On Tuesday, Sept. 7, you won’t want to miss being at Lakewood High’s Ranger Stadium for a very special event. The U.S. Army Parachute Team the Golden Knights, in town Labor Day weekend for the Cleveland Air Show, will make a special drop-in appearance at Lakewood High Stadium on Sept. 7 at 9 a.m. The entire LHS student body will be there for this unique presentation by one of the most elite jump teams in the world.

With the new school year fresh under way and the holidays only a few short months away, now is the perfect time to check out the Ranger Shop at Lakewood High. Sweatshirts, t-shirts, athletic bags, polos and many more types of spiritwear are available along with a variety of accessories such as hair bands, pencils, stickers, pennants, coffee mugs, etc.

The Ranger Shop is a joint project of the Lakewood Alumni Foundation and the Lakewood Athletic Boosters. Booster volunteers staff the shop and earn “Booster Bucks” for their time worked in the store. The Booster Bucks help offset the cost of their student-athlete’s pay-to-participate sports fee. For each hour worked, a volunteer earns $2.50 toward his or her student’s fee.

The Ranger Shop, which is located just west of the L-Room on the eastern end of the high school, is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. and during other select events. The satellite Stadium Shop is open from 6:30 p.m. through half time of all the home varsity football games and during other select LHS stadium events.

Since the shop opened in 2005, it has caught the attention of many a visiting parent or official from other school districts who stop by while attending a game or other activity at the high school. “They come in and they can’t believe what we’ve got,” said Anne Giffels, last year’s president of the Athletic Boosters and a volunteer who’s logged many, many hours at the Ranger Shop.

As the Alumni Foundation recognizes that many far-flung alumni wish to sport their Ranger Spirit in whatever state or city they live, plans are in the works for an online Ranger Shop as well. (Locals can take advantage, too!). The plan currently is to have the online store functioning by October, according to Alumni Foundation executive director Teresa Andreani.

You can reach the Ranger Shop at 216-529-4321 or visit www.lakewoodrangers.com for more info.

Two truckloads full of desks, chairs, lab tables, file cabinets and other such necessary items to outfit a school rolled out of the Lakewood High School parking lot on Aug. 17, on their way to Lake Local Schools outside of Toledo to help that district furnish a temporary high school being put together in the wake of a tornado that leveled Lake High School earlier this summer.

When news of the devastating tornado on June 5 that leveled Lake High School in Millbury spread, our district knew it had to do something to help.

"We knew that if we were in a similar situation that others would be there to help us so we wanted to be able to do something to help this district in an unfortunate situation not of their making," said Treasurer Rick Berdine.

District officials contacted Lake Local administrators who in turn came to Lakewood to survey the pieces that would be available to them to see whether they would fit their needs.

Last spring I voted for the Lakewood Schools operating levy because I wanted our district to be able to preserve as many of the wonderful programs as possible that we offer to our students, and because I wanted to provide our school district with the funding needed to continue to provide our kids with a good education.

Many citizens voted yes on the levy because they value education and want the best for Lakewood kids and families. By passing the levy a trust was established between the Lakewood School District and the community. We passed the levy, and in return our Board promised to do its due diligence to be accountable and responsible with our money, especially when it came to programming. 

As we approach another school year we are beginning to receive bits and pieces of clues as to what programs may not be continued next year and the years soon following. To date, it is not clear as to which programs may be on the chopping block for next year, nor have there been any discussions at any of the regular school board meetings or with the community regarding program cuts.

Our elected Board must balance the needs of the District with the values and wants of a community. There is not always a win-win situation and there must be compromises in tough economic times. Yet, shouldn’t parents and citizens at least be able to communicate to the District which programs, if cut, would be “deal-breakers”? How does our Board go about evaluating a program?  Do they consider the consequences to our city, district, and Lakewood families when considering which programs to cut?

