Kirtland Chronicle 1-8-2021

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Volume 7, No. 6

Friday, January 8, 2021

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CHRONICLE ONICLE ND KIR TLA

All Hail to the State Champions

ND KIR TLA

CHRONICLE

The City of Kirtland long has been known as “The City of Faith and Beauty,” but it might need to add “Champions,” as the Kirtland Hornets football team won its sixth state title last season — third consecutive and 41st consecutive game — with a 38-0 shutout over Ironton in Div. V, and the girls soccer team celebrated Erika Zschuppe’s extra-time strike to win its first Division III state championship, 3-2, over Cincinnati Country Day at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus.

KBOE Bids Farewell to Three Stalwarts

By Magdalene Pesch news@kirtlandchronicle.com

At the Dec. 14 Kirtland Schools Board of Education meeting, the district commended three retirees: Jean Powell, secretary at the Kirtland Middle School; Dale Stickle, mechanic for the district; and Terri Pennza, educational assistant at the middle school.

“Mrs. Powell has been a dedicated employee who deserves recognition for 25 years of service to the Kirtland Local Schools,” said Superintendent Chad VanArnhem.

“Her ability to forge strong relationships has made a huge impact that made sure that KMS ran smoothly each day.”

VanArnhem said Powell, a Kirtland graduate, worked in the district as a cafeteria aide before settling at the middle school. He also noted she has attended many professional conferences and chaperoned many school trips.

“We would like to thank Jean Powell for her positive impact, loyalty and dependability for a wonderful community,” he said. “We wish you well during your retirement and congratulations.”

High School Principal Scott Amstutz likened Powell to “a consistent staple to the clime and culture of KMS.” “When I first got here nine

SUBMITTED

At the Dec. 14 Kirtland Schools Board of Education meeting, the district commended retiree Jean Powell, secretary at the middle school, top, Dale Stickle, bus mechanic, and Terri Pennza, educational assistant at the middle school.

years ago, Jean kind of just gave me ‘the law of the land’ and her institutional knowledge,” said Amstutz.

“With everything that she brought to the table, with that smile every single day, that was really good for me, to (help me) make decisions and do some of the things that I just didn’t really have any idea (how to) until I got to work with her.

“She is truly an amazing person who really thought of everyone except herself,” Amstutz added. “I always said, ‘Choose happiness,’ and, Jean, I want you to live, love and laugh with those grandchildren.”

Sixth-through-eighth-grade Assistant Principal David Leone said Powell would be missed because of

her “warm personality, her biting comments and her humming and ho-humming.” “Anyone who’s spent even a little bit of time at KMS knows exactly what I’m talking about,” he said lightheartedly. “We wish her well on a well-earned retirement. I know she’s looking forward to spending more time with her family, especially her grandchildren, and looking forward to the next adventure. Who knows? Maybe we’ll even be able to convince her to come back to Kirtland and be a substitute secretary at some point. Though I know she’ll tell me, ‘Don’t rush me on that.’”

Powell thanked everyone for their comments.

Stickle

Pennza

“I have had a fantastic 25 years at Kirtland Schools,” she said. “I loved every minute of it and I still do, but I am ready to move on to the next phase of my life, just to see what it has to offer. I will cherish the memories that I truly have, because I do have a lot of wonderful memories of Kirtland Schools. But keep in touch. Don’t forget me. It really truly, truly has been a pleasure working with all of you all of these years.”

See Schools • Page 14

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Wishing You a Joyous Holiday Season with Peace and Blessings in the New Year

Howard Hanna Kirtland & Chesterland Area Office 12668 Chillicothe Rd., Chesterland, OH 44026 • (440) 729-1600

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Kirtland’s girls soccer team claimed the Div. III state championship with a 3-2 overtime victory over undefeated Cincinnati Country Day at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus. It was the first state championship in program history. Junior forward Erika Zschuppe scored all three Hornets goals in the win.

