CLEVELAND HEIGHTS • UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS CITY SCHOOLS
Board Selects Baumgardner As New Name For Monticello
On July 16, the Monticello Middle School Renaming Task Force presented their list of three potential new school names to the Board of Education for their consideration. The list was a culmination of research, reflection, and conversation, all with equity and representation at the forefront. Those three names were: Baumgardner Middle School, Heights Middle School, and Yellowstone Middle School.
Following discussion, the Board approved a motion to change the school’s name to Baumgardner Middle School.
The Baumgardner Story
Dr. Luther O. Baumgardner, a Black physician originally from South Carolina, moved to Cleveland in 1921 after finishing medical school at Howard University. In 1938, he and his wife, Myrtle, and their young daughters, Gretchen and Jane, moved into a house the couple had purchased on Wilmar Road in Cleveland Heights. Just a few days after moving into the home, they suffered a bombing attack after a dinner party as Dr. Baumgardner tucked Jane into bed.
The Baumgardners’ story is one of courage, tenacity, and achievement, and so are the stories of Heights students past, present, and future.
On October 23, 2025 at 4:30 p.m., the District will be joined by the Baumgardner family to formally dedicate the school under its new name. The community is invited to attend this celebration at Baumgardner Middle School.
Thankfully, no one was hurt, but the explosion significantly damaged the home and even broke neighbors’ windows. It was clear that the attackers intended, at the very least, to intimidate the family into moving away, simply because they were Black—among the first Black homeowners in Cleveland Heights.
The family refused to be intimidated, however, and Gretchen and Jane went on to attend Monticello Middle School and graduate from Cleveland Heights High School (classes of June 1948 and June 1955, respectively). Dr. Baumgardner lived in the Wilmar home until his death in 1976.
Both Gretchen and Jane went on to earn advanced degrees, have careers, and raise families. Gretchen passed away in 2009 in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Dr. Jane Savoy is 87 years old and a practicing psychologist in Michigan.
Dr. Jane Savoy (Baumgardner).
Latham Begins Role As CFO
The CH-UH City School District has welcomed Angele Latham as its new Chief Financial Officer/Treasurer.
Most recently, Latham had served as the treasurer of Reynoldsburg City Schools since 2021, where she managed a $100 million annual operating budget. Prior to that, Latham served as Executive Director, Strategic Planning, Financial Services and Grants Management at the Cleveland Metropolitan School District from 2017-2021.
Latham holds a master’s degree from Cleveland State University in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting, and a certificate in Education Finance from Georgetown University. She was awarded the Richard H. Hinds Certificate of Achievement from the Council of Great City Schools in 2017.
“I am thrilled to join a school community that is so deeply committed to providing its students with equitable resources and access to opportunities,” said Latham. “It is an honor and privilege to take on the responsibility of ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent strategically, equitably, and responsibly.”
Latham succeeds Scott Gainer, who retired in July after 30 years of service to the District.
Gretchen Walker (Baumgardner).
Letter From The Superintendent
Dear Heights Community,
Welcome to the 2025-2026 school year! I want to start this message by expressing my sincere gratitude for your continued advocacy throughout the summer. Your voices - through letters, calls, and conversations - made a real impact. As I shared in my July email to the community, your engagement played a crucial role in pushing back against harmful elements of the state budget and advancing the cause of fair funding for our students.
The annual state report card released in September is a testimony to the hard work of our students and staff, as well as the steadfast support of our community. There is still much work to be done, but I am confident that with your continued partnership, we will stay on an upward trajectory. Highlights of our report card scores are below.
Bourbeau, Szpak Named National Merit Scholarship Winners
Heights High 2025 graduates Remy Bourbeau and Gus Szpak were named National Merit Scholarship recipients. Remy was named a recipient of the 2025 National Merit $2,500 Scholarship and Gus was a recipient of the National Merit Case Western Reserve University Scholarship.
William Larkin was named a Commended Student in the 2025 competition. The National Merit Scholarship Program is an annual academic competition for recognition and college undergraduate scholarships.
Middle Schools Host Writing Tournaments
Both Baumgardner and Roxboro Middle School students have power in their pens. The two schools hosted successful Power of the Pen writing tournaments in early 2025.
