Schools

Congratulations to the five Lakewood High musicians chosen to be part of the Ohio Music Educators Association’s Northeast Ohio Regional Orchestra and extra applause to senior bassist Willow Detmar 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 ensemble. 

The five LHS musicians will perform with the Regional ensemble Nov. 5 at 2 pm at the EJ Thomas Performing Arts Hall in Akron. The concert is free! The All-State ensemble performs at the OMEA annual conference, which will be held in Columbus in early February. 

In addition to Willow, our Northeast Regional Orchestra qualifiers are:

• Margot King - violin
• Abby Kovach - bass
• Anna Maurer -  viola
• Bryce Sandoval - cello

Congratulations to these talented and dedicated students!

With recycling codes frequently changing, many Lakewood students (and parents) are unclear about what can and cannot be recycled. Starting for the 2023-24 school year, the LHS halls feature student-created posters that advise students on how to properly recycle in the City of Lakewood. Let's break down some of the slogans that these posters feature. 

"When in doubt, throw it out" -- Even though this may seem counterintuitive, if you are unsure of whether or not an item is recyclable, it's always best to throw it out. If recycling supplies contain too much trash, they become contaminated and are thrown out. 

"Not all plastics are recyclable" -- Most of us know that plastic is recyclable but very few of us know which types of plastics are recyclable. In general, bottle-shaped plastics are recyclable while clamshell-shaped plastics are not. A good rule of thumb is that plastic containers that get narrower at the top are recyclable.

"Empty, clean, and dry" -- Always make sure that items are empty, clean, and dry before putting them in the recycling bin! This helps prevent contamination and makes the recyclables easier for the machines to process at the recycling plant. 

To learn more about proper recycling in the city of Lakewood, visit https://cuyahogarecycles.org. 

Congratulations to Lakewood High School senior Carter Eardley, who has been named a Semifinalist in the 69th annual National Merit Scholarship Corp. competition! This designation recognizes Carter as among the top students in the nation based on junior year PSAT scores. LHS also boasts six Commended Students, seniors Rowan Brown, Jazmin Dunay, Mateo Guajardo, Hutch Reed, Cameron Wereb and Max Winters.

Carter is part of an elite group of 16,000 Semifinalists across the country whose PSAT scores in the 2022-2023 school year put them in the top tier of the more than 1.3 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. The number of Semifinalists named in each state is proportional to the state's percentage of the national total of graduating high school seniors.

Carter is now eligible to continue on in the competition in hopes of being named a Finalist and receiving one of more than 7,100 scholarships worth nearly $28 million to be awarded in the spring. Finalists will be notified of this designation in February.

National Merit Scholarship Corp. Commended Students are among the top 5% of PSAT scorers. Although Rowan, Jazmin, Mateo, Hutch, Cameron and Max do not move on in the scholarship competition, we recognize them as among the best students in the state.

Congratulations to these seven academic standouts!

Lakewood High School will host its annual LHS Showcase event on Thursday, Sept. 28 from 6-7 pm in the school cafeteria. The event features information tables and hands-on activities from all the academic departments and extracurricular clubs and sports available to Lakewood High students. Coming to the Showcase is a great way to see all the opportunities that make Lakewood High such a rich place to grow and learn! The event is for any family and/or student interested in learning more about Lakewood High, from the advanced course and career-tech offerings to the myriad options for students to explore their passions in the clubs and sports. Come check it out!

I am Martha Woerner, and I’m running for a seat on the Lakewood Board of Education this fall. As a passionate believer in the power of public education to transform lives, I decided to run for a seat for two reasons.

First, I am the parent of two young children (a 2 1/2 year-old and a newborn) who are future Lakewood students, and I believe that our board needs greater representation from this demographic. Parents of young children are in it for the long-haul with the district - my youngest son will graduate in 2041 - and we have  specific needs and perspectives as we navigate preschool and out-of-school time, enroll our children for the first time in school, and set our children up for long-term academic, professional, and personal success. The decisions that the board makes today are the ones that will affect our children’s education for years to come.

Secondly, I have deep experience in public education that I believe would be an asset to the board and district administration. I’ve dedicated my career to figuring out how to make public education systems work so that each student is positioned for success, which requires educators to be set up to do their best work in classrooms every day. With nearly 15 years of experience working with and within K-12 education systems, I’ve built an understanding of the opportunities and challenges that schools and districts face. I have worked in research, policy, strategic planning, human resources, finance, and stakeholder engagement, many of which are key responsibilities of the board.

My name is Linda Beebe. I am running for re-election to the Board of Education because I believe in public education, and I believe that children deserve the best that public education can offer: quality teachers, a safe, open creative, growth-minded, and diverse environment and programming that meets the needs of all individual students.

