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Congratulations to our October Educator Spotlight honorees: Harding Middle School cafeteria worker Jean Toler and Garfield Middle School intervention specialist Patti Witri! Click on the Read More link below to learn more about these outstanding employees!
Lakewood High School teamed up with the Lakewood League of Women Voters on Sept. 30 to host an empowering Women in Politics Forum for a gathering of over 50 young women from grades 9-12. The event featured an inspiring panel of trailblazing leaders including U.S. Congresswoman Rep. Shontel Brown, State Sen. Nickie Antonio, Cuyahoga County Council Vice President Cheryl Stephens and Sarah Kepple, President of Lakewood City Council.
Come share your thoughts, ideas and concerns about the Lakewood City Schools with Superintendent Niedzwiecki at her first Listen & Learn session of the school year. It will take place on Thursday, Oct. 17 from 6-7 pm in the Ranger Cafe at Lakewood High School. Treasurer Kent Zeman will join the superintendent to provide a brief financial update on the District. These sessions are informal one-hour discussions and community members are welcome to drop in any time during the hour.
Hayes Elementary recently launched a new house system, similar to the concept in Harry Potter, to help the school nurture and build a better sense of community and belonging among each other and to build on the culture of school pride, empathy and inclusion. Hayes is the District’s second school to use the house system, developed at Ron Clark Academy. Roosevelt Elementary launched their house program in 2020.
Each new school year the Lakewood City Schools celebrates its numerous Lakewood High School students who have earned recognition from College Board due to the students' scores on the college-level Advanced Placement exams taken in May. The District proudly congratulates the 106 current students and recent graduates who have earned AP Scholar honors. We believe this is the first time the school has topped the 100 Scholars mark!
Congratulations to Lakewood High School seniors Madelaine Gabella and Danka Wentzel on being named Semifinalists in the 70th annual National Merit Scholarship Corp. competition! This designation recognizes Madelaine and Danka as among the top students in the nation based on junior year PSAT scores. LHS also boasts five Commended Students, seniors Beckett Broadwater, William Cosgriff, Anna Daso, Helen Fraunfelder and Connor Pierce.
Congratulations to Lakewood High students Bryce Sandoval and Abby Kovach on being chosen to be part of the Ohio Music Educators Association’s Northeast Ohio Regional Orchestra! Bryce was also selected as an alternate cellist for the All-State Orchestra. Bryce and Abby, who plays bass, will perform with the regional honors group at the OMEA's annual conference in Cleveland next February.
The Lakewood City Schools and the Lakewood Rangers Education Foundation (LREF) have been awarded a $30,000 grant from Howmet Aerospace Foundation that will be dedicated to purchasing 3D printers for our seven elementary STEM classrooms. This is the fourth Howmet grant LREF has received to benefit Lakewood students.
Lakewood City Schools is pleased to host renowned child development expert and New York Times bestselling author Dr. Lisa Damour Thursday, Sept. 12 to speak on the emotional lives of kids and teenagers. The event is free and open to the public and takes place in the Civic Auditorium. A gallery of local resource organizations will be available in the LHS cafeteria from 6-6:30 pm. Dr. Damour's talk will follow at 6:45 pm. There will be time for Q&A at the end of the talk. Please come and learn how to help your child navigate their growing up years!
Join the Lakewood Board of Education members and the Lakewood Council of PTAs for their annual Ice Cream Social on Tuesday, September 3 at 6:15 pm in the Garfield Middle School gym. The free event is a back-to-school tradition. Board members will be scooping out the ice cream so it's a great chance to say hello to your elected officials before their Board meeting at 7 pm. Come chat with your neighbors, enjoy a sundae, and listen to the sounds of the combined middle schools band!
- Lakewood City School District
Since its inception in 1994, Lakewood's H2O (Help to Others) Summer Service Camp has been a beacon of community service and youth empowerment. The camp, part of the broader H2O program established in 1993 as a partnership between the City of Lakewood and Lakewood Schools, offers Lakewood middle school students a transformative experience focused on volunteer service and community building.
Harrison Elementary has earned a Grow Ohio Grant that will provide the school $13,465 to implement a comprehensive program that will educate students about agriculture and food-related career opportunities and give them an opportunity to grow their own food at school.
Learning doesn't stop in the summer, just ask our nearly 100 elementary students who recently finished five weeks engaged in our free elementary math and literacy skills camps. These young learners sharpened their math and reading skills and our creative teachers added in some fun STEM and Olympic-themed projects, too! The District offers these summer sessions for free for parents who may want to have their child brush up on their skills to stay sharp for the fall.
The Lakewood Board of Education at its meeting July 15 approved Garfield Middle School teacher Hadeel Nimeh as the next assistant principal of Harding Middle School, replacing Trina Poole. Nimeh had four years of teaching experience when Lakewood City Schools hired her as a language arts teacher in 2021 and since has been an integral part of the 7th grade instructional team at Garfield.
Today marks a significant milestone in Lakewood and Northeast Ohio high school athletics as the Cleveland West Conference is officially established. The Cleveland West Conference will be comprised of seven school districts, including eight high schools and 10 middle schools in the Greater Cleveland area. Dedicated to promoting sportsmanship, competition, and community, the conference offers a platform for student-athletes to excel both on and off the field.
The District has received questions regarding the 2024 reappraisal process and how it impacts the schools. This brief explanation is provided to help the public better understand the process.
Property value is determined by the Cuyahoga County Fiscal Officer. This is done through a reappraisal every six years, an update every three years and an inspection of any additions or modifications to a property on an annual basis. As the cost of groceries, automobiles, and clothing increases with inflation, so does the value of real property.