At Power of the Pen events, seventh and eighth grade students compete in three rounds of timed writing, responding to a given prompt before being evaluated by a panel of judges. The two CH-UH middle schools hosted a combined 32 local schools at their events, both sending four of their own students on to the regional tournament in March.
Heights High Students Win National Building Challenge
Congratulations to Derrick Fair, Dametrianna Blade, and Tyreece Tatum for being the Tremco Rising Stars Program’s first-ever national ice box champions!
In 2025, the Cleveland Heights Rising Stars were focused on the national ice box challenge, a scientific demonstration that visually highlights the benefits of using energy-efficient building practices.
“This extraordinary achievement reflects the Cleveland team’s dedication, innovation and collaborative spirit,” said David Hutchinson, the program director.
The Rising Stars Program is designed to empower the next generation by providing opportunities for sustainable careers in construction.
There is much to look forward to in the months ahead. This entire school year leading up to June 2026, we celebrate the 100th anniversary of Cleveland Heights High School at Cedar and Lee - a remarkable milestone that honors a century of excellence, tradition, and community pride. We also look forward to the Baumgardner Middle School dedication ceremony in October. Together, let’s make this year one of celebration, collaboration, and continued commitment to our students’ success. I am proud to stand with you as we continue advocating for strong public education and creating a school culture where every child thrives.
Sincerely,
Superintendent Liz Kirby
Celebrating the Class of 2025
The evening of May 6 was a lucrative one for Heights High’s graduating seniors. More than 100 members of the Class of 2025 walked away from the Senior Recognition Awards Program with a combined total of $147,000 in local scholarships.
The annual event, hosted jointly by the high school and the Heights Schools Foundation, recognizes students for their academic, athletic, artistic and personal achievements with scholarships and awards.
In total, the Class of 2025 earned $22.6 million in post-secondary scholarship offers and were accepted into nearly 150 different colleges, universities, and the military.
CH-UH Sees Strong Report Card Gains
The Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District is celebrating an overall score of 3.5 on the 2024-2025 Ohio state report card, an increase of an entire star from 2023-2024.
Key takeaways:
The District maintained its scores in four components and increased its scores in two components: Gap Closing and Progress.
The weighted graduation rate is 92.4%, the highest for CH-UH since the state report card was implemented in its current, starrating format.
CH-UH high school students improved in every tested subject area this year compared to 2023-2024.
The District’s PI for 2024-2025 was 74.6, a jump from the previous year’s 69.2 and the highest PI in five years.
CH-UH outpaced the state in improvement in overall performance.
CH-UH City School District Ohio School Report Card 2024-2025 3.5
Seniors Built by Books and Badges
Children’s Ink Displays Talent
Ian Bandy-Zalatoris and Mitchell Reinhardt, Heights High Class of 2025, credit Canterbury and Roxboro elementary schools, as well as the Boy Scouts of America, for shaping them into the people they are today. The troopmates joined Cub Scouts in the third grade and say the group taught them about the importance of giving back to their community.
Swim Teams Earn National
Academic Achievements
Heights High School’s swim teams had enormous success in the pool last year. But the hard work does not end at the pool’s edge as both the boys and girls teams were named All-American Scholar Teams for their combined GPAs.
At each regular Board of Education meeting, Chief Financial Officer Angele Latham presents her “3 Things,” breaking down the complexities of school funding into useful and digestible bites. Here are a few recent topics:
1) State Biennial Budget Ohio’s biennial budget is a two-year spending plan that’s enacted every odd-numbered year. The most recent budget bill, House Bill 96, went into effect on June 30, 2025 after being signed into law by Governor Mike DeWine.
Roxboro Elementary was buzzing this spring as students, staff, and community members gathered in the gym for the school’s annual Children’s Ink celebration. The school honors students’ love of writing by inviting local celebrities to participate in the program, pairing them with students and reading their work to the audience.
Juniors Place at Career Olympics
25 Heights High juniors had a resounding success at the 2025 Youth Opportunities Unlimited Career Olympics in Cleveland. The juniors were among 200 area students who competed in 10 events and attended a job fair. Eight Heights students placed in the top 3 in team and individual categories.
New CH-UH Website Now Live
The District is proud to announce the official launch of the newly redesigned CHUH.org.