I have served the Lakewood Board of Education for forty years. I have lived in Lakewood for 50 years with my husband Dr. Bruce Beebe and our children Meg and Aaron, both of whom graduated from Lakewood City Schools. Prior to going to law school, I taught English and history for 15 years, partly in Lakewood and Scotland. I am now a practicing attorney with an office in Lakewood. I love reading, photography, travel, and anything to do with schools and teaching. 

I do not have children currently enrolled in the district. I believe that my role is to look at a broader picture than that that viewed by those candidates with children in the school. While I believe that it is important to have board members with children in the schools, my commitment is to bring my years of experience and a broader focus to help determine the best practices for all children as well as district-wide issues and concerns. 

Westshore Enforcement Bureau (WEB) announces the availability of teen driver education scholarships courtesy of funding from the Ohio Traffic Safety Office (OTSO).  The grant will help teenager’s in low income and/or families that are struggling financially to get access to free driver training. Attendance at one of the Westshore High Schools in Bay Village, Fairview Park, Lakewood, North Olmsted, Rocky River and Westlake is required. Financially eligible families with students (15 ½ to 17 yr. old) with a valid temporary permit can be referred through their schools guidance office for an application.

At the 2023-2024 school year opening Convocation for all Lakewood City Schools staff, the Lakewood Rangers Education Foundation (LREF) awarded nearly $18,000 in teaching grants for staff. The grants will be used to fund 20 unique and innovative learning experiences created by the District’s amazing teachers. 

Lakewood City Schools is ramping up for the coming school year and is hiring for the following positions:

• Substitute teachers
• Classroom aides
• Lunch monitors
• Recess monitors 
• Cafeteria workers

The non-teaching positions are for both permanent employees and substitutes. You can view open staff positions on our Human Resources Department page at www.lakewoodcityschools.org/ departments/human-resourcesemployment. Substitute applicants can apply directly at www.rachelwixey.com.

Come join our K-12 team!

Did you know that the Lakewood Rangers Education Foundation (LREF) provided more than $41,000 in scholarships to members of the Lakewood High School Class of 2023? Or that LREF awarded nearly $14,000 in teaching grants for Lakewood City Schools staff members for the 2022-2023 school year? These are just a couple of the myriad areas in which the Foundation is able to help provide support for Lakewood City Schools students and staff. To do so, LREF runs several fundraising campaigns throughout the year. LREF will be kicking off its Summer Fundraising Campaign week on Sunday, July 30, which is National Public Education Day. 

Beyond the teaching grants and scholarships, LREF provides significant supplemental funding to the Lakewood City School District for academics, performing and visual arts, athletics, clubs, scholarships, and more. Some examples include providing support for private student music lessons, new marching band uniforms, specialized athletic equipment and training clinics and transportation for the 4th grade field trip to see the Cleveland Orchestra. Money raised in the Summer Fundraising Campaign will be dedicated to the Foundation’s Teaching Grant Program.

Teaching grants are awarded annually to support innovative classroom and co-curricular projects led by Lakewood Schools faculty, and benefit students at every grade level in all buildings. If our campaign this summer is successful, LREF hopes to award a greater number of grants and dollar figure beyond the $13,700 given out last school year.  Some of the teaching grant projects LREF has funded in past years include elementary Battle of the Books, CREATURES in the Classroom for the Lakewood High MILES unit, Middle School Soccer Club, Lakewood High Model UN and Academic Challenge clubs, elementary reading and STEM projects, CHAMPS Cafe at Horace Mann Elementary, Gardening Club, various field trips, and more. 

The Lakewood Board of Education recently approved Trina Poole, current assistant principal at Findlay High School, as the next assistant principal for Harding Middle School. Poole will replace April Patton, who is taking over as principal at Garfield Middle School for the departing Robin Pettiegrew.

Before serving as an assistant principal for the Findlay City Schools, Poole served as a high school social studies teacher for the Stow-Munroe Falls City School District for 23 years. Poole is a lifelong learner, evidenced by the four higher education degrees she has earned. Poole received a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in American politics, both from the University of Akron, a master’s degree in secondary education from Kent State University and a master’s degree in educational administration, also from Kent State. 

The Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River has awarded college scholarships to five area graduating seniors.

Recipients include Matthew Esdon of Rocky River High School, Maggie McGann of Lakewood High School, Bert Wirtz, Jr. of St. Ignatius High School, and Lindsay Farrall and Kate Seeley of Magnificat High School. Each will receive $3,000 Donald W. Strang, Jr. Scholarship awards from the Lakewood-Rocky River Rotary Foundation. This $15,000 scholarship program is part of nearly $70,000 that the Lakewood/Rocky River Rotary Club donates to community programs each year.

In addition to demonstrating academic achievement and potential, these five Rotary scholarship winners were chosen for their character, as well as extracurricular and community involvement.

