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Students from Ralph E. Waite Elementary School in Medina display some of the more than 4,700 canned good items collected by the Medina City Schools during the ninth annual Students Conquering Hunger food drive.
(Photo courtesy of Medina City Schools)
MEDINA, Ohio - Students and staff from
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,
and
collected more than 4,700 canned good items during the ninth annual "Students Conquering Hunger" food drive.
The drive benefited three local food pantries: Medina United Methodist Church, Holy Martyrs Catholic Church and the Medina Community Center.
UPS donated a truck and the time of a driver to help deliver the food to the pantries.
Students who participated in the food drive had the chance to win T-shirts, wristbands, pizza parties and other prizes. Two lucky students from each school won a set of Cleveland Cavaliers tickets.
Incentives and prizes were donated by the North Coast Browns Backers, as well as Root 18 Crossfit, Parrish McIntyre Tire Co., Geppetto's, Scapegoat Tattoo, ICandi Graphics, Medina Auto Mall, Rinky Dink Family Fun Center and Courthouse Pizza.
Garfield Elementary School students participate in songwriting workshop
Fourteen students from Garfield Elementary School recently participated in a workshop in which they wrote, sang and recorded original songs.
Last Friday, they performed live for their families, fellow students and staff. Mayor Dennis Hanwell made a special appearance, and the singers were accompanied by Garfield music teacher Nick Dominguez on piano, retired Medina music teacher Emily Semenik on guitar and Eric Metzger of ORMACO on percussion.
This was the second year that the school has been able to offer the songwriting workshop, thanks to a grant from the Willard Stephenson Foundation and collaboration with ORMACO Executive Director Thomas Sigel.
Music therapist Tom Lempner, who works with Cleveland State University's Positive Education Program and is a professor at CSU and the Baldwin-Wallace University Conservatory of Music, directed the students' efforts.
Dominguez and the students met after school once a week to brainstorm and piece together ideas to create their songs. As part of the process, the students learned that hard work and diligence pays off, about performance etiquette and about how music can help them get in touch with their emotions, improve social skills and develop life skills.
The group's two songs are "Billy's Bully Ballad," which focuses on bullying, and "Against All Odds," which focuses on reaching your goals and trying your best even in the face of adversity.