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If you were to scroll down the staff directory list of almost 800 employees of the Lakewood City Schools, you wouldn’t have to go far before you land on someone who is an alum of the District. In fact, Lakewood High School graduates are likely in every building. Lakewood gets under your skin, in a good way. For the many Lakewood City Schools employees who once walked our hallways as students, returning to the district where friendships were formed, milestones celebrated, and dreams first took shape is more than a job—it is a chance to give back to the community that helped shape them. 

Congratulations to our next June Educator Spotlight honoree, West Shore Career-Tech paraprofessional Kathleen Ward! Learn more about why Kathleen has been selected for this honor by clicking on the Read More link below.

Congratulations to the Lakewood High School Class of 2026! The class of 329 graduates received their diplomas at the school's 178th Commencement Ceremony on May 31. The ceremony included speeches by students Delaney Starr and Paisley Norris. The graduates and audience also heard words of support, wisdom and congratulations from Principal Joy Morgan, Superintendent Maggie Niedzwiecki and Board of Education President Betsy Shaughnessy. The ceremony included several special recognitions of student groups including 68 Academic Excellence medal recipients who earned 4.0 or better GPA. We wish the best for our graduates in their next chapters of life!

A New York Times article published this month outlined how recent data revealed that the majority American students are performing worse than their peers from a decade ago (2015-2025). In reading, scores were down in 83% of the districts, and math scores were down 70% according to data compiled by the Educational Opportunity Project at Stanford University. Despite this troubling nationwide trend, the good news is the Lakewood City Schools is among the smaller percentage districts that have seen student scores rise. 

Lakewood City Schools has been awarded several key grants to further strengthen mental health support and wellness initiatives for our students. These funds will allow us to expand peer-to-peer training, empower our young women, and provide more coordinated care across the District. Click Read More below to learn more about the grants.

Our High School Summer Learning Program will begin June 10. Classes will be held in person at Harding Middle School. For more information on course offerings and registration, please use the link below. Please register as soon as possible. 

Online Registration Form (High School Only)

Congratulations to The Lakewood Times for earning numerous awards at the Ohio Scholastic Media Association Awards! The staff garnered 20 recognitions, including six Superior Awards! Click on Read More below to see all the honors earned from the incredibly talented staff, led by adviser Amy Garritano and editors Abby Peck, Paisley Norris, Grace Liderbach, Gwen Hongosh, and Maya Trempe.

Lakewood City Schools proudly celebrated the achievements of its brightest students at the 43rd annual Celebration of Excellence ceremony on May 19 in the Civic Auditorium. Held to honor the academic dedication and success of its students, 422 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 and numerous senior scholarships were awarded.

The Lakewood Board of Education has approved the appointment of Kristin Clark, Ed.D, the District’s current elementary teaching and learning coordinator, as the next director of the Lakewood City Schools Teaching and Learning Department. She will replace Steven Ast, who will be assuming the role of assistant superintendent in August.

Congratulations to junior Axel Scott on winning a Dazzle Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Fedya Dolokhov in the Barnstormers' spring musical, Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812. Axel nomination was one of eight earned by the Barnstormers' for their amazing production. Bravo, Axel!

The Board of Education has approved Roosevelt Elementary Principal Allison Aber as the District’s next director of Human Resources. Aber will replace Jeff Schlade, who is retiring.

On May 6, the Lakewood Council of PTAs gave out its end-of-year awards. Dedicated staff, volunteers, and students were honored for the work they have done all year. Congratulations to the PTA honorees:

T in PTA Award: Jessica Murphy on behalf of Garfield Middle School PTSA

Helping Hands Award: Vince Frantz on behalf of Lakewood High School PTA

Senior Scholarship winners: Cecilia Whiteamire, Mel Diemert, Miles Evans, Gabriela Carroll-Greeves, and Ella Bower 

Congratulations to our next May Educator Spotlight honorees: student wellness specialist Julie May and paraprofessional Jennifer Reed, both of Grant! Learn more about why these two have earned this honor by clicking on the Read More link below.

Bravo to the Barnstormers for earning eight Dazzle Awards nominations for their production of Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812! The Dazzle Awards honor the best of local high school theater. The show is nominated for:

• Best Actor – Owen Hill; Best Actress - Cora Barcelona
• Best Supporting Actor: Axel Scott; Best Supporting Actress: Ceci Whiteamire
• Best Orchestra
• Best Chorus/Ensemble
• Best Choreography Execution
• Best Student Technical Executive

Winners will be announced on May 16 in a red-carpet ceremony at KeyBank State Theater. 

Once again, Lakewood City Schools has been named a Best Community for Music Education by the NAMM Foundation. This is the 10th straight year the District has earned the award! This prestigious recognition celebrates our commitment to providing exceptional music education to all students. A huge thank you to our talented music teachers, supportive families, Lakewood Music Boosters, and our entire community for creating an environment where students can discover and develop their musical talents!

Lakewood City Schools will be accepting bids for HVAC Preventative Maintenance, Water Treatment Service and Building Automation System Monitoring & Support until 11:00 a.m. EST, Monday, May 11, 2026, at the Lakewood City Schools Board of Education Office, 13701 Lake Ave., Lakewood, OH 44107, attention Mrs. Meghan Rohde, Treasurer.