Maggie McGann’s extracurricular activities included Lakewood High School’s Help to Others service club, especially its program offering training for younger students on how to be safe when they have to be “Home Alone” for a while until their parents get home from work. Maggie was also involved in track and field and volleyball. One of her teachers commended Maggie for her “genuine and deep capacity for empathy.” Maggie is excited to go to Xavier University prepare for a career as a teacher.

Matthew Esdon is a young man with a strong sense of direction and purpose, as evidenced by his attainment of the Order of the Arrow in the Boy Scouts of America. He was a varsity swimmer, recognized for his leadership with the Triple Impact Competitor Award. Matthew was a member of symphonic and marching bands. His peers look to him for inspiration. Matthew will attend Miami University to study business.

Congratulations to West Shore Career-Tech Culinary Arts student Sophia Kowalski, who has qualified for the 2023 FCCLA National Leadership Conference Baking and Pastry competition in Denver in July.

Sophia competed at the regional and state competitions and qualified for the nationals in April. She then scored in the top 30 in the country on the online American Culinary Federation/NOCTI baking exam, a new qualification requirement this year, and will compete against 30 students from around the country in Denver for culinary scholarship opportunities.

All competitors at the event, to be held July 1-6, will prepare the same recipes and will be judged on sanitation, production, presentation, time management, professionalism and, most of all, taste! Good luck to Sophia!

A fabulous time was had by all at the Lakewood Rangers Education Foundation Ranger Classic Golf Outing on June 9 at Valley of the Eagles course in Elyria. The foundation raised more than $30,000, all to benefit programs for Lakewood City School District students at all levels and in all buildings! A capacity 124 golfers experienced a gorgeous day on the course!

The foundation would like to thank everyone who participated, donated and sponsored! The money raised doesn't happen without all of you! Special thank you to our repeat title sponsor, Senney Enterprises. This year we had several new sponsors and we look forward to welcoming more support from our local businesses and organizations next year. Whether you were a sponsor or donated auction items or services, we are so grateful! 

This year's sponsors and donors included:

Admiral Products
Aladdin's Eatery
Around the Corner
Balance Foot & Ankle
Barton Communities
Bartos & Co. LPA
Best Greening Services
Brad Grant & Kate Murray '85
Delong Staffing Specialists
Brindza, McIntyre & Seed LLP
Cleveland Kitchen & Design
Clifton Club
Collision Bend Brewery
Dewey's
Dinerbar on Clifton
Emerson Elementary PTO
Erie Design
Evergreen Podcasts
First Federal Lakewood Banking & Investments
Forage
Friends of Colleen Clark-Sutton
Garfield Middle School PTSA
GDP Group
Geiger's
Getner Chiropractic
Georgetown
Haven
Hayes Elementary PTO
Horace Mann Elementary PTA
Immigrant Son
Jason Shachner
Jason Verderber
Johnson Bentley Wealth Management
Judge Tess Neff
Kevin Butler
Lakewood Board of Education members
Lakewood Council of PTAS
Lakewood Recreation Department
Lakewood Teachers Association
Lakewood Truck Park
Laskey & Costello
Law Offices of John Podgursky

Congratulations to Lakewood High School rising senior Kaydence Doxley on finishing fourth in the long jump at the State Track & Field Championship Meet earlier this month. Kaydence earned All-Ohio status for her top eight finish! Kaydence also competed in the 200 meters at the meet. Kaydence was not the only Ranger who qualified to compete with the best track and field athletes in the state. She was joined at the meet by Aniya Symons, who qualified in the long jump and Charlie Payne, who ran the 3200 meters. Congratulations to these three athletes and their coaches on a fantastic season!

Like Sports? The Community Recreation and Education Department has employment opportunities for the Event Staff position for Fall High School Sporting Events & Activities. Event Staff are the direct representatives of the Lakewood Board of Education and the Lakewood City Schools Community Recreation & Education Department during Fall High School Sporting Events & Activities. The primary duties and responsibilities are, but not limited to, the monitoring and managing of all facility events, ensuring the safety and well-being of all participants.

The Community Recreation and Education Department has employment opportunities for the Event Staff position. Event Staff are the direct representative of the Lakewood Board of Education and the Lakewood City Schools Community Recreation & Education Department during non-school hours. The primary duties and responsibilities are, but not limited to, the monitoring and managing of all facility events, ensuring the safety and well-being of all participants.

Can a society really make its way back from genocide and other mass atrocities? Is it possible for survivors to once again live as neighbors with the perpetrators who killed their friends and family? Is there a clear roadmap to both justice and true healing?

We do not yet know. 

What we do know, however, is what happens when we don’t try to create that roadmap. Enduring trauma. Bitterness. Vengeance. An inevitable cycle of violence. 

