Cleveland Heights removed from the Post Season by OHSAA

[cardzfan1234]

Teachers in Cleveland Heights do NOT take attendence on final exam days.
It is a day on the calender, but NOT a school day.
All students, not just athletes, are allowed to take finals during Enrichment Week with the teacher's permission. The Heights players all got their teacher's permission, took the finals, and passed them.
Enrichment Week is NOT held while classes are in session.

Since you aren't a decision maker in the Cleveland Heights/University Heights School District, your opinion doesn't really matter. Just as I would be laughed at if I went into Mentor schools and told them to change their schedule because in my opinion it's wrong

When is Enrichment Week? Are these even more “school, but not really school” days that Heights’ athletes can travel around the country? How many days per year does Heights High waste on days students don’t need to be there or don’t do anything productive?

 

[mhk2014]

I don't know anything about Cleveland Heights. Couldn't tell you the color of their uniforms or their mascot. What I can tell you after watching HS sports for decades is that delaying an exam for a sports trip is never a good thing. Having 3-4 months to prepare for this trip, they should have had all the kids take their exams in the days leading up to their departure. Telling kids they can miss school when they are perfectly healthy and we will make special arrangements for you when you get back is a very bad picture to present as a school that cares about education.

Maybe you are right, maybe this is a good school system that made a very bad mistake. I do have very limited knowledge of this school and I am judging on one event that showed very poor judgement on the coach, AD, Principal, and Superintendents part. I hope they are all embarrassed for the way they handled themselves over this one mistake. But it was their bad mistake that made it into the news cycle. They have no one to blame but themselves.

I totally appreciate your comment. My initial post was more directed to the posters who were insulting all the hard working, successful scholars that study at Heights. I'm here for fun, not to hurt people I don't know.

Would you feel the same way if it had been students on a field trip to Washington DC or if the band had been invited to march in the Rose Bowl parade. What if the robotic club had been invited to the National Championships?

If delaying finals hurt anyone, it would be the athletes taking the test, since it was a longer period of time between classwork and the test. That being said, they all passed. It shows that they all retained the information that they were taught.

 

[mhk2014]

When is Enrichment Week? Are these even more “school, but not really school” days that Heights’ athletes can travel around the country? How many days per year does Heights High waste on days students don’t need to be there or don’t do anything productive?

It occurred the week of January 6.
It's very nice to see that you're so concerned with the well-being of the Heights students.

Mentor is a pretty big school; much bigger than Cleveland Heights.
In 2018, Mentor had 87 Students in the National Honor Society, while Cleveland Heights had 86 ... not a very big difference.
What good does it do you to insult other school districts?

 

[mhk2014]

I don't know anything about Cleveland Heights. Couldn't tell you the color of their uniforms or their mascot. What I can tell you after watching HS sports for decades is that delaying an exam for a sports trip is never a good thing. Having 3-4 months to prepare for this trip, they should have had all the kids take their exams in the days leading up to their departure. Telling kids they can miss school when they are perfectly healthy and we will make special arrangements for you when you get back is a very bad picture to present as a school that cares about education.

Maybe you are right, maybe this is a good school system that made a very bad mistake. I do have very limited knowledge of this school and I am judging on one event that showed very poor judgement on the coach, AD, Principal, and Superintendents part. I hope they are all embarrassed for the way they handled themselves over this one mistake. But it was their bad mistake that made it into the news cycle. They have no one to blame but themselves.

I don't think embarrassed is the word, but I hope that all parties use this as a learning experience going forward.

 

[eastisbest]

I don't know anything about Cleveland Heights. Couldn't tell you the color of their uniforms or their mascot. What I can tell you after watching HS sports for decades is that delaying an exam for a sports trip is never a good thing. Having 3-4 months to prepare for this trip, they should have had all the kids take their exams in the days leading up to their departure.

I hope they are all embarrassed for the way they handled themselves over this one mistake. But it was their bad mistake that made it into the news cycle. They have no one to blame but themselves.

How did they handle themselves? I'm not at all sure it's pertinent but it seems important to you and the Mentor crowd.