View HVAC Bid Document

Lakewood High School seniors achieved an impressive clean sweep at the 2026 Hope and Stanley Adelstein Essay Contest, securing the top three spots in the 11th/12th-grade category of the competition, sponsored by the City Club of Cleveland. The contest focuses on freedom of speech. First-place winner Alessio Matera earned a $1,000 prize and has been invited to read his work aloud at The City Club forum on May 1. He is joined by fellow seniors Adrien Tullio, who took second place and a $750 prize and Mel Diemert, who placed third and received $500. Congratulations to all!

Congratulations to our next round of April Educator Spotlight honorees: cafeteria lead Sarah Marzicola and individual small group instructor Sam Ratliff, both of Hayes! Learn more about why these two have earned this honor by clicking on the Read More link below.

Congratulatons to our Culinary Arts students who have qualified for the Family and Career Community Leadership Association (FCCLA) national competition thanks to their top placements in the state competition held April 16-17. Htoo Wah, Carys Crone, and Finn Getts are on their way! Finn Getts placed first in Baking & Pastry at state, and Htoo Wah and Carys Crone placed second and third, respectively in the Culinary Arts category. We wish all of them the best of luck at nationals in July in Washington, D.C.

Congratulations to Garfield Middle School student June Weaver Lakewood High junior Zoe Pierce, who placed first and second, respectively, in the Maltz Museum of Jewish History’s Stop the Hate Youth Speak Out essay and poetry contest! June won the top prize for seventh grade essay category, which comes with a $400 award. Zoe placed second in the poetry category. Her award comes with $1,500 and $500 educational grant for LHS. Well done June and Zoe!

Read June's Essay
Read Zoe's Poem

The Board of Education at its April 13 meeting approved Lakewood City Schools Director of Teaching and Learning Steven Ast as the District’s next assistant superintendent. Ast will replace Dr. Christine Palumbo, who is retiring.

Congratulations to our April Educator Spotlight honorees: school psychologist Renee Hart and teacher Josh Malames, both of Franklin School of Opportunity!  Learn more about why these two have earned this honor by clicking on the Read More link below.

We are thrilled to announce that the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (ODEW) has named Grant Elementary as one of only 14 public schools in the state to be selected for the 2025 Blue Ribbon School Award! This is the second time Grant has been selected as a Blue Ribbon School, also earning the National Blue Ribbon designation in 2004.

The Lakewood City Schools Community Recreation and Education Department’s Spring/Summer booklet is now out. It has a complete listing of all of the youth/adult programming, athletics, and aquatics that the department has to offer for this spring/summer. 

View Rec Dept. booklet

The Lakewood Board of Education has approved Rachel Tansey as the District’s new assistant treasurer. Tansey, who is currently treasurer for Green Local Schools in Wayne County, brings extensive experience in school finance, accounting, and public sector operations to the role.In her new position, Tansey will work closely with Treasurer Meghan Rohde to support the District’s financial operations.

Congratulations to our elementary STEM team on landing a $7,200 grant from GPD Employees' Foundation! The grant, written by STEM teacher Jackie Gallik, will allow the District to purchase Clixo Movement bundles that help all K-5 learners, including our special education classrooms, participate fully in hands-on STEM. The bundles will help support diverse strengths, sensory needs, and creative problem-solving in every school. Students who benefit from sensory input can use Clixo for calming and regulation. Those who struggle with fine motor coordination can manipulate the pieces with success.

Congratulations to our second round of March Educator Spotlight honorees: teacher Joe Niemantsverdriet and paraprofessional Maryellen Reddy, both of Lakewood High School!  Learn more about why these two have earned this honor by clicking on the Read More link below.

It was a Lakewood High School sweep in the annual Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River & Beck Speech Contest in collaboration with Beck Center for the Arts. Congratulations to:

Tessa Ritchie - 1st place 
Holly Rogalski - 2nd place
Claire Carson -3rd place
Joshua Kelley-Moore - 4th place 

Tessa and Holly move on to represent the Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River at the District finals in at Springfield High School in April.

Lakewood High School Barnstormers' will perform Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812. Nominated for 12 Tony Awards and written by Lakewood High alum Dave Malloy, this musical tells part of the story of Leo Tolstoy’s War And Peace. Performances are March 26-28 at 7 pm in the Civic Auditorium. Tickets are $10 for students and $12 for adults and can be bought at the link below:

Buy tickets

Congratulations to our March Educator Spotlight honorees: family resource coordinator Adrienne Parker, and teachers Kim Sperli and Greg Stormer, all of Harrison Elementary School!  Learn more about why these three have earned this honor by clicking on the Read More link below.

Congratulations to Lydia Browning, who was named among the runners-up in The New York Times Learning Network's Growing Up With A.I. Challenge. Lydia's piece was among only 16 runners-up pieces chosen from among 2,500 nationwide entries. There were 35 winners selected. You can read Lydia's submission by clicking on the Read More link below.

Congratulations to senior Billy Cummings, who finished in the top 30 of the state at the Ohio State Championship Meet in diving! Billy earned a spot in the State Meet due to his fifth-place finish at the District meet. Great job, Billy, and coach Denny Dyke! #LKWDStrong 

Congratulations to junior Benjamin Charkosky on having his work honored by The New York Times in its Tiny Memoirs contest for high school students. Benjamin's work, titled "The Word I Didn't Know," earned him an Honorable Mention, which means he was in the top 20% of the more than 14,000 submissions. Impressive, Benjamin! Click on Read More at the link below to read Benjamin's memoir.

