Canfield board on right track to push excellence

Canfield board on right track to push excellence
EDITOR:
The Canfield School District has always prided itself on its "Standard of Excellence." Its recent rating of 27 out of 27 certainly reflects the quality for which the district strives. In an area of the country that is considered by many to be "depressed" and even "backward," Canfield can stand proud as a bastion of academia: strong values, creative and superior teachers, cutting-edge technological instruction and, generally, strong community interest and support.
Judging from recent articles on the subject (as well as my son's recent post-graduate job search), there is a shift in employment/hiring procedures that tends to assess a candidate's life experiences, character, personality, leadership qualities and aptitudes in greater proportion when considering applicants for an opening.
Those in the position to hire a candidate (such as, say, a superintendent) are discovering that certain rigid standards, beyond those expressly requisite for the position, may deprive them of a pool of candidates best suited to their needs. How encouraging that the Canfield Board of Education agreed to set aside some of its own prerequisites -- for candidates already employed in our district only -- in the search for a new superintendent.
This has allowed for the consideration of an applicant who may be best suited to the position of Canfield School District superintendent -- Dante Zambrini. He may not have three years of experience under his belt as a superintendent elsewhere, but he has many years of experience as an educational leader in Canfield schools as a teacher, a principal and as assistant superintendent.
Mr. Zambrini knows Canfield. He knows the staff. He knows the kids. He knows the people. And the people know him. He is respected and admired for his approachability, expertise and communication skills. Mr. Zambrini has shown his dedication to the Canfield School System.
I know I speak for a number of Canfield residents in expressing my appreciation that those we elected to the school board have shown they are open-minded regarding this very important issue. It is an indication that our school board, like our educational system, is willing to "think outside the box" in its commitment to promote excellence in the school district that has long maintained its status as one of the best in the tri-county area.
LINDA KNEEN
Canfield
Resident better served to worry about drug use
EDITOR:
I feel I must respond personally to the woman on Carnegie Avenue whose house was "ripped apart" by members of our task force.
It seems she is mad because they had blatant disregard for her property. She needs to be reminded that if her son wasn't allegedly selling heroin with blatant disregard for the lives, not the material possessions, of others, the task force would have no reason to bother her.
As for her comment that she is trying to teach her remaining kids that "all cops aren't bad ... ," how about teaching them the evils of drugs and their consequences.
I personally commend these "bad boys" for doing their job, for which they are highly trained. I'm glad they are trying to keep our streets and neighborhoods safe and drug free.
GAYLE E. BOLASH
Youngstown
Why would anyone steal remembrances at graves?
EDITOR:
As I was visiting my husband's gravesite at Lake Park Cemetery the other day, I was appalled to find many of the sentimental articles, which I had placed there some time before, to be gone.
Believing that this was a rare incident, I left several other objects at his grave, some from his eight-year-old granddaughter. The next day, my grandchildren and I went to visit grandpa and to plant some flowers at his grave. Once again, several of the items were gone.
My grandchildren were crushed and asked me, "Grandma, why would someone take a few stones, flowers and a statue of an American bald eagle from Grandpa?" I just looked at them in amazement, what could I possibly say?
How could anyone take items from a grave? Although the items may not have been of much value, in fact, most of the things were notes, cards, a few rocks with the words "love" and "peace" and a couple of flower planters, articles placed there in remembrance of my husband.
I have to ask myself: "What is the world coming to?" I never thought that I would see the day when a person would steal from a grave. Yet, that day has come, and the only thing that I can do is to continue to go and place sentimental gifts at my husband's grave in faith that those items will be there when I return.
AMY ELIAS
Struthers
Blame social anarchists, media, not the church
EDITOR:
As a Protestant, I want to offer a few words of support and encouragement to members of the Catholic Church in its current travails.
At age 81 and having lived through the better part of the 20th century, I am also well aware of much of its history, and can put many events in perspective. It is clear to me that the media coverage constitutes a definite amount of overkill.
Erring clergy must, of course, be punished, but it should also be understood that at least some of the opinion-molders in the media are delighted to have the opportunity to attack the Catholic Church and religion in general with a constant barrage of adverse publicity.
It can be asserted with certainty that men who dedicate themselves to holy orders do not become pedophiles, but there most certainly are some pedophiles who seek to become clergy to have easier access to children. Some of these latter erring clergy are encouraged to seek that vocation by activists whose goal is to undermine the church and other institutions in the United States.
The long march of social anarchists to undermine the moral strength of America has damaged not only our religious institutions, but also portions of the media, the entertainment industry, and even our courts and government. Good citizens must become much better informed and aggressively defend the American ideals and the responsibilities that accompany citizenship in a free society.
MILTON R. NORRIS
Canfield