Lakewood High students had an impressive showing in the recent New York Times "Where We Are" Teen Photo Essay Contest. Participants were asked to document an interesting local community through photographs and interviews, then create a compelling photo essay. The Times received 528 entries, with categories for Winners, Runners-Up, Honorable Mentions, and Finalists. Click on Read More to see which LHS students were honored.
The Lakewood City Schools continued to ramp up its efforts this school year to be a more eco-friendly organization. Grant Elementary is a shining example of making our staff and students aware of their environmental impacts and learning what they can do to help make a difference.
Congratulations to the Lakewood High School Class of 2024! The class of 313 graduates received their diplomas at the school's 176th Commencement Ceremony on June 2 in front of a full house of family, friends and staff in the Civic Auditorium. The ceremony included speeches by students Owen Rumsey, Alex Krankowski and Edie Barcelona. The graduates and audience also heard words of support, wisdom and congratulations from Principal Joy Morgan, Superintendent Maggie Niedzwiecki and Board of Education President Michael J. Callahan. The ceremony included several special recognitions of student groups including 66 Hawthorne Medal recipients who earned 4.0 or better GPA and the four graduates entering the military, various honor societies and music and athlete groups. Best wishes to our graduates!
Congratulations to Media Art & Design (MAD) student Natalie Baire for being awarded the Golden Lion Award by the Academy of Cinematic Arts. Natalie's animation film, "Cinemeow", was included along with other winners from 12 Midwestern states in the Golden Lion Award Student Film Festival in Cincinnati on May 18. So proud of you, Natalie!
Harrison's fifth-grade Battle of the Books team won the districtwide competition in a thrilling final round versus Hayes! The competition, a Jeopardy-style question-an-answer game, was the culmination of the team members reading four books over the last four months and answering questions on content. It was great to see so many students excited about reading and learning to love literature!
Congratulations to our six track and field athletes who have qualified for the Regional meet this weekend and special shout out to District champions Kaydence Doxley and Charlie Payne! Kaydence won the District title in long jump and the 200 meters. Charlie was the best of the field in the 1600 meters.
Lakewood City Schools proudly celebrated the achievements of its brightest students at the 41st annual Celebration of Excellence ceremony on May 16 in the Civic Auditorium. Held to honor the academic dedication and success of its students, 390 medals of excellence were awarded to middle school and high school students who maintained a 4.0 GPA or higher through the first three quarters of the academic year.
The Rangers track and field team excelled at the recent Great Lakes Conference Championship Meet. Congratulations to our track and field conference champs:
Charlie Payne - 3200 meters (meet record)
Kaydence Doxley: long jump, 100 and 200 meters
Chareion Doxley: 100 meter hurdles
McKenna Hunt: 400 meters
The Rangers also had two relay runners up and Chareion was second in the 300 meter hurdles. Congratulations to all the athletes and their coaches!
Congratulations to the varsity baseball team on capturing the Great Lakes Conference title with its 7-5 victory over Valley Forge on May 7! The Rangers (17-4) finished with an 11-2 in the conference. The Rangers earned the #5 overall seed in the Northeast Region playoffs and will face the winner of #11 St. Ignatius and #32 John Hay on May 16 at 5pm at LHS Field.
Congratulations to our May Educator Spotlight honorees: West Shore Career-Tech paraprofessional Joanne Schwark and Lincoln Elementary teacher Kathy Sisson! They have been singled out by their peers as outstanding employees and colleagues. Click on Read More below to find out more about these two staff members.
May in a school district is full of end-of-year awards and recognitions. Last night, the Lakewood Council of PTAs handed out its annual awards including scholarships for five deserving seniors, Helping Hands and the “T” in PTA Award for the District's educator of the year, Lakewood High's Chuck Greanoff (Dr. G).
Congratulations to our Lakewood High Barnstormers who have been named finalists for the Dazzle Awards presented by Playhouse Square for "Sweeney Todd (School Edition)": Owen Hill, Best Actor; Ceci Whiteamire, Best Supporting Actress; and our pit for Best Student Orchestra! The Dazzle Awards program is affiliated with the National High School Musical Theatre Awards. Winners will be announced May 18 at the KeyBank State Theater.
Photo credit: Emily Jarecke
On April 22, The Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River hosted the 26th annual West Shore Career-Technical District Outstanding Student Awards at their weekly luncheon. Sixteen recipients were honored for their dedication, leadership, and accomplishments in their career-technical programs.
Registration is ongoing for our preschool (Horace Mann only) and kindergarten classes for the 2024-2025 school year! Please click on the link below to find out more about the registration process and to begin registration. For preschool information call 216-529-4214.
The Lakewood Board of Education approved Willoughby Middle School Principal Christopher “Chip” Plush as the next principal of Harding Middle School, beginning Aug. 1, 2024. Plush has spent the last eight years as an administrator for the Willoughby-Eastlake City Schools.
Congratulations to our April Educator Spotlight honorees: Roosevelt Elementary lunch monitor Barb Fox and Horace Mann and Hayes Library - Information & Digital Literacy teacher Kayleigh Sykora! They have been singled out by their peers as outstanding employees and colleagues. Click on Read More below to find out more about these two staff members.
Lakewood High School has earned the Purple Star designation as part of the Purple Star Class of 2024 from the Ohio Department of Workforce & Education. The award recognizes the school’s commitment to serving military-connected students and families through such efforts as providing resource information for military families on the school’s website, a staff liaison for military students and families, and holding military recognition ceremonies such as honoring new grads headed to the Armed Force at commencement or the coming unveiling of the new Military Wall of Honor in the Civic Auditorium lobby, among other activities.