Our local district until just recently held exams AFTER Christmas. I dont believe they are unusual in doing that. In what way is delaying an exam for any reason "never a good thing?" Saying it and supporting it are different things. They are delayed for kids on educational field trips. They are delayed for illness. They are delayed per ODE mandate. ?

I still see this as some desperate to punish this school for other reasons. Or punish the LeBrons in hindsight. CH didn't go on a tour. They did what any number of schools do, they went to a holiday tourney. A simple mistake that wasn't hidden and should and could have and probably was caught by any number of organizations who instead decided to play "gotcha" instead of show brotherly sportsmanship.

I wouldn't say OHSAA "embarrassed" themselves with this rookie mistake. They're athletic administrators doing the best they can. They screwed up. If they embarrassed themselves it was only in their response to the judge's ruling. We had a similar just locally. Those that 'lost" showed class and said they respected the ruling and would just have to work harder to get it right. Isn't that what should have happened here, instead of an obvious vendetta?

 

[cdub4]

I don't know anything about Cleveland Heights. Couldn't tell you the color of their uniforms or their mascot. What I can tell you after watching HS sports for decades is that delaying an exam for a sports trip is never a good thing. Having 3-4 months to prepare for this trip, they should have had all the kids take their exams in the days leading up to their departure. Telling kids they can miss school when they are perfectly healthy and we will make special arrangements for you when you get back is a very bad picture to present as a school that cares about education.

Maybe you are right, maybe this is a good school system that made a very bad mistake. I do have very limited knowledge of this school and I am judging on one event that showed very poor judgement on the coach, AD, Principal, and Superintendents part. I hope they are all embarrassed for the way they handled themselves over this one mistake. But it was their bad mistake that made it into the news cycle. They have no one to blame but themselves.

I have a problem with you making a big assumption/take about a community and a school district then next comment you admit your ignorance about CH and admit you know very little about them and judging on one event LOL.

Judging someone of something on one event with limited knowledge personally seems silly to me but to each their own.

Also I get people seem annoyed or wound up about the whole situation but it is time to let it go. The courts and OHSAA have spoken.

I do not see why people care so much...they are a 17-5 team and a 2 seed...they have a punchers chance to do something.

I can honestly say as a Heights alum if St. Ed's or Mentor or Shaker etc were in the same situation I would follow the story but wouldn't throw a fit and insult another school or district if they won a TRO. Life is too darn short to get all hot and bothered about some HS basketball getting back into a district they aren't even the favorite in.

 

[Irish60]

I have a problem with you making a big assumption/take about a community and a school district then next comment you admit your ignorance about CH and admit you know very little about them and judging on one event LOL.

Judging someone of something on one event with limited knowledge personally seems silly to me but to each their own.

Also I get people seem annoyed or wound up about the whole situation but it is time to let it go. The courts and OHSAA have spoken.

I do not see why people care so much...they are a 17-5 team and a 2 seed...they have a punchers chance to do something.

I can honestly say as a Heights alum if St. Ed's or Mentor or Shaker etc were in the same situation I would follow the story but wouldn't throw a fit and insult another school or district if they won a TRO. Life is too darn short to get all hot and bothered about some HS basketball getting back into a district they aren't even the favorite in.

To be fair, we judge people based upon their worst moments all the time! Also, when I was on the Athletic Board of my kids' grade school , I always stressed to the coaches/parents/players that they are the ambassadors (for lack of a better word) of the school. Often other people will have little or no knowledge of our school and our children. To a great extent, the main contact a lot of people will have with another school is through athletics. How the team conducts itself, how the fans conduct themselves(!), how the coach and administration handle matters, goes a long way in establishing the reputation of a school; because that is what people see. People outside of the school district don't generally have detailed knowledge about what is going on inside of Cleveland Heights, or any other school for that matter. But we do know what is going on with the basketball program because that is out in the open. So, is it fair to judge Heights based upon this one incident? Probably not. But you can't be surprised when that happens.

