Up to the minute articles touting our latest accomplishments.
July 27, 2020 Middleburg Heights, OH – Now more than ever, job seekers need the right skills to stay ahead of the competition. Polaris Career Center’s 12 Adult Job & Career Training Programs help get students on the fast track to exciting new careers. High school seniors, recent graduates and adults who are exploring job training and career opportunities are invited to attend the Polaris Adult Job and Career Training Program Open House at Polaris on Wednesday, August 5, 2020, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. During this event, attendees can explore adult job and career training program opportunities and learn more about financial aid options, the tuition payment plan and federal student loans that are available to qualified applicants. Visitors are encouraged to tour the newly renovated labs and classrooms and participate in program demonstrations. In addition, Polaris instructors will be available to answer specific program and career related questions. Featured programs will include the following:
Many popular programs fill up quickly so interested students are encouraged to attend the open house to begin the enrollment process. Admission is FREE. For additional details, call Theresa at 440-891-7697, email tliska@polaris.edu or visit www.polaris.edu/openhouse. Please note that COVID-19 safety and social distancing protocols will be adhered to throughout the event. Face masks must be worn by all staff and visitors. Hand washing and/or sanitizing stations will be available throughout the building. All attendees must park in the side parking lot and enter through the atrium. Polaris is located at 7285 Old Oak Boulevard in Middleburg Heights. ###
June 8, 2020 Middleburg Heights, OH – Sarah Eifel, Business Professional & Office Technology, Fairview High School, and Lydia Rabne, Medical Professions, Strongsville High School, were named the Outstanding Seniors for the Polaris Class of 2020. Both are deserving of top honors and plan to make the most of their Polaris experience. The following are bios for the award-winning students: Sarah Eifel has had an impressive two-year run at Polaris! She earned a 4.0+ GPA and received straight A’s in the Business Professional & Office Technology program. She is Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certified in the following areas: Word, Word Expert, Excel, Excel Expert, Access, PowerPoint and Outlook. She is also master certified in Excel. She racked up all kinds of honors at the regional, state and national Business Professionals of America (BPA) competitions including state titles in Banking & Finance and Financial Math & Analysis as a junior and senior. She was elected to one of six statewide Ohio BPA officer positions and was named BPA secretary for the 2019-2020 school year. She placed in the top 20 in the nation out of over 1,720 entries in the Young Entrepreneur Institute Pitch Challenge. She was a Polaris Student Ambassador and a member of the National Technical Honor Society and the National Honor Society. As an ambassador, she served as the MC for the official Polaris building dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony last fall. Throughout her high school career, she juggled a busy academic schedule while continuing to serve the community. She ran track for Fairview High School and volunteered for Key Club, the American Cancer Society, St. Malakai’s Soup Kitchen, Providence House, the Dublin Food Pantry and the Kitty Litter Rescue Group. Sarah’s Business Professional & Office Technology Instructor, Beth Pagan, sings her praises. “Sarah is a person of integrity and determination. Her drive and ambition will make her successful in whatever her endeavors are after graduation.” Sarah has a clear plan to build on her Polaris experience. This fall, she plans to enroll in real estate classes and pursue a business management degree from Cuyahoga Community College. Her long-term goal is to earn a four-year degree in finance and become a real estate agent and real estate investor. She is the proud recipient of the Polaris Educational Foundation scholarship. Lydia Rabne built a strong resume during her time at Polaris. She earned a 4.0 GPA in Medical Professions, was named the Outstanding Program Student as a junior and senior and is a two-year member of the National Technical Honor Society. She maintained perfect attendance both years, was a Polaris Student Ambassador and captured a gold medal in Medical Terminology at this year’s regional SkillsUSA competition. Lydia is