Congratulations to our second round of February Educator Spotlight honorees, paraprofessional Marie Banak and teachers Patti Cramer and Julie Harkness, both of Horace Mann Elementary School!  Learn more about why these two have earned this honor by clicking on the Read More link below.

Students from the West Shore Career-Tech MEMS (micro electro-mechanical systems) program participated in the annual Association for Career and Technical (ACTE) Education Legislative Showcase on Feb. 4 in Columbus. The event brought together representatives from 44 districts across Ohio and offered an opportunity for selected career-technical programs to share their work with state legislators and education leaders.

Congratulations to our February Educator Spotlight honorees, STEM teacher Alison Hinesman and BRIDGES paraprofessional Rebecca King, both of Garfield Middle School!  Learn more about why these two have earned this honor by clicking on the Read More link below.

The Lakewood City Schools Board of Education voted unanimously Monday, Feb. 2, to place an operating levy on the Primary Election ballot. Election Day is May 5. The 6.9-mill levy would provide funding for general operating and current expenses. This levy request marks the first time the District has been on the ballot in more than six years.

Congratulations to the 15 Lakewood High School and the West Shore Career-Tech Media Art & Design students whose artwork and writing has been honored in the Regional Scholastic Art Exhibition competition! The artists earned 30 awards collectively, including five Gold Keys, the highest honor given. Gold Key winners move on to national-level judging in the 98-year-old competition. Click on Read More below to see which students' work was honored.

The Lakewood High National Honor Society welcomed 64 new members to its chapter in an induction ceremony at the Civic Auditorium on Jan. 29, 2026. 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. Click on Read More below to see who was inducted.

Registration for the 2026-2027 preschool year is now open! Our preschool classes for ages 3-5 come in both half- and full-day options and are located across six of our elementary buildings and Taft Center for Innovation. Learn more and start the registration process by clicking on the links below:

Preschool Information
Begin Student Registration

At the Jan. 22 Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Maggie Niedzwiecki presented a detailed timeline of dates for the District's elemenatary building plan implementation. You can view the timeline presentation at the link below:

Timeline Presentation

The Lakewood Project concert originally scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 24 has been rescheduled for Friday, Feb. 13 due to expected extreme weather. The concert themed “Peace and Love,” will feature music from the '60s and '70s. The Lakewood Project will be joined by 7th and 8th grade orchestra students from Garfield and Harding as well. Performing students do not need a ticket to the concert. Buy tickets at the link below:

Buy Tickets

Congratulations to our next round of January Educator Spotlight honorees, PE teacher Nicole Anderson and secretary Michele Winterstein, both of Lincoln Elementary!  Learn more about why these two have earned this honor by clicking on the Read More link below.

Congratulations to Lakewood High School on being named to the 2025 AP School Honor Roll with Gold distinction, up from Bronze from the previous year! Last year, 449 LHS students were enrolled in one or more of the 21 AP courses offered. Of those students who took an end-of-course exam in May, 84% earned a 3 or higher on at least one exam.

Tucked inside Lakewood High School is one of the region’s most dynamic and innovative learning opportunities: the West Shore Career-Technical District. West Shore is a career-tech consortium consisting of four area school districts: Bay Village, Lakewood, Rocky River and Westlake. Students in West Shore take all their career-tech classes at Lakewood High School, or some off-site work locations for specific programs. West Shore has been providing students comprehensive career and workforce readiness opportunities for over 50 years.

Harding’s Junior Model United Nations Team had an excellent conference at John Carroll University Jan. 7-8. The entire team represented Lakewood well, embodying the many competencies of the Vision of A Lakewood Ranger. They collaborated, communicated, and cooperated with schools from across the Greater Cleveland area to help solve global issues. Click on Read More to see which students received awards for their participation.

Congratulations to our January Educator Spotlight honorees, teacher Liz Street and educational interpreter Laura Shewalter, both of Roosevelt Elementary!  Learn more about why these two have earned this honor by clicking on the Read More link below.

The Lakewood City Schools Community Recreation and Education Department’s winter booklet is now available. It has a complete listing of all of the youth/adult programming, athletics, and aquatics that the department has to offer for this winter. Check it out at the link below:

Winter Booklet

The Lakewood City Schools Board of Education has approved the hiring of Meghan Rohde as the District’s next treasurer/chief financial officer. Rohde, who is currently treasurer for Bay Village City Schools, will assume her new role in January 2026, working alongside current treasurer, Kent Zeman, who will retire this spring.

Congratulations to Emerson Elementary fourth grader Gemma Zahriyeh on winning the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce's annual "Why I Love Lakewood" contest! Gemma earned the right to join Santa to flip the switch on the city holiday lights at Light Up Lakewood Dec. 6 and also earned $100. Gemma will read her essay at the event. You can read Gemma's winning essay by clicking on "Read More".

Congratulations to our December Educator Spotlight honorees, teacher Teri Knapp and paraprofessional and Lakewood High swim coach Sean O'Connor, both of Harding!  Learn more about why these two have earned this honor by clicking on the Read More link below.

