Abstract
In this 2012 interview, Jennifer Mearns talks about her role as a member of the school board in Shaker Heights. She explains some of the programs offered in the school, and the advantages of living in Shaker Heights.
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Interviewee
Mearns, Jennifer (Interviewee)
Interviewer
Smith, Kelsey (Interviewer)
Project
Shaker Heights Centennial
Date
6-14-2012
Document Type
Oral History
Duration
22 minutes
Recommended Citation
"Jennifer Mearns Interview, 14 June 2012" (2012). Cleveland Regional Oral History Collection. Interview 915006.
https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/crohc000/510
Transcript
Kelsey Smith [00:00:00] So I’m just gonna have you say your name and the date.
Jennifer Mearns [00:00:03] Jennifer Mearns, June 14, 2012.
Kelsey Smith [00:00:10] Okey doke. Alright, so we’re just gonna start out with some general questions for you. So where were you born?
Jennifer Mearns [00:00:18] I was born in Atlanta, Georgia.
Kelsey Smith [00:00:22] Okay, and so did you grow up there then?
Jennifer Mearns [00:00:25] No, I moved when we were six months old. My father was in sales, so we moved every couple of years. So, we just, Mom picked up the eight kids and went.
Kelsey Smith [00:00:36] Where did you go to school then?
Jennifer Mearns [00:00:39] I went to college in Rhode Island at Bryant University. It’s near Providence. It’s a small school.
Kelsey Smith [00:00:46] What did you major in?
Jennifer Mearns [00:00:48] I majored in business. I knew that’s what I wanted to do, so I went to Bryant, which was mainly a business college.
Kelsey Smith [00:00:55] And then where did you go from there?
Jennifer Mearns [00:00:57] From there I moved into New York City, lived in Manhattan for eight years, and then I lived in Brooklyn Heights. Really Cobble Hill, over the bridge in Brooklyn for six years.
Kelsey Smith [00:01:11] So how did you end up moving to Shaker Heights?
Jennifer Mearns [00:01:14] Well, my husband Geoff was from here. He had spent high school, well, from 1971, I think, ’73, I guess. He came here with his parents. So he went to Shaker Heights High School and loved it. And then when we were dating, he kept saying, we need to go visit and we need to look at houses. And I thought, you know, at some point we’ll end up here. So finally, when we had three children and were trying to decide where we wanted to raise the kids, we thought this would be a great place to come. So that’s when we came. And then we had two more.
Kelsey Smith [00:01:48] When was that?
Jennifer Mearns [00:01:49] We came here in 1997 and we had the three children. And shortly after we arrived here, I found out I was expecting twins. So, the woman we went, the ultrasonic technician said, welcome to Cleveland, that’s what happens here. She said there was something in the water. They should have told me that before I came.
Kelsey Smith [00:02:14] So what was it like? What did you think of Shaker Heights when you got here as compared, because you lived, you know, many places before?
Jennifer Mearns [00:02:21] Well, since I had visited a lot with my husband’s family, I kind of knew what to expect. And I thought it was absolutely beautiful when I came, I loved the tree lined streets and the beautiful old homes and the slate sidewalks. So I knew we were going to come here and that was not a negative thing. But between New York and coming to Shaker Heights, we went to Raleigh, North Carolina for two years. And I always joke a little bit and say, that’s, my husband had to break me from New York. So that when I came to Cleveland, I was so happy to be here because it was like a real city. So two years in Raleigh, and then when we came here, we were just, I was so happy to be here because, you know, Raleigh is a very nice place, but it’s pretty homogeneous, and if you’re not from there, you’re from away. And I just found this to be a very different environment. So many people from different places, very welcoming, very interesting people. So I was very happy to be here.
Kelsey Smith [00:03:20] So I was told that you were on the school board.
Jennifer Mearns [00:03:23] I actually still am on the school board. My official resignation date will be June 27th. So I’ve been on the school board for about a year and a half. Oh, no, I’m sorry. About two and a half years. So there’s about 18 months left to my term. So I feel terrible about leaving with that commitment, but life gets in the way.
Kelsey Smith [00:03:44] What made you decide to be on the school board?
Jennifer Mearns [00:03:47] I guess, you know, we have five children, and all of them have gone through the Shaker schools. And I think we’re all passionate about education, our family. I think this whole community is. And I think it was just at a time when things were going very well with the schools. But I just wanted to make sure, as we continue to grow as a community and how, you know, some of our demographic changes and economic changes, that I thought it would be good to be involved in some of the decision making about how do we maintain the quality but control costs. And I thought it would be something that would be interesting and rewarding, which it has been.
