Need tax help?
Notre Dame College students will be offering free tax preparation to low-income Cuyahoga County residents this tax season.
This is the fourth year students from the South Euclid college are giving back to the community by filing federal and state income taxes for those who are unable to buy tax software, access the internet to file online or afford using a tax service provider.
The goal is to have residents save money by allowing a student to file their taxes as well as get a larger tax refund from the IRS.
To qualify, a resident must be making less than $50,000 a year.
Students will be doing tax preparations Thursdays from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Regina Hall, 4545 College Road.
"The service is a win-win for the students and the community," according to a news release from the college. "For the students, it is a chance to put their classroom education to work in the real world—and to the benefit of those in need. Students learn not only from the professional experience but also grow from the opportunity to give back and make a difference in their community using the skills learned at Notre Dame. And for the taxpayers, every dollar saved matters."
Services will be offered through April 11 and those interested in receiving help must make an appointment.
Residents must call United Way's 2-1-1 First Call to make an appointment, which is a nationwide number for health and human services assistance.
Qualifying taxpayers must bring all tax forms received such as W-2 or 1099, social security cards for themselves and dependents and last year's tax return if they have it.
Appointments with students, which are all trained and certified by the IRS, will last about 30 minutes.
For more information, visit 211cleveland.org or dial 2-1-1.

Lakeland Community College students will be tweeting throughout Super Bowl 49, and they hope the community will tweet along too.

Using #lccsb49, students will be tweeting about the advertisements aired during the game. 

The community is encouraged to follow along with the tweets and contribute to the live-tweeting event. 

"I have had my students watch the Super Bowl for the commercials as long as I have been teaching," said business management professor Christine Barnes. "With the 30 second 2015 Super Bowl commercials costing $4.5 million, this is a marketing event that cannot be missed."

She said the commercials help lead discussions on what works and doesn't work in advertising.

"We watch for references to the company or brand websites or social media pages and will discuss the effectiveness of the advertisement and the linked page," she added. 

Tweeting along during the game was something Barnes started two years ago with her class and has been a great learning tool. 

"Twitter is very important in business," she said. "It is a great way for companies to stay connected to their customers, hearing their likes and dislikes in real time. In addition, it can be used to generate awareness."

The Principles of E-Business class discusses how technology and the internet impacts companies including their strategic decisions, brand development and customer service. 

To participate in the conversation during the game or to just follow along, log on to Twitter and use #lccsb49. 

Nick Clark, a senior at Mentor High School, earned a perfect composite score of 36 on the ACT test.
The ACT, which is a college readiness assessment, is taken by high school students every year and tests the students knowledge of math, English, reading and science.
Each section is scored on a scale up to 36 and the composite score is the average of the four sections.
According to information from Mentor Schools, ACT officials report that, on average, less than one-tenth of one percent of all students who take the ACT achieve the top composite score of 36 and nationwide, more than 1.85 million students from the class of 2014 took the ACT.
"Nick continues to work hard in his senior year at Mentor High School with a full course load of Advanced Placement classes and an array of extracurricular activities in his schedule," according to the district. "He plans to continue his education after high school, possibly at Duke, Dartmouth, Ohio State or University of Minnesota. Nick isn’t certain what he’ll choose as a major, but is strongly considering studying biomedical engineering."
Clark is also the vice president of Theater Club, president of the Tri-M Music Honors Society, concert master of the symphony and Mannheim chamber orchestras, member of the National Honor Society and is a three-year varsity letter winner in tennis.

All information has been provided by Mentor Schools. Click here to read more.

Emmanuel Garcia, a respiratory therapy student at Lakeland Community College, was recently awarded the Mary Edith Miller-Orlett Scholarship given by the Ohio Society for Respiratory Care (OSRC).
The scholarship was established in 2013 by Miller-Orlett's son, Ed Orlett who was the OSRC executive director for over 25 years, according to a news release from Lakeland.
Garcia traveled to Columbus with Catherine Kenny, professor of respiratory therapy, to accept the $500 scholarship.
“Manny is a great young man. Smart, ambitious and absolutely one of the nicest personalities anyone could ask for," Kenny said in the release. “He is bilingual and I have no doubt will have multiple employment opportunities upon graduation. I am so proud of him.”
To be selected for the award, Garcia's application was reviewed by a committee, where they evaluated his GPA, school and community activities, an essay on why he chose to pursue a respiratory profession and a letter of recommendation.
"The first thing we do as humans is take a breath," Garcia said in the release. "Breathing is an essential part of life, and respiratory therapists work to help people breathe easier."
Garcia will finish his degree in allied health at Youngstown State University in 2016.