Come and join the George P. Read Performing Arts Department at Lakewood High School for the annual Sounds of the Season concert! On Friday, Dec. 5 beginning at 7 pm in the Civic Auditorium, the top band, choir and orchestra ensembles will perform holiday tunes and spread an abundance of cheer during this collage-style concert. Tickets in advance are $8 adult, $4 student. he day of show they are $10 adult, $5 student. Tickets can be purchased at the link below:

Buy tickets

Congratulations to our November Educator Spotlight honorees, Emerson intervention specialist Corey McComas and fourth grade teacher Chelsea Trzeciak!  Learn more about why these two have earned this honor by clicking on the Read More link below.

This summer, the District secured a $50,000 Safe Routes to School grant. That money has allowed us to purchase the Think Global, Walk Local and Slow Down, Rangers Around signs you see around town, in addition to bike racks and student bike helmets. Funding these types of “extra” projects that happen around the District would not be possible without the efforts of many of our staff and administrators in applying and being awarded grants from state agencies and local organizations. Not only that, but a number of critical programs that support our students are available only because of a grant.

Do you know of an older Lakewood resident that would like to hear about the latest news of the District and enjoy a delicious breakfast? Our senior citizen holiday breakfast is one of our favorite traditions! The event is Dec. 12 at Roosevelt Elementary beginning at 9 am. Seats are limited, so call or email now to RSVP: 216-529-4074 or ask@lakewoodcityschools.org.

On Oct. 28, the District was honored to welcome Gov. Mike DeWine, First Lady Fran DeWine, and Ohio Department of Education and Workforce Director Stephen Dackin to Emerson Elementary as part of the governor's Literacy Leaders Tour celebrating Science of Reading Champion buildings. State Sen. Nickie Antonio also joined the group. Emerson is one of four of our elementary schools that earned the champion honor, along with Hayes, Lincoln, and Roosevelt. In addition, our district is only one of two in the state to have multiple buildings earn the designation.

Congratulations to junior Porter Gilliland, who competed in the State Championship Meet for cross country on Nov. 1 and finished 16th overall, good enough to be named All-State! Porter qualified for the state meet by finishing in fourth place out of a field of 344 at Regionals. This was on the heels of his second-place finish at Districts. This was Porter's second straight year qualifying for the championship meet. Way to go, Porter!

The Lakewood High School Barnstormers Drama Club presents Oscar Wilde’s classic satire, The Importance of Being Earnest. Performances are at 7 pm Nov. 6-8 in the Black Box Theatre. Tickets are $5 and can be bought at the link below: 

Buy Tickets

Note: On Friday,  guests are encouraged to park in the North Lot off Franklin as parking will not be available in the South Lot behind the school due to a St. Ed's football game.

The following message from Superintendent Niedzwiecki was shared witht District families following the Oct. 20 Board meeting: 

This evening, the Lakewood Board of Education voted to formally approve my recommendation to repurpose Lincoln Elementary School into what will become a newly created Early Learning Center for 3-, 4-, and 5-year olds, effective for the 2027-2028 school year, and to reassign several of our specialized learning programs to other buildings to better suit student needs. 

At its meeting tonight, Oct. 20, the Lakewood Board of Education voted to approve Superintendent Maggie Niedzwiecki’s recommendation to repurpose Lincoln Elementary School into a newly created preschool Early Learning Center, effective for the 2027–2028 school year. The plan, presented to the Board on Oct. 6, also includes the reassignment of several specialized learning programs to new locations across the District to better support student needs.

Since the early 2000s, the District has convened a District Leadership Team (DLT) composed of administrators and teachers from across all schools. The team meets four times a year to discuss the District’s continuous improvement efforts. Over the past three years—beginning in the 2022–2023 school year—the District has added some important new voices to the team: our students.

Congratulations to the varsity boys cross country team on capturing the Cleveland West Conference title! The Rangers squeezed out a three-point win over second-place Buckeye for the championship, their first conference title since 2018. The team was paced by a second-place overall finish by junior Porter Gilliland (15:56) The junior varsity team wasn't to be outdone, and also won the title! Great job, runners and coaches!

Congratulations to Harrison fifth grader Kiera McCarroll on being named the 2025 Junior Fire Chief! Kiera is Harrison's first junior fire chief since 1999! The junior chief earns the title by winning the annual essay contest on Fire Prevention Week's theme, which this year is "Charge Into Fire Safety," about the dangers of lithium batteries. As is tradition, Kiera arrived at school today in the front seat of a Lakewood Fire Department truck with the school's students and staff there to greet and cheer her on. Well done, Ana!

Superintendent Niedzwiecki's letter to the community:

At the Oct. 6 Board of Education meeting, I presented my comprehensive recommendation regarding the future of our district’s elementary buildings. The recommendation is the result of more than a year of community input, data analysis, and thoughtful discussion about how we can best serve our students now and in the years ahead. The Board will review my recommendation and is scheduled to vote on it at its Oct. 20 meeting.

In anticipation of the District's community engagement meeting on Sept. 29, Superintendent Niedzwiecki shared some additional frequently asked questions (FAQs) that the District or superintendent has received through various channels.Click on Read More to see the newest FAQs.

