CITIZEN OF THE YEAR 2009: ANDY MCCARTNEY

Part of what makes the Mayfield Schools so successful is the involvement, commitment and volunteer effort by many of our district residents.

The poet Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote an inspiring quote which summarizes why we chose this individual as our Citizen of the Year.
It is a quote that best describes our honoree.

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children...to leave the world a better place...to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”

Our Citizen of the Year is successful in the ways Emerson describes.

First and foremost, he’s a committed father and husband. When you’re with him you realize what he does is not for himself, but for his family…his wife and children.

A close friend of our Citizen of the Year said he is who he is because of his Mother and Father. Our honoree has a strong sense of community, family, and giving because of the teachings of his parents.

Lead by example.
It’s what was done for him. It’s what he does for his children.

Our Citizen of the year is a Leader.
Up at 4:15 a.m. every day, he spends 13 hours a day running the family business, but not just “running” it, “leading” it.

His company of which he serves as President has been named twice as one of Northeastern Ohio’s Weatherhead 100 companies. Under his leadership his company also has been recognized five times to the Fast Track 50 List of Companies in northern Ohio for sustained sales and employment growth. As Emerson says he has “won the respect of intelligent people.”

He and his wife came to the Mayfield School District by choice for their three children to learn and grow. They are both Mayfield grads. They’ve proudly become a family of “Wildcats.”

Emerson says success is “to win the affection of children.”

In March 2009 Our Citizen of the Year was the recipient of the “Cheers to 30 Years” award from the Ronald McDonald House of Lake County for his charitable contributions which help to house families with sick children during their medical treatment.

Our Citizen of the Year also volunteers on the Mayfield Area Recreation Council, gives his time as a business consultant for the Junior Achievement of Greater Cleveland, and coaches basketball every Sunday for the last 10 years in the Reach Up program through Mayfield Methodist Church. Our Citizen of the Year is a long-time trustee of the Mayfield Business Education Community Alliance which is a foundation that financially supports Mayfield Schools’ curriculum, having awarded more than $34,000 in grants to Mayfield teachers.

If you know our Citizen of the Year you know he does “laugh often and much” as Emerson says. Through all of the time he served as the PRIDE levy chairman during the 2008 campaign, he did so with an ease of pleasure for the sole goal of helping kids and keeping Mayfield Schools strong. The odds of winning a school levy were stacked against our Citizen of the Year because of the tough economy by under his leadership the levy won and not only won but won by the highest percentage of “yes” votes in Mayfield history.

It wasn’t just “one life that breathed easier” after that levy win, it was a collective breath from every student, teacher and staff member of Mayfield Schools…because of him, because of his leadership, his patience, his vision.

As Emerson says “success is to leave the world a better place.” Our Citizen of the Year has done that.
He has made his family proud -- His wife, Amy, his parents, Emily and Arch, his children, Carrie, Emily and Abby.

If you haven’t already guessed I am pleased to name Highland Heights resident and Mayfield Schools supporter ANDY MCCARTNEY as the district’s 2009 Citizen of the Year.

Congratulations Andy and thank you for all you have given to Mayfield Schools.