Kirtland’s State Title Caps Off Challenging Year

By Steve Hare OhioVarsity.com Back on Nov. 13, just moments before Erika Zschuppe scored in overtime to seal Kirtland’s Division III state championship, I caught a glimpse of head coach Ed Bradac.

He was crouched down watching the Hornets line up for a corner kick.

For a minute, I drifted back in time and remembered a conversation I had with him last November when his wife, Carol, was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer. That call came during the week of Kirtland’s 2019 state semifinal game against Liberty-Benton.

The Hornets lost, 2-1, ending a streak of two consecutive trips to the state championship game.

It wasn’t an easy time for the Bradacs, and it still isn’t, especially amid a global health pandemic, but the state championship won earlier this month certainly carries with it additional meaning for the coach and his family, which consists both of blood relatives and all of the girls who have played for Bradac over his nearly two decades in coaching.

“Last year was rough,” Bradac said. “I told the girls (before the 2020 state championship game), the day before our game against Liberty-Benton last year, I was at the hospital with my wife and they were draining two liters of fluid out of her lung. I just wasn’t there. This year was different. I was all in.”

Carol Bradac has endured a lot over the course of the year, yet she served as her husband’s inspiration to lead his other family during a challenging 12 months.

“I think that’s such a success story and it doesn’t always happen,” Coach Bradac said.

“We rallied around my wife a lot. I brought her up in my conversations as we got further and further in the tournament.”

The morning the Hornets left for MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus, Carol Bradac shared with her husband a devotional as well as a prediction of sorts.

“This is a time of abundance in your life,” the devotional read. “Your cup runneth over with blessings.”

Coach Bradac continued reading, his mind trying to piece together the puzzle his wife had provided.

“Sometimes my children hesitate to receive my good gifts with open hands. Feelings of false guilt creep in, telling them they

don’t deserve to be so richly blessed. This is nonsense-thinking because no one deserves anything from me. My kingdom is not about earning and deserving; it’s about believing and receiving.”

The message was clear.

Kirtland earned its shot at the state title but the Hornets weren’t going to be handed a gold medal. They’d have to earn it and that started with believing they could beat the back-to-back defending state champs.

“The one line I read was basically this, it’s not about earning and deserving, it’s about believing and receiving,” Coach Bradac said. “I felt like that was part of our message.

We were deserving, so why not go out there and say, ‘Why not us?’”

Coach Bradac shared that message with his players.

He also reminded them of the inspiration they had drawn from within their own extended family.

See Soccer • Page 7

Friday, January 8, 2021

Kirtland Chronicle

Soccer

from page 6 “She deals with her cancer and it’s a fight every day,” Coach Bradac said of his wife. “I know no stronger woman and so that’s why I put her up on that pedestal to show the girls that if this is what my wife is doing every day, (playing this game) is nothing. We are blessed to be able to do what we do. It was awesome to wake up to this and it was almost like a premonition on her end. She was like, ‘I know you’re going to win. I know you are.’”

The Hornets did win and they did it by rallying around each other the same way they did when Carol was diagnosed with cancer a year ago.

“When our family found out that my wife had Stage IV lung cancer, they literally rallied around us,” Coach Bradac said. “I came home the one night and four of my former players were sitting in my family room with my wife, visiting with her and checking on her to see how she was.”

It was at that moment—though he knew long before—that Bradac realized the secret to his program’s success.

“Those players that turn into quality adults show the character of the kids who play for us,” Bradac said. “It’s emotional because they know how much she means to me and they basically showed me how much she means to them.”

In the eight years I have known Coach Bradac, he often refers back to the beginning of Kirtland girls’ soccer.

Bradac began his coaching career in the late 1990s as the head coach of the Kirtland boys’ team. He was a bright-eyed 21-year old who returned to his hometown high school and he has used a similar recipe to develop a powerhouse program just a stone’s throw from the house where he grew up.