Scan the QR code to start exploring.
2) HB 96 Fair School Funding
This new budget bill does not fully implement the bipartisan Fair School Funding Plan and maintains state funding for schools at 2021 levels. This will result in an expected loss of more than $650,000 this fiscal year and more than $250,000 next fiscal year for CH-UH schools.
3) Auditor of State Award With Distinction
It is given to local governments that receive a “clean” audit report, containing accurate financial records and demonstrating commitment to efficient, effective, and transparent service. The CH-UH District received this award once again for the 2024 fiscal year.
Read more at chuh.org/departments/finance/public-school-funding
The Heights Schools Foundation invites the community to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Heights High school building at Cedar and Lee. Scan the QR code or visit Heights100.com.
Les Misérables School Edition November 1&8 at 7pm – November 2& 9 at 2 pm Cleveland Heights High School
Dina Rees Evens Performing Arts Center 13263 Cedar Rd., Cleveland Heights
Tiger Team Members of the Month
Each month, CH-UH recognizes employees who go above and beyond to inspire one another to create a culture of excellence in our district. Each Tiger Team Member of the Month was nominated by their colleagues.
Baumgardner Middle (formerly Monticello)
February - Genevieve McDougal
March - Tonya Martin
April - Rekyta Paster
May - Jenifer Braun
Board of Education/Bus Depot/Delisle/IT/ Millikin
February - Patrice Martin-Bonner
March - Betsy Friedlander
April - Chris Cook
May - Terrance Douglas
Boulevard Elementary
February - George Watters
March - Sandy Curtis
April - Laura Preston
May - Julie Walker
Canterbury Elementary
February - Loretta Heard
March - Laurie Wilson
April - Marian Napier
May - Stacy Leiby
Fairfax Elementary
February - Rochelle Klein
March - Keiarra Nelson & Jada James
April - Dr. Andrea Walker
May - Katheryn Perse
Gearity Elementary
February - Deja Murray
March - Sherri Malek
April - Darrell Lausche
May - Dr. Fiona Connor
Heights High
February - Keith Newman
March - Coleman Tokar
April - Ann Kocks
May - Sarah Parker
Noble Elementary
February - Erik Rozsa
March - Mary Windham
April - Alexis Dixon
May - Melissa Barrett-Burkeet
Oxford Elementary
February - Deidre Murray
March - Makaila Tepley
April - Molly Farkas
May - Demetrius Todd
Roxboro Elementary
February - Sonya Howell
March - Joanne Berkovitz
April - Azhar Husain
May - Caryl Yoo
Roxboro Middle
February - Quinci Teer
March - Megan McLaughlin
April - Rebekah Sharpe
May - Kelly Menaker
Important Dates
Wednesday, Oct. 1: National Principals Month Begins
Thursday, Oct. 2: School Custodian & Cleaner Appreciation Day
Thursday, Oct. 2: Yom Kippur - All Schools Closed
Monday, Oct. 6: National Coach Appreciation Day
Tuesday, Oct. 7: Cleveland Food Bank School Market, 2:30-4:30 p.m. at Boulevard
Tuesday, Oct. 7: Board of Education Regular Meeting, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 8: Walk or Bike to School Day
Thursday, Oct. 9: Cleveland Food Bank School Market, 2-4 p.m. at Gearity
Monday, Oct. 13: Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Thursday, Oct. 16: National Boss’s Day
Monday, Oct. 20: Diwali
Tuesday, Oct. 21: Cleveland Food Bank School Market, 2-4:30 p.m. at Oxford
Tuesday, Oct. 21: Board of Education Work Session, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 23: Records Day - No School For Elementary Students Only
Thursday, Oct. 23: Heights High School Alumni Hall of Fame Induction, 1 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 23: Elementary School Parent-Teacher Conferences (PM)
Thursday, Oct. 23: Baumgardner Middle School Dedication, 4:30 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 24: Professional Development Day - No School For All Students
Friday, Oct. 24: Elementary School Parent-Teacher Conferences (AM)
Monday, Oct. 27: World Occupational Therapy Day
Friday, Oct. 31: Halloween
Saturday, Nov. 1: National Native American Heritage Month Begins
Saturday, Nov. 1: Heights Fall Musical, 7 p.m. at Heights High
