Schools

Lakewood High School seniors Gina Marjanovic and Nina Seckers have been named National Merit Semifinalists in the prestigious National Merit Scholarship Corporation competition. This designation recognizes Gina and Nina as among the top students in the nation.

Based on their PSAT score from the 2019-2020 school year, Gina and Nina join the group of 16,000 Semifinalists who represent less than 1% of the U.S. high school seniors and the highest-scoring entrants in each state. They will have the opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $30 million, offered next spring. 

National Merit Scholarship Corp. also recognizes Commended Scholars, who are among the top 5% of PSAT scorers. Commended Scholars will be announced later this month.

Congratulations to Gina and Nina!

It’s business as usual for Lakewood Lutheran School.

Yes, LLS has implemented measures to protect its students and faculty from COVID-19. Rather, what’s business as usual at the corner of Madison and St. Charles is the school’s family-centric approach to education.

“It’s certainly a strange year,” principal Carolyn Potantus said. “It was a strange summer as we prepped the school for the year and figured out how to make everything work.”

LLS, which has been a staple of the Lakewood community for nearly 125 years serving students K through 8th grade, is open five days a week.

Standard COVID precautions are in place — social distancing of at least 6 feet between desks, plexiglass barriers on the desks to further protect students, mandatory masks and a teacher to greet each student at the door for a temperature check.

The Lakewood Board of Education approved the appointment of Olmsted Falls City Schools Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer Emily Weisbarth as the District’s assistant treasurer. The new position is part of a restructuring of the Treasurer’s Office on the heels of the retirement of Accounting Manager Maria Gregg.

Weisbarth, who begins her new post on October 12, has held positions at all levels within a treasurers’ office and enjoys collaborating within a team to improve the operational and reporting processes relating to district finances. Her career spans 12 years and multiple districts.

Weisbarth, who started her career as an accountant after graduating from Walsh University, values creating financial transparency and clear communication across all levels of stakeholders. Her accomplishments include developing and leading a District Finance Committee, being a member of the Olmsted Township Economic Development team, fiscal agent for the Great Lakes Regional Health Consortium and assisting in running multiple successful levy campaigns. 

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The Lakewood City Schools earned top honors for its marketing pieces in the Ohio School Public Relations Association's recent annual awards contest. The District was honored with the Best of the Best award in the video category for its video titled "A Place for Everyone," which showed the vibrant educational environment and rich opportunities available to the District's diverse student body. The video was produced by Second Story Productions and coordinated by Communications and PR Coordinator Christine Gordillo. The District was given the Mark of Distinction award, the second-highest honor, in the Special Purpose Publication category for its Lakewood High School marketing booklet, "Where Potential Meets Opportunity," which was designed by Lakewood graphic designer David Meeker.

Andrew Griffin and Benjamin Mitchell of Lakewood have been selected for Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) Honors Program Fellowships, which offer high-achieving students scholarships to cover tuition, fees and books as they work toward an associate degree.

The students signed commitment letters with the College during a recent virtual ceremony. Each scholarship — funded by donors to the Cuyahoga Community College Foundation — is valued at up to $5,120 per academic year.

The College’s seventh fellowship class features 54 students with at least a 3.5 GPA and outstanding ACT/SAT scores. By entering the scholarship program, they commit to being full-time students, maintaining a high GPA and earning a degree from Tri-C within two years.

This is the largest fellowship class since Tri-C began the program. The previous high was 46 students in 2018.

“These gifted students chose to come here because they understand the power of a Tri-C education,” said Karen Miller, the College’s provost and chief academic officer. “I look forward to celebrating their success at Spring Commencement in 2022.”

The honors fellowship places special emphasis on academic planning, mentoring and portfolio building to reflect student work. Smaller honors class sizes also ensure specialized attention for students.

The program is designed to support eventual transfer to a four-year institution to pursue a bachelor’s and other advanced degrees. Previous Honors Program Fellows amassed numerous academic honors on their way to earning associate degrees from the College.

For information on the Honors Program Fellowship, including eligibility requirements, contact Rebecca Stolzman at 216-987-4713 or rebecca.stolzman@tri-c.edu.

As we near the final days of Summer, Lakewood students and their families are preparing to begin a new school year. Since 2011, “Supplies4Success” has been a big part of that process. Many Lakewood businesses have collected supplies generously donated by Lakewood families for distribution to neighbors in need.

Of course, the challenge of the pandemic means a different plan for Supplies4Success this year. Our goal is to provide the same support to Lakewood students while protecting the health and safety of our business community and volunteers.

Here’s how it will work:

- Cash donations preferred. Cash donations reduce the need for going into stores to purchase supplies. They cut down on the number of volunteers needed to sort supplies for donation and give us the ability to save money and purchase items in bulk. We’ve made it easy for you to donate online: http://thelakewoodfoundation.org/lakewood-area-collaborative/supplies-4-success/
- Three donation sites. If you do have items you wish to donate, you can drop them in donation boxes at Foster Pool, Madison Pool, and the Recreation Department office at Lakewood High School. We are not asking Lakewood businesses to collect supplies this year.
- New supplies for remote learning. This school year will be quite different from past years. Lakewood students will spend at least part of the school year engaged in remote learning from home. Our wish list includes typical school supplies, but cash donations will enable us to purchase remote learning items such as headphones in bulk to address the increased needs posed by video conferencing.

The Board of Education at its July 20 meeting passed a resolution challenging the Ohio Department of Education to revise current core content standards to be more culturally inclusive.

