Schools

The Lakewood Board of Education at its November 21 meeting unanimously approved a reolution stating its opposition to a proposed anti-LGBTQ+ resolution under consideration by the Ohio Board of Education. The Board's resolution states that the Ohio Board of Education's proposal: "contradicts Lakewood City Schools Board of Education Policy...(and) is also in oppostion to Lakewood's Vision of a Lakeood Graduate, specifically the values of empathy and global awareness, and violates the ideals of human kindness and inclusion that are so valued by the Lakewood Community."

The resolution encourages the community to contact the State Board of Education to express their oppostion to the propoosed legislation.

Here is the text of the Lakewood Board of Education's resolution:

WHEREAS, In September 2022, Ohio Board of Education Member Brenden Shea presented an anti-LGBTQ+ resolution for consideration:The "Resolution to Support Parents, Schools, and Districts in Rejecting Harmful, Coercive, and Burdensome Gender Identity Policies" attempts to invalidate Federal Title IX protections in schools for LGBTQ+ youth;

WHEREAS, This resolution directly contradicts Lakewood City Schools Board of Education Policy;

WHEREAS, This resolution is also in opposition to Lakewood's Vision of a Lakewood Graduate, specifically the values of empathy and global awareness and violates the ideals of human kindness and inclusion that are so valued by the Lakewood Community;   WHEREAS, It is essential that our schools remain a safe, inclusive space for our children to grow and learn;

WHEREAS, The State Board of Education Executive Committee will continue debate on this resolution and two additional amendments;

A partnership with First Ring First Fellowship (FRFF) program and the Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District led to Lakewood High science teachers Rita Chahda and Ann Pesta and their AP Environmental Science and biology students to remove a large amount of the invasive vegetation last week from the high school grounds.

The FRFF program provides first-ring science teachers in Cuyahoga County with free resources and professional development that creates place-based watershed projects with our students. Chadha and Pesta are obtaining knowledge and tools to introduce our students to Great Lakes literacy and watershed restoration concepts through meaningful watershed experiences implemented in their classrooms. This partnership led to a survey of the grounds at Lakewood High, where a hot spot of an invasive plant species was discovered in the stormwater basin behind the softball field in the North Lot.

The students removed the vegetation on Nov. 29 and will return in May to remove the rest of the vegetation and reseed with a native wildflower mix and plant native plants decided upon through their own research.

The real-life hands-on project is a great example of our Vision of a Lakewood Graduate in action, demonstrating communication, collaboration and a global citizen outlook. Many in our greater community collaborated on the project. The City of Lakewood provided a driver and truck to help remove all the vegetation that was pulled out. LHS custodians helped remove the filled bags as well. The project wouldn’t have happened without the guidance of Jacki Zevenbergen, Stormwater Education Program Manager at Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District. More importantly, our LHS AP Environmental and Biology students got down and dirty and did all the hard work!

Congratulations to Lakewood High cross country runners Luka Bork and Charlie Payne, who competed in the Division 1 State Championship Meet on Nov. 5.

Luka finished 12th overall and earned All-Ohio status with his finish of 15:27. Charlie finished 46th out of a field of 180 with a time of 16:27. The two earned a place at the State Meet thanks to their performances at Regionals a week earlier. Luke, a junior, earned fourth place at Regionals and Charlie, also a junior, finished in 28th. Ranger Josie Kavc also earned a spot at Regionals.

Congratulations to these outstanding athletes along with their coaches, Charlie Moore (boys coach) and Adam Swiat (girls coach).

The Lakewood City Schools' tradition of holding a holiday breakfast for our community's senior citizens returns after a three-year hiatus! The event will happen on Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 9 am at Hayes Elementary School.

Guests will hear from Superintendent Maggie Niedzwiecki with an update on District developments of note and also enjoy some holiday entertainment from our Hayes students.

There is no cost for the breakfast, but RSVPs are required. Please call 216-529-4074 or email christine.gordillo@lakewoodcityschools.org to reserve your spot! The deadline to RSVP is Dec. 7.

The Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River continued its distribution of dictionaries to all third graders in Lakewood and Rocky River this fall, a project that the club began in 2005. A total of 622 dictionaries were distributed to students at 11 different school buildings.

Harlan Radford, project chair, with assistance from club members, stamped each dictionary with the Rotary logo, the Rotary Four-Way Test, and a place for the student’s name.

Schools receiving dictionaries were: Rocky River – Kensington Intermediate, Ruffing Montessori, and St. Christopher; Lakewood – Emerson, Grant, Harrison, Hayes, Horace Mann, Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Lakewood Catholic Academy.

The following Rotarians visited the schools to deliver the dictionaries and interact with both students and teachers: David Baas, John Chandler, Steve Clark, Vicki Foster, George Frank, Thom Geist, Chuck Gustafson, Jim Harris, George Hwang, Harlan Radford, and Jay Rounds.

Members were rewarded with smiles on the students’ faces as they receive their dictionaries and begin to explore the contents. Both students and teachers are very appreciative of receiving these dictionaries and using them in the curriculum.

Thank-you letters, written by the students, express their gratitude and enjoyment in owning their very own dictionary. They mention the students’ favorite section of the dictionary and how they have begun to use the dictionary in their classrooms.

The dictionary features over 32,000 words with simple, child-friendly definitions, plus pronunciation and parts of speech, and includes additional information about punctuation, the nine parts of speech, weights and measures, Roman numerals, and a map of the United States.

Over 150 pages of supplemental information feature the Constitution of the U.S., the Declaration of Independence, brief biographies of all U.S. presidents, world maps, information about all 50 states, countries of the world, and the planets in our solar system.

Last month Harding Middle School sixth graders held the second annual Math in Business Symposium, which showcased project-based learning using many of our Vision of a Lakewood Graduate competencies in an impressive way!

Working in small teams, sixth graders interviewed local business owners about how they incorporate math into building a successful business. Students discovered how Lakewood entrepreneurs use math in measuring, ordering inventory, tracking finances, and so much more!

Students then created graphics and podcasts sharing what they found. The symposium was a chance for families and staff to learn about the projects from the students. Superintendent Maggie Niedzwiecki and Mayor Meghan George spoke to the students and expressed how impressed they were with their communication and critical and creative thinking skills. Kudos to math teacher Stephen Kerney, who first envisioned the symposium project, and to the rest of the sixth-grade math team, and of course, the students!

Recently, Lakewood middle school students participated in a special learning opportunity made possible through a partnership between Lakewood City Schools, the Lakewood Public Library and the Wick Poetry Center at Kent State University.

Lakewood, come out and watch the first ever Community Challenge! It'll be a fun night on October 22 when two basketball games will be played. All the proceeds of the event will go toward the Class of 2023's prom.