I believe our community doesn’t want fires put out or a piece-meal approach to program decisions. My hope is that our District will take a comprehensive, holistic approach when deciding which programs they will offer to students, that they conduct research into programs that are evidence-based and proven to meet the needs of students, that they make the effort to understand what this community values most in education, and that they communicate their findings to the community and evaluate the feedback they receive when making final decisions.

We are experiencing serious financial challenges as a school district, but on the flip side there exists great room for opportunity if we take a holistic approach to our district, as the needs of the District are met and balanced with the needs and wants of our community. The time is now for decisions that will make us stronger and better equipped than other Districts to provide an excellent education in Lakewood.  It will take creativity, forward thinking, and cutting edge decisions. Actually, when you get past the fear of what the financial situation may be you can see that there is opportunity and excitement in the future for education.

Many of the choices we make in the next couple of years will affect our District, our city and whether we will be able to attract new families to our city, and whether or not our kids can get into the colleges of their choice or get the jobs they want. There are some issues that our Board of Education faces that have to be solved quickly and not necessarily with community input. However, programs offered by a school district should not only meet state requirements and standards, but also be a reflection of the values of the community as a whole.

The Lakewood Board of Education has embarked on an initiative to encourage more Lakewood City School District employees to make Lakewood their home.

Cuyahoga County Board of Health will conduct three school immunization vaccination clinics in August and September to help accommodate the new state requirement that all students have a Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussus) shot prior to entering 7th grade for the 2010-2011 school year.

Although the school year is over, Lakewood High School remains a beehive of activity all summer long. On any given weekday, starting as early as 6 a.m. and running past dark, you will find dedicated young citizens, students, athletes, performers and musicians looking to improve themselves, their group, their community or their team and willing to give up their summer leisure time to do so.

Lakewood Catholic Academy will launch its school year with the Sixth Annual “Run for Excellence.” The 5K Race and Michalko Mile Youth Run are set for Sunday, August 29th, starting on the LCA campus at 14808 Lake Avenue in Lakewood, adjacent to Lakewood Park. Both races are open to participants of all ages.

Lakewood School Board Vice-President Matthew John Markling has been appointed to an adjunct faculty position by Ashland University College of Education’s Department of Educational Administration. Markling will be teaching “School Law and Ethics” and “Educational Politics, Policies and School/Community Relations” to future educational administrators.

The following is the printed text of my question to the School Board at their regular meeting on Monday night, July 12, during the Communication period.

Question for the Lakewood BOE and District:

Please bear with me tonight as the issue I wish to question you on is complex. This is regarding an emergency resolution that three members of the Board voted on during the July 1st Board meeting. The resolution states:

“WHEREAS, The Lakewood Board of Education recognizes that providing all-day, every-day kindergarten presents a hardship to the school district and is seeking a waiver for the delay of implementation; and,

WHEREAS, the Lakewood Board of Education understands that the waiver is for the delay of all-day, every-day kindergarten for the 2010-2011 school year; and,

The travel, tourism and food industries are on the rise in Northeast Ohio and nationwide. As Cleveland plans for a casino, medical mart and convention center, the new venues will increase the employment opportunities for individuals with culinary and hospitality management experience.

The Cleveland Council on World Affairs recently honored Lakewood High's Model United Nations team as the most outstanding school from its Spring Model UN Conference held in April. It is the third straight semester that the school's Model UN team has won the honor.

The Lakewood City Schools recently accepted their third award in recent months for the historic renovation and conversion of Emerson and Horace Mann from middle schools to elementary schools. Heritage Ohio bestowed the district with the "Best Civic Benefit" award at its annual Preservation and Revitalization Awards Ceremony at Ohio University on June 17. Treasurer Rick Berdine was there to accept the award on behalf of the district.

The following is the commencement speech given by LHS Class of 2010 salutatorian Kristian Hila. Kristian emigrated to this country in 2002 from Albania and at the time could not speak a word of English. He has flourished in the Lakewood City Schools and finished his high school career with a 4.482 cumulative grade point average from coursework that included 6 advanced classes and 9 Advanced Placement classes. In the fall Kristian, who was also captain of the LHS soccer team, will enter the University of Notre Dame.