Lakewood City Schools rolled out its 2020-2021 Reopening Plan to its families on July 15. The plan consists of four different learning model plans, including a full-semester eLearning LKWD plan that parents can select. There are also extensive safety protocols that will be implemented that are tailored to each plan. The District thanks their families for their support of their students during the 2019-2020 school year and asks for their similar cooperation as the District enters a most unusual school year. The four learning models are:

1. ALL IN: The All In model will be implemented when Cuyahoga County is in Level 1 (Yellow) per the State of Ohio's Public Health Advisory System Risk Levels. At this level, 100% of students will return full day, every day, with safety protocols in place, including spacing to promote 3-foot distancing. Families will be asked to provide their child(ren) with a face covering to be worn daily at school. Staff will wear face coverings as well. Parents/caregivers will be required to take their student(s) temperature before the student attends school.

2. PARTIAL: The Partial model will be implemented when Cuyahoga County is in Level 2 or 3 (Orange or Red) per the State of Ohio Risk Levels. Grades K-12 will attend full-day, every other day. Preschool students will follow their regular calendar. At this level, safety protocols in place will include spacing to promote 6-foot distancing. Families will be asked to provide their child(ren) with a face covering to be worn daily at school. Staff will wear face coverings as well. Parents/caregivers will be required to take their student(s) temperature before the student attends school.

3. REMOTE: The Remote model will be implemented when Cuyahoga County is at Level 4 (Purple) per the State of Ohio Risk Levels. All instruction will be delivered remotely with staff and students participating from home. Once the State of Ohio Risk Level has decreased, staff and students will return to their school buildings with the Partial or All In model.

4. eLEARNING LKWD: This option is for families who want to commit to a full semester of online coursework. These students will not return to the building at all during the first semester of the 2020-2021 school year. The first semester concludes on December 17, 2020.

The Board of Education at its July 6 meeting approved Lakewood City Schools’ Teaching and Learning Coordinator Christine Foote as the next Grant Elementary School Principal. Foote will replace Kait Turner, who moves to a new position with the District.

Foote, who has teaching and administrative experience from elementary to college level over the span of her career, joined Lakewood City Schools in 2005 as an elementary instructional coach. Prior to that she spent six years working as a middle school teacher in New Orleans and an elementary teacher for the Cleveland Municipal School District. In 2014, Foote was appointed to one of the Lakewood City Schools' teaching and learning coordinator positions.

Hayes Elementary School head custodian Kris Kantor has been selected from among more than two thousand nominations from around the United States to receive the first Custodians Are Key grand prize for his dedication to his job and his school community. Kantor was awarded a $5,000 prize package while the school received $10,000. The Custodians Are Key contest is an 8-month recognition program that rewards the great work K-12 custodians are doing in schools around the country. It is sponsored by Tennant Company, which designs and manufactures cleaning solutions.

“We had so many amazing nominees for this contest, which made it challenging to whittle down to 12 finalists, much less identify a single person to win the grand prize. Kris Kantor’s clear devotion to students and staff is what gave him the edge,” said Lisa Hrpcek, Channel Marketing Manager for Tennant Company. “There’s never been a more important time to herald the important work these heroes like Kris and the other nominees undertake for our schools.”

Sign of the Times

The Lakewood Council of PTAs handed out its annual awards in a virtual presentation that included the award for the District Educator of the Year and scholarships to four seniors.

Teacher of the Year Award was given to Garfield Middle School art teacher Leah Roudebush. Mrs. Rudy, as she is known, began the Garfield Holiday Open House to provide holiday decor, toys, and clothes for families in the community. She is an inspiration and mentor to many and strives to help students meet their full potential.

The other PTA Educator of the Year honorees for their respective school buildings were also recognized: Lisa Blasko, Harding Middle School; Megan Coe, Lincoln Elementary School; Cindy Vullo, Roosevelt Elementary School; Jennifer Frank, Horace Mann Elementary; and Tracy Somoles, Grant Elementary School.

The PTA Council also honored the overall success of four seniors. Earning $1,000 scholarships each this year were Emma Hirsch, Mayfeh Mahmoud, Olivia Vuyancih, and Sydney Wilhelmy.

Garfield Middle Schoo has been awarded a Cox Charities Northeast Community Grant for $10,000 for its STEM and art programs. Principal Robin Beavers, who submitted the grant application, said the money will be used to purchase equipment such as 3D printers and supplies for creative artwork. "We are excited and motivated to utilize these funds for the growth and development of our students innovative ideas," Principal Beavers said.

Lakewood City Schools has expanded its STEM programming across the middle school and elementary levels in the last couple of years and the recently passed levy will help with further additions to the programming at all levels.

Cox Charities Community Grants are given each year to deserving non-profit organizations dedicated to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) education programming for youth in Cox footprints across Ohio, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Birchwood would like to congratulate the many winners who wrote creative and touching poems for the Creative Communication contest. The contest accepts submissions from students in Kindergarten through ninth grade and winning entries are published in an annual anthology.

Several sixth graders from Kevin Spooner's class at Harding Middle School earned honors recently for their outstanding work.

Six students earned recognition for their position papers as part of the Jr. Model UN Spring Conference, which was held virtually. Conference officials said all the students' work was "really high quality...and they were full of new ideas." The following students and their work were honored with best position paper in their category:

United Nations Environment Program:
The Philippines: Alessio Matera & Ursula Rosen

Human Rights Council:
France: Maya Trempe & Rhea Tabor

World Health Organization:
Spain: Zachary Carnovale & Rian Fetting

Congratulations to these students and their advisers, Kevin Spooner and Donna Tomlin.

Students Ella Clasen and Audrey McNulty both had their poetry selected to be published by Creative Communications in a hard-bound anthology of students' poetry from across the nation. Creative Communications has helped to inspire and encourage student writers with their national writing contests for over 20 years.