Game 1 is our community team featuring Mayor George and Superintendent Niedzwiecki, along with some other notable community members. The Community Team will take on our high school staff featuring varsity basketball Coach Cammock, athletic director Rob Slone, LHS principal Joy Morgan, and many more. Game 2 features our middle school staff including Harding's Teri Knapp and Matt Kocur and Garfield's Larry Holmes, Ben Branco and Dan McWillaims playing. The middle school staffers will face off against the elementary team, including principals Brenda Budzar of Lincoln, Eric Fortuna of Hayes and Denice Leddy of Emerson.  

Outside of the fun basketball games going on in the LHS gym, the cafeteria will be the host site for a club/community showcase. High school clubs and select businesses will be displaying what their club/business has to offer. Come out and support your team! The doors open at 5pm. The first game tips off at 6pm and the second game will tip off at 7. Get your tickets ahead of time by goiong to www.payschoolsevents.com/events/details/21961.

At the Lakewood Board of Education meeting Monday, Oct. 3, Director of Teaching and Learning Steven Ast shared the District’s results on the most recent Ohio Report Card, which was released in mid September and included a new format. Gone are the letter grades and in its place is a five-star rating system.

Ast was proud to report that the District earned five stars in the Gap Closing category. The Gap Closing component measures how well school districts are meeting performance expectations for their most vulnerable students in English language arts, math and graduation. The District earned four stars in the Achievement and Progress categories, which indicates that our students are exceeding the state standards in these areas and that they are making more than a year’s worth of progress in their learning. In the final two rated components - Early Literacy and Graduation Rate, the District earned three stars. This indicates that the District is meeting the state standard set for these categories. 

It's a fact that the disruption that the pandemic caused in education resulted in learning loss for many students, including Lakewood students. The Report Card results indicate that the many interventions and enrichment programs the District instituted over the last school year and summer have helped it make good progress in restoring that loss, although numbers are not quite back to pre-pandemic levels of achievement yet. 

While the state Report Card data helps give the schools a clearer picture of where students stand in relation to meeting state standards, the data is just one piece of a larger picture that Lakewood City Schools is striving to achieve. The District believes that its Vision of a Lakewood Graduate and its Vision of a Lakewood Educator are the best guidepost for providing students what they need to develop into successful and engaged citizens.

Congratulations to the 10 Lakewood High musicians chosen to be part of the Ohio Music Educators Association’s Northeast Ohio Regional Orchestra and an additional congrats to senior violinist Lydia Kress on being selected for the All-State Orchestra! Students must qualify for the Regional Orchestra to be eligible for a spot with the All-State Orchestra. Jill King earned alternate status for the All-State ensemble.

The 10 LHS musicians will perform with the Regional ensemble on Nov. 3 at EJ Thomas Performing Arts Hall in Akron. The All-State ensemble performs at the OMEA annual conference, which will be held in Columbus in early February. 

Northeast Regional Orchestra qualifiers:

Eileen Brady - violin
Willow Detmar - bass
Jill King - cello
Margot King - violin
Lydia Kress - viola
Jaden Mills - bass
Madeline Oldfield - viola
Jaxson Riley -  cello
Bryce Sandoval - cello
Bode Smith - violin

Congratulations to these talented and dedicated students!

The Lakewood City Schools in early 2022 embarked on a process to develop a three-year strategic plan that will be the District's roadmap for the years ahead. In partnership with The Impact Group, the District gathered input from approximately 1,600 stakeholders including Board of Education members, families, students, business leaders, nonprofit leaders and the greater Lakewood community. The input was gathered through virtual and in-person focus groups, one-on-one conversations and an electronic survey.

Through the process of listening to our stakeholders, themes emerged that helped the District focus its plan on seven goals and objectives as outlined below:

• Academic Achievement and Technology
• Climate, Culture and Wellness
• Communications
• Human Resources and Business Operations
• Curriculum & Professional Development
• Extracurriculars - Athletics, Arts and more
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging

The annual Lakewood High School Homecoming Weekend Spirit Parade will take place this year on Friday, September 30. The parade steps off from Lakewood Park at 5:30 pm and winds its way up to the high school via Belle, Clifton and Bunts. Come out and cheer on all our Ranger sports teams and clubs then stay and watch the Homecoming Court announcement and Ranger football game. Kickoff versus Parma is 7 pm. GO RANGERS!

Lakewood High School seniors Tyler DiLoreto, James Holland, and Madeline Oldfield have been named Semifinalists in the 68th annual National Merit Scholarship Corp. competition. This designation recognizes Tyler, James, and Madeline as among the top students in the nation. LHS also can boast two Commended Students, seniors Alexander Peterson and Lila Wright.

Lakewood High School seniors Tyler DiLoreto, James Holland, and Madeline Oldfield have been named Semifinalists in the 68th annual National Merit Scholarship Corp. competition. This designation recognizes Tyler, James, and Madeline as among the top students in the nation. LHS also can boast two Commended Students, seniors Alexander Peterson and Lila Wright.

Based on their PSAT score from the 2022-2022 school year, Tyler, James, and Madeline join the group of 16,000 Semifinalists across the country. These academic standouts rose to the top of more than 1.6 million students who took the PSAT. Semifinalists represent less than 1% of U. S. high school seniors and are the highest scoring entrants in their state. Semifinalists are designated on a state-representational basis. The number of Semifinalists named in each state is proportional to the state's percentage of the national total of graduating high school seniors.

We are excited to announce the return of the Lakewood High School Marching Band Festival! The 35th festival will take place this year on Saturday, September 17, 2022. It will kick off with a parade of bands at 6 pm and continue with the first band performance at 6:30 pm. Gates open at 5:30 pm. 

This year, the festival, which is the LHS band's biggest fundraiser, will feature 10 Cleveland-area marching bands including:

Berkshire HS
Eastlake North HS
Fairview HS
Hudson HS
Oberlin HS
Rocky River HS
Strongsville HS
Westlake HS
Malone College
...and Lakewood's very own Ranger Marching Band!

Ticket prices are as follows: 
Adults - $9 online, $10 cash at the gate
Seniors (55+) - $7 online, $8 cash at the gate
Students (5-17) - $4 online, $5 cash at the gate
Preschoolers - Free!
Programs - $6 online, $7 cash at the gate
Tickets can be purchased at www.payschoolsevents.com/events/details/21636

Bring the the family to this fun, wholesome event full of pageantry and precision!

The Lakewood City Schools and the Lakewood Rangers Education Foundation (LREF) are pleased to announce that Howmet Aerospace Foundation has awarded a $26,910 grant to LREF that will be dedicated to purchasing robot kits for students. This is the second consecutive year LREF has received a Howmet grant to benefit the District.

The District plans to buy Ozobot Evo classroom kits for all seven elementary buildings’ makerspaces, which beginning this school year have dedicated STEM teachers to provide curriculum. The two middle schools will also receive the kits for their STEM classes. Ozobot is a smart robot that can follow lines or roam around freely, detect colors, and can be programmed using visual codes. Students will learn hands-on about robotics, math and programming.