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 eighth straight year!
Congratulations to Grant Elementary School and Lincoln Elementary School for earning 5-Star Recognition! It's a significant achievement to receive the Overall 5-Star Building Award, which is given to buildings that exceed state standards by performing exceptionally well across all 5-rated components on the state report card. This recognition reflects the hard work and dedication of the staff, students, and the entire Grant and Lincoln school community. Well done!
Congratulations to the Lakewood High staff and students for receiving the Momentum Award from the state of Ohio! The award recognizes the remarkable improvement in achievement and sustained growth demonstrated by the school. LHS qualified for the award by increasing its Performance Index by 3 or more points from the 2021-2022 report card to the 2022-2023 report card and also achieved a Value-Added Progress Rating of 4 or more stars.
Emily Erker is a newspaper publisher. Emily Erker is in fifth grade. Grown up Emily will be a force to be reckoned with! This petite, well-spoken girl has already published 22 issues of her newspaper, The Sparkle Times, and has hopes of continuing to publish through middle school and high school. Hearing her speak about her operation, she could likely serve as the editor of The Lakewood Times right now!
Congratulations to our March Educator Spotlight honorees: art teacher Annie Dombrowski of Hayes and Horace Mann and assistant custodian/utility Taylor Porter of Lakewood High! They have been singled out by their peers as outstanding employees and colleagues. Click on Read More below to find out more about these two staff members.
Congratulations to Ranger wrestler Zayna Muntaser on winning the Regional Championship in the 190 lb weight class! Her win on March 3 means Zayna has qualified for the state tournament two years in a row! Gillian Coulson, who finished fourth in her weight class, will also join Zayna at the state tournament. We wish them the best in Columbus March 8-10.
Congratulations to our indoor track and field athletes for awesome performances at the State Championship Meet! Special shout out to those who earned All State by making the awards podium:
Kaydence Doxley - 5th in long jump & 8th in the triple jump
Charlie Payne - 6th in the 1600 meters with a new school record
Also competing were David Burns, Josh Morrison. Quinn Sutliff, Charieon Doxley, McKenna Hunt, Sophia Eccher, and Aniya Johnson. We are so proud of all the hard work and dedication put in by our student athletes and coaches!
Our speakers for the sessions of "Too Much Tension: Strategies to Cope with Anxiety" will be Cleveland Clinic psychiatrist Molly Wimbiscus, M.D., and clinical social worker Ashley Penman, LISW-S, both with a wealth of experience working with Lakewood students and families. The sessions aim to give a greater understanding of anxiety and ideas for how to help a student experiencing it. There will be an in-person session March 27 and virtual session April 2.
Congratulations to senior Carter Eardley, who was named a National Merit Finalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program competition! Carter and the other national Finalists represent less than 1% of the country's high school seniors. The Finalists are now eligible to receive one of more than 7,500 scholarships worth nearly $30 million to be awarded this spring. Carter was named a Semifinalist in the fall based on his score on the PSAT his junior year.
Congratulations to our nine Indoor Track state qualifiers!
Kaydence Doxley (60 meters, 200 meters, long jump and triple jump)
Charieon Doxley (long jump, 60 meter hurdles)
Charlie Payne (1600 meters)
Relay members: Charlie, Quinn Sutliff, David Burns, Josh Morrison (4x400); McKenna Hunt, Kaydence, Charieon, Sophia Eccher (4x200); McKenna, Charieon, Kaydence, Aniya Johnson (4x400)
The Rangers will run against the best at the State Championship Meet March 1-2 at Spire Institute in Geneva. Best of luck, Rangers!
Congratulations to sophomore diver Rian Fetting on qualifying for the Division 1 State Diving Tournament! Rian qualified thanks to his eighth place finish at Districts on Feb. 13. Rian will compete in Columbus with the best divers in the state on Feb. 20. We wish Rian the best of luck!
Join the Lakewood High School Jazz Band, Jazz Combo and Jazz Workshop and the Garfield and Harding middle school jazz bands for an evening of fun and fantastic music at the annual Lakewood Jazz Festival. The concert is on Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 7 pm in the Civic Auditorium. Tickets will be available online at https://www.payschoolsevents.com/events/home.
Join Superintendent Maggie Niedzwiecki for her final Listen & Learn session of the 2023-2024 school year on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 6 pm in the Hayes Elementary cafeteria. Part of the one-hour session will focus on curricular updates, including classroom technology and new math and ELA curricula. Comments/questions on additional subjects of interest to those who attend will be welcome following the curriculum discussion. |
Congratulations to February Educator Spotlight honorees Rosie Corrigan of Lincoln and Megan Fenko of the Athletic Department! They have been singled out by their peers as an outstanding employee and colleague. Click on Read More below to find out more about this fabulous staff member!
The Lakewood High National Honor Society welcomed 44 new members to its chapter in an induction ceremony at the Civic Auditorium on Jan. 25, 2024. To be inducted into the National Honor Society, students must possess a GPA of at least 3.5. Students are also evaluated based on their character, which means the nominating committee looks at community involvement, extracurriculars, leadership skills, and other intangibles.
Each January, the District publishes its Quality Profile to give our families and our community a more in-depth look at what a kind of education Lakewood City Schools can offer its students. The Quality Profile is not comprehensive of our offerings, but it is a good snapshot of the breadth of our services and reflects our focus on the whole child. Take a look!