“A Road Map”
First off, The Lakewood High School Class of 2010 would like to thank all the relatives, friends, staff, and administration for being a part of our graduation day. Thank you all for being with us along our journey and for celebrating with us today.

This is a time in our lives when we are reminiscing about our experiences both in and out of school. On the path to arriving here today, we can see moments of both joy and hardship. Some of us have marched easily and firmly from start to finish. For most of us, however, the road to finishing high school has not been as level as the newly-paved Bunts Road is today, but rather resembles the condition of that road a few years ago—bumpy and unpredictable, full of potholes and crooked lines—with warning signs and red lights thwarting our journey.

These first two decades have not always been “smooth sailing” for everyone on this stage. We have faced roadblocks that have tried to hinder our progress. Whether it has been the loss of a beloved friend, a family tragedy, personal illness, or the disruptive move from another country or crime-stricken neighborhood in search of a better education and a better life, we’ve all faced obstructions in one way or another. Despite these difficulties, we have found ways to overcome such obstacles and persevere.

Wait…We haven’t just persevered. It has been a much greater accomplishment than perseverance. We have taken these difficulties and laid down the struggles in order to create some of the strongest and most important foundations of our lives. We have labored for countless hours doing seemingly endless projects, conditioning for sports, setting up stages, sometimes to exhaustion—and then we have started again with bigger dreams and hopes. We have hoped for better days, for a better future. Each one of us has had dreams, whether they have been to become a great athlete or a great performer, whether to get the highest grades in the toughest classes or to even pull a D- in a class we didn’t like. Today, we are victorious as we can clearly see that many of these dreams have come true. We have succeeded, and in doing so we are rewarded with the ability to be on stage and to graduate from Lakewood High School.

Yet, the closing of our high school career is not the end of our dreams. We’ve reached another obstacle, a momentary stop. Now, we proceed into the next part of our lives. Very soon, each one of us will be thrust into the “real world”—a world with less protection from family, an adult world with no more “freebies” for our actions, with no more “do-overs” and no more “extra credit”. Right now, some of us may be suddenly realizing that the comfort and safety of home never sounded so sweet. But we must take this next journey, which will undoubtedly be filled with bigger warning signs, larger orange barrels, confusing detours, and breaks in the road. This may seem like an intimidating challenge, and that’s because it is!

However, just because the road ahead is difficult does not mean that we won’t be able to conquer it. We just need to count on the strong foundations that we’ve already laid. Then, we need to hope and dream bigger, and use the tools that we will learn in the future to fix the potholes and build the bridges to get to the other side. We’ve done okay so far—and we just need to keep going! Travel safely—but please don’t stop moving! Lakewood Class of 2010—I’ll see you all out on the road!

Child Find is the process of identifying, locating and evaluating all children from ages 3 to 21 who may have a disability and be in need of special education and related services, regardless of the severity of the disability. The Lakewood City School District seeks to identify, through child find, all children in the district who attend a public or non-public school in the district or who are homeless or wards of the state who may be in need of special education and related services.

A child with a disability is a child having a cognitive disability (e.g. mental retardation), hearing impairment (including deafness), visual impairment (including blindness), a speech or language impairment, a serious emotional disturbance, an orthopedic impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury, other health impairment, specific learning disability, deaf-blindness, or multiple disabilities.

Parents, relatives, public and private agency employees, and concerned citizens are asked to help the Lakewood City School District find any child who may have a disability and need special education and related services. If you are aware of a child who may have special needs, please notify Lakewood City Schools, Department of Student Services at (216) 529-4201.

Today was yet another sign of the growing backlash over Newsweek's reprinting of their error-ridden "America's Best High Schools: The List" in which "Lakewood High School, Lakewood, Ohio" was reported as 229th, 6th best in Ohio. It then turned out that Newsweek meant Lakewood High School in Colorado. Lakewood High School in Ohio did not even make the list.