"We are appreciative and grateful for the support that Howmet Aerospace Foundation is providing for STEM education in the Lakewood Schools again this year. It is funding such as this grant which allows the Lakewood Schools to take instruction to the next level and truly provide a world class STEM foundation for its youngest students,” said LREF Executive Director Terri Richards.

The District’s Director of Teaching and Learning, Steven Ast, added:

“Our students and teachers are so fortunate to have this opportunity thanks to generosity and amazing support from the LREF and the Howmet Foundation. This technology provides teachers cutting edge technology resources to empower students as they work toward the Vision of a Lakewood Graduate. Our students’ future will require creative, critical, and design thinking skills, and our teachers are blessed to have these great tools to foster that learning thanks to this grant.”

As we soon head into another school year, the District wishes to share how over the past several years Lakewood City Schools has worked to grow its existing services that support student mental health and wellness. Access to these supports is available to all our elementary, middle school and high school students.

The passage of the last levy in 2020 has allowed the District to intentionally allocate funds to support student mental health and well being. At the elementary level, the District now has five full-time student wellness specialists that support the social-emotional learning needs of our youngest learners. The District also employs an independent licensed social worker, Tina Karp, to support the mental health needs of students in our district and coordinate services delivered by our community partners. The District also employs an administrator, Dr. Merritt Waters, whose focus is student wellness and who serves as our student wellness coordinator. 

All 11 of our schools have school-based mental health services and support through either OhioGuidestone or Bellefaire JCB. The District also has partnerships with Recovery Resources and with the Cleveland Clinic Children’s school-based clinic, based at Lakewood High School. Through the LHS clinic, students and families have access to a Cleveland Clinic social worker, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, and a student/patient navigator (partially funded through the Three Arches Foundation). The navigator helps students and families in crisis, particularly those students transitioning back to school from a mental health hospitalization. Lakewood also partners with the Cleveland Clinic for a mobile unit. The mobile unit team includes a child psychologist and serves the District once a month and travels to various schools. 

The Westshore Young Leaders is a youth organization comprised of students from the six Westshore cities of Bay Village, Fairview Park, Lakewood, North Olmsted, Rocky River and Westlake. The group meets once a month during the school year in the Bay Village Police Department's community service room. It has been around for twelve years and is headed up by Mrs. Noreen Kyle, the School Outreach and Education Specialist of the Westshore Enforcement Bureau. The mission of the organization is:  Westshore communities working together to support young leaders and promote healthy, safe and substance-free life choices. 

The students held their final meeting at Urban Air at Crocker Park in Westlake. Meetings normally consist of an educational piece instructed by the Effective Leadership Academy or McKeon Educational Group followed by interactive games and activities. This month, they took the show on the road for the last meeting of the school year.  They were hosted by owner Ted Grambo and the fun, friendly staff of Urban Air in Crocker Park for an evening of ropes courses, go karts, obstacle courses, trampolines and pizza. The Young Leaders had a great evening hosted by a great staff.    

Now is the time to register for the Lakewood City Schools preschool and kindergarten for the 2022-2023 school year. Students must be 5 years old on or before September 30, 2021 to be eligible to enter kindergarten. The preschool program currently only has availablity for its 4-year-old half-day program. Registration information and materials can be found on the Lakewood City Schools website (www.lakewoodcityschools.org) under the Student Registration Quick Link. Registration is by appointment only. 

After collecting all required documents and completing all pre-registration forms online, you will be prompted to schedule an appointment to register your child. If you have any questions regarding registration, please contact the registration secretary by email at susan.robida@lakewoodcityschools.org or call 216-529-4279.

Children who attended the Lakewood City Schools’ preschool program this past school year are enrolled in the District and do not need to re-register. Kindergarten information will be given to these families.

The Lakewood Board of Education has named Westlake High School administrator Joy Morgan as the next principal of Lakewood High School. Morgan will replace Mark Walter, who recently was named the District’s new Director of Community and District Activities. The Board at a special meeting Monday morning also approved Shaker Heights Schools’ instructional coach Kristin DeLong Clark as a teaching and learning coordinator for the District. Jacob Green was also approved as Supervisor of Nutrition Services at the May 16 Board meeting.

Morgan is currently the assistant principal of Westlake High School, a position she has held for the past two years. Prior to joining Westlake, she spent three years at Brookside High School in Sheffield where she served as assistant principal and principal. As principal, she helped pilot a program to improve grades and promote a smooth transition to high school for eighth-graders that achieved measurable success for at-risk students. Morgan began her career as a history teacher before taking on her first administrative role at North Ridgeville High School. She also worked briefly as a social worker for Cuyahoga County.

Morgan is looking forward to taking the reins at Lakewood High.

"I am incredibly honored to be a part of the Ranger family,” Morgan said. Throughout the interview process, I was impressed with the dedicated teachers, parents and students and their strong sense of pride and commitment to the education of every child."

Garfield and Harding middle schools recently participated in the statewide Middle School Mock Trial Showcase sponsored by the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education, where 19 middle school teams went to trial against each other via Zoom on April 29. Garfield fielded three teams (all grade 7) and Harding fielded two (one grade 7, one grade 8).

Garfield’s three teams together won five out of six possible “Best Attorney” awards and three of six possible “Best Witness” awards. Harding’s two teams won three of four “Best Attorney” awards and two of four “Best Witness” awards. 

Garfield’s “Best Attorneys” were Joshua Browning, Kennedi Byroads, Joshua Kelley-Moore, Fallon Kolos, and Ruby McEwen. Harding’s “Best Attorneys” were Maya Trempe (for the second year in a row), Alessio Matera, and Sean Miller. Garfield’s “Best Witnesses” were Jackson Comer, Nathan Haytas, and Lillian Hobrath. Harding’s “Best Witnesses” were Cora Barcelona and Bridget Katzenberger.

Team scores are ranked into three tiers, with only five of 19 teams reaching the top tier. All five Lakewood teams scored in second tier, but both of Harding’s teams and two of Garfield’s three scored just under the top tier cutoff score. So our five Lakewood Mock Trial teams performed very well overall. 

This year the Middle School Mock Trials were based on the book Greystone Secrets: The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix, in which a main character is charged with kidnapping. Each middle school team has a prosecution and a defense squad, and prepares for two different trials against other Ohio middle schools. Students take on the roles of attorneys, witnesses, and bailiff/timers; despite occurring on Zoom this year, trials take place in front of real attorneys who act as trial judges and who rate teams on case understanding, professional demeanor, oratory skills, and understanding of trial technique and courtroom procedure. Garfield had three and Harding two trials running simultaneously in the morning, and repeated that schedule in the afternoon!

Lakewood High School senior William Yeung has pulled off a feat that no other Lakewood High graduate has done before him. Thanks to Ohio’s College Credit Plus program and the guidance and care of his parents, school counselors, and teachers, William will walk across the Civic Auditorium stage on May 27 to receive his high school diploma having already earned enough credits for his bachelor’s degree from Cleveland State University.

