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Cynthia Jarzen

a photo of Cynthia Jarzen

Cynthia Jarzen graduated from Avon Lake High School in 1958. Although she did not attend Lorain City Schools, it was a graduate of the Lorain City Schools who inspired her to become a teacher. Mrs. Mary Molnar, who later became her friend, was her commercial teacher told Cynthia that she "had to teach." Cynthia says that was life-changing and also one of her fondest memories from high school. While at Avon Lake High School, she participated in Honor Society, Quill & Scroll, Girls Athletic Association, Art Director of the BARD literacy mag-azine, and Scholastic Art.

Cynthia earned her Bachelor's Degree in Education from Kent State and her Master's Degree in Supervision and Administration from Baldwin Wallace. She obtained her Gifted Education Certification from Cleveland State. Cynthia also took non-degree classes from the Cleveland Institute of Art, as well as the Mastery Learning Program at Jane Lindsay School in Lorain.

Cynthia says that as teachers, "we do not always know of our successes and accom-plishments, and that she only hopes that she has made some small contribution to the lives of the students in her care. She says that she knows the students definitely have contributed to hers.

Cynthia played a large part in the desegregation of the Lorain City Schools. She developed and supervised a program (magnet schools) for academically talented students all over the city. The program was showcased at a national conference at Kent State. She believes the program did some good.

Cynthia was named a Jennings Scholar while teaching in Lorain and is a member of Phi Delta Kappa and Kappa Delta Pi, both education honor societies. She has also published articles in Instructor and Ohio Schools magazine.

Few people know how it came to be that she was hired in Lorain. When the new administration building was being renovated in the early 70's by Lorain High, she found her way through the construction to the desk of Olan Reese, the Personnel Director. After the interview, he promised her that if she could find her way out of that place, she would be hired. Well, the rest was history. Although she was a supervisor for many years, she very happily returned to the classroom to finish her career because she was always a teacher first.

After retirement, she was asked to work with student teachers at Ashland University at LCCC. She loves travelling, both in the states and abroad. One of her most memorable trips was to eastern Europe during the Cold War. In Moscow and Leningrad, American tourists were maddeningly monitored at every turn. At least three times, she found herself being "Nyet-ed" by the KGB.

Cynthia tries to live by the words of her sixth grade teacher, "Give to the world the best you have, and the best will come back to you."

Cynthia Jarzen's Induction Speech