And that is why Cleveland State Sociology professor, Michael Skladany, insists we wrestle with the ideas of transitional justice. 

According to Dr. Skladany, Transitional Justice is an “overarching framework that consists of retributive and restorative mechanisms that envisions the traumatized society moving from authoritarianism to democracy.” It includes all the initiatives needed to bring a community true justice and true healing. Dr. Skladany, who is also a committee member of Ohio’s Holocaust and Genocide Education Network, spent two days with Lakewood High students explaining the possibilities --and the complexities-- of transitional justice. 

Lakewood High School’s Human Rights and Conflict class has been studying the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda, during which 800,000 Tutsis and Hutu moderates were killed in a span of three months. Dr. Skladany, who teaches Genocide Studies at CSU, knows a lot about how societies become genocidal. 

Lakewood City Schools and seven other schools have submitted letters to withdraw from the Great Lakes Conference and form a yet to be named new conference after the 2023-2024 school year. The withdrawals will leave Elyria Catholic as the only school remaining in the Great Lakes Conference, which began play under the Ohio High School Athletic Association with the 2015-16 school year. Lakewood joined the conference in the 2020-2021 school year.

The decision to withdraw from the GLC comes after events impacting the structure of the conference occurred. Parma City Schools closed Parma High School, and Fairview Park City Schools plans to leave the conference to join the Chagrin Valley Conference, leaving the GLC with only nine participating districts.

Lakewood, along with Westlake, Rocky River, Bay Village, North Olmsted, Buckeye, Normandy and Valley Forge will form an eight-team conference. The eight districts believe this conference configuration will allow for more flexibility in scheduling.

“We enjoyed our time competing in the GLC and look forward to a new alliance with our Northeast Ohio neighbors and continuing our friendly rivalries," said Athletic Director Rob Slone.

The Lakewood City Schools Recreation & Education Department is pleased to announce that we have been approved as a service provider for the Ohio Afterschool Child Enrichment (ACE) Educational Savings Account program. The ACE program provides funds to a student’s parent or guardian to use on various enrichment and educational activities. The program is being offered through a contract between Merit International, Inc. and the Ohio Department of Education.

Information on how to apply for up to $1,000 per child (ages 6-18) to spend on camps, music lessons, enrichment and educational activities can be found on the ACE website at www.aceohio.org. Parents must meet eligibility requirements based on residency, income (extended to 400% of federal poverty levels), or government social program participation. Once approved by ACE, parents may register for programs through the Community Recreation & Education Department. 

Ways to Register:

1. Online - parents pay at the time of registration and submit their receipt to ACE directly for reimbursement.
2. By phone (216-529-4081) or in person at the Lakewood Recreation Department (located on the LHS campus, corner of Bunts & Franklin, Door 31) and the Rec Department will invoice ACE. Verification of your acceptance from ACE is required for registration.

Programs approved by ACE: 

Summer day camps 

Garfield and Harding middle schools participated in the statewide Middle School Mock Trial Showcase sponsored by the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education on April 28. It was the first time since 2019 the showcase was held in the state courthouse in Columbus after three years of conducting the competition by Zoom. Teams from both schools won multiple "Best Attorney" and "Best Witness" awards!

Trumpets .....

Lakewood Kiwanis Scholarship Foundation is proud to announce our 2023 recipients for this year’s graduating high school seniors. The following 15 graduates are being awarded fourteen $10,000 and one $5000 for vocational, for their academic, citizenship and leadership abilities. Thank you to all the applicants. This scholarship fund is funded through the efforts of The Kiwanis Club of Lakewood. The Lakewood Kiwanis Swing Dance and legacy donations were just two of our major fundraisers.

The winners of the 2023 Lakewood Kiwanis Scholarships are: Lauren Barber - Lakewood HS, Ethan Brown - St Ignatius HS,  Cassidy Cipollo - Home School & Tri C College Credit Plus Program, Ryanne Eisnaugle - Lakewood HS, Alexandra Horton - Lakewood HS, Samantha Hudak - Lakewood HS, Madeline Kratz - Lakewood HS, Grace Lamparyk - Lakewood HS, Brendan Litten - St Edward HS, Maggie McGann - Lakewood HS, Jaxson Riley - Lakewood HS, Jordan Rossen - Lakewood HS, Madalynne Sorge - Lakewood HS, Lydia Watkins - Lakewood HS,  ($5000) Bert Wirtz  - St Ignatius HS.

The Kiwanis Club of Lakewood is the leading service organization in Lakewood and last year we celebrated 100 years of service. Along with our scholarships, we also support Lakewood High Key Club, Harding Builders Club, K Kids Club’s at Grant, Horace Mann, and Horizon B&A Care at Harrison and Emerson. #KidsNeedKiwanis

Anna Bacho is a member of Lakewood Kiwanis.