The Lakewood Council of PTAs handed out its annual awards at a ceremony on May 4 at Garfield Middle School. The ceremony included awarding four senior scholarships and recognizing Roosevelt Elementary music teacher Abigail Norman as the District and Ohio PTA Region 1 winner of the “T” in PTA Award.

This time of year, as spring becomes more and more apparent, it is a time when we celebrate trees, as it is one of the best times to plant a tree. Lakewood has a variety of many species of beautiful trees. Having a diverse tree canopy in a city takes continual effort, but is well worth it, for trees impart us with many benefits (see list below). Yet we are not in a forest where nature takes its course; we are living in one of the most densely populated suburbs in the state. For trees to thrive here, this translates to having a clear plan and caring for the trees from a tiny seedling until the time a tree must be taken down. Thus, it is important to teach why trees are important and what benefits they give us all to enjoy in our urban setting, as it takes a long time for trees to mature. This is reflected in this anonymous famous quote: “The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second-best time is now.” Taken together, this is why learning about trees is so important. Keeping with one of the mission goals of Keep Lakewood Beautiful, education, we partnered for the 8th year with the Horticulture class at Lakewood High School to support tree education.  Since the program’s inception nearly 500 hundred students have had the opportunity to participate and over 800 seedling trees have been given away to the community. 

The Lakewood High Class of 2023 is hosting a senior citizens dance on Friday, May 20, in the LHS cafeteria. "The Golden Prom," is from 6:00-8:30 pm. Residents age 65+ are welcome to attend and enjoy music from their generation. The cost of $10 per person will go toward the Class of 2023. Guests can enjoy music, dancing, coffee, tea, and light refreshments. Guests can purchase tickets at the door or by calling Lakewood Recreation at 216-529-4081. 

The Lakewood High School Mock Trial Team competed this spring in the 2021-2022 Ohio High School Mock Trial competition, which is sponsored by the OCLRE (Ohio Center for Law Related Education). Each fall high school teams from around the state prepare a trial based on a case created by a panel of judges, lawyers, and staff.  This year's case was State of Buckeye ex rel Fitzpatrick v. DeBier, which involved a restaurant owner seeking damages against the state, claiming that her restaurant was forced to close due to regulations put in place during the pandemic.

Lakewood's team worked diligently on the case materials as they organized strategy and legal arguments.

The Prosecution team was led by Leah Campbell and Zoey Serna. The two Prosecution witnesses were played by Edie Barcelona as Hollis Fitzpatrick, and Avelyn Cleary as Phoenix.

The Defense team consisted of attorneys Cameron Wereb and Chaiya Herberger. The Defense witnesses were played by Parker Toms as Ellis, and Delano Yeung as Riley.

Liam Yeung and Yasmine Elhachdani worked overtime as bailiff and timekeeper for both teams. Their contribution was invaluable as they helped each team to compete smoothly.

Third-graders across the District received a special gift on today’s 150th anniversary of Arbor Day as each took home a white dogwood seedling for planting. The seedlings were provided by the Arbor Day Foundation and paid for courtesy of longtime Lakewood resident Ed Denk, who had an Arbor Day tradition of planting a new tree with his two daughters when they were young Lincoln Elementary students. Denk saihd he was inspired by the Most Distinguished Tree contest sponsored by the City of Lakewood and the Lakewood Observer. Pictured are students at Lincoln receiving there seedlings.

Lakewood City Schools once again has been honored with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education. The Best Communities for Music Education designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students. The District has been awarded the designation every year since 2016.

To qualify for the Best Communities designation, the District answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program and community music-making programs. Responses were verified with school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.

Research into music education continues to demonstrate educational/cognitive and social skill benefits for children who make music. In a series of landmark studies by scientists and researchers at Northwestern University a link was found between students in community music programs and life-long academic success.

The Lakewood City Schools offers music education from kindergarten through 12th grade. Instrumental instruction begins in 5th grade. Middle school offerings include classroom band, orchestra, and choir with extracurricular opportunities in all three. Lakewood High School's curricular offerings include five orchestras, four choirs, three bands, and several non-performance music electives. In addition, our high school extracurricular ensembles provide numerous opportunities for our students to enhance their musical experience through groups such as the Lakewood Ranger Marching Band, The Lakewood Project electric rock orchestra, and Chamber Choir.

Congratulations to junior Jacquie Hudak on being selected as the grand prize winner of the annual Maltz Museum of Jewish History's Stop the Hate Youth Speak Out essay contest and to Garfield Middle School's seventh-grade choir on earning first place in the Youth Sing Out portion of the contest! Jacquie's essay on championing body positivity for girls in the face of a culture of body shaming was selected from among 10 finalists from Northeast Ohio schools. Jacquie's essay earned her a $20,000 scholarship and $5,000 for Lakewood High. The choir earned a $3,500 anti-bias grant for Garfield.

Now in its 14th year, the Stop the Hate contest is comprised of an essay writing contest and a songwriting contest for students in sixth to twelfth grade. The contests celebrate students who are committed to creating a more accepting, inclusive society by standing up and speaking out against bias and bigotry. Each year about 3,000 students enter both contests combined. This year's contestants were asked to write about how they have been and can continue to be agents of positive change.

The Lakewood High School Class of 2023 is hosting a senior citizens dance on Friday, May 20, 2022 at Lakewood High School in the Cafeteria.

The dance, titled "The Golden Prom," is from 6:00-8:30 PM. Residents age 65 plus are welcome to attend and enjoy music from their generation.

There is a cost of $10 per person as this is a fundraiser for the LHS Class of 2023. Guests can enjoy music, dancing, coffee, tea, and light refreshments. Guests can purchase tickets at the door or by calling Lakewood Recreation at 216-529-4081.  

Lakewood High School is ADA compliant and guests are to enter at Door 35 (off Franklin Blvd). Students and staff will be outside of the building in order to assist guests and direct parking.  

We hope members of the senior community consider coming to this fun event and enjoy an evening of music from their past!

Winners of Rotary’s Four-Way Speech Contest, and the music and visual arts competitions, were honored at a gala event at the Beck Center on April 11. 

Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River, the contest annually showcases the incredible talents of students attending one of five high schools – Lakewood, Lutheran West, Magnificat, Rocky River, and St. Edward.

Beck Center for the Arts in Lakewood has been a valued partner of Rotary for this event, serving as the liaison to educators at the high schools and providing the venue and judges for various phases of the competitions.

Speech contest first place winner was Alex Hodson, who represented the club at the Rotary district 6630 competition on April 9.

Also honored were Grace Lamparyk, second place; Helen Rocheshe, third place; and Lydia Kress, honorable mention. All students are from Lakewood High School. Their teacher is Ms. Amy Garritano.

