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Going back to school isn't easy
(by Dave Lange - August 25, 2010)
COUNTY LINE, BY DAVE LANGE
Going back to school isn't easy
Now that children are heading back to school, I thought it would be helpful to point the way for newcomers in our area who may not yet know exactly where to go. This can be quite a dilemma, because names of schools and their addresses can be deceiving.
First of all, despite their Chagrin Falls postal address, none of the Kenston schools are actually in the place that is Chagrin Falls. All of the Kenston district's school buildings are located in Bainbridge Township -- in the general vicinity of Snyder Road -- but children from Auburn Township also attend Kenston schools. Kenston used to have an Auburn School in Auburn, but it now is a church. There also once was a Bainbridge School, which became the Kenston Early Learning Center, which was acquired by Bainbridge Township in a land swap and then was pulverized.
Also, some children who live in Bainbridge -- and whose parents may think they live in Chagrin Falls because of the postal address -- do attend Chagrin Falls schools because of some old, confusing delineation of district boundaries. But children who live in the Chagrin Falls Park neighborhood, which is quite close to Chagrin Falls schools, happen to live in Bainbridge and attend Kenston schools. That is not a black-and-white issue, but we'll have to trust our forebears on that.
Next, there's a lot more to the Chardon School District than Chardon. The district has a Munson Elementary School, which is in Munson Township, and a Hambden Elementary School, which is in Hambden Township. Parents should not be fooled by their Chardon postal addresses. Also, part of Munson Township happens to be in the West Geauga School District.
West Geauga once had a Chester School in Chester Township and a Russell School in Russell Township, which provided an indication of where children in those communities should go. But there is a trend to townships taking over old school buildings and tearing them down. Do not be fooled by the Chesterland postal address for most West G schools; it's just a fanciful nickname for Chester. Westwood Elementary School may have a Novelty postal address, but there is no place called Novelty. It's in Russell.
While most children in Russell attend West Geauga, a few of them are in Chagrin Falls schools. If that's not confusing enough, all children in South Russell go to Chagrin Falls schools, and some of their parents are fooled by the Chagrin Falls postal address. There are no South West Geauga schools, but the Chagrin district's Gurney School is in South Russell.
Many children in Moreland Hills, which also has a Chagrin Falls postal address, attend Chagrin schools. But many of them are in the Orange School District, which has a Moreland Hills Elementary School in Moreland Hills and a Pepper Pike Early Childhood Center in Pepper Pike. Orange High School, however, is not in Orange Village.
A few children from Solon attend Orange schools, but the vast majority of them, as well as those in Glenwillow, go to Solon schools.
Despite its Gates Mills postal address, Hawken Upper School is located in Chester Township, but certainly not Chesterland. Gilmour Academy really is in Gates Mills. Gates Mills School also is in Gates Mills, which is part of the Mayfield School District. University School's Upper School is in Hunting Valley, although its Chagrin Falls postal address can be confusing.
For parents who still can't find their children's schools, don't worry. Your school-tax collectors will find you.
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