Congratulations to our Lakewood High National Merit Commended Student, Abby Peck! Commended Students are high-scoring participants in the National Merit Scholarship Program who scored in approximately the top 3-4% of PSAT test-takers nationally. While Abby does not advance in the competition for National Merit Scholarships, her recognition demonstrates her exceptional academic promise. Abby joins our five Semifinalists announced last week to round out our National Merit honorees.

The District is hosting a Table Top Conversation on Monday, Sept. 29 to seek further input and community feedback regarding our elementary building space, enrollment, and future facilities usage. The meeting will be from 6:30-8 pm in the Lakewood High cafeteria. The conversation will be focused on 4-5 topics and will include an opportunity for structured individual and group feedback, therefore, the floor will not be open for public comment. Child care will be provided and RSVPs are required. Please click on the link below to RSVP by Sept. 22:

Table Top Conversation RSVP link

On Sept. 9, we were thrilled to celebrate the Grand Opening of our new learning spaces at Lakewood High with ribbon cuttings and community tours. The event highlighted our new West Shore Career-Tech Welding and MEMS (Micro-Electro Mechanical Systems) labs and classrooms, as well as the new home for the Franklin School of Opportunity. These state-of-the-art spaces will provide students with hands-on experiences, career pathways, and the supportive environment they need to thrive. 

Photo Gallery

Congratulations to Lakewood High senior Alessio Matera on being chosen to be part of the Ohio Music Educators Association’s Northeast Ohio All-State Orchestra. Alessio will perform on his bassoon with the All-State honors group at the OMEA's annual conference in Columbus next January. 

Congratulations to Lakewood High School seniors Cora Barcelona, Zach Carnovale, Alessio Matera, Adele Wentzel, and Ceci Whiteamire  on being named Semifinalists in the 71st annual National Merit Scholarship Corp. competition! This designation recognizes Cora, Zach, Alessio, Adele, and Ceci as among the top students in the nation based on junior year PSAT scores. Learn more about the National Merit competition by clicking on Read More.

Congratulations to Lakewood High seniors Abby Kovach and Nora Dunne on being chosen to be part of the Ohio Music Educators Association’s Northeast Ohio Regional Orchestra! Abby was also selected as a bassist for the All-State Orchestra. This is Abby's third straight year to be selected for the regional ensemble. Abby and Nora, who plays cello, will perform with the regional honors group at the OMEA's annual conference in Columbus next January.

At the Sept. 2 Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Maggie Niedzwiecki shared a timeline for moving forward toward a resolution of the elementary enrollment issue. Click on Read More to see the timeline.

Lakewood City Schools has been awarded a $50,000 Safe Routes to School grant from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). The grant will allow the District to expand opportunities for students to safely walk and bike to school. The grant aligns with the District’s Vision of a Lakewood Ranger competency of global awareness/citizenship and will offer students and families avenues for exercising good environmental stewardship.

At the Aug. 18 Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Maggie Niedzwiecki addressed some frequently asked questions regarding the Elementary Planning Task Force work and the subsequent pause in that work due to legal action. Those questions are included below, as well as some additional questions that have been raised in the community since that meeting. Click on Read More to read the FAQs

Lakewood City Schools will be celebrating its new MEMS and welding learning spaces for West Shore Career-Tech and Franklin School of Opportunity with a Grand Opening ceremony and ribbon-cutting on Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 5 pm at Lakewood High. The ceremony will take place in the second-floor art atrium and will be followed by tours of the new spaces. Please join us!

The Lakewood City Schools Community Recreation and Education Department’s fall booklet is now available. It has a complete listing of all of the youth/adult programming, athletics, and aquatics that the department has to offer for this fall, including new youth and adult climbing clubs! Check it out at the link below:

Fall Booklet

Superintendent Maggie Niedzwiecki shared a message today, Aug. 11, with families and staff members regarding next steps for the administration as it relates to a recommendation to address our elementary facility needs and a thank you to the dedicated Elementary Planning Task Force members. Please click on Read More to see the superintendent's message.

New Student Services Director Stephanie Morgan will hold a Meet & Greet session on Monday, Aug. 18 from 6-6:45 pm in Room 103 of the Taft Center for Innovation. The session will also include an opportunity for parents/guardians to offer input on the District's use of federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) funds. Director Morgan will also share how the District's plan to allocate those funds.

August is nearly here and you know what that means.....school is just around the corner! Visit our Back-to-School page for all the pertinent details, including the most important: When does school start?

Treasurer Kent Zeman provides an updated on the Ohio biennial budget and how it will impact Lakewood City Schools:

With the governor's recent signing of the FY2026 & FY2027 biennial budget, I wanted to provide an update on the final results that impacted Lakewood City School District and a brief overview of the process the legislature and governor worked through to produce the budget.

Lakewood City Schools is moving forward with the sale of the former Franklin School building following a public auction and consideration by the Board of Education. The Board held a special meeting on Thursday, June 26, to vote on the sale of the building to Inner Peace Cleveland, a local organization dedicated to supporting adults with disabilities and their families. The motion was approved [4-0] (Board member Colleen Clark-Sutton was traveling and was not able to attend).

Dear Lakewood Community,

I recently shared a parent and community update regarding the work of the Elementary Facilities Task Force and our anticipated next steps, including the expected presentation of the Task Force Report during my Superintendent’s update to the Board at the June 16 Board of Education meeting. I am writing now to inform you that a Task Force update will not be shared at the June 16 meeting, as previously planned.