Speeches must be of original content and be based on “The Four-Way Test of Rotary” which asks, “Is it the truth, Is it fair to all concerned, Will it build goodwill and better friendships, and Will it be beneficial to all concerned?”

For the 3rd straight year the youth basketball tournament that highlights 5th graders from each elementary school in Lakewood was in danger of once again being cancelled.

Realizing its importance and the impact and energy this event creates for our participants, the Lakewood Recreation Department decided to take ownership, revitalize and revamp the former tournament and established the Lakewood Ranger Purple & Gold Classic.

This past weekend, the culmination of months long practices, organization and community support saw a day-long event that surpassed everyone’s expectations. Played in the Lakewood High School gym, teams representing Emerson, Grant, Harrison, Hayes, Horace Mann, Lincoln and Roosevelt competed in a single elimination bracket to claim the Commissioner’s Cup.

The first game tipped off at 8:30am, but players, coaches, parents and spectators began descending on the high school campus as early as 8:00am. To keep the masses energized the Lakewood Athletic Boosters had its concession stand in full swing in the cafeteria throughout the day.

Congratulations to the four Lakewood High juniors who swept the competition in the 77th annual Rotary Club of Lakewood & Rocky River Speech Contest sponsored by Beck Center for the Arts! In the final round that took place March 28, Alex Hodson placed first and earned $750. Rounding out the top four places following Alex were Grace Lamparyk ($500), Helen Roche ($300), and Lydia Kress ($250).

Contest participants are students from the five Lakewood and Rocky River high schools including Lakewood High School, Lutheran High School West, Magnificat High School, Rocky River High School, and St. Edward High School. The speech contestants were asked apply the principles of Rotary international’s Four Way Test to a current ethical issue. Students are challenged to identify a topic they feel passionate about and to adopt a point of view from which they will seek to persuade others. The Four Way Test includes the questions:

• Is it the truth?
• Is it fair to all concerned?
• Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
• Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

Former Lakewood High math teacher and head basketball coach Robert D. Slone has been named the next Athletic Director for Lakewood City Schools. The Lakewood Board of Education approved the appointment at its March 21 meeting. Slone, whose three-year contract begins Aug. 1, 2022, will replace Sean Jackson, who will move to a teaching position with the District. Lakewood assistant coach Grant Graves was also named the new varsity baseball coach.

Slone is currently the associate principal of Cuyahoga Falls High School, where he oversaw the Black Tiger Remote Learning Academy for all CFHS students during the COVID school shutdown. Slone brings to Lakewood extensive teaching and administrative experience in addition to his impressive coaching resume. Prior to joining Cuyahoga Falls in 2004 as a math teacher, he served as St. Vincent-St. Mary High School’s athletic director.

Slone’s coaching credentials include four years (2000-2004) leading the Lakewood High boys’ varsity team. He took over a struggling program and turned it into a Plain Dealer Top 15 team three of his four seasons. He earned the Greater Cleveland Basketball Coaches Association and All Northeast Lakes District Coach of the Year honors in 2002. He repeated GCBCA Coach of the Year honors during his 11-year tenure as coach of the Cuyahoga Falls team.

Four Lakewood High juniors were winners in the 77th annual Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River Speech Contest sponsored by Beck Center for the Arts.

In the final round that took place March 28, Alex Hodson placed first and earned $750. Rounding out the top four places following Alex were Grace Lamparyk ($500), Helen Roche ($300), and Lydia Kress ($250).

Contest participants were students from the five Lakewood and Rocky River high schools – Lakewood, Lutheran West, Magnificat, Rocky River, and St. Edward. Contestants were asked to apply the principles of Rotary International’s Four Way Test to a current ethical issue. Students are challenged to identify a topic they feel passionate about and to adopt a point of view from which they will seek to persuade others.

The Four Way Test includes the questions:

Is it the truth?
Is it fair to all concerned?
Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

As the winner, Alex will represent the Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River at the Rotary District 6630 Speech Finals at Kent Roosevelt High School on April 9.

Join us this Saturday, April 9th for the first annual Lakewood Ranger Purple & Gold Classic in the LHS Gym.

Come watch the district-wide 5th-grade basketball tournament as school teams compete against each other for the prestigious Commissioner's Cup.

Tournament tip-off starts at 8:30 am.

#Emerson #Grant #Harrison #Hayes #Horace Mann #Lincoln #Roosevelt
We are ALL Rangers!

Lakewood Recreation is offering lots of camps for the kids this summer. Please stop by for a copy of our latest booklet.
The Recreation office is located at Lakewood High School on the corner of Franklin and Bunts, Door 31.

Grab your bathing suits, towels, baskets and goggles for Lakewood Recreation’s annual Underwater Egg Hunt. This year’s event will be held Saturday, April 16, 2022 at the Lakewood High School Pool beginning at 9:30am. 

Children are split up into age groups for the hunt. All children ages 6 and under must be accompanied by an adult in the pool; no separate registration fee is required for the adults accompanying younger children. Eggs can be redeemed for prizes after the hunt.

Don’t be fooled by the name; not all the eggs sink. Approximately half of the eggs float at the surface. The other eggs are spread out on the pool bottom, varying in depth from 3.5 feet deep to 9 feet deep. There are a variety of activities in the pool for the children to participate in when not diving for eggs. There are pool toys out for the little ones, and, always a favorite, the high dive for the older kiddos.

Congratulations to the West Shore Career-Tech culinary arts students who earned gold and silver ratings in the Baking & Pastry, and Culinary Arts events in the Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America's regional competition held at Tri-C Feb. 26. Earning gold in the Culinary Arts category were Garrett Schweter, Sophia Fishbaugh and Christian Reyes. In the Baking & Pastry event, Tahoora Syed and Laura Kotran each earned a silver rating. Students will be notified March 15 if they qualify for the state competition.

The Culinary Arts event recognizes participants' ability to demonstrate ability to produce a quality three-course meal using industrial culinary techniques and equipment. Participants must develop a plan for the time allotted, prepare menu items given to them prior to the event, and present prepared items to evaluators.

The Baking & Pastry event recognizes participants enrolled in career-technical culinary programs for their ability to demonstrate baking and pastry skills through the preparation of a quick bread, choux pastry, and demonstration of cake decorating skills. Participants must develop a plan for the time allotted, prepare menu items at the time of the event, and present prepared items to evaluators.

Students have been practicing and perfecting their skills for the past few months after school to prepare for the competition. Nice to see the hard work pay off!

A number of Lakewood High students have won recognition for their artwork, including first-place prizes, in competitions held across Northeast Ohio recently. In the 77th annual Rotary Club of Lakewood & Rocky River Speech, Music, and Visual Arts Contest sponsored by Beck Center for the Arts, Lila Wright (elevator photography) and Grace Hoppel took the top two prizes in the visual arts competition. Inga Wilhelmy claimed first place with her Invitation to the Couch painting in the Beachwood Arts Council's Ileen Kelner Juried High School Art Show, and seven students had 15 pieces of artwork chosen to move on from regionals to state judging in the Governor's Youth Art Exhibition!