The Lakewood Project, Lakewood High's electric rock orchestra, will put on its annual winter concert on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 7 pm in the Civic Auditorium. The theme for the concert is "Around the World." Come hear hits like Around the World, Rio, Panama, Africa, Devil Went Down to Georgia and much more.
Senior Maggie Lane's artwork on climate change has been selected to be part of the National Climate Assessment's Art x Climate project. Maggie's piece was one of 92 selected from among 800 student submissions. In addition, Maggie will be interviewed about her piece on a podcast The National Weather Desk is developing about the Art x Climate project. Maggie's artwork can be viewed along with the other pieces chosen at the link below. (Maggie's piece is under Maggie L. of Cleveland).
Congratulations to January Educator Spotlight honoree Emily DePauw of Franklin School of Opportunity! Emily has been singled out by her peers as an outstanding employee and colleague. Click on Read More below to find out more about this fabulous staff member!
The Board of Education of the Lakewood City School District ("Owner") is soliciting statements of qualifications for a construction manager-at-risk for (1) the transition of the Franklin School of Opportunity from its current location at 13465 Franklin Blvd., Lakewood, Ohio, to Lakewood High School at 14100 Franklin Blvd., Lakewood, Ohio, (2) renovations and additions at Lakewood High School for the West Shore Career-Technical District (which is supported with Career Technical Construction Program grant funding from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission), and (3) such additional and reasonably related improvements as may be deemed necessary by the Owner (the "Project").
The Community Recreation and Education Department’s winter activities booklet has arrived (View booklet). It has a complete listing of all of the youth/adult programming, athletics and aquatics that are offered this fall. Resident registration has started. Register early, classes are filling up fast!
Congratulations to December Educator Spotlight honorees, Lauren Flynn of Lakewood High School and Stephanie Oliveri of Grant Elementary! These two have been singled out by their peers as outstanding employees and colleagues. Click on Read More below to find out more about this fabulous pair!
A new club at Lakewood High School, funded by a grant from the Healthy Lakewood Foundation, recently wrapped up its work this school year and in doing so, left several Lakewood nonprofits richer for it. Lakewood City Schools parent and development professional Jason Weiner proposed the idea and was able to secure $5,000 through Healthy Lakewood Foundation’s Neighborhood Opportunity Grant Program to fund the club. Weiner was aware of private schools having philanthropy-focused clubs and thought Lakewood High students should have the same opportunity.
The Board of Education of the Lakewood City School District, Ohio ("Owner"), is soliciting statements of qualifications from professional design firms to provide professional design services for the renovations and additions at Lakewood High School for the West Shore Career Technical District, plus such additional and reasonably related improvements as may be deemed necessary by the Owner (the “Project”).
Congratulations to Hayes Elementary fourth grader Owen Ross on winning the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce's annual "Why I Love Lakewood" contest! Owen's essay was chosen from more than 150 entries. Owen earned the right to join Santa to flip the switch on the city holiday lights at Light Up Lakewood Dec. 2. He will also read his essay at the event. You can read Owen's winning essay by clicking on "Read More".
Student Wellness Specialist Julie May has been awarded a NEA Foundations Student Success Grant of $3,176. The grant will provide the funding to replenish materials for Grant classrooms' calming corner, materials for the Tier 2 social skills and self-regulation groups, and materials for our SEL/Service Learning Project groups. "We are excited to have been given this opportunity to continue to grow great things at Grant," May said.
Congratulations to our Ranger student athletes who have been recognized by the Great Lakes Conference for their outstanding efforts during the fall 2023 season, including soccer Player of the Year Isaac Craciun and Goalie of the Year Louis Van Der Kuil! Click "Read More" to find out who earned honors for their sport.
- Lakewood City School District
Congratulations to the Lakewood High Model UN team for a successful Fall Conference held Nov. 6 & 7 at the Cleveland Council of World Affairs. Several team members earned honors:
Jack Phillips and Parker Toke won the superior delegation award, representing Vietnam.
Reagan Bratko and Coralie Barcelona won a position paper award, representing Chile.
Shannon Katzenberger won an honorable mention, representing New Zealand.
Great job by all!
Lakewood City Schools will be accepting bids for the purchase and installation of window security film until 11:00 a.m. EST, Monday, Nov. 27, 2023, at Taft Center for Innovation, 13701 Lake Ave., Lakewood, OH 44107, attention Mr. Kent Zeman, Treasurer. Bid documents may be viewed at the link below. The competitive bids must be sealed in an envelope, addressed to the Lakewood City School District, with the name of the vendor and project name clearly marked on the envelope. The Lakewood City School District reserves the right to accept or reject any or all competitive bids. Please email interest in participating along with any questions to Mr. Chris Donahoe at christopher.donahoe@lakewoodcityschools.org. Responses will be shared with those parties who have expressed interest.
Congratulations to skilled maintenance worker Joe Amberik and Franklin School of Opportunity math teacher Missy McCarthy on being named our November Educator Spotlight honorees! Please click on Read More to learn more about these two exemplary staff members!
The West Shore Career-Technical District and Lakewood City Schools are thrilled to announce that West Shore Career-Tech has received a $5.78 million career-tech expansion grant from the State of Ohio as part of the State’s efforts to improve technical education and training across Ohio. The grant will allow West Shore to build facilities to house programs in welding and micro electronic mechanical systems (MEMS), which is the technology behind computer chips, among other applications.