“Love” is our overused word—it seems that everything from junk food to ones’ favorite TV show enjoys, at some point, the status of being “loved.” Love that taco!! Having said that, I offer no apologies for the following sentiment - I love teaching at Lakewood High School.  It is an immeasurable privilege to spend my days teaching US History to outstanding young people.  I learn something every day, I laugh every day, and find inspiration in the myriad passions, talents and hard work of our students.  I work with creative, dedicated and caring colleagues. To top it all, I get to teach at the alma mater of myself, my sisters, and my parents.  This is a special place. 

On Friday, June 4th staff and students wished their beloved principal Mr. Gleichauf good luck after eight wonderful years as the principal of Grant Elementary School. Luckily for Grant and the entire district, Mr. Gleichauf is not really leaving; he will merely be across the parking lot as the district's new Director of Teaching and Learning. The entire staff, wearing pink (Mr. Gleichauf’s “favorite” color) serenaded him with a special rendition of "Leaving on a Jet Plane" by John Denver: 

Memorizing the periodic elements was never a fun task for any high school chemistry student. But students in Lynn Eckert’s LHS chemistry classes were able to turn learning about the periodic table into a hands-on, artistic experience as they created fabric squares for a 9-foot-by-5-foot quilted periodic elements table. It’s a work of art that was a perfect blend of science and art.

Lakewood High School and Harding Middle School each recently were awarded coveted eTech Ohio grants that will give each school $225,000 over the next two years to help build technology-rich learning environments. The Ohio Department of Education American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Title II-D Round 2 Competitive Grants go toward teams at each building that will work over the next two school years implementing new technology into the learning process. The first year will focus on building a professional development plan and the second year of the grant is for student implementation.

After 52 years in Fairview Park, Parkview Playschool, Inc., a non-profit cooperative preschool, is moving to Lakewood.

Offering educational services to three- and four- year old children, Parkview’s preschool program is unique. “The difference between a co-op and a traditional preschool comes down to parental involvement,” says Parkview’s Director of fifteen years, Mrs. Patti Finau. “Cooperative preschools are successful because parents can observe and better understand their children’s development, joys and frustrations. Co-ops allow parents be an integral part of their child’s first school experience.”

Last year, Newschannel 5 did a feature on Calvary Community School, identifying it as one of Lakewood's best kept secrets. The piece went on to indicate that the school may have been closing after 28 years, due to lack of enrollment. Well, that is exactly what happened. However, a group of dedicated Calvary parents and the Calvary School Board are working together to reopen the school for the 2010-2011 school year. Why? Because we are passionate about the kind of education that Calvary Community School has to offer our children. We may not have a large marketing budget, but we make up for it in heart!

The Lakewood Chamber of Commerce 2010 Scholarship winners were honored at a breakfast at Pier W on May 21st. The Chamber welcomed over 50 members, students, parents, and guests to the annual scholarship breakfast, sponsored by PNC Bank. Four high school seniors were recognized for their exceptional dedication to their studies, extra-curricular activities, and, just as importantly, for their commitment to working at a part-time or full-time job during their high school years.

Summer is an important part of the year for fun and exploration. Again this summer, the Lakewood City Schools Community Recreation & Education Department will be offering its Kids Connection-Summer Day Camp. Kids Connection offers Fun, Safe and Affordable opportunities for kids’ kindergarten through sixth grade for around $25 per day.

A Flash Mob Dance is happening at Horace Mann Middle School at the June 4th assembly to close this school year. The Flash Mob Dance is a high energy dance where what appears to be a casual mob of people randomly “going about their business,” progressively gathers participants to sing and dance, then disperses to go their own ways as the song ends, leaving the onlookers dumbfounded as to how this could happen. “We’re Livin Life the Horace Mann Way” is the title of the song students of Mrs. Hildebrandt’s choir are learning in their music class. Students are having a blast learning the movements to a Flash Mob Dance to the tune of the popular Black Eyed Peas song “I’ve Gotta Feelin.” They will perform for the school in June and pass the message to classmates. Elisa Felici is the lead singer and choreographer for the Flash Mob Dance. The song carries new lyrics created by Janet Vinciguerra of VINCI Consulting to pass the messages to help our children develop their STAR qualities. They’ll sing about how Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is watching. The Golden Rule helps students to honor their classmates by treating them the way they want to be treated. Students “rock out” with lyrics and dance reminding them to use “self control, work hard and the importance of a “trust bank” in relationships. Students will take the “I Will” Pledge as they promise to be a part of the solution to the common social problems in all our schools. Students will invite others to take the “I WILL” pledge so that they too can be a part of how to make a positive difference for everyone in our community. 