 

[eastisbest]

To be fair, we judge people based upon their worst moments all the time! Also, when I was on the Athletic Board of my kids' grade school , I always stressed to the coaches/parents/players that they are the ambassadors (for lack of a better word) of the school. Often other people will have little or no knowledge of our school and our children. To a great extent, the main contact a lot of people will have with another school is through athletics. How the team conducts itself, how the fans conduct themselves(!), how the coach and administration handle matters, goes a long way in establishing the reputation of a school; because that is what people see. People outside of the school district don't generally have detailed knowledge about what is going on inside of Cleveland Heights, or any other school for that matter. But we do know what is going on with the basketball program because that is out in the open. So, is it fair to judge Heights based upon this one incident? Probably not. But you can't be surprised when that happens.

Very pragmatic. it's also in my opinion an opportunity to reflect on how quickly we judge. I don't know these people so maybe it was easier for me to challenge the ruling, there were no personal biases. It seemed to me there were several in this conversation quick to try and shut down discussion of the rule and ruling as if they were afraid points could be made the decision faulty or the rule faulty. My experience is that NO decision with major impact should be done without inherent open and critical reflection. We do not grow without that.

 

[Carnac the Magnifice]

It occurred the week of January 6.
It's very nice to see that you're so concerned with the well-being of the Heights students.

Mentor is a pretty big school; much bigger than Cleveland Heights.
In 2018, Mentor had 87 Students in the National Honor Society, while Cleveland Heights had 86 ... not a very big difference.
What good does it do you to insult other school districts?

I agree with you "What good does it do you to insult other school districts?". Both school districts are very good. Comparing numbers of NHS students may or may not be comparing apples to oranges though. From the NHS bylaws: Section 1. Membership in the local chapter is an honor bestowed upon a student. Selection for membership is by a Faculty Council and is based on out- standing scholarship, character, leadership, and service. Once selected, members have the responsibility to continue to demonstrate these qualities. Since membership is bestowed on by a faculty counsel, it is possible for the standards to be different at schools. With that said I believe that Cleveland Heights, Mentor, Solon, Lorain, etc. are probably very similar but it is possible that standards for NHS are different in different schools. I have a friend whose son easily qualified for NHS based on what NHS required but was told that he was not in the top 10% of applications, so he did not make it during his junior year. He was told by another friend who is a teacher at a neighboring much smaller district that everyone who qualifies makes it at that school. He did make it his senior year though. Just trying to show that it may or may not be a good comparison. The basic standards are the same (scholarship, leadership, service, and character) but the requirements could be different in schools. I am sure that faculty counsels are looking for different things at different schools.

 

[eastisbest]

and they are frequently earning those honors under extremely different socio-economic situations. It's not to be discounted in any form. Different standards, sure. Less "honorable," who is to judge?

His point is, who is to insult other school districts? Walk in the shoes. I know many who wouldn't want to teach in a toney district and many who wouldn't want to teach in an urban... each to their own challenges.

I've been by CH a few times when visiting the clinic. To me, compared to where I live CH looks pretty toney but the conversation here seems to say otherwise. I haven't seen further explanation of how CH in anyway embarrassed themselves. Standing on the outside is easier to say we'd do it better, but could we?

OHSAA's (the community) purpose is to promote sportsmanship. I think reflection on this incident may bring ideas on how they can do that even better.

 

[Carnac the Magnifice]

and they are frequently earning those honors under extremely different socio-economic situations. It's not to be discounted in any form. Different standards, sure. Less "honorable," who is to judge?

His point is, who is to insult other school districts? Walk in the shoes. I know many who wouldn't want to teach in a toney district and many who wouldn't want to teach in an urban... each to their own challenges.

I've been by CH a few times when visiting the clinic. To me, compared to where I live CH looks pretty toney but the conversation here seems to say otherwise. I haven't seen further explanation of how CH in anyway embarrassed themselves. Standing on the outside is easier to say we'd do it better, but could we?

OHSAA's (the community) purpose is to promote sportsmanship. I think reflection on this incident may bring ideas on how they can do that even better.

Agree!!!! National Honor Society is National Honor Society. You have elevated yourself above and beyond. A great honor anytime/anyplace.