Congratulations to Lakewood High School senior Bode Smith on receiving a perfect score of 36 on the ACT college entrance exam! Bode was "shocked" when he discovered his score and he has hopes that it will improve his chances of earning admission to one of his top schools, where he will study music. Of the more than one million students who take the ACT each year, on average only .25% will get all answers correct. Yours is truly a rare feat, Bode!
Congratulations to Lakewood High seniors Turner Gilliland and Ryann Stirling on having their artwork selected for Otterbein University's 5th Annual Juried Art Exhibit! Turner and Ryann's pieces were two of 65 chosen from more than 250 submissions. The exhibit will take place in December. Turner and Ryann are also eligible now for a $3,000 scholarship if they choose to attend Otterbein.
Pictured: Ryann Stirling's piece, "Swimming". Click on Read More to view Turner Gilliland's "Street Dreams".
Congratulations to senior Charlie Payne on qualifying for the Ohio Div. 1 State Cross Country Championship Meet! The top 28 runners at the Oct. 28 Regional Championship Meet move on to State and Charlie placed 10th! This is on the heels of his 5th place finish at Districts. Charlie will compete with the best in the state on Nov. 4 in Obetz, near Columbus. Good luck, Charlie!
For the second straight year a Horace Mann student has been named the 2023 Junior Fire Chief. Congratulations, Jayden Fleming! The junior chief earns the title by winning the annual fifth-grade essay contest on Fire Prevention Week's theme, which this year is “Cooking safety starts with YOU. Pay attention to fire prevention." As is tradition, Jayden arrived at school on Tuesday, Oct. 10 in the front seat of a Lakewood Fire Dept. truck with the the school's students and staff there to greet and cheer him on. Jayden also read his winning essay at the Fire Department Recognition Ceremony on Oct. 8. Well done, Jayden!
Congrats to the Garfield Middle School 8th grade girls volleyball team on winning their Great Lakes Conference tournament! The Rangers, who finished the season with an 18-1 record, were also regular season champs. Great job Coach David Hart and team!
At the Lakewood Board of Education meeting Monday, Oct. 2, 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 graded districts on a five-star scale. Lakewood City Schools received an overall rating of four stars.
Recently, our Facilities Study Task Force wrapped up its work in regards to the future home of Franklin School of Opportunity. The task force came to the consensus that FSO should be moved into space at Lakewood High School as the cost to rebuild or renovate the current FSO building is prohibitive. GPD Group of Akron worked with the FSO, LHS and West Shore Career-Tech staff to come up with a design plan that shows it is feasible to create a school within a school at LHS.
Congratulations to Emerson Elementary, which has won an Ohio PBIS Bronze Recognition Award for 2023! The award is sponsored by the State Support Team for Region 3 and the Ohio PBIS Network. PBIS Award winners' PBIS efforts were evaluated in the areas of student expectations, behavior and discipline; teacher expectations; faculty, student and family involvement; and evaluation processes. Congratulations to the school’s PBIS team!
Congratulations to West Shore Career-Tech Media Art & Design seniors Liv Behun, Reagan Bratko, and Wilbur Gwynn on being selected for the Ohio Art Education Association's Ohio Emerging Artist High School Exhibition! One hundred sixty-three out of 260 artworks were selected for this juried show from the eight OAEA regions in the state. The exhibit was recently at the Westerville Public Library and moves to the Ohio Department of Education building in October. Great work, Liv, Regan and Wilbur!
Each new school year the Lakewood City Schools celebrates its numerous Lakewood High School students who have earned the designation of AP Scholar by virtue of their scores on the college-level Advanced Placement exams taken in May. The District proudly congratulates the 85 current students and recent graduates - the most in years - who have earned AP Scholar honors thanks to their performance on their AP tests.
Lakewood High School will hold its annual Showcase on Thursday, Sept. 28 from 6-7 pm in the LHS cafeteria. Come see all that Lakewood High has to offer its students from advanced and AP courses to career-tech to all its extracurricular opportunities! There will be a presentation for parochial school parents at 7 pm in the library.
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.
With recycling codes constantly 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. These posters urge students to recycle paper, plastics, cans, and cartons and not recycle cellophane wrappers, clamshell plastics, styrofoam and plastic bags.
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 36th annual Lakewood Ranger Marching Band Festival will take place on Sept. 23 at 6 pm and feature nine area marching bands. Joining the Ranger Marching Band will be Beachwood, Cuyahoga Heights, Dover, Fairview, Open Door Christian, Painesville, Westlake and Wickliffe high school bands. In addition, the Baldwin Wallace Marching Yellow Jackets will be special guests. Ticket prices increase the day of the festival, so get your tickets early! This year, sales will be online only.
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.
NewsChannel 5 recently turned the spotlight on the District's latest safety initiative: installing secondary door floor locks on 658 District doors. The locks prevent anyone from going in or out of the classroom during lockdowns. You can view the TV piece at the link below.
When June rolls around and our buildings are no longer filled with the sounds of classrooms and hallways full of students, our Operations Department gets to work making the major repairs and upgrades needed to have our buildings in top shape for the next school year. This summer was no different, and in fact, was probably one of the busiest summers in recent years thanks to some major projects.
On Aug. 13, Junior Achievement Cleveland held its third school supply drive to benefit Franklin School of Opportunity at Lakewood Park. Under the leadership of President Al DiFranco and Education Coordinator Anthony Eder, Junior Achievement has worked with FSO Coordinator Terri Bornino-Elwell and School Counselor Andrew Maruk to provide FSO students many academic opportunities outside of the daily curricular plans. These opportunities include career guest speakers, career fairs, and many more career activities. We are grateful for the JA/FSO partnership!