The selected poems:

Where I'm From
By Ella Clasen
I am from crumbled sketchbooks and broken crayons
I am from the crooked treehouse
That smelled of moss and sawdust
From skits we conducted ourselves
I am from the spicy smell of latkes and fresh apple pie
From Ms. O. saying "Be more specific"
And Mrs. B. starting a quiet game,
Just to complain about the silence
I am from true friends
From Amaiya being her over-enthusiastic self
And Reese keeping her under control
(At least, attempting to)
From Mateo driving everyone insane
And Amelia being...Amelia
I am from soccer games in the yard
And daydreaming in window sills
From playing dreidel and betting gelt
And from afternoons of poker
(No chips, we used pineapple scented
markers and strawberry taffy)
I am from those memories



New School
By Audrey McNulty
Going to a different school
Will not make you blue
It could make you smarter
And make you work harder
Although it might be your first day
You'll still find a way
You will get in sticky situations
And learn new locker combinations
You will play sports
On all new courts
Going to a new school is a choice that is bold
But you never know what your future will hold

Lakewood High students were the top award-winners in the 75th annual Rotary Club of Lakewood & Rocky River Speech, Music, and Visual Arts Contests sponsored by Beck Center for the Arts. Lakewood students Audrey Warren (far left) was awarded first place in the Visual Arts category and Katie Spilsbury earned the top spot in the Speech contest, in which LHS students captured the top five places.

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. In Visual Arts, awards are given for first through third place and then Honorable Mentions are awarded at the judges' discretion for the music and visual arts categories. The speech contestants earned first through fifth places. The place winners were all awarded cash prizes of varying amounts.

The music portion of the contest was unfortunately canceled due to the stay-at-home order. The Speech contest was based on judging from the preliminary round, which took place before the order.

In addition to Audrey and Katie's top awards, the following students also earned recognition:

Mohammed Manaa, 2nd place, Speech
Kate Healy, 3rd place, Speech
Jennifer Ngo, 3rd place, Visual Arts
Sara Jarecke, 4th place, Speech
Madelyn Tumbleson, 5th place, Speech
Sara Corbin, Honorable Mention, Visual Arts

Congratulations to all the talented students and their teachers!

Congratulations to Lakewood High senior Natalie Costello and junior Nola Williams-Riseng, who each had their artwork selected to be part of the Ohio Governor’s Youth Art Exhibition. The works are two of 275 from students across the state chosen for the exhibit, which due to the coronavirus pandemic will be a virtual exhibit this year.

Regional judges received more than 1,000 entries from high school students across Northeast Ohio and from those, 126 (including 21 from LHS) were selected to join winners from the other Ohio regions to be judged at the state level to determine which pieces of art would be part of the exhibit. 

The Ohio Governor's Youth Art Exhibition, now in its 50th year, is open to all of Ohio's high schools, both public and private. Its purpose is to provide all budding young artists of the state with opportunities to advance their talent, whether that be through scholarships or simply experiencing the process of entering their work in a competition. 

Congratulations again to Natalie and Nola as well as their teachers, Dayna Hansen and Arline Olear.

Once again the Lakewood community showed that it values its public school district and the education it provides for our city’s children!
In the April 28 election, the Lakewood City Schools' 4.9 mill operating and permanent improvement levies passed 76.66% to 26.34%, according to unofficial results.

Said Superintendent Mike Barnes: “During this extremely trying time in our community, we are extremely grateful for their support and commitment to keeping our schools strong and stable.”
Plans for the new funds include:

• Providing more mental health services and counseling for our students;
• Retaining and recruiting high-quality teachers by paying them competitive salaries
• Expanding STEM offerings;
• Keeping educational technology and other learning materials up-to-date;
• Expanding career tech educational opportunities for middle and high school students;
• Expanding early childhood programs; and
• Keeping all of our buildings, athletic fields, and other assets in good condition.

For the fourth consecutive year, Lakewood City Schools has been honored with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education. Lakewood is one of 754 schools from across the country and only 47 in Ohio to earn the prestigious award.

The Best Communities Music Education designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students. 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.

This award recognizes that Lakewood City Schools is leading the way with music learning opportunities as outlined in the federal education legislation, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The legislation designates music and the arts as important elements of well-rounded education for all children. Research into music education continues to demonstrate educational/cognitive and social skill benefits for children who make music.

The Lakewood City School District 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 such as Strolling Strings and Jazz Band.

The high school boasts of five orchestras, four choirs, three bands, and classes in music theory, music history, pop music and keyboard. 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, Chamber Choir, and Jazz Band, just to name a few.

Congratulations to four Lakewood City Schools students whose artwork was honored at the state level in the PTA Reflections art recognition program! Special shout out to Grant Elementary fifth-grader Sean Miller, who won an Award of Excellence, Ohio's highest honor, in the literature category for the Intermediate level. His piece will move on to national judging. Out of thousands of pieces of artwork submitted for state judging, only six students were recognized in each age level/category.

Harding Middle School eighth-grader Edie Barcelona earned a second-place Award of Outstanding Achievement for her dance choreography at the Middle School level. Lakewood High School senior Jane Kalinowski earned a third-place Award of Merit in the High School visual arts category, and Garfield Middle School seventh-grader Anna Maurer earned an Honorable Mention in the visual arts category for the MIddle School level.

The Reflections program offers students from schools with active PTAs the opportunity to create works of art for fun and recognition. Students in preschool through grade 12 are encouraged to submit works in seven arts areas: literature, dance choreography, film/video production, musical composition, photography, visual arts and special artist. All entries must follow a chosen theme, which this year was “Look Within.”

Unlike many of the people we see pushing the levy, I have no day-to-day connection with Lakewood Schools. I am not dependent upon them for teaching my children, or relatives' children. I am semi-retired and on a very fixed income. I do not rely on Lakewood Schools for my day-to-day living, or my day-to-day well-being. I really have ZERO dogs in this hunt. Or do I?

