UB Teen
In Our Schools
Archbishop Lyke students excel in academics, faithfulness
Margot Klima
GARFIELD HEIGHTS-Maria Megyimori, religion teacher, at the
Archbishop Lyke campus at St. Timothy School, keeps her students in place, although that doesn’t seem to take much work. They seem to do it on their own.
COURTESY ARCHBISHOP LYKE SCHOOL
The students at Archbishop Lyke School on St. Timothy campus in Garfield Heights excel in their academics and in striving to live their lives like Christ.
It is a school where excellence prevails. One-third of the 170 students in fifth through eight grade received honors last quarter.
“We try to be excellent in all areas,” Megimori said. “I think we’re on our way. We teach in a God-centered environment which is important in today’s world and to make this a better place to live through religion and education.”
In Megyimori’s eighth grade religion class the students copied proverbs of their own choosing from the Bible, copied them in calligraphy and etched them around the edges in gold. They were displayed in the halls and were a welcome to those coming into the building likened to an art gallery. The students also held a May crowning for the entire school, just two of the many projects planned by the class. Each day is begun with the entire school assembled for the Pledge of Allegiance and prayer to start the day off on the right foot.
The students understand the value of a good education.
“You need a good education to get a good job,” Nia Turner one of the two Secretary-Treasurers of the Student Council, said. “You need to excel in high school and college.” She plans to study business and become an author.
Och’e Heard, vice president of Student Council, couldn’t agree more.
“A good education will help you in life,” he said. “We need to show a good example to the other students. You get the hang of it here, and it will make a lot of people proud of you.”
There are other important things that the students feel they learn at St. Timothy’s. “It’s important to show leadership to the other students,” Taryn Mitchell, president of Student Council, said.
And, finally, Kaitlin Tyree, the other Secretary-Treasurer of Student Council, said, “If you learn good work ethic now, it’s much easier later in life.”
It’s not all about academics at Archbishop Lyke. Tuesday is Club Day, and there are a wide variety of clubs for the students to choose from. The Engineering Club is just one. “Inner-city children don’t have the opportunity to build and the Engineering Club gives them that outlet,” Lesley Baker, the science teacher, said.
She has 21 students participating in her club, which has provided them with an enriching environment to grow. So much that for the last five years they have received multiple awards at local science fairs.
The St. Timothy Campus is located on East 131st Street in Garfield Heights. It is part of the three-campus Archbishop Lyke School, which also includes St. Henry School and Our Lady of Peace.
Klima is a freelance writer.
Student Profile
NOREEN HOLLO, St. Bernadette School, Westlake
Noreen Hollo recently joked that in her family, the months of the year are, “January, February, March, April, Field Day, June….”
Field Day is a tradition at St. Bernadette School where Hollo has served as physical education teacher for more than 30 years. This year, Hollo is retiring but not without having one last day of costumed athletes having fun and competing for gummy bears.
But then, she becomes more serious. She says she will of course miss the students, her fellow teachers, the faculty and all the parents with whom she has been privileged to work over the years. She will also miss the creativity of the students’ costumes such as this year’s team of magicians complete with wands, capes and wizard hats. She will also miss the students’ good sportsmanship and devotion to making sure all their fellow classmates have a good time regardless of their athletic abilities.
“We have the best athletes and the best costumes,” she said. “It’s the unity of the whole school.”
Hollo closed the field day by thanking all the teachers, parents and students for making her years at St. Bernadette so memorable and enjoyable. She also thanks God for her good fortune to have such a “wonderful job” working with the students.
Before leaving for the day, students launched hundreds of balloons into the clear, blue sky as a send off to their beloved teacher.
“God has been good to us,” Hollo said. “We’ve had a beautiful day and beautiful time.”
—Nancy Erikson
School Notes
Students from several local Catholic elementary schools were recently part of the cast of “Anything Goes” at St. Peter Chanel High School. Schools included were Holy Spirit Academy, Incarnate Word Academy, St. Barnabas School, St. Martin of Tours School, St. Michael School, St. Monica School, and St. Rita School.
Kindergartners to eighth graders along with faculty, staff and parents at St. Joseph School, Avon Lake, recently participated in their first ever walk-a-thon to raise money for the school. The event raised more than $20,000 which will be used for ActivBoards for the classrooms and other educational technology for the school.
At St. Francis de Sales School, Akron, the third graders have been using their writing skills making “Monster Manuals” and compiling a book of their short stories to be given to the library. They also are working on a booklet on Lepidopterology--the study of butterflies as well as a cook book of favorite family recipes.
Eighth graders from St. Mary School, Elyria, collected several large boxes of jarred and boxed baby food for the Slavic Village Toddlers. The project was initiated by a retired teacher who saw a notice at St. Stanislaus Parish asking for baby food for the parish ministry to babies and toddlers in Cleveland. The school collected 1,013 jars and boxes of baby food.