about 10% inside the cottage. They begin their morning convening in a circle on the ground singing chants and rhymes.”

“Then they move into ‘forest gnome jobs’—tidying up the bakery, preparing snacks, collecting kindling, raking the outdoor block area. This morphs seamlessly into forest play. Children dig in the clay pit, continue to chop up apples for snacks, or huddle at the base of tree trunks and whisper, giving voices to acorn creatures. I watch four boys play for about 20 minutes on a swing suspended from

a wire between two pines. One boy winds up the swing, round and round. ‘OK, it’s ready,’ he announces.

“Everyone piles on, a couple on the seat, two more standing, a tangle of arms, legs, scarves. The swing unwinds slowly, then faster, spinning the boys in a blur. When the spinning stops, the boys tumble off, and some of them roll down the leafy slope below. One jumps up, ‘Now we need to spin it up again!’”

“What happens when such carefree kids, who have never sat at a desk, arrive at a conventional school at the age of six? Wendy Banning and Ginny Sullivan address this issue in their book, Lens on Outdoor Learning: ‘The many skills children develop through play, particularly the self-control practiced and refined in imaginary play, are related to long-term academic achievement.’”

“Many physicians have also begun advocating for open-ended, free play. In an article in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Hillary Burdette and Robert Whitaker write, “The problem-solving that occurs in play may promote executive functioning—a higher-level skill that integrates attention and other cognitive functions such as planning, organizing, sequencing, and decision-making.”

“Outdoor play can also remedy behavioral problems. One pediatrician notes that he sees lots of children with attention deficit disorder in conventional indoor preschools but none in forest kindergartens.”

“In a 1998 article in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, the authors describe a study that tracked three classrooms of children from preschool into adulthood: Children from a preschool class that spent just 2% of its time in free play were more likely to engage in misconduct at age 15 than those from two classrooms that had spent more than 20% of preschool time playing. By age 23, the group that had played less as toddlers had more arrests and was more often suspended from work.”

“Let’s do the math. The average yearly cost of a three-day-per-week program at a forest kindergarten is about $5,000. The average cost of a full year of incarceration in the United States is about $31,000.”

Paul Doolan sent his daughter to such a school. “For two years my little girl went to kindergarten in the forest. Not a school in the forest, just the forest. No walls, no roof, no heating, only the forest, a few tools, and incredibly dedicated teachers.”

“One day she came home from a day of particularly vicious downpours, her feet inevitably soaked, her eyelashes caked in mud, her cheeks ruddy with the cold and her eyes sparkling with fire, and I said to her it must have been tough being outside all morning in such weather. She looked at me in genuine incomprehension, looked out the window: ‘What weather?’ she asked.”

Sobel concludes: “Isn’t this what we want for our children? This immersion in the natural world, this feeling-at-one-ness, these eyes sparkling with fire. We’re learning that grit and stick-to-it-ive-ness are some of the core character traits that determine success in school and in life.”

So show up at your local school board meeting and give voice to what you want for your children!

Ellen Augustine, M.A., is a speaker and author on national currents and the emerging sustainable economy. She may be reached at ellenaugustine@earthlink.net, 510-428-1832, www.storiesofhope.us. Questions, feedback, and topic ideas for future columns are welcome.

May 29 - June 12, 2014

May 22, 2008 :: 17 of Iyyar, 5768 :: 7

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Follow Food’s Journey from Farm to Fork at MetroParks June 7

Your dinner made a long journey to go from soil to supper. Learn about what it takes to bring fruits and vegetables to the family dinner table at Cleveland Metroparks Farm & Garden Day on Saturday, June 7 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Garfield Park Nature Center.

Farm & Garden Day is a free event that introduces the whole family to farm life, growing your own food and healthy eating. The event goes hand-in-hand with Garfield Park Nature Center’s newly redefined focus on urban gardening and health and wellness.

Meet live farm animals, including hens and roosters, turkeys, ducks, sheep, geese, goats and calves. There will be egg & sack races, horse-drawn wagon rides ($2 per person), hands-on crafts, a straw-throwing tent, activities, and other fun ways for children to explore the many aspects of farming and gardening.