“I’m a Kirtland kid,” Bradac said. “I talk about it all the time; I’m a full-circle kid. I went to Kirtland Middle School. My wife went to Kirtland and she grew up here. It always comes back to, for me, we have amazing kids that come from great parents.”

After a short stint as an assistant coach at Perry, Bradac returned to Kirtland to serve as John Valentic’s assistant coach with the Kirtland boys.

He took over the Kirtland girls’ program in 2004, its second year of existence.

“I always say this and I feel like it’s a cliché, but I’m so happy for our girls’ program going back to that first group of girls we had,” he said. “I always joke, ‘Give us your tired, your poor, your hungry.’ When we first started the program, we would have taken anybody and now, we’re the sport the girls want to play in the fall and they get excited to be around our team and that has affected the growth of our program and the growth of the girls who have come through.”

Bradac and Valentic worked side by side to grow their programs but also to find new and innovative ways to sustain them.

The two worked closely together and

shared in each other’s successes.

Kirtland’s girls’ team reached the state Final Four for the first time in 2015. Valentic was there.

Bradac was there to support Valentic when the Kirtland boys reached the state semifinals in 2018.

And Valentic was there last year when Bradac was torn between his wife’s illness and trying to get the Hornets back to the state championship game.

“He was so important last year,” Bradac said of Valentic. “He was a rock. We wouldn’t have gotten to the Final Four without him last year. He was so incredibly helpful.”

Valentic even helped to prepare the girls for their 2020 state championship game against a physical Country Day team.

“We had several of the boys come in and stand in as the Country Day players when we did corner kicks. We had to defend them and then they had to defend us. It was awesome and the boys had so much fun helping us,” Bradac said. “John did that and I know he was so emotional the day we won, like I will be for him. You asked what makes a great program, that’s also what makes a great program, this camaraderie between the boys’ and girls’ programs.”

And that’s why Bradac was so emotional when he ran into Valentic moments after the state championship game win.

“One of the best moments for me was John walked out on the field,” he said. “We have always talked and the messages we have shared over the years and the trips we’d take to Columbus together, him being the head coach and me being the assistant coach for the boys, we sat there and watched Wickliffe playing in the state championship and we said, ‘Why not us?’”

Why not us?

There it is again. His wife’s game day devotional kept creeping up in the discussion.

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See Title • Page 11

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Kirtland’s Erika Zschuppe Named D3 Player of Year

By Steve Hare OhioVarsity.com With three goals in Kirtland’s 3-2 win over Cincinnati Country Day in the Division III state championship game on Nov. 13, junior Erika Zschuppe proved she was the best player in the Buckeye state.

On Nov. 20, the Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches’ Association confirmed it by naming Zschuppe the Division III Player of the Year.

“Being named Ohio D3 Player of the Year is an honor and an affirmation of all the time and effort I put into this sport,” Zschuppe said. “My parents always told me that hard work is rewarded and there are no freebies in life. God gave me speed, but any player has to work really hard to develop any skills or talent. My dad had a ball at my feet since I could walk and dedicated thousands of hours training me, so this award is extra special to me and a tribute to him.”

Zschuppe closed out the year with 53 goals and 11 assists. She now has 122 goals and 28 assists in her three-year career at Kirtland.

With Zschuppe on the roster, the Hornets are 56-9-3 overall with three state Final Four appearances, two state championship games and the school’s first-ever state title.

“At the beginning of the year, each player sets a team goal and an individual goal,” Kirtland coach Ed Bradac said. “Erika’s team goal was to win a state championship for the seniors. Her individual goal was to break her scoring record from the previous year, so mission accomplished. She is truly a special player and deserving of being named the Di-

vision III Player of the Year for the state of Ohio.”

Earning the state’s Player of the Year award capped off a surreal week for Zschuppe and her teammates.

After taking a 1-0 lead over Country Day in the first half of the state championship game, the Indians scored two goals within 35 seconds of each other early in the second half.

