Great Lakes Cheese, Epprechts lauded for donation to Berkshire Schools | Bouquets and Brickbats

BOUQUETS >> To Great Lakes Cheese Co. and its owners, the Epprecht family, for donating $2 million to Berkshire Schools for construction of a new athletic facility.

The Epprechts, along with the company that the family has owned since 1958, made the donation to Berkshire Schools on April 13 in a special ceremony held in the Berkshire High School Gymnasium.

An oversized $1.5 million check was presented by Great Lakes Cheese Co., based in Troy Township, with another check for $500,000 coming from the family itself.

“It’s a great day,” said John Epprecht, who was joined at the news conference by Kurt Epprecht and Matt Wilkinson of Great Lakes Cheese. “We are Berkshire alums. Just to come back in this building and do something like this, it’s right up there as one of the great days in Great Lakes’ life.”

Berkshire Athletic Director Brian Hiscox said the plan is for a new artificial turf football/soccer field, new stands and lights to be built at nearby Kent State University Geauga in Burton Township. Additionally, the current cinder track will be replaced by an eight-lane all-weather track.

Superintendent John Stoddard indicated he was in awe when he first heard about the Epprecht family’s intentions. He said the new athletic complex, coupled with what he hopes is a successful passage of a 3.65-mill bond issue in the May 8 Primary Election that would fund the building of a new school, would be a “giant step forward” for the school district and the community at large.

We commend Great Lakes Cheese Co. and the Epprecht family for their willingness to give back so generously to the community.

BOUQUETS >> To Euclid High School graduate Quintin Dove, on recently being named as a first-team Division II Basketball All-American by the National Junior College Athletic Association.

Dove is a sophomore forward at Cuyahoga Community College, where the men’s basketball team just concluded an outstanding season.

Dove was a big reason for the Challengers success in 2017-18. Tri-C was 32-2, won the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference title, and finished seventh at the NJCAA Division II National Tournament in March.

Dove led the team in points per game (18.9), offensive rebounds per game (4.2) and field-goal percentage (65.5), a mark that ranked No. 4 in the country. He was also named the OCCAC Player of the Year.

In May, Dove will graduate with an associate of arts degree, and will continue his education and college basketball career at Division I Tennessee-Martin. He plans to major in engineering.

We wish him continued success on the basketball court and in the classroom.

BRICKBATS >> To Cleveland police officer Maria Velez, after she pleaded guilty to charges stemming from accusations that she had a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old boy when she previously worked as a teacher’s aide.

Velez faces up to nine years in prison after entering her plea April 12. The 25-year-old pleaded guilty to attempted felonious assault, unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and attempted tampering with evidence. She also has agreed to resign from the police department and register as a sex offender.

Prosecutors say Velez was working as a bilingual teacher’s aide at Clark Elementary School in 2015 when she had sex with the student.

Velez resigned from the position in December of that year and joined the Cleveland police force.

Sentencing for Velez is scheduled May 21.

We believe that Velez deserves time behind bars for the crimes that she committed.

BRICKBATS >> To Ohio brothers Asif Salim and Sultane Salim, after they admitted to sending money to an al-Qaida leader, knowing that he planned to use it for terrorist acts.

The Salim brothers both pleaded guilty to concealing the financing of terrorism on April 12 in federal court in Toledo.

Prosecutors agreed to drop more serious charges against the pair, who are U.S. citizens, in exchange for the pleas. Both face sentences of up to eight years in prison.

The men and another pair of brothers who already have pleaded guilty were charged three years ago with raising money through fraudulent credit card charges and other means beginning in 2005.

Prosecutors say the money went to Anwar al-Awlaki, a key al-Qaida leader who was killed in a drone strike in 2011.

It’s disturbing to hear about American citizens who play a role in funding, supporting or committing acts of terrorism.