All incoming Lakewood High School freshmen are invited to attend Fresh Start orientation on August 19 and  August 20. The two-day program is designed for students by students. Student mentors will lead the new high schoolers through a variety of activities that will help orient them to their new school as well as help build class camaraderie and school spirit. Students will tour the school, receive their locker location and ID badges as well as have a chance to sign up for clubs and other activities.

Nearly two dozen Lakewood City Schools teachers have taken it on themselves to add a little beauty to the city, and Lakewood Park in particular. Twenty-two teachers have volunteered to take part in Keep Lakewood Beautiful’s Adopt-a-Spot program, which assigns nearly 60 mini garden spaces throughout the city to volunteer gardeners to help maintain throughout the summer. The teachers group has been given the Adopt-a-Spot at the foot of the bandstand in Lakewood Park.

On Tuesday May 11, Grant Elementary School parents received a letter in our kids’ backpacks from our amazing principal, Mr. Mark Gleichauf, informing us that he had been promoted to Director of Teaching and Learning in the Lakewood City School District, and that we would have a new principal in the Fall.

I am writing on behalf of a growing group of concerned citizens.

The children filed in quiet as church mice to the soothing sounds of Pachelbel’s Canon in D on the harp, many of them dressed in their Sunday finest. It was an unusual day in the otherwise cacophonous cafeteria at Emerson Elementary School on Thursday, May 13, as the students were treated to their annual “Classical Lunch.”

Lakewood City Schools’ renovation of Horace Mann and Emerson elementary schools has been honored with a 2010 Preservation Award from the Cleveland Restoration Society and the American Institute of Architects, Cleveland/Akron chapter. It is the second award the district has received for it work on the two schools as it received a preservation award from the City of Lakewood last year.

The two elementary schools, which opened in August 2009, were renovated during the second phase of the Lakewood City Schools’ Facilities Master Plan construction program that began in 2004 and has led to two new elementary schools, two new middle schools, the renovation of half of Lakewood High School and the Emerson and Horace Mann renovations. Roosevelt and Lincoln elementary schools and the eastern half of Lakewood High are slated to be renovated or rebuilt in the third and final phase.

Emerson and Horace Mann opened seven months apart in 1922 and were built as exact duplicates. At a cost of $11.6 million for Emerson and $12.2 million for Horace Mann, the Lakewood City Schools’ accomplished a complete renovation of the interiors of the schools while preserving the historic exteriors as well as significant historic pieces inside the building. Replacement of the old windows with ones that matched the architectural integrity of the building gives passers-by a striking example of the improvements made.

Dear Lakewood,

Four students from Lakewood Catholic Academy’s Extended Curriculum program recently had a close encounter with the world of real science. The four--fifth graders Frannie Smith and Emily Morabeto and sixth graders Bobby Sessions and Patrick McGuire--presented the results of their collaborative climate research projects at the Fourth Annual OhioView SATELLITES Geospatial Technology Conference at the Penta Career Center in Perrysburg, Ohio on April 27th.

The conference brought together students ranging from first grade through college to present research results to their peers and to a panel of distinguished judges. The themes for this year’s event were the International Polar Year and climate change, both "hot" topics in the world of science.

On May 3, students at Lakewood High School worked with LHS Action Team captains in partnership with Volunteers of America and Major League Baseball.  Cleveland Indians first baseman, Russell Branyan helped students assemble more than 700 personal care bags that will be distributed to homeless men and women.   