Zschuppe scored the equalizer two minutes later and then scored the game-winner in overtime. She became just the second player in Division III title game history to score three goals in the final.

“Going into the state championship game, I felt good about it,” Zschuppe said. “I already had it in my head that we were going to win. I dreamt that I scored the golden goal in OT. To actually do that and score the other two goals for a hat trick in the finals was surreal. It didn’t sink in until much later. We did it, we won the first girls’ soccer state championship in school history, and then to win Ohio D3 Player of the Year, I can’t explain the emotions. Happiness, excitement, gratitude; more excitement.”

Despite the graduation of several seniors from last season, Zschuppe was confident the Hornets still had enough firepower to not only return to the state championship game, but to finally get over the hump and win the title.

“After we graduated some key seniors last year, I think everyone thought there was no way we could get to states again, but I knew that we still had some great players returning and I knew we had to keep training and

STEVE HARE/OHIOVARSITY.COM

Kirtland’s Erika Zschuppe was named D3 Player of the Year by the Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches’ Association.

sharpening our skills,” Zschuppe said. “Our summer workouts helped us strengthen our bodies but also helped us strengthen even more as a team. A few games into the season,

everyone was commenting on how well we played together. There was more communication, more cohesion, we played as a unit.

See Zschuppe • Page 11

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Kirtland Dominant in 6th Title, 3rd Straight

By Steve Hare OhioVarsity.com Depending on the perspective, Kirtland’s state championship game rematch with Ironton was a dud.

The Hornets, who beat Ironton for the 2019 Division V state title, 17-7, dominated the second half on Nov. 21 on the way to a 38-0 pounding of the Tigers.

“We played our best in all three phases,” Kirtland coach Tiger LaVerde said. “We made a field goal, all our extra points, our punt team, special teams, offense, defense, we finally put it together.”

From the Kirtland perspective, a highly anticipated game turned into a Hornet rout and from Ironton’s perspective, it wasn’t supposed to go that way.

The Tigers entered the game 11-0 with vengeance on their mind. For most of the first half, it looked like Kirtland vs. Ironton Part II was going to live up to its billing.

Both teams punted on their first offensive possessions of the game and after holding the Tigers on a 4th-and-1 at their own 29, the Hornets drove to the Tiger 13, where they settled for a 30-yard Mario Rodin field goal.

Ironton picked up a pair of first downs on its ensuing possession but again the Kirtland defense held and forced a punt.

The Hornets drove to the Tiger 34, where they faced a 3rd-and-7.

Liam Powers, who completed 9-of-14 passes for 94 yards, connected with Joey Grazia along the sideline for a 23-yard gain.

The catch originally was ruled incomplete

STEVE HARE/OHIOVARSITY.COM

QB Liam Powers hands the ball to Anthony Demarco during the Kirtland Hornets 38-0 Div. V win over Ironton. It was the sixth state title for the Hornets and third in three seasons.

but after an instant replay review, the call was overturned as Grazia had tapped his toe in bounds while hauling in the ball with his right hand.

Four plays later, Powers dove into the end zone from one yard out to push Kirtland’s lead to 10-0.

Kirtland owned the second half.

Mason Sullivan ran for a 17-yard touchdown on Kirtland’s first offensive possession of the game to make it 17-0. Two plays later, Nick Schwartz somersaulted over a lineman to recover an Ironton fumble and Sullivan threw a 50-yard touchdown to his brother

Gage on the very first offensive snap after the turnover.

Kirtland’s defense forced another Ironton punt and Anthony DeMarco ran for an 8-yard touchdown to increase Kirtland’s lead to 31-0 with 4:55 left in the third quarter.

Danny Davidson closed out the scoring with an 18-yard touchdown reception.

“I don’t know that they could have played much better,” LaVerde said. “Defensively, offensively, we missed a couple of open guys in play-action early in the game but that catch

by Grazia and that score, 10-0 coming out in the second half, that first drive to get to 17

and they fumbled and we scored right away.

