Up to the minute articles touting our latest accomplishments.
December 20, 2019
Middleburg Heights, OH – Prospective students and community members are invited to attend the annual Polaris Open House on Tuesday, January 14, 2020, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. During this event, visitors will have the opportunity to explore Polaris career-technical programs, see the newly renovated building, tour state-of-the-art labs and classrooms, meet with instructors and experience the future of career-technical education. High school and adult education staff will be on hand to answer all enrollment related questions, walk prospective adult students through the financial aid process and help students get registered. The event will also feature FREE refreshments, door prizes and a special gift for those who enroll in a Polaris program that night. Polaris offers a wide variety of career-technical programs that serve middle school, high school and adult students. Programs serve residents from the Berea, Brooklyn, Fairview Park, North Olmsted, Olmsted Falls, and Strongsville City School Districts. Polaris is located at 7285 Old Oak Boulevard in Middleburg Heights. For additional information, visit www.polaris.edu/events or call (440) 891-7600. ###
Middleburg Heights, OH – Prospective Polaris students are invited to attend the Polaris Registration Night on Thursday, November 21, 2019, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. During this event, students and parents will have the opportunity to:
Polaris offers a wide variety of career-technical programs that serve middle school, high school and adult students. Programs serve residents from the Berea, Brooklyn, Fairview Park, North Olmsted, Olmsted Falls, and Strongsville City School Districts. If interested in enrolling now for next school year, high school sophomores and eleventh graders (considering senior only programs) can apply online at www.polaris.edu/register. Students who submit an online application prior to or during Registration Night will receive a FREE gift. While this event is intended for high school students who are interested in attending Polaris next year, it is open to the general public who may want to explore the newly renovated building. Polaris is located at 7285 Old Oak Boulevard in Middleburg Heights. For additional information, visit www.polaris.edu, email ccrisler@polaris.edu or call (440) 891-7732. ###
October 23, 2019
Middleburg Heights, OH – The Polaris Culinary Arts & Restaurant Management program and Polaris Board of Education Member, Fred Szabo, were recently honored at the Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA) Fall Conference in Wadsworth. The Culinary Arts & Restaurant Management program received the OSBA Northeast Region’s 2019 Most Outstanding JVS and Vocational program. Szabo was honored with the Roger Samuelson Award of Board Excellence. The Culinary Arts & Restaurant Management program at Polaris has a long history of excellence. Many former students have earned related college degrees and/or pursued distinguished careers in the restaurant and hospitality industry. Program instructor, Chef Chris Olszewski, fosters an environment of respect, passion and opportunity for all students, and his dedication to promoting the culinary industry is unmatched. He spends countless hours after school and over holiday breaks to ensure his students are prepared for skills competitions - their success is unparalleled. Polaris Career Center’s Culinary Arts & Restaurant Management program captured nine out of ten Ohio ProStart Invitational culinary championships, three Invitational management championships and back-to-back National ProStart Invitational culinary championships. These competitions not only give students a platform to showcase their culinary talents, but they also open the door to college scholarship opportunities. Each year the students earn hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships to renowned culinary schools throughout the United States. Olszewski's excellence as a teacher has not gone unnoticed. He is the recipient of the 2019 Ohio Board of Education District Five Teacher of the Year Award, a 2018 winner of the National ProStart Educator of Excellence Award, a ten-time Ohio ProStart Teacher of Distinction winner, a two-time ProStart Teacher of Excellence honoree, a two-time recipient of the National Restaurant Association Teacher Excellence Award, a two-time American Culinary Federation Cleveland Chapter Culinary Educator of the Year, an Ohio Restaurant Association (ORA) Outstanding Industry Educator Award winner and was previously honored with the Northeast Ohio Media Group Crystal Apple Award. The Culinary Arts & Restaurant Management students have been recognized for their excellence as well. They have received over 20 resolutions from the Ohio House and Ohio Senate, have been recognized before both chambers over the past several years and earned millions of dollars in college scholarships. The students also fine tune their culinary skills in the popular student-run restaurant, Savour, which serves thousands of residents from the surrounding communities and throughout Northeast Ohio. After graduation, many of these same students continue to work and thrive in the industry right here in Greater Cleveland and across the country. As the recipient of the Roger Samuelson Award for Board Excellence, Fred Szabo was recognized for his lifetime of service to children as a DARE officer and Polaris and Berea City School District Board of Education Member. Szabo has been a member of the Polaris Board for eight years, served on the Berea Board for 12 years, was a DARE officer for 14 years and was a police officer for the City of Brook Park for 33 years. For additional information, contact Doug Miller at (440) 891-7609 or email dmiller@polaris.edu ###
September 30, 2019 Middleburg Heights, OH – After more than three years of planning and construction, Polaris Career Center has completed the renovation of its entire Middleburg Heights campus. As a “thank you” to the community, they are opening their doors for all to see on Wednesday, October 16 from noon to 5:00 p.m. This special event will give the public an in-depth look at all new labs, classrooms and common spaces and feature FREE refreshments and self-guided tours of the entire building. This renovation project was made possible thanks to the passage of a 0.69-mill permanent improvement levy in November of 2016. This $58.2 million overhaul includes upgrades of all labs, classrooms, building infrastructure, HVAC systems, building exterior and common spaces. For additional details, call 440-891-7609, email dmiller@polaris.edu or visit www.polaris.edu. ###