Each month Lakewood City Schools selects two staff members to honor. These staff members are nominated by their peers for their outstanding work. This month's nominees are assistant custodian Tony Giuliano and Emerson Elementary kitchen manager Leanne Prindle. Congratulations to both!

TONY GIULIANO

Moving a file cabinet from one second story location to another, with no elevator, is not easy. Imagine moving 100 of those, fully loaded. That is what Lakewood Schools assistant custodian Tony Giuliano and his fellow moving crew members did over the course of 4-6 weeks to transition the Board of Education office on Warren Road over to the new Taft Center for Innovation. Add to the heavy file cabinets, moving hundreds of boxes, computers, furniture, and random miscellaneous items as well. It was a big job and Tony proved he was up to the task!

“Tony took complete ownership to make sure move went as smooth and complete as possible.  He went over and above my expectations,” said Operations Assistant Manager Ed Deblock.

Tony’s nominators – most of his fellow moving crew members – not only praised his hard work and organization, but his positive attitude and sense of humor that made an exhausting, relentless job more enjoyable.

“Tony's crazy personality keeps his coworkers' mood up and makes tedious jobs fun,” says fellow utility custodian George Mihalek.

Tony joined the District in 2008 as a food handler and delivery driver. He became a jack of all trades when he moved into his current utility role, which includes delivering district mail. He loves the variety of the job where he never knows until he walks in the door each morning what his task will be for the day. He also loves working in the district where he went to school.

“I’ve gone from being a student to having keys to my former classroom,” Tony says. “I love how my life’s come full circle.”

LEANNE PRINDLE 

When a group of Leanne Prindle’s Emerson Elementary colleagues submitted her name for Staff Spotlight, a common theme ran through the 11 nominations: kindness and caring. While this is only Leanne’s first year as the school’s kitchen manager, her impact already has been greatly felt on the school community.

On Wednesday, March 11 at 6 pm, Superintendent Mike Barnes will hold his final Listen & Learn session of the school year. These sessions are informal, one-hour chats about anything Lakewood City Schools. The location has been changed from Taft Center of Innovation to the Ranger Cafe at Lakewood High. Bring your questions, comments, and ideas! On another note, the Open House for the Taft Center that was originally scheduled for March 11 has been postponed to a date to be determined.

The Lakewood High Barnstormers Drama Club will perform The Addams Family March 19-21 at 7 pm in the Civic Auditorium. Over 100 LHS students are involved in the musical as actors, musicians, and crew members -- it's a show you won't want to miss! Tickets can be purchased in advance for $8 by calling the LHS Book Room at 216-529-4047; tickets will be held at will call. Tickets can also be purchased at the door for $10.

Nearly 10 years ago as a teacher at Garfield Middle School, Pam Thompson saw a need for bringing together girls outside the classroom to form a group that could encourage and support each other during the often difficult middle school years. She wanted a group where the girls could form strong bonds and a sense of belonging. That group became the Margaret Warner Ladies Luncheon Club thanks to a Margaret Warner Educational Grant from the Lakewood Rangers Education Foundation and is in its third iteration at Harding.

Beyond the relationship building within the group, Thompson strived to share experiences with the girls outside of their school community with trips to local colleges and museums. She also added a service component where the girls helped senior citizens and people with disabilities with shopping at Giant Eagle twice a month after school. The club has since survived two building moves for Thompson and is now thriving at Harding Middle School as the Margaret Warner Volunteers.

“I believe the club is so important for all girls, but in particular the middle school age, as that is when students are trying to come to terms with the oftentimes challenging phase of growing from childhood to adolescence and how to 'fit in' within their peer group without compromising their integrity,” Thompson said about the club.

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, riding the water slide at Madison Park, 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, 2020. Find position and application details at www.lakewoodrecreation.com/summerjobs.

The Lakewood City Schools' Taft Center for Innovation Open House that was announced for March 11, 2020 has been postponed and will be rescheduled at a later date. The Listen & Learn scheduled for the same night at 6 pm still will be held but will now happen at the Ranger Cafe at Lakewood High School.

Due to its very successful outcomes in recent tournaments, the Lakewood High School Academic Challenge Team once again has qualified for the National Academic Quiz Tournaments' National Tournament in Atlanta in late May. This will be the seventh straight year that the team has qualified for a national tournament.

In early fall, the team competed at Tiffin High School, finishing second out of 24 schools, and in November the team competed at Cloverleaf, finishing third of 24 teams. Senior Evan Bell finished second overall individually in both tournaments, which exceeded 150 competitors in both events.

Over the next several months, the team will be matched against all the Southwest Conference teams and will also compete in two more large Saturday tournaments at Solon and Copley. The Copley meet will include more than 50 schools. In March the team will be taping for the WEWS Westfield Insurance Academic Challenge television broadcast that will be aired later in the school year. The team is coached by teachers Peter Petto and Bob Sedlak.

With the upcoming National Tournament in Atlanta, the team will again be soliciting funds to help defray the cost of the trip. Any help from Lakewood Academic Challenge supporters is most welcome. Donations can be sent to: LHS Academic Challenge Team, 14100 Franklin Blvd., Lakewood OH 44107. Checks should me payable to Academic Challenge Team Fund – LHS.

Laurel Junior and Lakewood resident Jane Jusko was recently awarded the National Speech and Debate Association's Academic All American Award.

This coveted award is earned by less than 1% of the 141,000 student members of the Association and recognizes academic rigor, competitive speech and debate success, and personal excellence.

Jane's accomplishment places her at the top one percent of all student members across the country. 