In the Rotary/Beck competition, students from the five Lakewood and Rocky River high schools including Lakewood High School, Lutheran High School West, Magnificat High School, Rocky River High School, and St. Edward High School, Lila Wright (1st) and Grace Hoppel (2nd) had their art chosen from 145 submissions. LHS students Alexa Colburn and Billy Hamilton also earned an Honorable Mention. 

In the Region 8 contest for the Governor's Youth Art Exhibition, judges chose five of Inga Wilhelmy's pieces to move on to the state level for consideration of inclusion in the exhibit that begins in April in Columbus. Angelina Kona, Caleigh Naylon, Helen Roche, and Bee Rohrs (West Shore Media Art & Desing student) each had two pieces selected to advance. Rosie Lipka and Clare Morrissey each had one piece chosen to move on. Our students' art was chosen from more than 1,000 pieces submitted in Region 8!

Congratulations to these talented artists and their teachers, Dayna Hansen, Arline Olear, Amy Sedlak, and Annie McQuay. 

Lakewood High School has been chosen as one of 60 schools across the nation to pilot an Advanced Placement course on African American Studies. The AP course will be in addition to the current LHS Studies in Black American Studies elective that was instituted with the 2021-2022 school year and has been very popular with students. If the pilot is successful, the high school is committed to offering the course for at least the next three school years starting with the 2022-2023 school year.

The course content will cover four areas:

Unit 1--Origins of the African Diaspora (8th-16th century)
Unit 2--Freedom, Enslavement, and Resistance (16th century-1865)
Unit 3--Practice of Freedom (1865-1960s)
Unit 4--Movements (1960s-early 2000s)

The interest in the course is high among students with 64 registered to take it next year.

Roosevelt fifth-grader Mariah King has been selected as one of the winners of the the Division of the State Fire Marshal's Fire Safety Poster Contest. The Board of Education, Mayor Meghan George, Fire Chief Tim Dunphy and Fire Marshal Ryan Fairbanks, and a representative from the state fire marshal's office recognized Mariah for her excellent artwork at the Feb. 22 Board meeting. Mariah was one of only six winners from across the state in her fifth-grade division. Congratulations, Mariah!

The Lakewood High School Barnstormers Drama Club will present "Songs for a New World" by Jason Robert Brown as its spring musical. The will be three performances: March 10, 11 and 12, starting at 7:30 pm at the Civic Auditorium. March 10-12. The production features an ensemble cast and a student orchestra pit all telling stories about life and the experiences that unite us. Advance tickets can be purchased online are $8 for adults and $5 for students. You can access the online ticket portal at https://www.payschoolsevents.com/events/details/19415 or on the Lakewood City Schools webiste (www.lakewoodcityschools.org). Tickets at the door are $10 adults, $8 students.

The Lakewood/Rocky River Rotary Foundation is offering high school seniors grants for study at any accredited post-high school educational institution. Five grants of $3,000 will be awarded toward the cost of one year’s tuition.

Applicants must be a member of the 2022 graduating class of any accredited high school; be a resident of the Lakewood or Rocky River school district; show a record of academic success in his/her high school career; have applied to a specific college, university, community or junior college, or trade or professional school; and have no direct relationship to a current or honorary Rotarian.

Applications must be received by 3 p.m. Monday, April 11. The awards will be presented on June 6.

Required information must be submitted on the application form that can be downloaded at https://www.lakewoodrockyriverrotary.org.

Guidelines for submitting the application, as well as other criteria, are included.

What better job for the summer than at a swimming pool, ball field, or summer camp? Take the opportunity to work outside, with kids, making a difference. Lakewood Rec is now hiring to fill many open positions for learn-to-swim instructors, lifeguards, pool attendants, baseball scorekeepers, summer camp counselors and more. 

As winter turns to spring, many of our thoughts turn to warm summer days, filled with playing tee ball, swimming at Foster Pool or Becks Pool, or making friends at Kids Connection or Ohio Heritage. Lakewood Recreation is hiring seasonal employees to make all those summer memories continue for a new generation. Applications preferred by March 31, 2022. Find position and application details at www.lakewoodrecreation.com/summerjobs.

Lakewood City Schools students regularly earn honors from outside organizations for their academic prowess as well as their artistic and athletic talents. Some recent recognitions for District students include: Mariah King, a Roosevelt Elementary fifth-grader, was selected as a finalist in the Division of State Fire Marshal Fire Safety Poster Contest. Mariah's poster will be on display at Fire Marshal's annual expo in June, in their offices, and on the division's website. Mariah was also recognized at the Board of Education Meeting on Feb. 22. Congratulations, Mariah!

Nine Harding Middle School students have qualified to compete in the middle school Regional Finals of the National Science Bee! The nine students earned regional qualifying status thanks to their performance on the Online Regional Qualifying Exam, which consisted of 50 questions that were to be answered in 20 minutes. Moving on to regionals are: Veronica Allie, Ally Demaline. Liam Dowell, Clover Griggs, Hank Janko, Jack Janko, Enid Liou, Charlotte Rogalski, and Alden Therrien. Congratulations to all!

Lakewood High School's National Honor Society chapter recently inducted 51 new members into their chapter. These 51 students are great embodiments of NHS's four tenets: scholarship, leadership, service, and character.

New school records have been set by Lakewood High indoor track and field athletes Aniya Symons and Josie Kavc. Aniya, a junior, recently broke the record she established earlier this season in the long jump with a new measure of 15'5"! Freshman Josie Kavc broke the 1600-meter record with a time of 5:51.15. Mae Mohar set a record in the 2-mile event with a time of 13:12.37, and Maddie Ellis set the 300 record with a time of 54.61. Congratulations to Aniya, Josie, Maddie and Mae, and their coaches!

Lakewood High senior Lucas Winters has committed to play football for Division 1 school St. Francis University in Loretto, Pa.

Lakewood High School and Garfield Middle School programs were each awarded $5,000 grants from two separate organizations.

Garfield has been awarded a $5,000 grant from the Ohio STEM Learning Network STEM Classroom Grant Program to help in the school’s effort to become a more environmentally conscious community. The grant will be used to establish the GO Green Garfield program (G3 for short), which will be led by STEM teacher Jaime Chanter, who wrote the grant proposal.

Chanter’s focus for G3 will be on helping the planet while also helping others. The grant will go toward purchasing materials to create gardens both inside and outside to grow microgreens as well as to buy supplies to create t-shirts, buttons, infographics, videos and posters to help raise awareness of the benefits and need for recycling and other green practices.

This is the first year for the Ohio STEM Learning Network STEM Classroom Grant Program and is sponsored by Battelle, which funds STEM learning projects in classrooms and schools across Ohio.

--who live in Lakewood. We have scholarships to award. 