Sample hand-churned butter and bring home some plants from the heirloom plant sale to spruce up your garden at the local vendor and exhibitor section. Learn from the experts

with presentations by Cuyahoga County Soil & Water District, Garfield Heights Historical Society, We Grow Ohio and Wilson Feed Mill.

Cleveland Metroparks naturalists will lead presentations throughout the day: Beginning Beekeeping at noon, Container Vegetable Gardening at 1 p.m. and Permaculture at 3 p.m.

Refreshments will be available for purchase.

Garfield Park Nature Center is located off the Broadway Avenue entrance of Garfield Park Reservation in Garfield Heights – north of the I-480/Broadway Avenue exit.

For more information, visit clevelandmetroparks.com or call 216-341-3152.

May 29 - June 12, 2014

Linda J. How, Elder Law Attorney “Making Sense of the Law”

HAVE YOU ARRANGED THINGS SO THAT YOU CAN STOP WORRYING? LEGAL PLANNING IS THE KEY! What are YOUR estate-planning concerns?

Who is in charge if you become disabled? What can they do? Can they handle your $tuff? Can they make medical decisions for you? Do they know what you’d want?

Will your estate need probate? Or can that be avoided? Will your “nest egg” be ruined if you or your spouse ends

up in a nursing home? Is there legal planning for this?

Don’t just worry; get answers! Make an appointment to talk with me, or come to my next FREE Workshop, called

“Seven Threats to Your Family Security” on MONDAY, July 14, from 6 to 8 p.m.

or WEDNESDAY, July 16, 1013, 2 to 4 p.m. in Bedford, Ohio. (Call for exact location.)

Phone (440) 786-9449

Email law@lindahow.com

8 :: 17 of Iyyar, 5768 :: May 22, 2008

www.thenewstandard.com The New Standard

Columbus & Ohio8 The Bedford StandardMay 29 - June 12, 2014

Why is this true? Early on in dental school dentists are taught that the goal for treating pa-tients is to get them to the place where they have no problems that would cause them to loose their teeth. Teeth are a body part just like fingers and toes. We sure don’t want to loose a foot, just as we would not want to lose our teeth.

Interestingly enough a 90 year old with good healthy gums could have the mouth health of a teenager – so age is NOT a contributor to a dental problem. Neglect is! Prevention is impor-tant. It is valuable and the key to keeping teeth for a lifetime. As long treatment that is needed from time to time that a dentist observes is needed and gums are in a healthy range, teeth will last and last just like elbows and fingernails.

How is this so? Because IF one has the treatment when the problem is small (which costs a lot less) the teeth can easily be repaired. Ad-ditionally beginning gum disease can be changed to healthy tissue easily with the proper home care, as gum disease destroys the tissue supporting the tooth. I you practice good oral hygiene by brush-ing and flossing regularly, get regular check-ups with your dentist to catch any problems that might develop, eat a sensible diet (don’t eat or drink too many sugary foods or beverages) studies have shown you should be able to maintain your teeth in a healthy state and NOT need expensive, he-roic dentistry.

When I was in dental school, the first thing we were taught in dentistry was preventive dentistry. It always amazed me that dentistry is a profession that is trying to put itself out of busi-ness. If everyone practiced good and smart oral hygiene, the percentage of tooth decay would drop tremendously, teeth wouldn’t have to be extracted due to cavities and crowns*, bridges*, implants and dentures could be avoided. I say smart oral hygiene because a patient of mine re-cently remarked “I’ve never had cavities! Why now?” She went on to say, “I always brush and floss at night and then have a coke or two before bed.” Unfortunately the sugar from the coke sat on her teeth all night and caused decay while she slept.