24-0, that was a big momentum switch. Mason had that run to make it 17-0, I think he put his hand down about five times. That was an incredibly athletic run.”

Mason Sullivan ran for a game-high 129 yards on 19 carries.

The Hornets outgained the Tigers, 40858. Kirtland allowed just seven yards of offense in the second half.

Ironton had just four second-half drives that resulted in two fumbles lost, an intercepSee Football • Page 11

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Football from page 10

tion and a punt while Kirtland scored on four of its five offensive possessions and ran out the clock on its last drive.

“They had six or seven Division I kids and we held them to 50 yards and we had over 400 yards,” LaVerde said. “We have some good players. Mason and Gage are very good. Joey Grazia is extremely good.

They do everything you ask them to do as a coach. It says it’s about team. It’s about the kids loving each other, growing up together in elementary school and working hard for each other.”

The game ended with Schwartz dragging three Ironton defenders on the way to an 11yard run.

That individual effort from Schwartz summed up Kirtland’s performance as a

Zschuppe from page 9

We wanted to play for each other and when you come together like that, you can make things happen. We were the underdog going into the (championship) game and each one of us played for each other and played our best game of the season.”

Once again, Kirtland will graduate several key seniors but Zschuppe will return with several other starters and key contributors.

And again, the Hornets are dreaming big.

“Each season, you have to build and learn from the last season,” Zschuppe said. “You can’t start the season thinking there’s no way you’ll accomplish what you did last year. Maybe we will, maybe we won’t, but we already started talking about next year. We actually

Title

from page 7 It was time for Bradac to stop wondering.

The Hornets had their opportunity. They earned it.

“What makes us good?” Bradac repeated my question.

“We have figured out a formula,” he said.

“What does it take to win? How we prepare them, starting in the summer and culminating in a state championship, that’s part of that formula. We convince kids at such a young age that it’s cool to be part of our program and we stick with a simple phrase. ‘If this isn’t fun, we don’t want you here.’ Our kids have fun. As much as we stress winning, we stress family and fun and those things that make us better humans in the end.”

Sure, winning is fun, but in the end, Bradac knows his job as a coach extends beyond the wins and losses.

“It’s not enough to win games,” he said.

“It’s who are you going to be five, 10 and 15 years from now. That’s why it’s so special for me when I hear back from all of the former players from people in Arizona to people in Chicago and Florida and Pittsburgh who are texting me and saying what a great job it was and how proud they were to be a part of the program. The feeling is that we’re so deserving of it because of the amount of time and effort and energy we put into this over the years.”

Within a couple of hours after winning the state title, Bradac had well over 200 text messages from former players, other coaches, and friends who all have grown to respect

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team. The Hornets refused to lose.

“Every play, they do their best from the first play to the last play,” LaVerde said.

“That’s kind of their thing and they try not to get worn down and they didn’t tonight. We made the plays when we’ve had to.”

With the win, Kirtland collected its sixth state championship in 10 years and extended its winning streak to 41 games.

As always, the Hornets won’t waste any time preparing for next season even if they won’t focus on the streaks.

“Those kids that are going to be playing next year, they’ll be in (on Sunday),” LaVerde said. “They’ll be doing what they’ve got to do in the offseason. We’re not even going to bring that up. I don’t know who we play Week 1 next year but that will be our focus. If you think about those other things, then it never happens; it doesn’t happen. You’ve got to think about what you’ve got to do that day to make yourself a better player.” rewatched our state game together on Sunday. We talked about the mistakes we made during the game, what we need to work on for next season, what gaps we need to fill. As a senior next year, I’ll have to lead the way our senior captains did this year. Those are big shoes to fill, but I believe in our team and I believe in our program.”

Zschuppe enters her senior season as Kirtland’s all-time leading goal scorer and it isn’t close.

She has 122 career-goals scored, nearly twice that of Cassie Kiplinger, who is second all-time with 66 goals.