the definition of high achiever. She has been enrolled in College Credit Plus classes since she was 13 years old and is a member of Cuyahoga Community College’s Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society! On top of that, she continues to manage a busy work and volunteer schedule. She is active at Grace Church and is a member of the Baldwin Wallace University Women’s Chorus. In addition, she works in the life enrichment department at Kemper House in Strongsville and has worked as a lifeguard at Meadowood Pool and the Strongsville Recreation Center. Her Medical Professions instructor, Liisa Coldiron, raves about Lydia as both a student and as a young adult. “Lydia is not just an outstanding student, she is one of the most outstanding students I have had the pleasure of teaching in 31 years here at Polaris. She is extremely intelligent, but equally important, she is genuinely a warm and caring young woman.” Lydia is on a mission to continue her studies in the healthcare field. She has already earned 37 credit hours from Cuyahoga Community College. She will continue her academic path at Tri-C this fall to pursue an Associate of Arts Degree and an Associate of Applied Science Degree – both in nursing. She then plans to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) at Cleveland State University. She has an interest in both pediatrics and geriatrics and hopes to someday become a nurse practitioner. She is the recipient of the Polaris Educational Foundation and the Tri-C Honors Fellowship scholarships. Twenty-eight Polaris seniors were also named outstanding students in their career-technical programs. This distinction is determined by academic achievement, citizenship, service and extra-curricular activities. Those students, their programs and high schools are listed below:
For additional information, contact Doug Miller at dmiller@polaris.edu or call (440 891-7609. ###
May 14, 2020 Middleburg Heights, OH – Seven students enrolled in the Polaris Career Center Biomedical Science satellite program at Berea-Midpark High School recently competed in the virtual statewide HOSA – Future Health Professionals (formerly Health Occupations Students of America) competition. These competitions test students’ knowledge and hands-on skills in various biomedical disciplines. This year’s competition took place online, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thousands of students from across the state competed this year. Three Polaris juniors placed in the top three and qualified to compete in the HOSA Virtual International Competition. Mia Ashriem took home a state title in Medical Terminology. In this event, Mia completed a 100-item written exam covering select terms common to the health professions and health specialties. Kristen Sperber placed third in Pathophysiology. This challenge also included a 100-question written test which required competitors to apply, analyze, synthesize and evaluate information related to pathophysiology (the study of functional changes that occur within an individual due to a disease or pathologic state). Finally, Julianne Evanko placed third in Extemporaneous Writing. She was given a medical topic and asked to write a paper on the spot with no research time permitted. The international competition will take place June 24-June 27, 2020. For additional information, call Doug Miller at (440) 891-7609 or email dmiller@polaris.edu. ###
May 7, 2020 Middleburg Heights, OH – This spring, Polaris Career Center middle and high school satellite STEM program locations were designated as Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Distinguished Schools and were honored for offering innovative educational opportunities for students. This is the fourth time Polaris has received this honor. Polaris satellite programs currently serve over 3,700 students in each of its partner school districts including Berea, Brooklyn, Fairview Park, North Olmsted, Olmsted Falls and Strongsville. The Polaris middle school programs at Brooklyn, Mayer (Fairview), North Olmsted, Olmsted Falls and Strongsville Middle Schools were recognized for increasing student access, engagement and achievement. This is a special honor as only 176 middle schools across the U.S. received this designation. To be eligible, each school had to meet the following criteria:
Polaris currently offers high school Project Lead the Way classes in Biomedical Sciences and Engineering. These innovative and engaging programs prepare students for college and exciting STEM-related career opportunities. “It is a great honor to recognize Polaris and its partner school districts for their commitment to providing students with an excellent educational experience,” said Dr. Vince Bertram, President and CEO of PLTW. “They should be very proud of their work to ensure students have the knowledge and skills to be career ready and successful on any career path they choose.” About Project Lead the Way Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is a mission-driven organization that is transforming the learning experience for millions of PreK-12 students and thousands of teachers across the U.S. PLTW empowers students to develop in-demand, transportable knowledge and skills through pathways in computer science, engineering, and biomedical science. PLTW’s teacher training and resources support teachers as they engage their students in real-world learning. Approximately 12,200 elementary, middle, and high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia offer PLTW programs. For additional information, contact Doug Miller at dmiller@polaris.edu or (440) 891-7609. ###
May 5, 2020 Middleburg Heights, OH – Polaris Broadcasting & Video Production, Business Professional & Office Technology and Marketing & Entrepreneurship students joined over 900 contestants from all over Ohio to compete at the first ever virtual Business Professionals of America (BPA) State Leadership Conference. Business Professionals of America is the leading Career-Technical Student Organization for young people pursuing careers in business, finance, marketing and information technology. Statewide, there are 9,000 BPA members in 18 regions. Nationally, BPA has over 43,000 members in over 2,300 chapters across 23 states. BPA competitions give students the chance to demonstrate the skills they have mastered in their career-technical training programs. The competition was originally slated to take place in Columbus this spring but was rescheduled as a virtual event, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Below is a summary of all of the Polaris students who placed in the top 10 including the six state champions organized by Polaris program: Broadcasting & Video Production- 1st place - Ashley Boledovic (Sr. Berea-Midpark HS) – Digital Media Production 1st place - Michelle Dranuski (Jr. Berea-Midpark HS) – Graphic Design Promotion 4th place - Kaylee Butler, Aiden Scanlon and Arielle Lyons (All seniors - Berea-Midpark High School) – Broadcast News Production Team Business Professional & Office Technology- 1st place - Sarah Eifel (Sr. Fairview HS) – Financial Math & Analysis 1st place - Logan Sharp (Sr. Olmsted Falls HS) – Administrative Support Research Project Individual 1st place - Akeria Walker (Sr. Brooklyn HS) – Advanced Office Systems and Procedures 1st place - Kevin Wieder (Sr. Strongsville HS) – Advanced Word Processing 2nd place - Jessica Jasilionis (Sr. Brooklyn HS) – Advances Spreadsheet Application 3rd place - Kevin Mei (Jr. Brooklyn HS) – Personal Financial Management 4th place - Hadeel Hasanain (Jr. North Olmsted HS) – Advanced Office Systems & Procedures 4th place - Kevin Mei (Jr. Brooklyn HS) – Financial Math & Analysis Concepts 4th place - Trevor Pavlus (Jr. North Olmsted) – Intermediate Word Processing 5th place - Sarah Eifel (Sr. Fairview HS) – Personal Financial Management 5th place - Sarah Eifel (Sr. Fairview HS) – Administrative Support Concepts 5th place - Kevin Mei (Jr. Brooklyn HS) – Digital Marketing Concepts 7th place - Alex Skoczen (Jr. Berea-Midpark HS) – Intermediate Word Processing 7th place - Therese Walters (Jr. Olmsted Falls HS) – Basic Office Systems & Procedures 8th place - Jessica Desmarais (Sr. Berea-Midpark HS) – Fundamental Spreadsheets Applications 8th place - Alonah Jackson (Jr. Brooklyn HS) – Extemporaneous Speech 8th place - Kevin Mei (Jr. Brooklyn HS) – Administrative Support Concepts 8th place - Ethan Williams (Jr. Olmsted Falls HS) – Payroll Accounting 10th place - Sarah Eifel (Sr. Fairview HS) – Ohio Merit Scholar Marketing & Entrepreneurship- 2nd place - Heaven Santiago (Jr. Berea-Midpark HS) - Fundamental Desktop Publishing 3rd place - Kassidy Hall (sophomore Berea-Midpark HS) - Economic Research Individual In addition, Ava Hollenbeck, a Berea-Midpark sophomore in the Broadcasting & Video Production program, was elected to the statewide officer position of historian. As Ohio BPA historian, she will collect the chapter’s information to store in their records, gather and prepare chapter news and supply information to news outlets. For more information, contact Doug Miller at (440) 891-7609 or email dmiller@polaris.edu. ###