Kelsey Smith [00:04:28] You said that Shaker seems to put a lot of emphasis on schools. Why do you think that is?
Jennifer Mearns [00:04:33] You know, this city has a legacy of education. I mean, really, when you look back at the history, we just had the graduation last week, high school graduation, and the president of the school board, Annette Sutherland, did a great job of kind of a historical look at education and Shaker. And it’s really been at the core of this community since it was formed. And people come here for the schools, and then they support them. And I think a lot of communities around the country say they support education, but they don’t really do it with their pocketbooks. And I think in Shaker, the tradition is we support it in every way. With people, with ideas, and with our money. And, you know, there are pluses and minuses to that. It’s a very expensive community to live in Shaker, but the people who care deeply about education know it’s expensive because we’re really, we’re paying, we’re investing in the kids. So I think that’s not completely unique. I’m sure there are other communities around the country that value education, but I think the combination of the factors, it’s just been a very, very supportive community. And I think that, again, back to the school board. You know, with the economy the way it is, I think people feel like we are supportive. We love education, but it can’t be at any cost. So it’s. How do you find that middle ground of maintaining that quality, but being really, really sensitive to the fact that these people have been supportive, but some of them are struggling as well.
Kelsey Smith [00:06:03] And I know that in the history of Shaker Heights schools segregation has always been a large issue, a prominent feature of things that have been going on. Is that still going on today? Is that still a battle that you fight today?
Jennifer Mearns [00:06:16] Well, you know, it’s interesting. Again, back to the history of Shaker. I can’t imagine being on the school board when the decisions were made to reintegrate the schools. I mean, what a bold move. I mean, telling people, okay, you’re not going to go to the school where you just bought your house, you’re going to go across town. I mean, I’m sure those people got some nasty letters. They didn’t get emails then they got letters and probably calls. You know, there have been articles written about Shaker. Shaker is a very unique community in our diversity, but there’s been articles written saying, yeah, it’s a diverse community, but if you go into the high school and go to the cafeteria, you have African Americans sitting together and whites sitting together. Why is that? You know, I think everybody struggles with that every day. I mean, people in general tend to click with people that are like them. And, but I think there’s a level of respect, inclusion, acceptance, that even if they’re not sitting together, going out on Friday night together, that all these students of, you know, diverse backgrounds and cultures. are all spending most of their time at school with people of a lot of different cultures. So, you know, is it perfect? No. Are there issues still? Sure. But I think compared to most places, I think from the outside looking in, people will say, wow, Shaker’s done a great job of managing a very diverse culture.
Kelsey Smith [00:07:43] Were there any other, like, large issues at the board faced while you were on?
Jennifer Mearns [00:07:49] I think the biggest issue really has been finance. There have been some dramatic cuts in state and federal funding that we’ve had to do. We’ve have to deal with not only just for today, but planning for the future because we really don’t, we don’t see that trend changing. You know, it’s not going to get, the budgets aren’t going to get bigger, they’re going to get smaller. And how do you do that? How do you make up that money? I mean, in Shaker, and I should know these percentages off the top of my head, but I don’t. I mean, the bulk of our budget comes from our residents, and then we have this state and federal funding. Well, the federal funding, we had $8 million over four years cut out of our budget. So, you know, you’re looking at major cost containment while still trying to maintain a lot of diverse programming. We offer things at Shaker that, you know, a lot of public schools don’t offer. You know, we’re offering Chinese, Asian studies, We’ve now got the IB program. We’ve got, you know, music throughout the district as part of the curriculum, not just co-curricular. So you know, we’re offering a very rich program for the students and it’s expensive. So, I think that’s been the biggest thing is like pushing to try to contain costs but making sure we don’t get to the point where we’re stripping ourselves back, that the uniqueness of Shaker goes away. Because that’s what attracts people here and that’s what keeps people engaged here.
Kelsey Smith [00:09:13] What is the IB program?