Four Lakewood High orchestra students will soon be on stage with the touring FABBA Show, an ABBA tribute act that has played to audiences overseas and is now performing in the U.S., including a show in Elyria. Joining the FABBA performers on Sunday, May 7 at 7:00 pm the Stocker Arts Center on the campus of Lorain County Community College will be LHS' string quartet of Jill King (from left in photo), Lilly Metzger, Bode Smith and Lydia Kress. The quartet will join the professional musicians on stage for two songs to lend some local talent to this high energy homage to one of the world's most beloved pop groups of the '70s. 

In addition to receiving superior ratings at regional and state solo and ensemble festivals, members belong to prestigious area ensembles, including the Contemporary Youth Orchestra (CYO) the OMEA Northeast Regional Orchestra (NERO) and the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra (COYO).

All four members participate in “The Lakewood Project,” the world’s first high school rock orchestra, where students learn to arrange the music they love and perform it on electric and acoustic instruments.

The producers of The FABBA Show approached Lakewood High School Orchestra Director Dr. Elizabeth Hankins looking for a talented ensemble of high school students which could hold their own with a rock band in front of an audience. The show commonly reaches out to local high school orchestras, making donations to their school music programs in exchange for student participation.

Tickets are $30 - $50 and may be purchased by phone at (440) 366-4040, in person at the Stocker Box Office or online at www.stockerartscenter.com. The Stocker Arts Center is located at 1005 N. Abbe Road, Elyria, OH 44035. The show is appropriate for all ages.

Like many of us who remember these aphorisms from our past educational experiences, so it was last Friday for many third grade children of our public and parochial schools in Lakewood. 

Arbor Day of April 28th gave our children a learning experience of what the Arbor Day "Growing Zones" are, and why it is typically in April, here in Ohio. I had the pleasure of speaking to a group of third graders at Roosevelt Elementary who enthusiastically appreciated the chance to take a sapling and some flower seeds home with them to plant and grow. 

How did it begin? With my curiosity about the origin of Arbor Day activities in America, and especially in Lakewood, "The City Of Trees." I learned last year from the Arbor Foundation of Lincoln, Nebraska that the idea of planting trees in the original Nebraska Territory came to the mind of J. Sterling Morton on April 10, 1872.
On subsequent years, J. Sterling and his friends planted over one million trees in Nebraska and the activity has continued to today, even expanding into South America, including the Rain Forests of Brazil. I have been procuring the little trees from the Arbor Foundation for the past two years now for our Lakewood children to grow.

So, this past Friday, our children learned the importance of Arbor Day and with a smile in my mind, I saw the excitement of the children arriving home with their little Dogwood Tree sapling and a packet of flower seeds yelling, "Hey Mom, (or Dad) where can I plant my tree?" Best wishes and thoughts on your child's experience.

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 17.

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.

The speech contest first place winner was Edie Barcelona, who represented the club at the Rotary district 6630 competition on April 22. Her speech was entitled, “Dance: The Art of Discrimination.”

Also honored were Ari Frischauf, second place, who used men’s figure skating to present a speech on gender and biology; Zoe Pace, third place, who spoke about The Pink Tax; and Hutch Reed, honorable mention, whose speech highlighted the state of drug laws within the United States. 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?”

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.

Congratulations to Lakewood High School junior Erica Frischauf for earning a spot in the top 10 for The New York Times' 4th annual Student STEM Writing Contest! Her essay was selected from more than 3,000 entries worldwide. Of the over 3,000 essays received from around the world, the Times chose 10 winners, 11 runners-up and 23 honorable mentions.

The contest required students to select a STEM-related question, concept or issue they're interested in, and, in 500 words or fewer, explain it to a general audience in a way that not only helps readers understand, but also engages them and makes them see why it’s important.

You can read Erica's essay below or go to https://tinyurl.com/y264k8c9

Lakewood City Schools has earned the designation of Best Communities for Music Education from The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education for the seventh straight year! Lakewood is one of only 47 districts in Ohio and 830 in the country that earned the designation. 

Now in its 24th year, the award program recognizes 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, fine arts graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program, and community music programs. 

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.

The high school fields 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, Jazz Band, just to name a few.

On April 3, the Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River hosted the 25th annual West Shore Career-Technical District Outstanding Student Awards at its weekly luncheon, at which 14 recipients were honored for their dedication, leadership, and accomplishments in their career-technical programs. 

West Shore Career-Technical District Education Coordinator William DiMascio spoke highly of this year’s nominees, saying, “Career-technical education students are the driving force of innovation and progress in our society. Being recognized as an outstanding student by Rotary is a testament to their hard work, dedication, and commitment to excellence. We are so proud of these students and their accomplishments.” 