Lakewood City Schools proudly celebrated the achievements of its brightest students at the 42nd annual Celebration of Excellence ceremony on May 27 in the Civic Auditorium. Held to honor the academic dedication and success of its students, 407 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 and numerous senior scholarships were awarded.

Horace Mann Elementary first-grade teachers Patti Cramer and Julie Harkness have been named the 2025 George P. Milbourn Team Teachers of the Year. The award is part of the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation’s Jennings Educator Awards Program that honors public school educators from across Ohio and includes a grant of $7,500 to fund a deep learning project for students.

Notice is hereby given that the Board of Education of the Lakewood City School District (the “Board”) will offer for sale at public auction the real property previously known as Franklin School, located at 13465 Franklin Blvd., Lakewood, Ohio 44107 (the “Property”), which is no longer needed by the Board.

Congratulations to the Barnstormers for winning Lakewood High's first Dazzle Award! The cast, crew and pit took home first place in the Best Musical category for their production of Les Miserables (School Edition)! Kudos to director Carolyn Demanelis and her assistants for bringing out the best in our talented students!

From Treasurer Kent Zeman:

The state’s biennial budget process plays a pivotal role in determining the resources available for public education throughout Ohio. Lakewood City Schools, like many districts, is closely reviewing the potential effects of the House budget proposal, which includes significant reductions to the funding our district relies on to provide quality education.

Congratulations to the girls track and field team on winning the first ever Cleveland West Conference title! The Rangers edged out Rocky River by two points, led by the amazing Charieon Doxley, who won individual titles in the 100 and 300 meter hurdles and was runner up in the long jump and 100 meters. Aidan Smith on the boys side won the 110 high hurdles title and the 4x100 relay also came away champs. Kudos to all the student-athletes and the coaches for their hard work this season.

We're thrilled to announce that Lakewood City Schools has been named a 2025 Best Community for Music Education by the NAMM Foundation for the ninth straight year! This prestigious recognition celebrates our commitment to providing exceptional music education to all students. A huge thank you to our talented music teachers, supportive families, Lakewood Music Boosters, and our entire community for creating an environment where students can discover and develop their musical talents!

Our High School Summer Learning Program will begin June 9, with all classes being held in person at Harding Middle School. For more information on course offerings and registration, please use the links below. Registration for five-week courses and Session 1 courses closes June 8. Please register as soon as possible. 

Online Registration Form
Mail-in Registration Form
Courses Brochure

The Lakewood City Schools is winding down its first year as a member of the Cleveland Browns Stay in the Game Attendance Network (SITG) and its second year of convening a District Level Attendance Team, as the District continues its shift from a reactive to proactive approach to student attendance.

Congratulations to our May Educator Spotlight honoree, Lakewood High School social studies teacher Alex Cammock! Learn more about why Alex was nominated by one of his colleagues at the Read More link below.

Lakewood City Schools have always been a cornerstone of the community, with families taking pride in walking their children to nearby schools. However, as enrollment numbers decline, we face a growing challenge: how to maintain high-quality education while efficiently using our buildings.

Lakewood High senior Olive Rodemann has earned the highest honor of being named a national Gold Medal winner in the prestigious Scholastic Art & Writing Awards! Olive was honored for her photograph of a worker at the West Side Market titled “Meat Man.” This competition is the nation’s longest-running and most prestigious recognition program for students in grades 7–12. More than 310,000 pieces of art were submitted for the contest and earning a national award puts Olive in the top 1% of participants. Olive’s “Meat Man” image was one of six Gold Keys she earned at the regional level judging of the competition.
 

Congratulations to our April Educator Spotlight honoree, Harding Middle School intervention specialist Rita Axford! Learn more about why Rita was nominated by one of her colleagues at the Read More link below.

On April 7, The Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River hosted its 27th annual West Shore Career-Technical District Outstanding Student Awards at their weekly luncheon. Fifteen students were honored for their dedication, leadership, and accomplishments in their respective career-technical programs.  

Lakewood City School District (LCSD) will be accepting bids for Security Services at Lakewood High School for the 2025‐2026 school year until 11:00 a.m. EST, Monday, April 21, 2025 at Taft Center for Innovation, 13701 Lake Ave., Lakewood, OH 44107, attention Mr. Kent Zeman, Treasurer.

Location: Lakewood High School 14100 Franklin Boulevard, Lakewood, Ohio 44107. Firms interested in providing proposals may obtain LCSD’s RFP which provides details regarding the services. at the links below. 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 via email.

Lakewood High Security RFP

Congratulations to Harding sixth-grader Adeline Chalker on winning the top prize for sixth grade in the annual Maltz Museum of Jewish History's Stop the Hate Youth Speak Out essay contest! Adeline earned $400 for her winning piece. Well done, Adeline! Read Adeline's thoughtful essay by clicking on Read More below.

Congratulations to four of our LHS AP Language & Composition students who received Honorable Honorable Mention in The New York Times' photo essay contest! Students Cooper Russell, Hazel Redmon and project partners Maya Trempe and Gwendolyn Hongosh had their work recognized from more than 600 submissions from across the country. You can view links to the winning projects at the link below:

View winners

The Lakewood High Barnstormers will be performing the Broadway classic and audience favorite Les Miserables April 10, 11 and 12 at 7 pm in the Civic Auditorium. Tickets can be purchased at the link below and are $8 for students and $10 for adults. Come see and hear the amazing talent of our theater students and pit orchestra members!