The staff and students at Hayes Elementary School know what a gem they have in head custodian Kris Kantor. Now, the people across the country know it. Kantor was recently chosen as one of three nationwide quarterly winners in the Custodians are Key contest sponsored by Tennant Co., a provider of cleaning products and solutions.

Each quarter, Tennant selects three custodians based on nominations they receive. Those three are then eligible to win the grand prize as the top finalist at the end of the school year. Kantor will receive $500 for being a quarterly winner. The grand prize winner selects from prizes valued at $5,000 and the winner’s building wins $10,000.

Hayes staff member Maureen Yantek nominated Kantor for his incredible organization, attention to detail, and the respect and kindness he shows to everyone. His genuine interest in knowing and helping Hayes students is evidenced by his popular Kids with Kantor program, where he and a few parent volunteers help students learn about building and creating with hand tools and donated project kits from Home Depot and Lakewood Hardware.

The Lakewood City Schools each month honors colleagues chosen by their peers as shining examples of an outstanding employee. This month's Staff Spotlight honorees are Hayes Elementary teacher Nancy Hvizdos and Roosevelt Elementary teacher Renee Smith. Please read below why these two are such exemplary staff members.

NANCY HVIZDOS

While many people who have been at the same job for decades suffer burnout and apathy, Hayes first-grade teacher Nancy Hvizdos continues to feel energized and excited about her students and works to make school fun even in her 34th year with Lakewood City Schools.

“Every year is different, and it keeps me interested,” says Hvizdos, who has been at Hayes for the last 24 years. “I’m always trying to think outside the box…and bring hands-on fun to the class.” One example is the lemonade stand project her student engaged in to learn to experience first-hand the principles they were learning in their economics unit.

Hvizdos's nominator, fellow first-grade teacher Ellen Perez, is impressed with Nancy’s ability to generate new ideas.

“Nancy is a creative and innovative teacher,” says Ellen. “She continues to intrigue her students, particularly through STEM lessons.”

Hvizdos freely and frequently shares the wisdom she has learned as a longtime teacher and is always open to input and ideas from others. She is a true team player, say her colleagues. 

RENEE SMITH

When you ask Roosevelt teacher Renee Smith what one of the things is that she most loves about teaching, she’ll tell you it’s the connections she makes with her students. After 30 years – all at Roosevelt – she finds a way to make each child feel special.

Congratulations to the students who entered the Lakewood Council of PTAs Reflections Program. This year’s theme, Look Within, challenged our students to actually look within. We are so proud to share the dancer, artists, writers, and photographers who participated. 

Each of the nine PTA units could submit up to 24 original works to go on to the Council level. Of those, 70 made it to District Council level. And, from those entries, 27 outstanding pieces were selected from a panel of judges to represent Lakewood in Columbus at the State level. 

Submissions were judged on the interpretation of the theme, merit, and creativity in areas of Visual Arts, Photography, Literature, Dance Choreography, Music Composition, and Film Production. 

View students' work and see photos from the night at http://tiny.cc/LKWDReflections.

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The Lakewood Board of Education headquarters has moved from its longtime location at 1470 Warren Road to its new home in the Taft Center for Innovation, located at 13701 Lake Ave.

The Board's new home was formerly Taft Elementary School until it closed in 2008. The building has been completely renovated and beginning in August 2020 the center will also house the District's new all-day preschool program and its higher education partners such as University of Akron and Cuyahoga Community College.

The community is invited to tour the building at an Open House on March 11 from 5-6 pm. 

The Lakewood Athletic Boosters are holding their 16th annual Night at the Races fundraiser on Saturday, February 29th. This entertaining event raises funds to support middle and high school student-athletes in the Lakewood City Schools district. Night at the Races is for adults age 21 and older. Doors open at 6 p.m. and races start at 7:30. 

Individual tickets are $40, but come with friends and save! Groups of 8 or more can purchase tickets for $35 each (a group of 8 tickets is $280 and a group of 10 tickets is $350.) Tickets include a pizza, beverages, and dessert, but people are encouraged to bring their favorite food and drinks to share with friends. To order tickets and buy horses, visit LakewoodAthleticBoosters.com. February 19th is the last day to sponsor a horse. Only 350 tickets will be sold, so don’t delay as this event sells out every year! No tickets will be sold at the door. 

In addition to horse races, there will be sideboard raffles, $1 and $5 raffle baskets filled with items donated by area businesses, as well as a silent auction. Auction items for past events have included beautiful jewelry from Broestl & Wallis, signed NFL jerseys, as well as Cavaliers and Indians items. KB Confections, Panera Bread, Roman Fountain, Melt, Lion & Blue, and Slife Heating & Cooling are just a few of the MANY local businesses that have supported this awesome event.

At its final Southwest Conference Championship Meet, the Lakewood High School Swimming & Diving team turned in some great individual and relay performances that earned a number of competitors spots on the awards podium at the Westlake Rec Center on January 24 & 25, 2020.

Junior Sistina Simcox and sophomore Sarah Donaldson were the highest placers with a 3rd in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard breastroke, respectively. Simcox also earned a trip to the podium as part of the 200-yard medley relay that consisted of herself, Donaldson, freshman Charlotte Beno and senior Sophia Miranda, and also with the 400-yard freestyle relay of Simcox, Miranda, Beno, and junior Ethel Woodford. Charlotte Beno earned two individual places with a 6th in the 50-yard freestyle and a 5th in the 100-yard butterfly. Ethel Woodford reached the podium with a 4th in the 100-yard butterfly. The team overall placed 5th out of nine teams.