She thought she was taking care of her teeth but a sugary beverage before bed leaves mouth bacteria (always there) able to grow as there is abundant food in the mouth all night left from the sugary drink. Bacteria which are acid producing eat the same food we eat. She didn’t realize the danger her habit had placed her teeth in. Regular visits to the dentist would have pointed out the dangers EARLY ON when it first started – rather than let decay get so deep that she ended up with tooth aches resulting in high dental treatment costs and some lost teeth. This patient obviously knew the value of good home care, but because she did not change one behavior, disaster

struck.We see every dental scenario possible in

our office, so what we instruct each patient to do at home is different according to what we see that is going on with their teeth and gums.

I , the dentist, know that checkups regu-larly are needed even when everything seems fine and there is no pain. It should be taught in health at schools actually. (Gum disease is a silent killer and it is the cause of 80% of adult tooth loss – cavities and accidents are the other 20%) If a small problem with gum disease is found early the damage can be stopped and prevented from getting worse. Also a cavity wouldn’t get deep enough to need expensive dental treatment to try to save the tooth. Most adults do need expert help to thoroughly clean their teeth.Little tips about home care can save a lot of dollars later. Small problems won’t develop into larger, more expen-sive and possibly, life-threatening conditions.

One of the ways that I can accomplish my job as a preventive dentist is to tell you, the read-er, why dental visits are so much cheaper if they are regular (not just what insurance covers if you have gum disease) The bacteria in your mouth produce acid which eats through gums (they will usually bleed then) then that same bacterial acid melts away bone. Once you have boneloss it is final, not reversible or replaceable. A dentist cannot bring bone back once it is gone. There-fore, preventive dental appointments interrupt this mouth destruction, help to tighten up gums

around the tooth like before they got infected and help maintain your whole body’s health by not al-lowing this infection to enter the blood stream. Ask your dentist why this is true when you go for your visit.

Although it may appear at times that it is too expensive to go to the dentist, remember that not practicing preventative dental care will only cost more later.

Additionally remember in dentistry we have to custom design anything that repairs or re-places a tooth, there is no “one size fits all”. There are no identical dentures you can pull off the shelf and place in a person’s mouth. Everything must be custom designed for each person’s individual mouth.

I can tell you that I really enjoy seeing a mouth that holds its own because it is cared for and healthy. Just know that there is ALWAYS something that can be done to make any and everyone a SMILE, any problem with teeth and gums can be solved and your overall health re-turned. Truly everyone deserves healthy teeth and gums and a beautiful smile no matter how old or young.

You may have more questions about what I have said. We spend a lot of time at initial exams so that all your questions can get answered and if they haven’t been answered in the past please call us today! Call us at 440-439-2230 for an appoint-ment. We look forward to meeting you.

Dentistry Is A Profession Trying to Put Itself OUT of Business

Jane L. Dodson DDS88 Center Rd. Bedford, 44146 (Next to Bedford Medical Center)

In the Bedford University Hospital Complex Medical Building - 3rd Floor

www.clevelandgentledentist.com

CALL 440-439-2230 for an appointment!

New Patient Exam, X-rays and Basic Teeth Polishing Special $80.00 ($280 value)

Jane L. Dodson DDS

CALL 440-439-2230 for an appointment!Present this coupon at time of service. Cannot be combined with other coupons.

Expires June 12, 2014 - TBS

A SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITY

Call 440.498.3000 today to schedule a tour!

A SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITY

We are proud of our achievements!

The Help You Need,When You Need It

Whether you’re in need of short or long-term care,we welcome you to our facility.

EMPLOYERS, JOB SEEKERS & YOUTHA Change is coming!

Watch for it!

will change its name to:

Though our name is changing, our “commitment to service” to Cuyahoga County residents seeking

employment and training opportunities remainsa “high priority”!

To better assist you, shortly we will roll out a new, easier-to-navigate, more informative website.

The new website address will be: ohiomeansjobs.com/cuyahoga

For assistance, visit one of our locations:Downtown:1020 Bolivar Rd, Cleveland, OH 44115 (216) 664-4673

Parma: 11699 Brookpark Rd, Parma, OH 44130 (216) 898-1366Southgate: 5398-1/2 Northfield Rd, Maple Heights, OH 44137 (216) 518-4954

Westshore: 9830 Lorain Ave, Cleveland, OH 44102 (216) 939-2599