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. 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 University of Akron, a master’s degree in secondary education from Kent State University and a master’s degree from in educational administration, also from Kent State. Welcome, Mrs. Poole!
Congratulations to senior West Shore Career-Tech culinary arts student Sophia Kowalski, who earned a silver medal in the national FCCLA Baking and Pastry competition held in Denver July 3.
Congratulations to Lakewood High School rising seniors Zoe Pace and Fiona Gjermeni, whose essays were selected for recognition from more than 12,000 entries in the New York Times' student essay contest! Zoe was one of 12 runners-up and Fiona earned an Honorable Mention! You can read Zoe's essay at the following link: https://tinyurl.com/4yaw9pbd
The Lakewood Board of Education at its June 5 meeting approved current Avon Lake Schools Athletic Director Brent Schremp as a house principal for Lakewood High School for the 2023-2024 school year.
Congratulations to the Lakewood High School Class of 2023! The class of 319 graduates was celebrated at the school's 175th Commencement Ceremony on June 4 in front of a full house of family, friends and staff in the Civic Auditorium. The ceremony included speeches by Jordan Rossen, Jaxon Riley and Alexandra Hodson, all selected by their peers to represent them at graduation. The graduates and audience also heard from Principal Joy Morgan, Superintendent Maggie Niedzwiecki and Board of Education President Michael J. Callahan. The ceremony included recognition of the 52 Hawthorne Medal recipients who earned 4.0 or better GPAs, the six graduates entering the military and members of the National Honor Society, French Honor Society and the National Technical Honor Society. Best wishes to our graduates!
Congratulations to Kaydence Doxley on finishing fourth in the long jump at the State Track & Field Championship Meet and earning All-Ohio status! Kaydence also competed in the 200 meters. 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!
Congratulations to West Shore Career-Tech junior Culinary Arts student Sophia Kowalski, who has qualified for the 2023 FCCLA National Leadership Conference Baking and Pastry competition in Denver in July.
The Lakewood City Schools Board of Education approved current Harding Middle School Assistant Principal April Patton to be the next principal of Garfield Middle School at a special meeting on May 23. Patton will replace Dr. Robin Pettiegrew, who is leaving the District.
Lakewood City Schools will be accepting bids for the Civic Auditorium soft good replacements and repairs until 11:00 a.m. EST, Monday, June 5, 2023, at Taft Center for Innovation, 13701 Lake Ave., Lakewood, OH 44107, attention Mr. Kent Zeman, Treasurer. Bid documents may be viewed at the link below. The competitive bids will be sealed in an envelope, addressed to the Lakewood City School District, with the name of the vendor and project name clearly marked on the envelope. The Lakewood City School District reserves the right to accept or reject any or all competitive bids. Please e-mail interest in participating along with any questions to Mr. Chris Donahoe at christopher.donahoe@lakewoodcityschools.org. Responses will be shared with those parties who have expressed interest.
Congratulations to the 2022-2023 juniors in the West Shore Career-Tech Health Careers program as all 15 passed the state exam and earned the industry credential of State Tested Nurse Aide (STNA)! Well done, Class of 2024 and teacher Jackie Smith!
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.
Lakewood City School District's academic superstars were in the spotlight at the 40th annual Celebration of Excellence academic awards ceremony held May 16 at the Civic Auditorium. The District honored 358 students in grades 6-12 for having achieved a 4.0 or higher GPA through three quarters this school year. Students received their medallions and congratulations from Superintendent Niedzwiecki, Board of Education members, and keynote speaker Mark Walter.
Harrison fourth graders were featured recently on ideastream's NewsDepth A+ program for their fun work with Ozobots during STEM time. NewsDepth shared how the students learned to program the Ozobots and figured out how to make them performs some fun "stunts." You can view the entire piece at the link below.:
Lakewood High School officially received its No Place For Hate designation by the Anti Defamation League Cleveland on May 8 after facilitating several projects throughout the year including a culminating project of a No Place For Hate mural (painted by Helen Roche and Claire Morrissey). The mural, located in the cafeteria, was revealed at LHS' schoolwide No Place for Hate pledge signing. Junior Jacquie Hudak spearheaded the No Place for Hate designation process along with faculty coordinators Amy Garritano and Ron Lewis, who also received the ADL's Educator Change Maker of the Year Award!
The Lakewood City Schools Community Recreation & Education Department has been approved as a service provider for the Ohio Afterschool Child Enrichment (ACE) Educational Savings Account program. The ACE program provides up to $1,000 per student for a parent or guardian to use on various enrichment and educational activities. he program is being offered through a contract between Merit International, Inc. and the Ohio Department of Education.
Garfield and Harding 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!
Come and join The Lakewood Project as it celebrates its 20th year. The concert will start with the current Lakewood Project performing the first half and then we will count backwards as alumni from the classes of 2022 all the way back to the original Lakewood Project 2003 join on stage. Silent auction, memorabilia, and 5050 raffle will be part of the day as well. Come and celebrate this milestone! Tickets available at the link below
The Lakewood Council of PTAs handed out its annual awards at a ceremony on May 3 at Harding Middle School. The ceremony included awarding five senior scholarships and recognizing Garfield Middle School teacher Ben Branco as the District's Outstanding Educator of the Year or the “T” in PTA Award.
Congratulations to Lakewood High English teacher Amy Garritano and Lakewood High cafeteria lead Kerry McEwen on being named our May Educator Spotlight honorees! Please click on Read More to learn more about these two exemplary LHS staff members!