Students at St. Paschal Baylon Catholic School in Highland Heights learned more about classic literature in a creative way.

Members from Great Lakes Theater came to the school from May 27 through May 30 for the Great Lakes Theater Company Residency Program.

Saint Paschal Baylon fourth grade students (starting at the back left): Aaron Conrad, Andrew Majernik, Rachael Ina, Juliana Scaffidi, Chinedu Obi, Ayrin Hajrullahi, and Great Lakes actor - teacher Katelyn Cornelius,  preparing for Pandora's Box.

This is the second year students from St. Paschal Baylon, from kindergarten through eight grade, were able to participate in this program.
Actor-teachers and students participated in lessons that improvised, discussed and performed scenes from iconic pieces of literature.
According to a news release from the school, "This small-group instruction benefits the children’s education and development in five general areas: physical development/kinesthetic skills, artistic development/drama and theater skills, mental development/thinking skills, personal development/intra-personal skills and social development/interpersonal skills. In addition, students increase self-confidence and improve public speaking skills."
The Great Lakes Theater Company Residency Program has been engaging students with hands-on activities to further learning for over 30 years.  

Kindergarteners from Saint Paschal Baylon (left to right):  Angela Basic, Great Lakes actor-teacher Tim Keo , Luke Carlton, and Andrew Metz, visualizing a scene from The Snowy Day.

All information, photos and captions are from St. Paschal Baylon Catholic School.

Children and seniors of Mayfield Heights, Mayfield Village, Gates Mills and Higland Heights are invited to a free dental care event on May 10, 2014.

Smile Mission, sponsored by Mayfield City Schools and Excel TECC, is open to residents of the district and will offer several free dental services including cleaning, fillings, sealants and more by a board certified surgeon and license dentists. 

The event is for children under 18 and adults over 60. 

Smile Mission will be held from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the former Mayfield Library on the Mayfield High School campus, 6080 Wilson Mills Road. 

Those interested can register before the event, and services are on a first come, first serve basis. 

To sign up, call 440-995-6843, email smilemission@mayfieldschools.org (include first and last name, date of birth, address, phone number and dental service requested) or download a registration form and fax it to 440-995-6755 or print it out and bring it to the event. 

Click here for a registration form

According to the district's website, Smile Mission was "developed by Dr. Joseph Krajekian DMD, MD, (and) is a 'Pay it Forward' Event whose goal is to provide basic dental services to the pediatric population (under 18) and geriatric population (above 60) while engaging Mayfield high school and Excel TECC students and promoting community involvement."

All information from Mayfield City Schools, www.mayfieldschools.org

Students from St. Paschal Baylon Catholic School, in Highland Heights, won several medals and awards from this year's Catholic Elementary Science Olympiad held at John Carroll University. 
Five first place medals, five second place medals and five third place medals were awarded as well as two special honors to two students for their achievements. 
The winners include: 

• Aerodynamics - 1st: Daniel Kotrebai and Colin McAndrew; 3rd: Connor McAndrew and Dominic Piunno

• Deep Blue Sea - 2nd: Nathan Conrad and Connor Keefe

• Image ID -1st: Charlie Shepherd and Sam Dornback; 2nd: James Fioritto and George Zein; 3rd: Celine Najm and Megan Fowler

• Mystery Powders - 2nd: Daniel Kotrebai and Colin McAndrew

• Pentathlon - 2nd: Daniel Jevnikar, Ryan Tyler, Dominic Piunno, and Connor McAndrew

• Reflection Relay - 1st: Cerri Yormick, Johnny Mugnano, and Brady Nolan

• Rotor Egg Drop - 1st: Matt Platko and Michael Herbst; Special Awards: Matt Platko and Michael Herbst

• Sinking Ship - 2nd: Daniel Kotrebai and Colin McAndrew

• Space Cadet - 3rd: Crystal Yormick and Leann Dulzer

• Tower Building - 3rd: Gabriella DiCenzo and Giuliana Olivo

• What Went By - 1st: Bridget Popelka and Sarah Azzi; 3rd: Mary Kate Healy and Mariam Jallow

Information from St. Paschal Baylon School