Each award recipient is automatically nominated for the “Career-Technical Student of the Year” award, which will be announced later in the school year at the annual Career Passport Assembly.

The 2022-23 Outstanding Student Award recipients are: Avery Darroch, automotive technology; Eric Barber, business management; Jayden Thompson, community-based program, Gordon Food Service; Hunter Tate, community-based program, Wyndham; Grant Ospelt, construction trades; Christian Reyes, culinary arts; Rebecca Frolo, early childhood education; Tyler DiLoreto, electronic engineering technology; Say K-Pyu Moo, health careers; Muriel Bourn, media art and design; Sophie Wilmot, medical office management; Victor Cottrell, networking and cybersecurity; Alexa Colburn, engineering technology, Project Lead the Way; Eli LaDue, sports and exercise science; and Grace Lamparyk, theatre arts.

The Lakewood Board of Education at its April 3 meeting approved Yakoob Badat as the next coordinator of career-technical education beginning Aug. 1, 2023. Badat will replace Bill DiMascio as the next leader of the West Shore Career-Technical District, a Lakewood High-based consortium of the Lakewood, Bay Village, Rocky River and Westlake school districts.

Badat has served as a house principal at Lakewood High School since he joined the District for the 2010-2011 school year. Before coming to Lakewood, Badat served as 9th grade principal at Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s John Marshall High School, where he also served as an intervention specialist.  

In addition to his work in secondary education, Badat brings a wealth of global experience to any position he holds. In addition to serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in West Africa in his younger days, Badat also founded in 2013 the Nanze Children’s Services in Malawi, Africa. Nanze’s mission is to provide initiatives in education, water, and poverty reduction for Malawians. 

Said Human Resources Director Jeff Schlade in his introduction of Badat to the Board: “In over 13 years working on behalf of Lakewood’s High school students, Yakoob has continued the goal of not only achieving the highest educational standards for secondary students but he also encourages open communication with both parents and our Lakewood community.“

Congratulations to the five Lakewood High and West Shore Career-Tech students whose artwork was selected to be part of the Ohio Governor’s Youth Art Exhibition in Columbus. The work of Sophie Boyer (two pieces), Corey Johnson, Clare Morrissey, Mia Szymczyk and Lila Wright will hang in the exhibition at the James A. Rhodes State Office Tower in Columbus during April and May.

Sophia, Clare and Lila are students of Dayna Hansen, and Corey and Mia are in Anne McQuay’s Media Art & Design class in the West Shore Career-Tech District.

From the 8,069 regional entries, 1,300 were selected to enter the state judging.

Judges received more than 8,000 entries from high school students across the state and from those the judges selected 348 pieces to be part of the exhibition.

In addition to the six pieces selected to be shown in Columbus, 26 other pieces of art by LHS and West Shore Career-Tech students were honored at the regional competition and moved on to state judging. The students who earned regional recognition are:  

Congratulations to four Lakewood High students whose artwork was honored at the state level in the PTA Reflections art recognition program! Junior Edie Barcelona leads the list as the recipient in the high school dance choreography category of an Award of Excellence, Ohio PTA's highest honor. Her piece will move on to national judging.

Also earning recognition from the Ohio PTA, all in the literature category, were juniors Ashley Van Gunten, Olivia Diemert and Reagan Bratko. Ashley earned a second-place Award of Outstanding Achievement, Olivia earned an third-place Award of Merit and Reagan earned a 2nd Honorable Mention.

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 “Show Your Voice!”

Lakewood High School juniors swept the top four spots of the Speech category in the 78th Annual Rotary Club of Lakewood & Rocky River Speech, Music, and Visual Arts Contest sponsored by Beck Center. 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. Awards are given for first through fourth place. 

Leading the way was Edie Barcelona, who won $750 and the right to move on to the district finals on April 22. Rounding out the top four were Ari Frischauf ($500), Zoe Pace ($300) and Hutch Reed ($250). This is the second straight year for an LHS speech sweep!

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?

Congratulations to all our Lakewood High School winners!

In February, the Lakewood City Schools administration announced that it would accept the recommendation put forth by a co-facilitated committee tasked at evaluating our elementary specials rotation. The recommendation was to revise the schedule so that students will experience the current specials of art, music and physical education each week throughout the school year and to introduce two new specials - STEM and Library - Information and Digital Literacy - to the rotation.  We hope that this list of FAQs will clarify some of the questions and/or concerns that have been raised in the community and with our administration and Board of Education members:

What prompted this change?

Our classroom teachers and specials teachers advocated for our team to take a look at our specials schedule to see if we could provide students access to offerings throughout the entire school year and to see if there were ways to preserve classroom time (currently library visits and lessons from our STEM teachers are taking time from them).