The Lakewood City Schools open enrollment period for the 2020-2021 school year will begin on March 1, 2020 and continue until March 31, 2020.  An online form will be available on the Lakewood City Schools’ website (www.lakewoodcityschools.org) beginning the morning of March 1, 2020. Notification of open enrollment status will be as follows: The first-round of notifications will occur the week of June 15, 2020. The second-round of of notifications will occur the week of August 10, 2020. Kindergarten notification will only be made the week of August 10, 2020.  If you have any questions regarding open enrollment, please call 216-529-4203.

Two Lakewood City Schools' teachers recently earned recognition for their commitment to their profession. Horace Mann Elementary teacher Allison Martzolf was selected to serve with the Ohio Department of Education Ohio Teacher Leader Liaison program and Garfield Middle School teacher Barb Lynch earned a grant from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics that will allow her to attend the International Congress on Mathematical Education (ICME) in China.

ICME is held every four years and offers an opportunity for educators from the United States to discuss issues related to mathematics education with international leaders from developed and developing countries. Grant recipients have the opportunity to interact with mathematics educators from across countries, listen to world-renowned scholars in mathematics and mathematics education, and take part in a focused study group dealing with a wide range of topics. Lynch will be participating in the focus group, “On activities for and Research on Students with Special Needs including Giftedness and Creativity.”

Lynch was beyond excited to receive the grant: “I am very grateful to NCTM for having faith in me and giving me this opportunity. I am most interested in meeting teachers from other countries and learning how mathematical concepts are applied and taught in classrooms across the world. Math is a universal language and discovering the unique perspectives and philosophies of how that language is practiced in different cultures will afford me the opportunity to grow as an educator and a citizen of the world.”

Lakewood City Schools preschool registration for Lakewood residents for the 2020-2021 school year is now open! In addition to the District's current half-day offerings for 3-5 year-olds, next year will also include a full-day option at the new Taft Center for Innovation in the former Taft Elementary building. The all-day option cost includes onsite child care provided by Lakewood Child Care. All of the District preschool programs also include music therapy sessions with Beck Center staff. Call 216-529-4214 for more information and also visit our the Preschool page on the District website at www.lakewoodcityschools.org

When Lakewood High senior Nicole Hudak signed up as a freshman for West Shore Career-Tech’s Project Lead the Way pre-engineering program, never in her wildest dreams did she imagine it would lead to an all-expenses paid trip to France. But here she is, headed to Clermont Ferrand, France in June as one of only two United States high school students to attend a materials engineering camp. The camp is sponsored by ASM International’s Education Foundation.

“I never thought Project Lead the Way would lead to something like this,” Nicole said. “I am super excited!”

This is not the first materials camp Nicole will have attended. Last summer, Nicole and two other West Shore Project Lead the Way students participated in the week-long ASM camp at the group’s headquarters in Aurora. It was there that Nicole discovered that materials engineering is the path forward for her and where camp organizers noticed her natural leadership skills that led to the invitation to France.

Nicole and the other camp attendees this summer will experience hands-on learning principles of applied math, material science, and engineering. Two adult mentors will accompany Nicole and the other student from the U.S. Nicole said she is “so thankful” for Project Lead the Way teacher Bob Sedlak for encouraging her to keep an open mind about applying to the first materials science camp and for recommending the opportunity to her.

Birchwood 8th grade students earned gold key, silver key, and honorable mention in the Regional Scholastic Writing awards. 

Samyuktha Iyer (Highland Heights) was awarded a gold key for her personal essay and memoir, “A Pop of Color in a Grey Place.”

Rohan Kumar (Brunswick) also earned the gold key award for his short story, “The Struggle.”

Qiwen Wu (Cleveland) won a gold key for her short story entitled, “Because of You”

Nikhil Mahajan (Orange Village) won a silver key in the science fiction and fantasy category for his story, “The Kidney.”

James Mamone (Parma) was also awarded a silver key in science fiction and fantasy for his, “Fear of the Unknown.”

Dhyani Nautiyal (Lakewood) earned honorable mention for his humor writing entitled “Vengeance.”

Nasreen Shukar’s (Cleveland) flash fiction, “Moving Away” was also awarded honorable mention.

Lakewood High School's rock orchestra, The Lakewood Project, will join with the E5C4P3 - Escape - The Journey Tribute band for its Friday, January 24th concert. The concert will kick off at 7:30 pm in the Lakewood Civic Auditorium. The Lakewood Project and E5C4P3 will each do a set then join for a combined set as well. Tickets are $8 for adults and $3 for students, in advance, and $10 and $5 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at the LHS Bookroom or by calling 216-529-4047.

1. What is on the March 17, 2020 ballot for Lakewood City Schools? 

Lakewood City Schools' Board of Education voted unanimously to place a 3.9 mill levy and 1.0 mill permanent improvement (PI) levy on the March 2020 ballot. The funds from this levy would help keep Lakewood City Schools strong and would go toward:

• Adding STEM offerings to prepare students for their futures;

• Expanding career and technical educational opportunities for middle and high school students; 

• Keeping educational technology and other learning materials up-to-date; 

• Retaining and recruiting high-quality teachers by paying them competitive salaries; 

• Providing mental health services for elementary students;  

• Expanding early childhood programs for our community’s youngest learners; and

• Protecting our community’s investment by keeping all of our buildings, athletic fields, vehicles, and other assets in good condition.

2. How much will this levy cost a Lakewood taxpayer?

The levy would cost a Lakewood taxpayer less than $2 per month more than they currently pay, based on a property valuation of $100,000. 

The next Listen & Learn session with Dr. Barnes will happen on Wednesday, January 22, 2020 at 6 pm in the back room of Taco Tonto's (13321 Madison Ave.). Listen & Learn sessions are informal, one-hour chats with Dr. Barnes. The sessions are a great way to have any of your questions regarding the March levy answered. Dr. Barnes has added an additional session in February. Also to note, there has been a date change to the March session, which was originally publicized as occuring March 18. The new dates are:

• February 4, 2020, 6 pm at the Main Library Auditorium

• March 11, 2020, 6 pm at the Taft Center for Innovation, 13701 Lake Ave.

