Congratulations to Laurel’s Middle School Math Teams for their stellar performance at the Greater Cleveland Council of Teachers of Mathematics (GCCTM) Problem Solving Tournament. The tournament recognizes interest and perseverance in math outside the classroom, encouraging students to challenge their problem-solving skills in a competitive team format.
What an amazing close to the Speech and Debate season at the State Tournament in early March! Congratulations to Ella Witalec '25 who is the State Champion in United States Extemporaneous Speaking! Kate Tracanna '24 finished as a quarterfinalist in the Lincoln-Douglas Debate, placing 5th in the State overall. Also in the Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Kaitlyn Ernst '24 finished as an octafinalist and was recognized as a four-time State Qualifier. Katie Izanec '25 placed 6th in the State in Informative Speaking.
The Upper School basketball team beat Canton South 58-25 in the District Semifinals. Saniyah Hall ‘27 led all scorers with 25 points. This win follows their extraordinary game against Bard, defeating them 93-10. The team now advances to the District Finals, which will take place on March 2.
Congratulations to Emi Dallas '24 and Alaire Bang '24, who both received awards at the 28th Annual Beachwood Art Council's Ileen Kelner Juried High School Art Show! Siena Maschke ‘24 also entered her ceramics piece titled “Flare Up” in the show.
Congratulations to Laurel's 15 State Qualifiers and 3 National Qualifiers for the 2023-2024 Speech and Debate season! The team will travel to the State Tournament in March to face the strongest competitors from all across the state of Ohio and includes all students pictured here.
Congratulations to Concetta Yormick ‘25 and Natalia Navarro ‘25 who were both selected as finalists in Teen Accelerate, a civic-oriented pitch contest focused on solving problems in Northeast Ohio.
WKYC TV featured Laurel Alumna Sydney Strickland Saffold ‘04, a Cleveland Municipal Court Judge, alongside her mother, Judge Shirley Strickland Saffold, and her brother, Judge Jeffrey Saffold.
Congratulations to Environmental Justice (EJ) Semester graduate Asalé Jones ‘26 who earned a scholarship from Black Environmental Leaders and was honored as a future leader for her work making positive change in the community.
Congratulations to Laurel’s seven National Merit Semifinalists who have all advanced to Finalist standing in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Competition! Seniors Kate Tracanna, Owen Pinhasi, Kaitlyn Ernst, Madie Malbasa, Shaliz Bazldjoo, Sam Iyer, and Nicole Samala will now compete for National Merit Scholarships announced later this year.
Congratulations to Danielle Atkins '24, a member of the Euclid Symphony Orchestra as a double bassist, who played with the orchestra on February 17 at the Maltz Performing Arts Center for their presentation: “Spiritual Echoes: A Black History Celebration” conducted by Jimmie A. Parker, Sr.
Laurel is excited to announce three U.S. Presidential Scholar candidates from the Class of 2024! Congratulations to Shaliz Bazldjoo, Owen Pinhasi, and Kaitlyn Ernst for receiving this incredible honor.
Dr. Rachel Herlein, Assistant Head of School for Academic Excellence, was featured in a recent Cleveland Jewish News story highlighting the changes—both academic and social— that come with transitioning from middle school to high school.
Congratulations to Amelia Glasier '24, Serene Hammed '25, Camille Jackson '24, and Kayla Pierce '24 who are finalists in this year's Veale ThinkBIG! challenge! Their business plan is for a gluten-free restaurant called “Good Chick” and they will present their pitch to judges at the Veale ThinkBIG! Summit on March 5.
On February 1, Abby Byrne ‘25 was one of three featured speakers in the first annual “Speak as we Find” event at Beachwood High School. With the theme of “New Findings and Unseen Ideas, from Resistance to Enlightenment,” Abby was selected to speak based on her entry about modern feminism, and, in her words, “the deleterious misogyny within American society.”
Laurel Speech and Debate had an outstanding first tournament of the new year in early January where they competed at Wadsworth and placed 5th overall in team sweeps. All Upper School students who placed earned bids to the State Tournament! Individual results follow.
Shaliz Bazldjoo ‘24 was featured in the Chagrin Valley Times as part of an ongoing series about Northeast Ohio high school students in the class of 2024.
Dr. Tori Cordiano, Director of Research for Laurel's Center for Research on Girls (LCRG), was featured on a podcast by the International Coalition of Girls' Schools (ICGS) called On Educating Girls: The Connected Girl.
The Laurel Gators played in the Classic in the Country on January 14-15 and Saniyah Hall ‘26 broke the all-time single-game scoring record against Anthony Wayne. With 43 points, 18 rebounds, five assists and four steals.
Congratulations to Jannah Kazmi ‘26, a recent EJ Semester graduate, whose opinion piece was recently published in the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Cleveland.com about the benefits of eating less meat.
Laurel's Middle School Junior Model UN team saw much success at the annual Cleveland Council on World Affairs' Henri Pell Junod, Jr., Junior Model UN Conference held at John Carroll University on January 10-11.
Congratulations to Jazmin Ross '25, 1st place winner in the 9th-12th grade division of the 34th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest sponsored by East View United Church of Christ in Shaker.
WKYC Channel 3 featured Laurel’s Environmental Justice (EJ) Semester in a Growing STEM Segment. Angela Yeager, Director of the EJ Semester, Ann V. Klotz, Head of Laurel School, Ivey Williams ‘25 and McKeely Kemock ‘25, both EJ Semester students, were all featured.