A community garden sponsored by the Lakewood Christian Service Center to provide produce for needy families will be sprouting this summer at Madison Park thanks in part to the talents of a number of students at Lakewood High and the West Shore Career-Technical district.

The Lakewood High School Model United Nations Club once again put forth an outstanding performance at the Cleveland Council on World Affairs Model UN Conference held last month. Lakewood won eight awards (tied for the most of any school), and won four of the nine Superior Delegation Awards--the highest possible delegation award.

Roosevelt Elementary School celebrated Right to Read Week from March 29 through April 1, with enthusiasm. Roosevelt PTA president, Becky Boatman, along with teachers Mrs. Vullo, Mrs. Kidd and Mrs. Schultz, presented all students with their own Scholastic book to keep. During the day, students would “stop everything and read” for 15 minutes each day. 

The Lakewood Board of Education at its meeting on Monday, April 19, approved more than $4 million in budget cuts, including staff reductions aimed at maintaining “financial and educational stability” for Lakewood City Schools. The district is following through on a promise to cut millions from the 2010-2011 school year budget even if the operating levy on the May 4 ballot passes.

The cuts are necessary, “If we want to have the stability and do the best we possibly can for our kids,” said Superintendent P. Joseph Madak in explaining the cuts to the Board and audience members.

Members of the Power of the Pen teams from Harding and Garfield middle schools continued their impressive showing in the annual creative writing tournament including first-place overall by the 7th & 8th grade combined Harding team in the Sweepstakes competition. The teams from the two middle schools competed in the Regional tournament March 27 in Bedford and came away with a number of outstanding performances in addition to the Sweepstakes Trophy won by Harding for the writers’ combined scores from both the District and Regional tournaments. The Garfield combined team was not far behind with a fourth-place overall finish out of 38 schools in the Sweepstakes category.

Good news for Lakewood! The Ohio School Facilities Commission was off on their student enrollment projections when they told the Lakewood School Board that they would only fund the renovation of six elementary schools, not seven, because of Lakewood's declining enrollment.

Using actual current Lakewood enrollment numbers, the Lakewood City Schools can show that the OSFC's numbers were too low. Lakewood's enrollment is no longer declining. Looking at the OSFC's projections for kindergarten alone, they are off by 13%. Our current kindergarten class is the largest in a decade. And the grandchildren of the babyboomers are just starting to reach school age.

Using current enrollment numbers, if the district went down to six schools today, those schools would be at 97% capacity. Let me say that again, if we had six schools today, they would be at 97% capacity. The point of building these state-of-the-art new schools was that they could accommodate Lakewood's school kids for the next 50 years, not that the schools would immediately be bursting at the seams.

The only way to house more children would be to have class sizes larger than 24 children per class, or use rooms designated for preschool, music or art as classroom space. And this at a time when we have groups such as Lakewood Alive actively encouraging families to move into Lakewood, and when Business Week just recently designated Lakewood as the "Best place to raise a family," we are most certainly heading into the future as a city with fifty thousand or more residents.

According to Randy Fischer, founding director of the OSFC, no local district’s facilities plan is really final until directly before construction begins, when the OSFC does a final evaluation of a district’s entire situation, including re-evaluating student enrollment. Right now the citizens of Lakewood are under the impression that the BOE’s six school plan is final, that Grant will be closing, and students from the southern and central parts of Lakewood will have to leave their neighborhoods and walk north to fill up Lincoln Elementary school, which does not have enough children living in its neighborhood to fill the school.

Parents, students and in particular, the Blue Ribbon Excellent-rated staff of Grant elementary school are in a position of having to worry about uncertain futures.

How wonderful it would be if our BOE would go back to the OSFC right now and ask them to re-evaluate their decision to fund only 6 schools. Imagine how great it will be for Lakewood when the school board comes back to the community and announces the OSFC’s willingness to fund all seven schools, restoring Lakewood to its true character as a city where kids can go to school in their own neighborhoods.

This is the kind of news that gets people out of their houses and voting for school levies.