The Kiwanis Club of Lakewood is proud to be offering its 2022 scholarship program to graduating high school seniors. The club’s foundation increased the awards to FOURTEEN $10,000 scholarships, $2500 per year for 4 years each.

Edward Hadaway, Kiwanis scholarship committee chairman said “ eligible applicants can be students at any accredited high school, but must be a resident of Lakewood and a citizen of the United States. They must demonstrate academic success in high school and must have applied to one or more specific college or university. Winners will be chosen based on need for financial assistance; community involvement and service; with qualities of leadership, honesty, loyalty, diligence and participation in extracurricular activities.”

Applications and contact information is online at www.lakewoodkiwanis.com. Please submit by April 1, 2022. Lakewood Kiwanis serving Lakewood youth and celebrated our Centennial year in 2021. 

#KidsNeedKiwanis

The Lakewood City Schools is embarking on a process to develop a three-year strategic plan, and we need your input!

The District will be gathering information throughout the month of February from staff members, Board members, District families, students, and the greater Lakewood community.

The aim is to have an actionable and measurable plan in place to start the 2022-2023 school year.

A survey will be open from Feb. 7-Feb. 25 for all community members to respond. The survey can be found on the Lakewood City Schools website at www.lakewoodcityschools.org or you can access it via the QR code. Your anonymous feedback will provide valuable insight for the District.

Share your thoughts. Be a voice!

Once again Lakewood High School and the West Shore Career-Tech Media Art & Design students have won highest honors in the annual Scholastic Art & Writing Awards regional competition. Congratulations to the young artists and writers who earned 51 awards collectively, 11 of which were Gold Keys, the highest honor given. Senior Inga Wilhelmy led the list of award winners with three Gold Keys, including one for her competition portfolio, and six awards in total. Gold Key winners move on to be judged at the national level of the 97-year-old competition.

Lakewood and West Shore students were well-represented at the Silver Key and Honorable Mention levels as well. Fourteen students won 19 Silver Keys, including two by seniors Greta Frantz, Ivy Keeper, Caleigh Naylon, and Inga Wilhelmy, and junior Grace Hildebrandt. Fifteen students earned Honorable Mention designations for their art, including three mentions for senior Billy Hamilton.

The Cleveland Institute of Art hosts the regional competition that recognizes creative achievement in 7-12 grade students in Northeast Ohio. The young artists and writers compete for cash prizes, medals, and scholarship awards. A panel of local professional artists, art educators, writers, and writing educators jury the exhibit and select the awarded pieces from nearly 3,000 entries.

The Lakewood City Schools will return to an in-person format for its Kindergarten Parent Information Night for the 2022-2023 school year. The event is set for Thursday, January 20, 2022, at 6:30 pm at Grant Elementary School. Students must be 5 years old on or before September 30, 2022 in order to be age eligible to enter kindergarten in Fall 2022.

The program will include a presentation by Director of Teaching & Learning Steven Ast, who will share details about the kindergarten curriculum and the registration process. Registration for the 2022-2023 school year begins on Monday, January 24. District Nurse Katy Corrigan will also be on hand to provide information on immunizations needed and other health care protocols. Following the presentation, parents/guardians will have the opportunity to ask questions and view the Grant kindergarten rooms. Some principals will also be on hand to answer questions.

If you plan to attend, please note that masks are required in all Lakewood City Schools buildings.

Due to the surge in COVID-19 cases currently in our community, the Lakewood Project concert originally scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 22, has been moved to Saturday, Feb. 12 in the Civic Auditorium. The show begins at 7:30 pm and tickets are available in the LHS Bookroom (216-529-4047) and online at www.payschoolevents.com.

The "Say My Name" concert features The Lakewood Project performing songs from all genres and decades that have a name in the title. Songs such as Gloria, Uma Thurman, Valerie, Baba O'Reilly, Hey Jude, and Jessie's Girl to name a few. It's sure to be a fabulous concert for all ages. Presale tickets are $5 for adults and $4 for students. With the purchase of one presale adult ticket, you can get one student ticket for $1 off. Tickets at the door are $8 for adults and $5 for students.

I would like to start by expressing my gratitude to the citizens of Lakewood for allowing me to continue as a member of this Board of Education and to my fellow Board members for trusting me to continue as president of the Board this year. I am so privileged to be working with a board committed to the children of Lakewood and to the community we love. Each member of the Board brings unique perspective, knowledge and skill – it has been a pleasure to work with Mrs. Beebe, Mrs. Petrie Barcelona and Mr. Callahan. Times have been challenging but they have never given less than 100% in support of our school family. I am also very happy to welcome Mrs. Katzenberger to the Board, and I look forward to working with her toward our bright future.

I think it is fair to say that we had all hoped and anticipated that this January would have marked a return to “normal” and respite from the strain and disruption of Covid. While this has not proven to be the case, we have learned from our experience over the previous year and it enables us to be more agile and proactive in meeting the needs and expectations of our students. We have tools to mitigate the threat that we did not have a year ago and are in some ways learning to adapt to the presence of Covid in our lives and to the rapidly changing information as to the nature of the virus. 

Make no mistake – many of our students and many in the community continue to struggle with the emotional toll that this pandemic has imposed – isolation, anxiety, loss, and anger. Our effort to enable our students to cope and to reduce the burden they carry is paramount if they are going to thrive. We as adults must display the same resilience, persistence and imagination that we expect of our children as we work together to meet their needs.

Several recent writing competitions have recently highlighted and honored the talents of several Harding Middle School students. Sixth-graders Harper Williams and Hank Janko earned second and third place, respectively, in their grade-level category in the 32nd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest sponsored by East View United Church of Christ in Shaker Heights. The contest asked Cuyahoga County students in grades 4-12 to write about challenges they faced during the pandemic as a student, and how they overcame them. 

In addition, sixth-graders Peyton Diemert and Ally Demaline each had their poetry chosen to be included in an anthology compiled as part of the Creative Communication national contest. Young writers from grades K-9 were asked to submit poems, and from those the top 45% as deemed by the contest judges are included in the print anthology.

Finally, seventh-grader Holly Rogalski won first place in the local division of the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ Patriot Pen essay contest. The contest, which is sponsored by VFWs across the country, asked students to answer the question, “America: How Can I Be a Good American.” 

Congratulations to these aspiring young writers!

The Lakewood City Schools will return to an in-person format for its Kindergarten Parent Information Night for the 2022-2023 school year. The event is set for Thursday, January 20, 2022, at 6:30 pm at Grant Elementary School. Students must be 5 years old on or before September 30, 2022 in order to be age eligible to enter kindergarten in Fall 2022. 

The program will include a presentation by Director of Teaching & Learning Steven Ast, who will share details about the kindergarten curriculum and the registration process. Registration for the 2022-2023 school year begins on Monday, January 24. District Nurse Katy Corrigan will also be on hand to provide information on immunizations needed and other health care protocols. Following the presentation, parents/guardians will have the opportunity to ask questions and view the Grant kindergarten rooms. Some principals will also be on hand to answer questions.

