A great big thank you to those who contributed to making the Innovation Center a reality!

Innovators ($350,000 +)
Tim and Heather Ryan

Entrepreneurs ($50,000 +)
Edmund Leopold 

Change Makers ($10,000 +)
Chagrin Falls PTO

Collaborators ($2500 +)
Chagrin Falls Dads Club
Chagrin Falls High School Class of 1987
John Epprecht 
Lyndall Associates  
Terry and Edda Owen
Peter and Joelle Snavely 
Dan and Amy Taussig
Bob and Kristin Tull 
Scott and Antoanela Vaccaro
The Wright-Mandel Family
Christy Wynveen 
Inventors ($1000 +)
Brett and Michelle Adams 
Matt and Annie Amata 
Dan Angelino and Beth Embrescia 
Biff and Patty Baker 
Charles and Meghan Brennan 
Chagrin Falls High School Class of 2016 
Chagrin Falls High School Class of 2020
Chagrin Valley Dance Committee 
Michael and Anne Coffey
 John and Kelly Curtiss 
Paul and Susannah Doman
Brian and Mary Donley 
Frank and Karen Eagle 
Key Bank Foundation 
Beth Johnson 
Kevin and Leigh Kruszenski
Joe and Joyce Marquette  
Paul and Laurie McCormack
Mike and Elizabeth Morris 
Smitty and Jennifer McKee 
Paul and Meg Nachtwey
Lynn Reboul
Charles and Amy Swift
Gregg and Cindy Taber
The Toney Family Foundation 

Trailblazers ($500 +)
Bank of America Charitable Foundation 
Steve and Sharon Broz
Brendan and Lisa Buescher 
Peter and Shari Bullen
Richard and Connie Croasdaile 
Carol Dolan and Gregg Hill 
Ed and Katherine Gottschalk
Richard and Dawn Haber 
Matt and Kristen Joyce 
Adam and Tina Lechman 
Greg and Amy Myers 
John and Carrie O'Brien
Gabe and Vicki Orazen 
Andrew and Ashley Weingart 
Scott and Laura Zimmer 
Creators ($250 +) 
Rich and Kris Amendola 
Andrew and Patsy Burnight
Chagrin Valley Women's Club
Joe and Jennifer Cimperman
Adam and Julie Conrad 
Malcolm Cooke
Chelsea Corso
David Durant
Joel and Charlotte Elconin
John Gadd
Mike and Kathryn Garvey
 Chuck and Georgia Gile
Brian Glazen
Tony Hughes
Bob and Shannon Hunt
Greg and Jean Kanzinger
Bina Mehta and David Haines
Marty and Mary Kay O'Toole
Diane Nachtwey 
Susan Rebeta 
Jay Schach 
Chad and Kristin Schron
Jack and Mary Ellen Schron
Jamie and Michelle Venorsky 
Mary Beth Wolfe

Designers ($100 +)
Leslie Brown 
John and Laurie Butler
Jeff and Sheila Berlin
Doug and Kathie Campbell
Chagrin Valley Chamber of Commerce
 Shirley Copeland 
 John and Jan Curtis 
Michael Daugherty 
Angela DeBernardo 
Dan and Anne DeSantis 
Laila Discenza 
Lisa Farah 
Roseanne Feeney 
Wade and Laura Fricke 
Scott and Kris Gillespie
Timothy Haskett 
Rachel Jones 
Lowe's Audio and Video
Christopher Lowry
Dan and Renee McLain 
James Nace
Tina Nerpouni 
Jessica Nussbaum 
Carolyn Petite 
The Ranieri Family 
Mike and Sarah Read 
Anne Spano 
Brooke Takacs 
Clark and Judy White
 Mike and Karen Wise 
Christopher and Charlotte Woofter 

Pioneers 
Katie Adick 
Gina Bauer
 Timothy Burke
Stuart Culler
 Delphine Despres
 Carolyn Gruss 
Bill Holzeimer 
Jan Huffman
Marti Jacobson 
Brian McKenna
Kristen Rankin 
Sandy Schach
Amanda Schmidt 
Bobbie Serensky 
George and Anne Vanderbilt
Anthony Vidmar 
Laurie Walsh 