Jennifer Mearns [00:09:14] The International Baccalaureate program. It’s a globally recognized program. There’s a degree program where people can actually graduate with an International Baccalaureate diploma that’s recognized globally. And the thinking at the time, I was not on the board when the decision was made to invest in IB, but it is something that is, you know, it’s prestigious. In Shaker, they committed, we committed to K through 12 on this program. And what it is, is an inquiry based curriculum. So it’s much more involving and engaging for students. You can’t just sit there and take notes and hide in the corner with an IB curriculum, you’re going to be engaged. They start every unit with questions. What do we need to know? What do we already know? And then the students get involved in going to do the research to find out. So particularly for students who are less engaged, it really is, it’s more fun, it’s more engaging, and it’s more global minded. So some of the units that you’re learning, it’s not as insular as it used to be. And I’ve heard comments from some of the teachers at Shaker who have been there quite a long time say this is exciting. We’re getting back to the way that we used to teach before we got so focused on standardized tests. So I think it’s been good for the students. It’s still being implemented so everybody in the district hasn’t really felt it yet, but within two years it will be fully implemented from K through 12, which is unusual. Many schools will do the diploma program, which is just for 11th and 12th graders, but not a lot of districts will do it implemented from kindergarten or pre K, I should say Pre K through 12th grade. So that makes Shakers somewhat unique. And I think that most people I’ve talked with, both internally or from the administration and teachers as well as parents and students, they seem to really be finding it to be a great addition.
Kelsey Smith [00:11:11] What does the global recognition, how does that help the students?
Jennifer Mearns [00:11:16] Well, it helps in a couple of ways. One is it just gives from the very young age, it gives the students a global perspective. All the units that they’re learning, if you’re going to learn about migration, let’s say, you’re going to learn about migration in the United States, you’re going to be learning about migration of animals and then you’re going to be talking about migration of people in different countries. So it’s not so US-focused. So there’s that one piece, I would say the other piece is the diploma. Both of, well, all of it is very, it’s very rigorous in that it requires students to do independent research even if they’re not in the diploma program, through the middle years program, each student has to do a personal project. They’re required to get involved in community service. So there’s things that some students were doing anyway, but now it’s kind of pushing so that all students will do that. And then the diploma program, which is certainly not for everyone because it is very, very rigorous and also requires a lot of initiative. So for a student that, it is best for a student that is very self-directed, very motivated and a sponge for learning. Because for those students it’s unbelievable. I mean they do so many different research projects and they’re initiating the things they’re working. It’s like a thesis for a PhD, but it’s really rigorous and they take some additional courses that students in the typical curriculum with AP classes wouldn’t take. And one is, it’s called Theory of Knowledge. It’s a philosophy, it’s like a college level philosophy course. And I sat in on it one day. It’s really amazing. I think, I would have loved that in high school. But it makes, I think it opens the student’s mind to learning and it also puts them in charge of their learning. So it’s not just force feeding, you got to know this for the test. Here’s the study guide. It’s, how are you going to make sure that you really understand these concepts? So so far, I think it’s been a good addition. It is, you know, there are additional costs to it. And so that’s another thing is, you know, let’s hope that how do we maintain this? How do we, how do we fund this without pricing ourselves out of the market from a community standpoint?
Kelsey Smith [00:13:35] I was also interested in your music. You said you were integrating music more, less as an extra.
Jennifer Mearns [00:13:41] Well, Shaker as a tradition has been- Music has been a very, very important part of the curriculum. Starting in fourth and fifth grade, all students must take music, part of their school day, it’s not an after school club or anything. And now, just in the last couple years, it used to be you could just take general music and sing or read music, whatever. Now, you’re forced to take an instrument, which some people think, well, why should I be forced to take it if I don’t want it? Well, there’s research that shows that music really is tied to learning, particularly math. And from a growth standpoint, just so many different studies tied to music really helping students learn. So the music teachers got all these donated instruments, again, this community is amazing. People donated all these instruments so that kids that can’t afford the instruments could then play their instrument and have it donated to them. So it starts in fourth and fifth grade. And then students are really encouraged to stick with it. Not everybody does, but it’s part of the school day and it counts for their credits. Some schools have shifted music to be extracurricular. So if you want to be in the choir, it’s an after school kind of show up. When you do it, this is, you’re going to do it every day and it’s really, you’re learning, you’re growing, you’re learning, you’re getting graded. And I think most people feel like that’s been a big plus for them. Where I find it’s great is when we go out to a dinner party or a party in Shaker Heights and all of the Shaker grads who are there, who are now old like me, they pull out these instruments and start jamming and somebody’s singing and somebody’s playing the guitar and somebody’s playing the saxophone and they’re just so comfortable with music. I didn’t have that when I grew up in New Jersey. I think I was in choir for a year or two or whatever, I really never learned to read music. I appreciate it, but I can’t play any instruments and I see these people that play multiple instruments and can just get up at a moment’s notice and jam with their friends, it’s really. They’re so talented, so.
Kelsey Smith [00:15:56] Are there any other differences that you notice in Shaker High grads from other high school grads? Anything that sticks out?