Buy Tickets

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 the department has to offer for this spring and summer!

View Booklet

Lakewood City Schools will be accepting bids for the purchase and installation of weight room equipment and turf until 11:00 a.m. EST, Monday, March 31, 2025, at Taft Center for Innovation, 13701 Lake Ave., Lakewood, OH 44107, attention Mr. Kent Zeman,Treasurer.

Congratulations to Emerson, Hayes, Lincoln and Roosevelt elementary schools on being honored by Gov. Mike DeWine in his new Governor’s Science of Reading Recognition Program, which recognizes schools who have aligned their curriculum with the Science of Reading, embraced professional development for teachers and raised literacy achievement among students. Our four schools were among 47 schools recognized by the governor.

Congratulations to the four LHS student artists who have been named winners for the 2025 Ohio Governor’s Youth Art Exhibition! The artwork of Anna Maurer, Helen Fraunfelder and Oceana (Iris) Krizan will hang in the public exhibition of nearly 300 art pieces. Another piece by Iris and one by Poppy Smrekar will hang in a special Cameo exhibit in the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce building. Kudos to all on this amazing achievement!

The West Shore Career-Tech District provides hands-on learning in their 13 programs aimed toward preparing students for college and careers. Now, some West Shore students are taking their hands-on learning a step further into the real world with internships in the community.

Congratulations to the 18 Lakewood High School students whose artwork has been selected to advance to state judging in the Ohio Governor’s Youth Art Exhibition! Many of the students have multiple pieces moving on for a total of 29 for LHS! More than 1,200 pieces of artwork were submitted for regional judging and only about 20% moved on to state judging this weekend. Winners will have their art included in an exhibition in Columbus. You can view the amazing artwork of our students in the linked presentation.
 

The Lakewood Board of Education at its March 3 meeting approved Stephanie Morgan as the District's new director of Student Services, effective Aug. 1, 2025. Morgan replaces Lisa Bruening, who is retiring.

Congratulationsto senior Zayna Muntaser for qualifying for the Girls State Wrestling Championships for the fourth straight year! Zayna earned her state spot by finishing as runner-up in her weight class at the District Tournament. Also making it to his sport's state championship meet in February was diver Drew Wallen, who finished 24th in the state. Congratulations to both and to their coaches as well!

Congratulations to our March Educator Spotlight honoree, Harding Middle School and Franklin School of Opportunity teacher Mandi Varga! Learn more about why Mandi was nominated by one of her colleagues at the Read More link below.

Congratulations to our February Educator Spotlight honorees: Emerson Elementary's Delaney Caskey and Garfield Middle School's Amber Rykaceski! Learn more about why these two outstanding staff members were nominated at the Read More link below.

Board of Education President Nora Katzenberger at the Board's Feb. 3 meeting made a statement on behalf of the Board regarding the recent flurry of legislative and executive activity both at the state and federal level that affects our district and our students and staff. President Katzenberger vowed that the Board and Administration will "ensure that we do everything in our power to protect the rights, dignity, and well-being of our students and staff."  Click on Read More to read the statement.

Congratulations to the Rangers varsity boys basketball team on capturing the first ever Cleveland West Conference championship with a 61-52 win over the Rocky River Pirates! The Rangers finished 11-1 in the conference and are 14-4 overall. Kudos to Coach Cammock and his staff and all the players for their hard work and dedication this season. Looking forward to the playoffs!

Registration for the 2025-2026 kindergarten and preschool year is now open! Our preschool classes for ages 3-5 come in both half- and full-day options and are located across six of our buildings. New for next year is a full-day option at Emerson Elementary. Learn more on our preschool webpage. Kindergarteners must be 5 years old on or before Sept. 30, 2025. To start the registration process, click on the links below:

Registration page
How-to-Register Document

Congratulations to Lakewood High senior Olive Rodemann, whose artwork has been honored in the Regional Scholastic Art & Writing Awards competition. Olive's photography earned six Gold Keys, the highest honor given, and two Silver Keys. Gold Key winners move on to be judged in the national level of the longest-running and most prestigious scholarship and recognition program for young artists and writers in grades 7-12. 

The Lakewood High National Honor Society welcomed 56 new members to its chapter in an induction ceremony at the Civic Auditorium on Jan. 30, 2025. 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. 

Congratulations to junior Mel Diemert on being chosen as a runner-up in the New York Times' Coming of Age in 2024 Contest! Students were asked to submit a piece of writing or art in response to the question, “What can you show or tell us to help explain what it’s like to grow up in this political moment?” Mel's piece of poetry was chosen from among 1,600 entries from across the nation! Click on Read More to read Mel's powerful entry.

Harding’s Junior Model United Nations Team had a fantastic experience at John Carroll University earlier this month. They began the process of preparing for the conference in October with researching problems facing their respective committees and constructing a position paper with their partners.
 