Zschuppe also is atop Kirtland’s leaderboard for goals scored in a single season. In fact, she holds the top three spots with 53 goals in 2020, 36 in 2019 and 33 in 2018.

Kiplinger is fourth with 25.

Bradac and his efforts to promote his program and soccer as a whole.

There is no real secret to Kirtland’s success and Bradac will be the first to admit it.

It starts with the people.

It’s the consistency among the coaching staff—Bradac and assistant coach Julie Madden have coached together for the duration of his tenure at Kirtland.

It’s the players who don’t want to let down their teammates. It’s the parents who buy into the process and support the program regardless of their own child’s position or standing on the team “If we go 8-8, I’m still going to have amazing kids with great parents,” Bradac said. “So now you go 19-1-3 and you have amazing kids and great parents and a state championship, there is nothing else to it. If you look at our facilities and look at where we play, they’re not state of the art. They’re not even close.

You don’t need those things to be successful.

What you need is the people and we’re very blessed to have the people in this community that support us day in and day out.”

The Hornets won the state title on Nov. 13, 2020, but Kirtland’s run to that championship started nearly two decades prior. The 2003 squad had its part in that championship the same way as the 2015 squad and every other team that helped to pave the way for the 2020 Hornets.

And now, future Hornets will be inspired by those who came before.

The road back to the state championship game will be lined with its own set of challenges but after the Bradac-led Hornets endured so much to win the 2020 title, they’ll head into next season asking, “Why not us?”

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Kirtland Library The Kirtland Public Library is located at 9267 Chillicothe Road. Hours are Monday-Thursday from 9am to 8pm; Friday-Saturday from 9am to 5pm. For more information about any of these programs or to register, please call the library at 440-256-7323 or visit www.kirtland.lib.oh.us.

all the fascinating details.

Please call the library to register and the Zoom invite will be emailed out to you before the program.

Winter Reading Coming

Jan. 29 • 11 a.m.

For families with children age 5 and under. Join us for a virtual dance party on Zoom.

Let loose, get moving and be silly.

Please call the library to register and the Zoom invite will be emailed out to you before the program.

Winter Reading for all ages. Watch for more information.

Virtual Hot Chocolate Bombs

Jan. 13 • 3:30 p.m.

For kids in grades 6-12. We will provide the supplies and show you how to make your very own fun and delicious hot chocolate bombs.

Supplies will be available at the children’s desk beginning Jan. 7.

Please call the library to register and the Zoom invite will be emailed out to you before the program.

Owl Diaries

Jan. 16 • 11 a.m.

Kids in grades K-5, discuss this book series and enjoy fun activities. Make sure to pick up your activity bag at the library the week before the program.

Please call the library to register and the Zoom invite will be emailed out to you before the program.

Let’s Talk About It Book Discussion

Jan. 25 • 7 p.m.

Read and discuss “The Fountains of Silence” by Ruta Sepetys.

This is a Zoom meeting. Please call the library and the Zoom invite will be emailed out to you before the program.

Murder Most Foul!

Jan. 27 • 6:30 p.m.

Presented by the James A. Garfield National Historic Site. The turn of the last century brought two of the most shocking murders in our history. Surprisingly, each case involved a famous American architect. Hear

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Virtual Do Re Me and You Dance Party

Tuesday Family Storytime

Tuesdays • 10 a.m.

Great stories, songs, rhymes and more.

Please call the library to register and the Zoom invite will be emailed out to you before the program.

Wednesday Lapsit

Wednesdays • 10 a.m.

Storytime for the youngest among us and their favorite adult. This very interactive storytime, designed for families with children under the age of 3, includes bounces, tickles, one book and ends with scarf and shaker activities.

Please call the library to register and the Zoom invite will be emailed out to you before the program.

Challenge: Read 21 Books in 2021

Join this year’s reading challenge and read 21 books throughout the year. Pick up your 2021 reading log at the Adult Reference Desk at the library and read one book in each of the 21 categories. Return your completed form to the library and be entered into the prize drawing.

