The Alumni Newsletter for Shaker Heights High School | Visit us online
June 2018
In This Issue
Cleveland Alumni Happy Hour, June 21st
We invite you to join us at our Kickoff to Homecoming 2018 Happy Hour on Thursday , June 21  from  6:00 - 7:30 pm  at Larchmere Tavern, 13051 Larchmere Boulevard. We'll enjoy light refreshments and beverages as we talk about plans for this year's big event. RSVP if you can join us by emailing or calling 216-295-4877.


Homecoming and Alumni Hall of Fame Weekend 2018
We look forward to welcoming a new Shaker Alumni Hall of Fame class during Shaker 
Homecoming  weekend, September 28-29.

Save the Date: This year's event takes place on Friday, September 28 and Saturday, September 29, and features:

Raider Nation Night Out at the Dealership on Friday from 7 - 11 pm

Saturday Pre-game Family Festival on the Oval from 11 am - 1 pm

The Big Game at 1 pm, with special seating for alumni

Alumni Hall of Fame Dinner  on Saturday at 7 pm

Spread the Word: We'd love your help and ideas in promoting this event to all Shaker alumni, residents and community members. This is a community celebration for everyone, not just alumni!

Connect us with Others: Do you know a Shaker alumnus, resident or business owner who might want to contribute to this event as a partner?  Email us the information.
Alumni Hall of Fame Class of 2018
2017 Inductees
Thank you for submitting your Hall of Fame nominations this past month. Our Alumni Hall of Fame committee is now in the process of reviewing and selecting the inductees for 2018. We will honor those new inductees at the Hall of Fame dinner on Saturday, September 29.

My Shaker: Dawn Sizemore, Class of 1999
Akia Mitchell, Kia Jones, Dawn Sizemore, Toussaint Blue and Lena Oates,  Class of 1999  
Coming Home to Sha ker

Where are you now and what are you doing?

I returned to Cleveland in June 2014 after being away for over 10 years, and I currently reside in Shaker Heights. There's no other place I would reside while living in Ohio! I am an educator (never thought I would be, but makes perfect sense because I always loved learning), and I have worked in various areas of education for the past 12 years.  

I recently joined the Shaker Heights City Schools as the Coordinator of the Innovative Center for Personalized Learning (I.C.). The I.C. offers a variety of non-traditional learning experiences for students, staff and community members. My favorite is the "Blended Learning Lab" because I get to provide personalized learning for about 40 high school students who thrive in flexible learning spaces. Building relationships with them and supporting their growth on an individualized basis have been fantastic.

Tell us a little about your Shaker schools experience.

I began Shaker schools at Fernway elementary in 2nd grade. It was my fourth elementary school and I remember being very nervous about the change, but I had amazing teachers at Fernway; my little eyes saw them as very smart, nice and fancy.

My favorite teacher was Ms. Reinhold. She taught me the importance of thinking outside the box and did the funniest dances when my small group hit the mark at learning. I went on to attend Woodbury, the Middle School and the High School. My favorite activity at Woodbury was the "Ropes of Thunder"; one of my best friends and I had the best double dutch routine! I ended up being voted "Least Seen on Campus" for the senior yearbook superlatives, a title that was probably well-deserved.

How did your Shaker education prepare you for life? What advice do you have for current Shaker students?

My Shaker education was a game changer for me because it provided me with a solid foundation. My home life was not always stable, but the friends I made and the education I received gave me a different type of stability; it gave me something to stand firmly on and propel myself beyond the reality of my home and family life.

My advice to Shaker students is to take advantage of every opportunity you can while at Shaker because the experiences equip you with the values, knowledge, and skills necessary to overcome life obstacles which are inevitable. Also, build relationships. I'm sure many have heard the saying, it's not always what you know, it's who you know that can help you accomplish your personal and professional goals.
My Shaker is all about you! Share your story with us at shakeralumni@shaker.org or by phone at 216-295-4877.
Alumni Share their Talents at Shaker Speaks

What do a Broadway actor, a world-renowned violinist, and two celebrated restaurateurs have in common? In addition to being talented Shaker Heights High School alumni, they have generously shared their talents as presenters in the community engagement series known as Shaker Speaks.

The events were held in private Shaker homes and were limited to 50 attendees each. All three events sold out to capacity and raised more than $8,700 for the Shaker Schools Foundation. We are so grateful to our alumni and to the attendees for their support!
Celebrated restaurateurs Zack Bruell, Class of 1971, and Julian Bruell, Class of 2008, discussed their involvement in the robust Cleveland food scene and provided culinary delights for the attendees.
World-renowned violinist Andrew Sords, Class of 2003, performed a number of moving selections from his repertoire and regaled the audience with fond remembrances of his days as a Shaker student.
Broadway actor Betsy Werbel, Class of 1992, entertained the audience with songs and stories from her days as a member of the companies of Les Miserables and Wicked, among other productions.


Alumni Notes - Share Your News!
We love to hear great news about our Shaker alumni. Have something to share? Drop us a line at shakeralumni@shaker.org.
David Roth, Class of 1998, is General Manager for the production of Angels In America which just received 11 Tony Award Nominations! Read more about David at  bespoketheatricals.com.
Miata E. Hunter, Class of 1992, has been named the Shaker Middle School Principal, effective July 1. She previously served as Assistant Principal and chair of the math department at the Middle School. Read here for more information.


Monica Nemeth and Ellie Montenegro, Class of 2014, were recently initiated into Phi Beta Kappa at The Ohio State University. It is amazing to have two Shaker Heights High School graduates represented in this extremely select group!

Shaker graduates continue to show their passions during their college careers. Sarah Tibbitts, Class of 2016, is a sophomore at The Ohio State University and the president of a social justice dialogue-based organization called Sustained Dialogue. Recently, the organization hosted its third annual Police Dialogue, which gathered 250 students, faculty and police officers from Columbus PD and the OSU PD for converstaions around issues of race, policing, and gun violence. Joining Sarah in leadership positions and shown in the picture include from left to right: Kyle Boyle, '16, Kayla Bell, '14, Emma Kagan, '15, Phoebe Potiker, '15, Monica Nemeth, '14, Sarah Tibbitts, '16, and Caroline Murphy, '16. Together this group is working hard to carry on Shaker's legacy of using civil discourse as a means to improve race relations and further social justice causes!
Reunions Roundup: Come Home to Shaker!
Come home to Shaker and reconnect with your classmates! This year we have 
re unions for the following classes: 1956 (80th Birthday Party), 1958 , 1963 , 1968 , 1973 , 1978 , 1988 , 1993 , 1998 and 2008 . For reunion details and Facebook  pages please visit our website . Hope to see you soon!
 
Shaker Heights City Schools
15600 Parkland Drive
Shaker Heights, OH 44120