Lakewood City Schools' Kindergarten Parent Information Night will be held Thursday, Jan. 30, 2024, from 6:30-8 pm in the Grant Elementary School cafeteria. Students must be 5 years old on or before Sept. 30, 2025 in order to be eligible to enter kindergarten in Fall 2025.The program will include a presentation from the Department of Teaching & Learning on details about the curriculum and the registration process Registration for the 2025-2026 school year also begins on Jan. 30. See the flyer linked below for more information.

Parent Information Night Flyer

If you were not able to attend one of the seven Elementary Community Conversations held from October through December at our elementary buildings, you can see and listen to the presentation at the link below There is also a link to the Elementary Planning Task Force Page for more information.

Presentation
Task Force Webpage

The Lakewood City Schools Community Recreation and Education Department’s winter booklet has arrived. It has a complete listing of all of the tment has to offer for this winter. 

View booklet
 

Congratulations to Lincoln Elementary fourth grader Abel Sisco on winning the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce's annual "Why I Love Lakewood" contest! Abel earned the right to join Santa to flip the switch on the city holiday lights at Light Up Lakewood Dec. 7. He also read his essay at the event. You can read Abel's winning essay by clicking on "Read More".

Congratulations to our December Educator Spotlight honorees: Harding Middle School teacher Nell Franks and Grant Elementary secretary Jaime Zito! Click on the Read More link below to learn more.

Each year, District music ensembles from elementary to high school participate in Light Up Lakewood with performances. This year, the performances for the Dec. 7 event will take place at Lakewood High School in the gym and cafeteria from 11 am - 3 pm. In addition, the Music Boosters will also be hosting a brunch and holiday activities for those who wish to participate, for a small fee. View the flyer at the link below for details. And don't miss our Ranger Marching Band in the parade beginning at 5 pm on Detroit.

Light Up Lakewood info

The most recent round of grants awarded by the Lakewood-based Three Arches Foundation included grants to three organizations that will help them continue to provide mental health and wellness services for students in our district. Thanks to Three Arches, Bellefaire JCB ($228,647), OhioGuidestone ($112,577) and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation ($120,000) will be able to continue their critical wraparound services such as mental health counseling and trauma-informed prevention services for our students, staff and families. Thank you, Three Arches!

Congratulations to the Lakewood High Model UN team for a successful Fall Conference held Nov. 18 & 19 at Case Western Reserve University. Several team members earned honors from among 533 delegates. Congratulations to: 

Shannon Katzenberger: Excellent delegation award, representing the Central African Republic. 

Mel Diemart and Maya Trempe: Excellent delegation award, representing Cuba 

Tarik Ibrisagic and Abbey Kovach: Honorable mention, representing the Czech Republic. 

Come and join the George P. Read Performing Arts Department at Lakewood High School for the annual Sounds of the Season concert! On Friday, Dec. 6 beginning at 7 pm in the Civic Auditorium, the top band, choir and orchestra ensembles will perform holiday tunes and spread an abundance of cheer during this collage-style concert. Tickets in advance are $8 adult, $4 student. he day of show they are $10 adult, $5 student. Tickets can be purchased at the link below:

Buy tickets

The Lakewood City Schools and the Lakewood Rangers Education Foundation on Nov. 14 dedicated its Veterans Wall of Honor with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting.The Wall of Honor, located off of the Civic Auditorium lobby, honors our Lakewood graduates and staff members who served in the Armed Forces. It was a touching morning as veterans in attendance shared their pride in serving as well as the deep sacrifices that were endured. The space is open to the public during Civic events.

Congratulations to our November Educator Spotlight honorees: Garfield Middle School teacher Tom Hagenbaugh and Hayes Elementary Family Resource Coordinator Maria Salzer! Click on the Read More link below to learn more about these outstanding employees!

The District wants to make parents/guardians aware of Ohio Senate Bill 29, which is now a new state law that implements important updates regarding the monitoring of student devices. This legislation introduces new rules about how and when schools can access and
monitor school-issued devices/resources. A letter with more detailed information is linked below.

Parent/guardian letter re: SB29

The District will be holding seven Elementary Community Conversations beginning later this month and stretching into December. The purpose is to gather feedback from the community on the work done by the Elementary Planning Task Force on how to best use our elementary facilities in order to provide the most impactful and equitable education for all students. Please consider attending one of these seven meetings. We want to hear from you! For more info visit our task force webpage. Click on Read More for meeting dates.

The District is grateful to recently have been awarded $20,000 in grant money for its elementary STEM program! The money comes via two grants - one from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation ($15,000) and one from the Ohio STEM Learning Network Classroom Classroom Grant Program ($5,000), which is a public-private partnership between the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce and Battelle. 

At the Lakewood Board of Education meeting Monday, Oct. 7, Director of Teaching and Learning Steven Ast shared the District’s results on the most recent Ohio Report Card, which was released in late September and graded districts on a five-star scale. Lakewood City Schools received an overall rating of four stars.

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!

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! 

View Natalie's film 

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.

Student Registration

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.

More info and to register

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.

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!

View Quality Profile

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.

Buy tickets

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).

View winners

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 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.

View Scope of Work Document

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 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. 

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.

NewsChannel 5 video

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.

Bid document

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.:

NewsDepth piece

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

Buy tickets

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:

Finalists' essays

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.

Essay

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. 

View booklet

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. 

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.

Read resolution

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.)