Prizes awarded in January 2022.

We can also email the form to you. Just call the library at 440-256-7323 and give us your email address.

Happy Reading!

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Kirtland Chronicle

Schools from page 1

VanArnhem next introduced Sickle, who had been with the district for 16 years. He worked his way from substitute bus mechanic to full-time bus mechanic and also drove buses as a substitute.

“Dale has attended several training sessions over the years and has been passionate about getting things done right the first time,” said VanArnhem.

“We’re a family in the transportation department and Dale is going to be sadly missed and hard to replace,” added Director

of Transportation Sheila Dikowicz. “Dale is our ever-watchful patriarch. He is the first to lend a hand and he is generous to a fault. He helps dig our busses out of three feet of snow and he goes above and beyond for ‘his girls,’ and he’s quick to laugh. His bark is worse than his bite and he’s protective of all of us.”

Dikowicz said Sickle keeps tabs on everyone he works with, as well as their children and families.

“He’s quick to lend a hand to help during hard times. His kindness knows no bounds,” she said. “He has a wicked sense of humor and is a true musical talent in his band.”

Addressing him directly, she added: “You, Dale, live by an amazing code, shown by your

work ethic and your passion for life. You treated everyone you worked with like family, you celebrated in our success and loved us in our sadness.”

Stickle expressed gratitude for the commendations.

“I’ll have a lot of fond memories, especially with some of the kids and things they said when I drove busses,” he said. “I had some comments from children at times that were like, ‘Wow! I didn’t even know they recognized who I was.’ I was ‘Mr. Dale.’”

Sickle plans to go back to doing some custom work on motorcycles and the like, he said.

“I’ll stop up (at the school district) occasionally,” he added. “I won’t be a stranger.”

VanArnhem said Pennza had been an educational aide with the district for 15 years.

“She developed a strong relationship with her children and could always get the most out of them each and every day,” he said.

Director of Pupil Services Becky Malinas added, “Terri has worked with many students

who have special abilities and was always able to provide them with the additional care and support they needed.”

She said Pennza was her students’ “number-one cheerleader.”

“She always helped new educational assistants and guided them along,” Malinas said.

“She always made sure that every student had the support needed to be successful. Terri’s energy and dedication each and every day has transformed our children’s lives forever.

Because of her extreme love and passion for children, Terri has helped many Kirtland students overcome road blocks and accomplish their goals. We are sincerely grateful for Terri’s never-ending commitment to her students’ growth.”

Pennza said it was been a wonderful 15 years.

“I enjoy every time in the morning, going in, saying, ‘I’m going to school,’” she said. “I never said I was going to work. I said I was going to school. This isn’t the end. I’ll come in hopefully to sub and see everybody again.”

A Note from the Mayor Let me start by welcoming you all to the new year and the promise of better things to come for our great city.

2020 certainly presented its challenges, but with hard work and a commitment to making tough decisions, the City of Kirtland stands at the ready for a brighter and more prosperous year ahead. In order to create more opportunity, we still have a lot of work to do and cannot lose focus on what the end goal should always be: to cultivate the most efficient and deliberate government for our taxpayers without wavering on safety and services.

As our 2020 financials are closing out, I am proud to report that our city government spent $300,000 less than originally budgeted (excluding CARES Act funding). We should all be proud of the hard work and tough de-

cisions that spurred these savings. It is our commitment to the residents to approach 2021 with the same principles that led to the fiscal success of this past year.

The new year also holds the promise of city council working together to develop and recommend a true road funding solution.

Recently, Council President Rich Lowery appointed a special committee of city council to develop and ultimately recommend a funding strategy for our city’s failing roads. Chaired

by Councilman Matthew Schulz, this group will work with three committed residents to suggest the best way to finance the comprehensive road plan developed by our service director and city engineer.