Congratulations to students from Lakewood High School and the West Shore Career-Tech Media Art & Design who won highest honors among the 41 awards earned in the annual Scholastic Art & Writing Awards regional competition held in December. LHS and West Shore students won seven Gold Keys, the highest honor given, including two each by senior Natalie Costello and junior Nola Williams-Riseng.

Lakewood students were also well represented at the Silver Key and Honorable Mention levels. Nine students won 12 Silver Keys, including three by senior Jane Kalinowski, two by juniors Timothy Frolo and Cameron Krizman. Eighteen students earned Honorable Mention designations for their art.

Additional Gold Key winners are: Lakewood High art senior Patrick McCallum and Media Art & Design students senior Darnasia Shields and junior Willow Rosser. Gold Key winners move on to be judged at the national level of the 95-year-old competition. Nola Williams-Riseng photograph “Erimari” was also nominated for a special American Visions Award.

The Cleveland Institute of Art hosts the regional competition that recognizes creative achievement in 7-12 grade students in Northeast Ohio. The young artists 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.

This year’s regional winners will be honored at an awards ceremony on January 18, 2020 at the Cleveland Institute of Art and their work will be on display in the CIA’s art gallery through February 1. Congratulations to all the winners and their teachers Dayna Hansen, Anne McQuay, Arline Olear, Autumn Sabin and Amy Sedlak.

Save the Eastern Massasauga Snake!

Mrs. Gerg's class

Third Grade

Did you know that Eastern Massasauga snake is a threatened reptilein Ohio?

They need our help!

Massasauga rattlesnake are important in Ohio!

The number of the eastern Massasauga has been going down for 30 years and is due to wetland habitat loss.

Biologists say that less than half of the eastern massasauga’s populations still exist. 

If we continue to lose eastern Massasauga populations, the species will be extinct in the future.

Today, scientists believe 90 percent of the population will go down over the next 50 years. 

Eastern Massasaugas have been found in a different wetland habitats, including bogs, swamps, wet meadows, marshes, wet grasslands, wet prairies and forests. 

The Eastern Massauga snake will shift the habitats they use, depending on the season. Mostly, they use wetlands in the spring, fall, and winter. 

In summer, snakes migrate to drier, upland sites, ranging from forest openings to old fields, agricultural lands and prairies.

Massasaugas usually hibernate in wetlands in crayfish or small mammal burrows. 

Hibernation places are located below the snow line, close to the groundwater level. They need  water that does not freeze in winter. This is critical for their hibernation.

Massasaugas feed mostly on small mammals such as voles, moles, jumping mice, and shrews. 

Piping plovers birds are an endangered bird in Ohio. 

The week before winter break, students from Hayes Elementary School finished up their 11th annual Holiday Craft Week. More than 300 students handmade five unique crafts. This year’s gifts included: Seasoning Salt, a Hat Ornament, Room Spray, a Necklace and a Photo Holder. 

Each student also wrote a holiday greeting card which will be sent to recovering troops at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Virginia and veterans at the Louis Stokes VA hospital in Cleveland.

Hayes Elementary and the Craft Week Team would like to thank all of the parent and grandparent volunteers who provided donations and their time to make this week a success. And a special thank you to Meghann McKay for her leadership for the past 5 years. Consider yourself fortunate if you received one of these handmade treasures this holiday season!

Susan Jarecke is a Lakewood implant, mother of four and a busy volunteer.

Dante Warren

Lakewood City Schools is responding to the community’s desire for more STEM instruction in our District by boosting the opportunities for students in this area across all grade levels. Through community listening sessions and surveys conducted last year, this was one of our stakeholders’ top curriculum priorities.

While the successful Ranger Hub makerspace and Project Lead the Way engineering program of West Shore Career-Tech were serving our high school students, it was evident that more needed to be done at the elementary and middle school levels. In response, the District has developed a comprehensive STEM curriculum continuum for all grade levels that ranges from discover, to immersion, application and finally career and entrepreneurship.

This school year, our middle schoolers have already seen increased STEM instruction as students are required to take a STEM class one quarter each year. The District also re-aligned staff assignments to strengthen the STEM instruction and have increased funding to provide for new technology.

The District has also provided funding to each of our elementary schools to develop their own makerspaces – a place where students can make, learn, explore and share creative ideas using high tech tools or simple craft supplies. Makerspaces help build many of the competencies of our Vision of a Lakewood Graduate from critical and creative thinking to collaboration, communication and growth mindset.

When Lakewood High junior Olivia Patterson was asked by one of her teachers to apply for a new City of Lakewood task force that would be in charge of developing the city’s first Youth Council, Olivia jumped at the opportunity. “I really wanted to make a difference and youth don’t usually get the chance to make a change in the city,” Olivia said.

The new Lakewood Youth Council will officially launch in January but the hard work behind the creation of this exciting new advisory group for our city has been going on since April thanks to the dedication of Lakewood High students such as Olivia, who is the task force's chair, and senior Tully Worron, vice chair. Olivia, Tully and seven other current or recently graduated Lakewood High students worked with city officials to develop the framework of the new council including its guiding by-laws. The by-laws and council’s mission statement were approved by the city in July and City Council then appointed those students on the task force that were not graduating to become members of the Youth Council going forward.

Like Olivia, Tully knew right away she wanted to be involved from the ground up with the task force. “Growing up in Lakewood, the youth of the community never really had a voice, except to tandem off of our parents’ views and involvement. I am passionate in politics and have always been involved in local government through my parents, but I wanted to join the Youth Council so I could really have my own stake in the community.”