Lakewood City Schools will be accepting bids for HVAC preventative maintenance,
water treatment service and building automation system monitoring and support until
11:00 a.m. EST, Monday, May 15, 2023, at the Lakewood City Schools Board of
Education Office, 13701 Lake Ave., Lakewood, OH 44107, attention Mr. Kent Zeman,
Treasurer.
Congratulations to junior Avelyn Cleary on earning an Honorable Mention in the Maltz Museum's Stop the Hate Essay Contest! Avelyn's essay was one of 10 chosen from a field of 20 finalists to be honored by Maltz. Avelyn was awarded a $1,000 scholarship and $500 will be given to LHS for anti-bias education. You can hear Avelyn read her essay regarding rising above discrimination against the LGBQT+ community in the link below:
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.
The Lakewood High School Mock Trial Team competed recently in the 2022-2023 Ohio High School Mock Trial competition, which is sponsored by the OCLRE (Ohio Center for Law Related Education). Each fall teams from around the state prepare a trial based on a case created by a panel of judges, lawyers, and staff.
Congratulations to our April Educator Spotlight honorees, Hayes Elementary teacher Tara Lottig and Garfield Middle School head custodian Sherry Keaton-Hatmaker! Please click on Read More to learn more about these two outstanding employees and how the model our Vision of a Lakewood Educator!
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 nationwide. Read her amazing essay at the link below.
On April 3, The Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River hosted the 25th annual West Shore Career-Technical District Outstanding Student Awards at their weekly luncheon. Fourteen recipients were honored for their dedication, leadership, and accomplishments in their career-technical programs.
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.
The Lakewood City Schools Community Recreation and Education Department’s spring/summer booklet has arrived. It has a complete listing of all of the youth/adult programming, athletics and aquatics that we have to offer for this spring and summer.
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. 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! Congratulations to all!
Congratulations to four Lakewood High students whose artwork was honored at the state level in the PTA Reflections art recognition program! Special shout out to junior Edie Barcelona, who won an Award of Excellence, Ohio's highest honor, in the dance choreography category. Her piece will move on to national judging. View Edie's winning submission.
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.
At the Feb. 21 Board of Education meeting, Director of Teaching and Learning Steven Ast presented on a recommended change in the elementary specials rotation. That presentation, as well as the communication sent to families announcing the change, an FAQ document and a presentation on the new library - information & digital literacy special presented at a recent Board meeting are linked below:
Board presentation (Feb. 21)
Family communication (Feb. 22)
FAQs
Library - Information & Digital Literacy presentation (April 3)
Congratulations to Sophia Kowalski, a junior in the West Shore Culinary Arts programs, for qualifying for the FCCLA State Competition in the Baking and Pastry Arts Event! Sophia, who earned a 98.5% at Regionals, is one of 13 students across the state of Ohio who will compete in the Baking and Pastry Arts category at the State level on April 22. Good luck at the state competition, Sophia!
Congratulations to our March Vision of an Educator honorees, Harrison Elementary head custodian Sarra Boggs and Lakewood High English teacher Katie Spies! Click on Read More to learn more about these outstanding staff members.
Congratulations to sophomore Zayna Muntaser, who won the regional girls wrestling title and finished in third place in the state in the 190-lb. weight class! Zayna was joined at the state tournament by junior Gillian Coulson, who finished fourth at Regionals to qualify for the state meet.
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.
A group poem by some Harding Middle School sixth graders in Mr. Spooner's class is on display at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., as part of the Dear Ukraine global community poem project. Student Leelu Baxter's individual poem also was selected to be in the exhibit. You can hear these poems and others from the class at a Dear Ukraine reception on Sunday, March 12 at Lakewood Public Library. Click Read More to view the poems included.
Congratulations to our National Merit Finalists: seniors Jamie Holland, Maddie Oldfield and Taylor DiLoreto! The three are now each eligible to receive one of more than 7,500 scholarships worth nearly $30 million to be awarded this spring. Jamie, Maddie and Taylor were named Semifinalists in the fall based on their top scores on the PSAT junior year.
The creativity and imagination of the Lakewood City Schools' students were celebrated at the annual Lakewood PTA Council Reflections Ceremony, held Feb. 8 at Garfield Middle School. Sixty-seven art submissions from across the District were honored. Of those 67 pieces of art, 25 were chosen to move on to the state PTA judging, with winners to be announced in late spring. Overall, 90 students entered the contest.
Congratulations to the 18 Lakewood High choir and band students who were selected to participate in yesterday's Great Lake Conference Honors Band and Choir Concert! The students (7 choir, 11 band) joined the 11 other GLC schools at Rocky River High School for the evening concert after having rehearsed all day together. Kudos to the LHS students and their directors, Rayna Brooks and Clinton Steinbrunner!
Three is the lucky number for this month's Educator Spotlight! Congratulations to Harrison Elementary intervention specialist Rebecca Byndas, Emerson Elementary cafeteria leader Kim Campfield and Lakewood High head swim coach Patricia Portik! Click on Read More to find out why these three are deserving of the February honor.
The Lakewood High National Honor Society welcomed 48 new members to its chapter in an induction ceremony at the Civic Auditorium on Feb. 2. To be inducted into the National Honor Society, students must possess a GPA of at least 3.5. Students are also evaluated based on their character, which means the nominating committee looks at community involvement, extracurriculars, leadership skills, and other intangibles.
Gov. Mike DeWine today announced that Lakewood City Schools will receive a $1 million grant as part of the state’s fourth round of awards from the Ohio School Safety Grants program. Gov. DeWine traveled to Lakewood to make the announcement at a press conference at Lakewood High School.
