(continued next page) 4. Elementary Schools Facilities: The administration recommended that the Board expand the Fairmount facility to make it a Pre-K-through-5 building, taking Bryden and Hilltop offline to convert them to residential development and recreational space/ fields, respectively. The residential development will result in approximately $125,000 extra revenue to the district per year in addition to the sale proceeds. The development of Hilltop into recreational space will provide the community with much needed green space and provide our schools with increased options to address our athletic field overutilization. A newly-formed committee will work with a design firm to further explore this option and present its findings to the board with a final recommendation, at which time the board will make a determination if it wishes to proceed with the consolidation of our elementary programs into one building. It is also important to let you know that while we have stretched our operating dollars, operating levies are inevitable for ALL school districts, including Beachwood. Regardless and separate from the capital issues that will be required to address our elementary and athletic facilities, we will require an operating levy within the next 12-24 months. Please also know that your school board will do what is necessary to ensure that Beachwood Schools remain at the top, meeting and exceeding all challenges presented in the most efficient and effective manner. We act in the best interest of our kids and aim to uphold the highest level of fiduciary duty to our community. As always, we appreciate and thank our administration, faculty and staff for all they do and we thank you – the community – for your unwavering and unparallelled support. We look forward to sharing many more successes with you over the coming year. Sincerely, Fifth graders at Hilltop Elementary School created aliens that could sustain life based on what they learned about the planets they researched during science class. Beachwood High School principal Ed Klein earned his Ph.D. in K-12 education leadership from Kent State University in December, 2014. The topic of his dissertation was the effects of teacher collaboration on distributed leadership practice. Congratulations, Dr. Klein! Mitchel Luxenburg, Board President Beachwood High School received a grant from Farm Credit Mid-America to start a sustainable organic garden in the BHS courtyard, which will be watered by rain barrels and tended by various student groups. The garden will grow vegetables and herbs for culinary students to use in The Bistro, BHS's student-run restaurant that is part of the Mayfield Excel TECC program. February 2015 n Beachwood Buzz 31