A presentation given to the Board of Education by the two co-facilitators of the specials schedule committee, Director of Teaching and Learning Steven Ast and teacher Jessie Holland, goes into detail about the reasoning behind the change (presentation is available at lakewoodcityschools.org).  The committee that developed the new schedule included classroom teachers, specials teachers, a student wellness specialist, principals, and district administrators.  

Superintendent Maggie Niedzwiecki's last Listen & Learn of the school year will be on Tuesday, April 18 at 6 pm at Taft Center for Innovation, 13701 Lake Ave. Listen & Learns are a chance for parents and community members to speak directly with the superintendent about any concerns or thoughts about the District. As a bonus with this final session, a tour of Taft will be provided afterward for those who may want to see our Board of Education offices, which in 2019 underwent a complete renovation from a former elementary school. The session will conclude by 7 pm. Feel free to drop in any time!

The Lakewood City Schools has secured the services of the architectural firm GPD Group to conduct a facility study to assist in the assessment of the current use of District facilities and explore opportunities to maximize the use of those facilities and resources. The study will include an assessment of existing conditions and use, a review of educational programming needs, a review of enrollment projections, and the facilitation of a Facility Study Task Force to provide feedback and develop recommendations for facility improvements. The task force is comprised of staff, parents and community members.

“As educational leaders, we have a responsibility to care for, protect, and maintain our facilities and buildings,” said Superintendent Maggie Niedzwiecki. “Additionally, we have the responsibility to periodically review the use of our facilities and the role each facility plays in helping us achieve our mission in ways that are financially responsible, sustainable, and provide the greatest opportunities for our students’ growth.”

Over the coming months, updates on the progress of this process will be posted regularly on the District website. The District will also be hosting a series of community engagement events and opportunities for feedback later this spring. 

“The Lakewood City Schools is fortunate to have a long history of support and partnership with the community,” said Board of Education President Michael J. Callahan. “The community has supported the district’s mission of developing responsible citizens who are critical and creative thinkers, committed to lifelong learning, invested in a diverse society, and prepared for technological and global opportunities through many ways, including the building of excellent educational and athletic facilities for our students and community members.”

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

The Kiwanis Club of Lakewood is proud to be offering its 2023 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.kiwanisfoundation.com. Please submit by April 1, 2023.

Lakewood Kiwanis serves Lakewood youth. We celebrated our Centennial year in 2021. 
#KidsNeedKiwanis

Anna Bacho is a member of Lakewood Kiwanis.

The Lakewood High School Barnstormers Drama Club and the George P. Read Performing Arts Department proudly present "Anastasia: The Musical!" Inspired by the beloved film, Anastasia transports the audience from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of 1920s Paris, as a young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by a ruthless Soviet officer, Anya enlists the aid of a dashing conman and a lovable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love, and family.

Tickets for the musical are available at a presale discount price online of $8. Tickets are $10 at the door. The Barnstormer spring musicals are always a bargain for such great entertainment! Performances are March 9, 10 and 11 at 7:30 pm in the Civic Auditorium. Go to www.payschoolsevents.com to buy your presale tickets.

Congratulations to the 30 Lakewood High School and the West Shore Career-Tech Media Art & Design students whose artwork has been honored in the Regional Scholastic Art Exhibition competition. The artists earned 47 awards collectively, including six Gold Keys, the highest honor given. Gold Key winners move on to be judged at the national level of the 98-year-old competition. 

Lakewood and West Shore students were well-represented at the Silver Key and Honorable Mention levels as well. Our students won 22 Silver Keys and 19 Honorable Mentions.  

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.

All gold and silver award-winning pieces will be on display at the Cleveland Institute of Art Jan.14-Feb. 3.

Congratulations to all the winners and their teachers, Gray Cooper, Dayna Hansen, Anne McQuay and Arline Olear. 

Gold Key: (approximately 7-10% of entries)

Sophia Boyer  – Photography 
Elma Coralic – Photography 
Carolina DeJesus – Photography (West Shore)
Sadie Gregg - Photography 
Grace Hildebrandt - Printmaking 
Hadeal Mohesen - Photography (West Shore) 

Once a Ranger, always a Ranger!

Come join your fellow Lakewood High graduates for a fun happy hour event that will brighten these gray January days! All class years are invited to Immigrant Son Brewery, owned by Class of '90 graduate Andrew Revy, on Thursday, Jan. 26 from 6-8 pm. Snacks and a drink ticket will be provided.

Bring a friend and come re-connect with old friends and share your stories of your Ranger days!

The event is sponsored by the Lakewood Rangers Education Foundation.