Kindergarten and preschool registration for the 2023-2024 school year is now open! A child must be 5 years old before or on Sept. 30, 2023 to be eligible to enroll in kindergarten. The registration process begins online. Click on the links below for more information.
Register here for kindergarten and preschool
Kindergarten Information Night presentation
Congratulations to District maintenance foreman Michael Doup and Lincoln Elementary teacher Molly Dyke on their selection as January Educators of the Month! You can find out more about these two excellent employees by clicking on "Read More".
Congratulations to senior Sophia Boyer, whose photograph of Tyler Barn in the Metroparks was selected for the Drexel University High School Photography Contest Exhibition! Sophia's work is now in the running to be one of six pieces selected as the exhibition winners. Winners will be announced Jan. 23. The exhibit will be on display on the Drexel campus in Philadelphia from Feb. 4 through March 5.
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.
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The Lakewood City Schools Community Recreation and Education Department’s Winter Booklet has arrived. It has a complete listing of all of the youth/adult programming, athletics and aquatics that are offered this winter. Registration starts January 2!
The Lakewood City Schools is grateful for a recent grant of $10,000 awarded by The Healthy Lakewood Foundation. The is the second Covid Response Grant received by HLF that is used to fund the District's coordinated care program that helps provide basic needs and connect with resources/agencies for families who are struggling.
Congratulations to Grant Elementary fourth grader Landon Metz on winning the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce's annual "Why I Love Lakewood" contest! Landon earned the right to flip the switch with Santa on the city holiday lights at Light Up Lakewood and read his essay as well at the Dec. 3 event. You can read Landon's essay by clicking on "Read More".
Congratulations to Harding Middle School intervention specialist Helen Cornelison and Hayes Elementary intervention specialist and District multi-sensory literacy instruction specialist Christine McElwee on being named our December Educator Spotlight honorees! Learn more about these two by clicking on "Read More".
Congratulations to Roosevelt Elementary teacher Maureen Manderfield, who was honored by the Cleveland Cavaliers at center court on Nov. 30 as Head of the Class Educator! The Cavs recognized Mrs. Manderfield's impact on students and their families through her 36 years of teaching for the Lakewood City Schools and for her many contributions to Roosevelt and the District. The Cavs also made her an honorary captain for the game and was seated in owner Dan Gilbert's suite. Such a well-deserved recognition!
The Lakewood Board of Education at its Nov. 21 meeting unanimously approved a resolution stating its opposition to a proposed anti-LGBTQ+ resolution under consideration by the Ohio Board of Education. The resolution states that the state's proposal: "contradicts Lakewood City Schools Board of Education Policy...(and) 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."
The resolution encourages the community to contact the State Board of Education to express their opposition to the proposed legislation.
Congratulations to the Lakewood High School Model UN Club on an outstanding fall conference and to sophomore Shannon Katzenberger for winning her second straight Gavel Award for best delegate at the conference! In addition to Shannon's award (representing St. Lucia), Jack Phillips and Maya Trempe won an honorable mention and a position paper award (representing Ethiopia) and Cassie Auck and Tarik Ibrisagic also won a position paper award (representing the Netherlands) at the conference held last week. Great work by all the students participating and by adviser Lauren Kindstrand.
Congratulations to Lakewood High seniors Bee Rohrs and Lila Wright on having their artwork selected for Otterbein University's 4th Annual Juried Art Exhibit! Bee and Lila's pieces were two of 65 chosen from more than 250 submissions. The exhibit will take place in December. Bee and Lila are also eligible now for a $2,000 scholarship if they choose to attend Otterbein.
Pictured: Lila Wright's "Encircled." Click on Read More to view Bee's piece, "Fly High."
Garfield Middle School staff and students showed their respect and support for our country’s veterans during the 24th annual Veterans Day Recognition Program Nov. 10. Students spoke with veterans during a breakfast sponsored by H2O before the schoolwide assembly, which included inspirational words by guest speaker, Army veteran Chris Zurawski.
Congratulations to the winners of our Educator Spotlight honor for November: Lakewood High School intervention specialist Rachel Bonsky and Harding Middle School cafeteria staff member Jean Toler! Learn more about these two staff members by clicking on Read More.
Congratulations to our cross country runners Luka Bork and Charlie Payne for their outstanding performances in the Division 1 State Championship Meet! 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. So proud of both of these Rangers!
Photo: Luka Bork (from left), Coach Chuck Moore and Charlie Payne.
Congratulations to our October Educator Spotlight honorees, Harding Middle School health teacher Teri Knapp and Lakewood High School cleaner Dan Surniak! Click on Read More to find out why these two outstanding staff members have been singled out by their peers.
It's Fire Prevention Week and that means time for a new junior fire chief. The junior chief earns the title by winning the annual fifth-grade essay contest on the week's theme, which this year is "Fire won't wait. Plan your escape." The 2022 winner and new junior chief is Horace Mann's Ainsley Tracey! As is tradition, Ainsley arrived at school on Monday by way of Fire Engine Truck #4 with the the school's students and staff there to greet her. Congratulations, Ainsley!
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.
The artwork of Lakewood High junior Olive Diemert has been selected to hang in the Vern Riffe Center for Government Affairs in Columbus as part of the two-year long Ohio House of Representatives High School Student Art Exhibit. The exhibit features exemplary visual art created by high school students from across Ohio. One piece of art is selected for each of the Ohio House of Representatives' 99 districts. The exhibit is on display until June 2024. Congratulations to Olive and her teacher, Arline Olear! (Click Read More to see Olive's full art piece.)