Jennifer Mearns [00:16:07] You know, I think there’s a pride about being a Shaker student, Shaker grad, because the district has a national reputation. When you’re traveling really anywhere. But people will, you say here from Shaker Heights, and immediately people say, oh, I’ve heard of that. That’s a great place. And they tend to say they have great schools. So that reputation, I think people take a lot of pride in that. Young people and older people. The younger people that, you know, because my kids are now college, one in college, one going to college. I have heard people say when they go to college, because we all talk about this is the real world, this diverse environment, and they go to college and there is no diversity. And they are talking with people and people are making comments that would be so inappropriate at Shaker, and they can’t believe that somebody is, you know, they feel like, how can this ignorance exist? How can they not understand that that would be hurtful or inappropriate to say? And so I think for some it’s a little bit of a disadvantage to be so set that this is how the world is and then try to adjust that. You know, these kids are, it’s hammered home about tolerance, inclusion from the time they’re, you know, that they move here. And that’s not always the case. So what I say to my kids is that’s all part of it too. Being tolerant of people that are not tolerant and helping people to understand, you know, do your part, play your role, help them understand why that wouldn’t be a nice thing to say or why that person, just because they’re a different religion, aren’t from another planet. So, I think it’s interesting. The other thing I do here though too is students from Shaker High, particularly if they’ve taken very advanced level courses, they feel very prepared when they get to college. So you read a lot of stories about students coming out of high school that are not prepared. I think the kids who have challenged themselves find they get to university and they feel very prepared and they’ve been studying and been focused like they would need to as a college student.
Kelsey Smith [00:18:23] What is it that you, I’m going to get away from schools, to the neighborhood. What is it that you like most about living in Shaker Heights?
Jennifer Mearns [00:18:31] Of course, you know, the beauty of the city. I love the old homes. So we take walks and I still will look and say - that’s another, I’ve been here 15 years - and I’ll still look at a house and go, that’s a gorgeous house. I don’t think I’ve seen that before. So I love that, the ability to walk the streets and the big, wide sidewalks. I also love the green space. You know, we’re moving, and I’ve been looking at different communities, and it makes you really appreciate the green space that we have. I run most mornings and I can, a few minutes out my door, be on a path by a lake and do a string of lakes and not be with cars, and so many communities don’t have that. So that’s been fantastic. But I think the most impressive thing is the people. When, and I don’t mean to knock Raleigh, North Carolina. When we moved to Raleigh, I would walk around with the kids at night, killing some time, take a little walk, and I would meet people and they would immediately focus on, we should organize a playdate for Johnny and Claire. Okay? No connection with the adult. Just, we’re gonna play, we’re gonna plan a playdate for our kids. And when I moved to Shaker Heights and I got out and walked, I would always meet somebody that I connected with the adult. And, sure, maybe we’ll do a playdate, but why don’t you come over for a drink or why don’t we meet for coffee? And it was just people of all different backgrounds, very successful people that had made different decisions about why to come here versus be in Chicago or be in New York. And I thought that was very comforting to me to just know there’s just a lot of neat people here who are very happy to be here.
Kelsey Smith [00:20:11] What do you think fosters that sense of community?
Jennifer Mearns [00:20:15] I think it’s a combination, particularly the people that come from larger markets. It’s a real sense of appreciation for what Shaker has to offer, which is affordable housing, beautiful housing stock, a real sense of community, at an incredibly affordable price. And the fact that it’s so easy to live here, it’s very predictable. If you live in New York City and you want to go to Westchester County for a meeting, it might take you 40 minutes and it might take you two and a half hours. And generally in Shaker, if you have a meeting downtown, you’re going to be there, give or take five minutes in 20 to 30 minutes, unless there’s an Indians game and a concert or something. That takes a lot of stress out of life when your life is a little more predictable. So I think people who’ve come from other markets that are just more traffic, more people, more expensive, they come here and think this is a great way to live. It’s almost too good to be true.
Kelsey Smith [00:21:18] Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Jennifer Mearns [00:21:21] Well, you know, the other thing with Shaker, for our family, is why Geoff wanted to come back here so badly. I mean, his whole family, his mother was on the city council for two, almost three terms, and then she was mayor for two terms. So, we always had a connection to Shaker, and now my kids have a connection to Shaker, and they’ve gone, you know, the fact that they’ve been able to go to school with cousins, get to know their cousins, I think it’s been, it’s been a great. A great phase for our family to have this opportunity for them to grow up here.
Kelsey Smith [00:22:00] Alright, that’s all the questions.
Jennifer Mearns [00:22:01] Okay, good.
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