Parma City honors student-athletes and support staff at April board meeting

The Parma City School District used part of its April 9 board meeting for celebratory recognitions, honoring student-athletes across multiple sports and thanking paraprofessionals and library staff.

District athletic director Chris Madaglia and Dr. Cruz invited wrestling, basketball, swimming, hockey and cheer teams and coaches to the stage; the board applauded students who qualified for district and state competitions. Coaches and dozens of student names were read aloud as athletes were invited forward for photographs.

Following athletic recognitions, Dr. Early led a staff spotlight noting that the first Wednesday of April is Paraprofessional Appreciation Day and thanking special-education assistants, classroom assistants and media specialists for their work supporting students. The board played short slideshow and video segments and asked those staff members to stand for recognition.

Board members praised the role of extracurriculars and support staff in students’ development and scheduled retiree recognitions for future meetings. The meeting also included announcements about an upcoming 'state of the schools' presentation on April 28 at Valley Forge High School.