The task force members are now in the process of interviewing applicants for the remaining openings on the council to boost the group to 15 members. Members must be residents of Lakewood and can be in eighth grade through freshmen in college. Current members from the task force besides Olivia and Tully are Yusra Abdi, Siwita Ali Shah, Collin Hunt, and Tristan Rumsey. Class of 2019 members of the task force were Elizabeth Halko, Jack Hueter, and McKenzie Lane.

Kindergarten registration will take place at the Lakewood Board of Education’s new home at the Taft Center for Innovation, 15701 Lake Ave., by appointment only, starting on Thursday, January 16, 2020. Students must be 5 years old on or before September 30, 2020 in order to be age eligible to enter kindergarten. Registration materials can be found on this website under Student Registration. 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, please contact the registration secretary by phone at 216-529-4279 or by email at priscilla.cruz@lakewoodcityschools.org.

On Monday evening, the Lakewood City Schools Board of Education had the first reading of a resolution to proceed with the consideration of placing a 3.9 mill levy and 1 mill permanent improvement (PI) levy on the March 17, 2020 ballot. Due to responsible refinancing, sound financial practices, and property value growth, some of the District’s current debt service millage will be reduced, which allows the District to pursue this much-needed levy that will keep our funding stable.

Did you know there are many endangered species in  Ohio? 

Can you name them? 

I know that the Indiana bat is one.

I am the voice of this special Ohio mammal.

Indiana bats have been endangered since 1967. They have been rapidly dying for many reasons.

All should be stopped!

The scientific name of the Indiana bat is Myotis sodalis. Myotis means “mouse ear.” The Indiana bat has small, mouse-like ears.

Human disturbance of caves that bats use for winter hibernating is the first reason they have been dying.

During hibernation, they cluster in groups of up to 500 per square foot.

In some of the largest hibernation caves, 20,000 - 50,000 bats gather. 

If even one episode of human disturbance happens, many bats will die.

The District will be hosting a free holiday breakfast for Lakewood's senior citizens on Wednesday, December 11, 2019 at 8:45 am at Garfield Middle School. Join Superintendent Michael Barnes and members of the Board of Education for a festive, morning! Hear from some of our talented music groups, enjoy great food, and listen to Superintendent Barnes give an update on the District. RSVPs are required by Dec. 3. Please call 216-529-4074, or email christine.gordillo@lakewoodcityschools.org.

Congratulations to Lakewood High School student athletes who have been recognized by the Southwestern Conference for their outstanding efforts during the fall 2019 season, including senior runner Cormac Peppard-Kramer, who was named Conference MVP, and seven All Conference 1st Team members!

The Northern Long Eared Bat

CHRISTINE FOOTE

Teaching & Learning Coordinator Christine Foote has spent her career in education laser-focused on one mission: improving student literacy.

“My passion is to improve life through literacy outcomes,” Foote says. By improving literacy, she says, more opportunities open up in life. The passion was stoked in Foote's college years when as a student she volunteered in an inner-city program and saw how literacy challenges held students back.

Foote, who joined the District in 2005 as an instructional coach, carries out her mission by assisting our secondary-level teachers in developing curriculum and instructional strategies and facilitating professional development opportunities. Her collaborative spirit and deep knowledge gained from years spent as a teacher from elementary to college level are invaluable assets as she helps faculty write courses of study, select textbooks and develop assessments for their students.

Over her nearly 15 years with Lakewood Schools, Foote has been able to develop relationships and gain trust with teachers and administrators across all grade levels which makes the collaborative process of developing curriculum easier.

Foote says she is grateful to be able work alongside passionate educators who all have the same goal in mind of helping students succeed. “The collective energy here is amazing,” she says. “People here make the magic happen.”

Highlights Super Postseason For Rangers

The postseason has been full of highlights for the Lakewood High boys' cross country team, led by a top 50 finish by senior Cormac Peppard-Kramer in the Division 1 Cross Country State Tournament in Columbus on November 2. Peppard-Kramer finished 49th out of 186 runners in a time of 16:14.9. The State Tournament was the culmination of a season where Peppard-Kramer earned the Southwest Conference individual title and conference MVP, a 2nd place finish at Districts and a 11th place finish at Regionals.

Peppard-Kramer led a strong varsity team that was runner-up at the Southwest Conference Championship Meet and a 4th place team finish at the District meet. The 4th place finished gave the Rangers an automatic team qualification Regionals.

Senior co-captain Patrick McCallum was among the leaders as well, finishing third at the conference meet and 13th at Districts. Junior Aidyn Zingale also cracked the top 20 at Districts, placing 17th. Rounding out the varsity team are Joe Kelly, James O'Donnell, Sean O'Donnell, and James Toole. The team is coached by Stephanie Toole. 

After considerable deliberation, the Lakewood Teachers Association (LTA) is proud to announce its endorsement of Mrs. Linda Beebe, Mr. Tom Einhouse, and Ms. Emma Petrie-Barcelona for the three open seats on the Board of Education for the Lakewood City Schools. The LTA reached this decision only after carefully considering the significant enthusiasm and strengths brought by each of the 5 candidates in the field, which also includes Mr. Michael Callahan and Mr. Andrew Meyer.

A group of 11 Lakewood High students spent hundreds of hours this past summer and the first months of the school year devoting their time to a project that has become near and dear to their hearts. They are working together to create the Home Alone Youth Leadership Program for Help To Others (H2O). Their work on the program, which aims to educate 9-12-year-olds about how to safely be home alone or with younger siblings, has given them leadership skills that will serve them well, long after their time with Home Alone.