The groups will consider funding mechanisms as prepared by the city’s finance director, as well as any alternatives developed along the way. I am confident these newly-appointed teams will collaborate to deliver a well-reasoned funding solution.

Later this month (date and time to be announced), the City of Kirtland will host a community Zoom forum for our Old Town residents regarding the upcoming sanitary sewer project. This meeting will be hosted by myself, Councilwoman Kelly Wolfe, Engineer Doug Courtney, Service Director Joe Fornaro and representatives from the Lake County Utilities Department. The purpose of the meeting will be to answer questions from our residents related to the scope, timeline, cost and financing of the project. For those residents unable to participate in Zoom, we will make representatives of our city government available for phone calls, in person or small group meetings.

In closing, thank you for your support of each other and our community throughout the challenges of 2020. May we continue to work together in the spirit of a better Kirtland.

Mayor Kevin Potter

Friday, January 8, 2021

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Kirtland Chronicle

Help Wanted Farm help in Huntsburg.

440-636-5747.

Classifieds AUTOS & PARTS

PETS & ANIMALS

Cash for Junk Vehicles: running or not, classics/big trucks/etc., free removal, call/text Zac 440-679-7293.

Gypsy – young-adult female tabby needs new indoor home. Prefers to be an only cat. Very social, very sweet, spayed, vaccinated. 440-321-2485.

FOR RENT

MANCAN IS NOW HIRING GENERAL LABOR AND SKILLED TRADES IN LAKE, GEAUGA, CUYAHOGA AND ASHTABULA COUNTIES

REAL ESTATE

For Lease Burton: Small Gatehouse apartment on our farm. 1 bedroom. AC, large attached garage, laundry hook ups. Smoking prohibited. $650 per month.

440-221-0649

INVEST OR LIVE Here- 2bdr. condo, Colonial Park, Chardon. New carpet, hardwood, luxury vinyl. Private end unit. $77,900 Call 440-632-8334.

FOR SALE

SERVICES John’s Plumbing: Affordable and reliable. Water heaters, toilets, faucets, drain cleaning, gas lines, sump pumps, well tanks. 440-285-0800.

Offering special discounts for interior and exterior painting and staining this season. 20 years experience. Professional and insured. Call Dan, 440-342-4552.

To apply, stop into the office Monday - Thursday, 9am to 3pm.

Be sure to bring 2 forms of ID. A resume is encouraged.

Joe Eicher doing roofing, siding, remodeling, cleanout houses, we do most anything, Call between 8am and 4pm, 440813-4272. No answer, leave message.

220 Center St. Ste B-2 Chardon, OH 44024 440-285-5627

WANTED TO BUY Two Used JL Audio 12W6v2 Subs, Two Used Pioneer Mono PDX-M6 Amps. All Wiring Included. Excellent Condition.

Priced To Sell. $300. Text 440-552-4400.

Brown eggs from free range hens, no antibiotics, no hormones. $3/doz. 13137 St Rt 608 Claridon. Some deliveries available. 440-636-5747

Old fishing tackle wanted: fishing lures (wood or plastic), tackle boxes, wooden duck decoys. Call Lee at 440-313-8331.

Wanted ‘65-‘67 Mustang Convertible, and other muscle cars needing repair, call/ text 440-832-1465.

Buying all Stanley Bailey planes and machinist tools. Call Karl at 440-812-3392.

Vintage Withington toboggan 8ft with pad, DeWalt 1-3/4 hp motor table saw w/ extend table, mobile base execellent condition, 440-834-1850.

Service Directory

Antique humpback chests, $89, $169; Glider/Rocker maple $394 new asking $69, $98; antique english sideboard $285 walnut, marble. 440-338-3563.

GARAGE/ESTATE SALES If you need to have a moving sale or estate sale call Kathy Willis at 440-8403226, partial estate buyouts also.

• CLASSIFIED DEADLINE IS FRIDAY AT NOON • 440-729-7667 •

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Kirtland Chronicle

Friday, January 8, 2021