Petey Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Virtual teaching has opened the door to all kinds of out-of-the-box ideas for lessons, meet ups and student clubs. A stellar example of this is Mrs. Quarm's Baking Club. Michelle (Chelee) Quarm teaches fourth grade at Prospect Elementary School, Elyria, and it's been her tradition to bake healthful muffins and goodies for her students in class. She's known for makin...

Send us Fan Mail From the Gingerbread Man to Cinderella,  education professionals Kathy Pero and Carla Valles have taken Readers Theater to new heights in the Elyria Schools. The duo began re-writing and personalizing traditional plays and fairytales;  fitting them as perfectly as a glass slipper to the students they served within their classrooms that provide special education services. Pero, an...

Send us Fan Mail A first grade map project is taking Ely Elementary students around the world! The students have been reading the book, "The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman," about a little friend made of wood who travels the country sending descriptive letters and postcards to family members along the way.  Ely's Mandy Mazzola, a first grade teacher, took cues from the book to launch...

Send us Fan Mail Ahoy! We're setting sail in this episode of Petey Podcast with Job Captain Lizz Most of Architectural Vision Group, the architectural firm heading up the $140-million  school construction project in Elyria. Lizz is a familiar face on the district's sister station: Elyria Schools Pioneer TV on YouTube , and often answers our construction questions and guides our tours thr...

Send us Fan Mail Mike Basinski--"Mr. B"--is a well-known personality in these parts.  A life-long Elyrian and long-time principal in the Elyria Schools, Mike is synonymous with calm and comicality.  In the 25 years he's spent working in the Elyria Schools, he's most associated with Northwood Middle School, where he's been principal since 2014. When you think Basinski, you...

Send us Fan Mail If you're asked, "How are you feeling?" Are you able to identify the emotions you're experiencing  beyond sad, mad, happy or glad? Elyria Schools Social Workers, Marissa Pelsozy and Cristina McCarthy, offer these excellent strategies for recognizing our emotions and finding balance in a harried world. Expert resources : Anger iceburg ,  Emotion regulation skill...

Send us Fan Mail By day, Jay Cleland, is one of your friendly neighborhood IT guys at Elyria Schools. By night, Jay is an avid coin collector, always pursuing quality currency that holds significance in his already robust collection. One of his favorite treasure-hunting spots is an online auction site called  Everything But the House . The site brings buyers and sellers together for "everythi...

Send us Fan Mail "Positive thinking is our under-rated superpower. We all have it and we all have the capability to do it; we don't give it the priority that it deserves." Elyria Schools' Social Worker, Chantille Jackson, had us all bobbing our heads in agreement when she made this insightful comment on healthy thinking. In this episode of Petey Podcast, Jackson and colleague,...

Send us Fan Mail Medical professionals of Elyria Schools,  Registered Nurses Tara DiFranco and Rose Hess, join us to talk about the COVID-19 vaccine: tips before receiving it  and expectations after. They put the science of how the vaccine works into understandable language for us and answer the most common questions circulating about the vaccines and the vaccination process.  It's a great da...

Send us Fan Mail The COVID-19 pandemic took center stage in 2020, heightening safety concerns, halting everyday activities and occupations, and completely upending the school year for students, parents and school staff everywhere. Elyria Schools Superintendent Ann Schloss talks about how the district has coped during the crisis, and its continuous trek toward recovery. In chatting, she also highli...

Send us Fan Mail Longtime Elyria Schools staffer, Rene Null,  retired in 2021 after 28 years in the district, 26 of which were spent at Northwood as the school's secretary.  In that seat she's seen it all!  In this episode of Petey Podcast, Rene takes us down memory lane to some of her favorite 8th grade Washington D.C. moments, principals present and past, and good times overall with th...

Send us Fan Mail A preschool student must know nearly 170 skills before "graduating" to kindergarten. Amazing, right! In this episode of Petey Podcast we chat with the Elyria Schools guru of preschool education, Jackie Plantner, Principal of the Elyria Early Childhood Village  and preschool director for Elyria Schools. Jackie schools us on the many aspects of preschool that make it a spe...

Send us Fan Mail Elyria native Nicole Kozdron (Elyria High School Class of 2001) now holds a distinguished place in the who's who of game-show television: She's a Jeopardy champion! Nicole was a contestant on the iconic show on Wednesday, Feb. 3, and handily defeated her competitors, moving on to a second round that aired the following evening. She lost in round two by close margin but s...

Send us Fan Mail He's a scholar, a mentor, an educator, a business professional and a community leader. He's also a Pioneer. Elyria born and raised, Marsalis Hammons graduated from Elyria High School in 2013. Less than a decade later, he's the CEO and founder of Leaders of Today, a non-profit organization that helps high school students lead in the classroom,  locker room and commun...

Send us Fan Mail Do you know how to show yourself some love? It's not easy, but it begins with acceptance, patience and grace.  In this episode, we talk with therapists and social workers, Marissa Pelsozy and Cristina McCarthy of Elyria Schools, on the importance of loving and respecting yourself.  Self love isn't selfish! It's essential to our health and well being, and to strength...

Send us Fan Mail California attorney and Elyria High graduate Nicole Kozdron, Class of 2001, joins the Petey Podcast by phone from her home in Southern California, where she talks about her lifelong love of trivia and how it has helped her realize a long-held dream of appearing as a contestant on the iconic game show "Jeopardy." Her Jeopardy episode, hosted by Ken Jennings, airs on the e...

Send us Fan Mail So many of us fill the role of "go-to" person at work and at home but in that role, are your needs getting lost? It's important to set personal boundaries and know how to say, "no" without compromising the rules and limits you've set for yourself in keeping up healthy boundaries. Hear more on this topic from our social work experts, Chantille Jackson...

Send us Fan Mail When was the last time you checked in with yourself? Do you give yourself time to "just be?" These things matter.  In this episode, we talk with Elyria Schools Social Workers Chantille Jackson and Cristina McCarthy on these topics and many others related to human emotion. Expert resources: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1QM3wnz73WJBnAxbeiUFWeh8m-BFPZFJ4 It&ap...

Send us Fan Mail The COVID-19 pandemic has us grieving the loss of "normal." One of the ways to help eliminate the what-ifs of it all is to talk about it; to actually let the words come out in expressing our feelings and to focus on what is actually within our control. Hear more about this from a couple of our staff experts, Chantille Jackson and Cristina McCarthy, social workers with th...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wonder what proper self-care looks like? Want to learn to take better care of your mental health in difficult times … Hear from two of Elyria's go-to people on this topic: Marissa Pelsozy and Cristina McCarthy, Licensed Social Workers with the Elyria Schools. Expert resources here : https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1wViA3AFyCXlYCPoZ-a_YZUo-Hyk42xOk?usp=sharing It&a...