Congratulations to Lakewood High senior Helinor Clark and junior Grace Bratko on being selected as runners up in The New York Times Tiny Memoir Contest in which students were asked to write about a meaningful life moment in 100 words or less. Thirteen winners and 23 runners up were chosen out of 12,448 entries. Quite an accomplishment for Grace and Helinor! You can read their tiny memoirs below:

"Our Records"
by Grace Bratko

I pull out a dusty vinyl and place it on my record player. You sit in admiration while I tap my fingers on the table. You sing in a falsetto. I flip records and chat about the song. We sip tea, burning our tongues, and our knees touch together. It’s getting dark out, you think of going home early. “Just wait until the end of this side,” I say.  We both know that you weren’t going to leave, that you just wanted to hear me ask you to stay. I’m glad I said it, and the record keeps spinning.

"Going, Going, Gone"
by Helinor (Ellie) Clark 

Filled with prepubescent angst, I attempt to ignore your baseball game antics. Stretching the seventh inning’s lyrics longer than the rest of the crowd. Scarfing down a sixth “dollar dog.” Betting on Mustard to win the Hot Dog Derby (I preferred Ketchup). Still, I sulk into your shoulder in the nosebleeds, wondering why you’d waste our bonus night on baseball. And then the unbelievable happens – the deafening strike of wood on cork and cowhide! I stand, but I can’t see, even from the thirty-second row, until you put me on your shoulders as Tom Hamilton announces, “It’s going, going, gone!”

Lakewood City Schools Superintendent Maggie Niedzwiecki will hold a Listen & Learn session on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2022 at 9:15 a.m. The session will be held at Cove Community Center, located at 12525 Lake Ave. There is a public parking lot off Clifton Boulevard. This is a great chance to check out the CIty of Lakewood’s wonderful new community space. The session is a one-hour informal discussion. Superintendent Niedzwiecki welcomes your thoughts, ideas and concerns about the District. Hope to see you there!

Lakewood City Schools' Kindergarten Parent Information Night will be held Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023, at 6:30 pm at Grant Elementary School. Students must be 5 years old on or before Sept. 30, 2023 in order to be eligible to enter kindergarten in Fall 2023.The program will include a presentation by Director of Teaching & Learning Steven Ast, who will share details about the curriculum and the registration process. Registration for next school year begins on Monday, Jan. 23. Preschool registration begins Jan. 17. Call 216-529-4203 for more information.

I want to wish this wonderful Lakewood community the best this holiday season. I am so grateful to work in a community that cherishes its schools and is always willing to step up to offer support whether that is a sponsorship, a donation, volunteering your time in a building, or even attending a performance or athletic event. Your support is never taken for granted! Hoping your holidays are relaxing and fun and the new year brings you health and happiness.

Lakewood City Schools' Kindergarten Parent Information Night will be held Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023, at 6:30 pm at Grant Elementary School. Students must be 5 years old on or before Sept. 30, 2023 in order to be eligible to enter kindergarten in Fall 2023.The program will include a presentation by Director of Teaching & Learning Steven Ast, who will share details about the curriculum and the registration process. Registration for next school year begins on Monday, Jan. 23.  Call 216-529-4203 for more information.

The Lakewood City Schools will host a Literacy Night on Jan. 11 from 6-7 pm in the LHS cafeteria. This will be an opportunity to learn more about our literacy programming and hear an overview of research from the Science of Reading and recent legislation that impacts our practices from the departments of Teaching and Learning and Student Services. Learn more about reading instruction, our multi-tiered systems of support and the new dyslexia law. Pizza and child care provided. RSVP at https://tinyurl.com/vkc44ama.

When Mandy Fleming started teaching at Lincoln Elementary School in Lakewood as an Interventional Specialist six years ago, she suggested the idea to her principal of starting a student group that focused on giving back to the community. After brainstorming ideas, the pair came up with what is now called the Leaders of Community Service group. Each grade selects a service project for the school to adopt for a month out of the school year. It is up to the students in the Leaders of Community Service group to set a goal for the project and build awareness. Students in Kindergarten to 5th grade rotate monthly to champion a new project. So far this year, volunteers from 4th and 5th grade totaled 27 students.

For the month of October, the students led a ‘Socktober’ sock drive benefitting Socks+, an initiative of Community West Foundation. They successfully collected 302 pairs of socks that will be given to the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless for distribution to people experiencing homelessness in Greater Cleveland. Many of the socks collected also included inspiring messages intended to give the recipient of the socks a positive boost. 

“Building empathy is the goal of this program,” explained Mandy. “Kids don’t know the impact they can have until they are able to pause from tasks to think about others.” She explained that the group will come up with creative ideas on how to get the word out about their projects. Whether it’s posters around the school or speaking to students in other grades, they carry out the tasks as a team. “Kids naturally want to help others, and just need a little guidance or opportunity on how to get started. Sometimes they think helping needs result in big changes, but tiny acts of kindness make a huge difference. It’s an amazing process to see them carry out ideas and see the results of their efforts,” said Mandy.

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!