Wednesday, April 17, 2024 • Vol. 16 No. 24 • FREE
Cardinal Hires Former Principal to Lead Volleyball Program
Explore Local Greenhouses
By Haley Adams
pages 6-7
sports@karlovecmedia.com
Michael Chaffee, former Jordak Elementary principal from 2020 to 2023, returns with the Huskies to take command over the varsity volleyball program. The familiar face was approved at the Feb. 14 Cardinal Schools Board meeting. “I am very excited to return to Cardinal as the varsity volleyball coach,” Chaffee said on March 13. “I thoroughly enjoyed my three Chaffee years as the principal at Jordak Elementary and working with Cardinal students, staff, and parents.” Coach Chaffee steps into the program with a long career and a lot of success. His career record is 548 wins and 243 losses. His most recent stint was last season as the JV coach for the Bombers of Windham High School. His athletic journey was like none other. Someone who enjoyed basketball, but admitted that he wasn’t See Chaffee • Page 2
Obituaries page 3
Faith Matters page 5
Cardinal Schools page 9 SUBMITTED
Joe Sherman, left, a social studies and science teacher at Cardinal Middle School, has spent many years officiating NCAA hockey.
On the Ice and in the Classroom
By Haley Adams sports@karlovecmedia.com
As Joe Sherman began his 14th year at Cardinal Local Schools this past fall, he’s found pure fun and enjoyment outside of the classroom. Sherman grew up locally in Mentor, where he graduated from Mentor High School. He began his hockey journey at a young age thanks to an after school program where students learn the fundamentals of ice skating.
After the after school program, Sherman began playing hockey with the Mentor Youth Hockey organization after he won Race Day for the skate program after school dating back to 1988. This program allows children to ice skate for an hour and a half where city transportation picks them up at dismissal time and drops them off at the rink. Despite a lack of lessons provided, the program allows students a chance to stay active in a safe arena.
“Hockey has been a passion of mine since I participated in the game as a youth in elementary school,” Sherman said. “I fell in love with skating and the speed of the game, the quick decision making and hard hitting which got me interested in the game. That and it was 1988 and nobody else played hockey. It was a niche sport. I played because my friends didn't.” Once he entered high school, Sherman played for the Cardinals varsity team where they won the
As Wesley Soltis’ senior year is just days away from ending and he thinks about the next stage of his life, there’s no doubt that the senior is admired by not just his classmates, but every person he encounters. The senior, who attends Auburn Career Center for the interactive multimedia program, has also studied the principles of graphic design, photography and professional industry standards. He describes himself as an “artistic, quiet, and yet, creative individual”
who shares a lot of similar interests as his classmates such as watching classic movies, enjoying nature and playing video games. There is something that separates him from his classmates and that is when he was presented with an opportunity of a lifetime. While at Auburn, Soltis could earn up to 21 college credits if he wishes to pursue those courses, while also earning a certificate in CareerSafe OSHA 10-Hour General Industry Training, CompTIA IT Fundamentals Certification, Adobe Certified Associate Photoshop, Premiere ProFlash Professional and InDesign. Students can choose
from a variety of career pathways, including graphic designer, marketing, advertising executive, public relations, multimedia technician, production assistant, game designer, photographer, broadcaster, web designer and social media manager. “My classmate Troy is Jennifer Francisco’s son and he mentioned that I was a good artist. Mrs. Francisco reached out to my mom and asked if I would be interested in drawing a few pictures for something she had in mind to write. I accepted,” said Soltis. “With Wesley, I approached Holly Soltis (Wesley’s mother) first because she is his biggest advo-
Classifieds page 11 Go Ahead...
Toot your own horn!
See Sherman • Page 8
Auburn Senior Illustrates Children’s Storybook By Haley Adams sports@karlovecmedia.com
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cate,” said Francisco. “Troy told me that Wesley could draw really well and even though he works, he still might be interested. After talking with them both, we agreed to move forward with the work.” That “work” was a storybook that was centered around a barn’s point of view. The inspiration came after Jennifer Francisco felt the empathy of seeing seasoned barns being torn down just to rebuild new ones. “I love old barns,” said Francisco. “I used to watch BarnWood Builders a long time ago, and their purpose was to tear down old barns See Artist • Page 4
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