If you plan to attend, please note that masks are required in all Lakewood City Schools buildings. 

Lakewood High School's Sounds of the Season concert is back! This concert is the highlight of the season! As in the past, there are two performances to choose from: Thursday, December 9 or Friday, December 10. Both performances begin at 7:30 pm in the Civic Auditorium.

Come and enjoy holiday favorites performed by The LHS Chamber Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Mixed Choir and members of the Lakewood middle school and elementary honors choirs. This well-choreographed concert moves seamlessly from one group to the next with little to no applause. Purchase a raffle ticket for a chance to be the guest sleigh ride whip player with the full orchestra. Join in a community and sing along. Sounds of the Season is truly the way to bring your family together and get in the holiday mood! 

Tickets can be purchased at the Lakewood Civic Auditorium ticket booth the day of the event for $8.00 or you can purchase online at https://www.payschoolsevents.com/events/details/18201. Online tickets are $5.00 in advance or $8.00 the day of the show.

Lakewood High School recently earned a Gold Standard School award from Next Gen Personal Finance for being among the top high schools in the nation in financial literacy education course offerings. 

Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF), a non-profit with a mission to ensure every high school student in America takes a personal finance course by the year 2030, teamed up with Montana State University researchers to evaluate thousands of high school course catalogs and graduation requirements on the following scale:

• Bronze Standard Schools offer some personal finance instruction in less than one continuous semester, often by embedding it into other courses (e.g. Economics).

• Silver Standard Schools offer at least one semester of personal finance as a standalone elective OR offer a standalone personal finance course as one option among multiple that can fulfill a one semester graduation requirement.

• Gold Standard Schools ensure all students take at least one standalone semester course in personal finance before graduation.

Outside of the six states that currently require every high school student to take a personal finance course, researchers identified 1,591 Gold Standard Schools, Lakewood High School among them.  

The Lakewood Board of Education is seeking applicants to fill two positions on its Financial Advisory Committee (FAC), which is dedicated to the District’s finances. Applicants must be Lakewood residents.

Duties of the committee include reviewing the annual state audit, conducting pre- and post-audit meetings, sharing business and financial “best practices” information, and reviewing the treasurer’s five-year forecast. The committee meets on a quarterly or as needed basis. 

These positions are voluntary appointments beginning January 1, 2022 and are the result of a resignation and a term expiring on December 31, 2021, which will run until 2024 and 2025, respectively. Applicants must be specific in the letter of interest whether they are applying for the term ending in 2024 or the term ending in 2025.  Subsequent term renewals will be for three years. 

The Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River has continued to honor its commitment to literacy in Lakewood and Rocky River public and private schools this year by distributing dictionaries and other materials to students and classrooms. The club began the project in 2005.

This year, all third-grade students received a dictionary, and all fourth-grade students (last year’s third grade students), except for those attending Rocky River’s Kensington school, received a dictionary. For Kensington, the Rotary club provided funds for the schools to purchase chapter books for in-classroom use.

Harlan Radford, project chair, with assistance from fellow Rotarians, stamped each dictionary with the Rotary logo, Four-Way Test, and a place for the student’s name. The chapter books, once received by Kensington, will also be stamped.

The following Rotarians visited the schools for interaction with both students and teachers as the dictionaries were distributed: David Baas, John Chandler, Steve Clark, Matt Daugherty, Jon Fancher, George Frank, Thom Geist, Chuck Gustafson, Jim Harris, and John Zuercher. Former member and past project chair, Jay Rounds, also assisted with the deliveries.

Members were rewarded with smiles on the students’ faces as they receive their dictionaries and begin to explore the contents. Both students and teachers are very appreciative in receiving these dictionaries and utilize them in the curriculum.

Funding for the project was provided by the Lakewood-Rocky River Rotary Foundation.

Two recent projects for Hayes Elementary fourth grade students in Mrs. Karabinus and Mrs. Staskus’ classes were wonderful displays of incorporating our Vision of a Lakewood graduate competencies of empathy, global awareness/citizenship, creative thinking and communication skills. Students prepared a care package of math games complete with decks of cards and game instruction booklets for students impacted by Hurricane Ida in New Orleans. They also created video book reviews of their favorite children’s story to share with Mayor Meghan George for her newborn daughter, Maggie.

The idea for the math games came about when the students viewed a video about Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in 2005, and learned that children from across the country sent care packages to the students in the Big Easy after the hurricane. Ironically, Hurricane Ida hit New Orleans around the same time they watched the video and the idea of sending a games care package was born!

Congratulations to our varsity fall sports Rangers who were named to their respective sport’s Great Lakes Conference All-Conference teams! The Rangers were led by 10 First Team honorees, including three from the boys' soccer team.

All-Conference Selections

Cross Country: James O'Donnell (First Team); Charlie Payne and James Toole (Second Team); Sadie Gregg, Josie Kavc, Ben Jablonowski, and Ryan Smith (Honorable Mention); Eric Barber and Caleigh Naylon (Sportsmanship)

Golf: Jack Derethik and Logan Ellis (Honorable Mention); Justin Lacquement (Sportsmanship)

Football: Hakeem Quran and Lucas Winters (First Team); Manny Award, Brandyn Bates, and Alex Symons (Second Team); Eddie Gillick and Dylan Bennett (Honorable Mention); Eddie Gillick (Sportsmanship); Tico Jones (Lineman of the Year)

Soccer: Matthew Hueter, Sam Hudak, Eli LaDue, Dipesh Magar, and Lucy McIntire (First Team); Mosawar Ali, Alanna Cunningham, Annette Doren, William Harvey, Andy Shoaff, and Mallory Zavatchen (Second Team); Alex Baguma, Lauren Barber, Clare McKay, Reka Sundem, and Quincy Zvomuya (Honorable Mention); Clare McKay and Sam Stallbaum (Sportsmanship)

Tennis: Elma Coralic, Skylar Smith, Ava Molinski, and Lay Lay Htoo (Honorable Mention); Sophia Stringer and Alexis Stringer (Sportsmanship)

Volleyball: Helen Hylton and Molly Pilgrim (First Team); Sophia Boyer, Lexa Bunevich, and Amy Pilgrim (Second Team); Alexandria Russell and Elliot Snyder (Honorable Mention); Maren Jacobs (Sportsmanship)

Cheerleading: Anaula Simpson and Imani Griffin (Honorable Mention); Ella Munn (Sportsmanship)

Congratulations to all our Rangers and their dedicated coaches!

Superintendent Maggie Niedzwiecki will hold her second Listen & Learn session of the school year on Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 6 pm in the Ranger Cafe at Lakewood High School. Listen & Learns give the parents and the greater community an opportunity to have the superintendent's ear. Bring you comments, questions, ideas. Drop in any time during the one-hour session.