Chagrin Falls Educational Foundation unveils plans for new Innovation Center to help better prep students for college and beyond

CHAGIN FALLS, OH (May 2, 2016) – The way in which students learn today – and how teachers teach – continues to drastically evolve. To help fully prepare students for college and the changing landscape of the world, a parent-led initiative is underway to build a flexible learning environment called the Innovation Center. Set to open this fall, the 4,300 sq. ft. center for grades 7 – 12 students and teachers, will integrate technology and creativity and promote designed thinking that aims to reach beyond traditional education boundaries. Aspects of the center will also support students k – 8 through Project Lead the Way STEM and robotics programming. Parents and the community of Chagrin Falls, under the guidance of the Chagrin Falls Educational Foundation, are working together to raise the funds needed to construct the new space, once again demonstrating the dedication and overwhelming support this community has for its students and teachers.

 

What is the Innovation Center

Many schools and universities are incorporating centers such as this one into their campus and curriculum (e.g. Case Western Reserve University’s think[box]). The goal of the Innovation Center is to push students to reach beyond traditional educational boundaries. As a district, Chagrin Falls Exempted Village Schools most recent strategic plan stresses flexible learning and individualized education for every student in the district. This space is in direct response to the plan as everyone from the school board to educators understands they are grooming future researchers, entrepreneurs and creators and it’s their responsibility to make every tool available to foster progressive learning.

Why is this needed

Teaching and learning has rapidly changed in recent years – and will continue to do so. Today, most people are able to quickly find facts, figures and calculations with a few clicks. Thus, the need for memorization has been replaced with the need for deep understanding; connection of ideas and the ability to apply and transfer said ideas to other areas of practice. Students of today must be trained in these areas and challenged to develop strategies to collaborate, ideate, research and problem-solve. A dramatic paradigm shift in the role of educators has occurred, moving away from delivery of content to facilitation of deep understanding and synthesis of information for students. If students are not exposed to this type of learning and thinking, they are at risk for falling behind and not properly being prepared for college.

Fundraising initiatives

Under the direction of the Chagrin Falls Educational Foundation, parents and the community are working together to raise approximately $600,000 for the center. To help kick start fundraising efforts, the parents of two Chagrin Falls students have graciously donated $150,000 to the center, and will then match donations dollar-for-dollar up to $200,000. Other initiatives include:

• Chagrin Falls schools boasts a highly involved alumni group and efforts are underway, including a Go Fund me campaign, to tap into this connected network
• A private VIP donor party will take place at M Italian on June 2. One of the goals of this party is to bring the Innovation Center to life so potential donors can experience it first-hand, including 3D printing, the use of robots to telepresence famous Chagrin Falls alumni and much more
• The community can support the Innovation Center by donating here

Uses

About 4,300 square feet of current classroom and library space in the current Chagrin Falls Middle School will be dedicated to the Innovation Center, allowing for the development of three distinct yet interconnected spaces to be used by students across grades 7-12.

Innovative lab development:

• Research Center: a connected space for research, idea creation & study
• Collaboration Classroom: a place for group discussion and interaction, with the use of technology to connect beyond the borders of Chagrin Falls
• Fab Lab: a makersspace to bring the students’ ideas to life, with 3D printers, embroidery machines, laser cutters, tools and more

Project Lead the Way and Robotics Programming Implementation in K-6:

• Tech labs at Gurney Elementary and Chagrin Falls Intermediate School will be outfitted to support Project Lead the Way STEM programming across grades K-6, as of 2016-17
• Provision of Lego WeDo Robotics kits with connected sets of iPads for K-6 use

State-of-the-art technology for 7-12 Embedded STREAM growth:

• Creation of an Apple Lab to support enhanced computer programming and visual design across the art department
• Provision of additional technology to support student work in entrepreneurship classes
• Provision of state-of-the-art video equipment to grow video production programming

Design

Images, 360 video and 3D renderings available upon request. TDA Architecture is responsible for the design of the space. Teachers are working in conjunction with the architects to provide insight and input in the final space.

Interviews, tours and more

Robert Hunt, CVEVS superintendent, Meg Nachtwey, president of the Chagrin Falls Educational Foundation, and teachers are all available for interviews. Tours of the future space are available upon request.