Class of 2026 Receives $130,000 in Local Scholarships, Awards

Heights High's graduating seniors walked out of the building on the evening of May 5 a little closer to their future dreams, thanks to the $128,300 in gifts they received from the community.

It was the Senior Recognition Awards Program, an annual event jointly run by the high school's College and Career Readiness Department and the Heights Schools Foundation. The evening began with recognition of scholastic achievement, a category that seems to grow a little bigger each year. Three National Merit Scholarship Finalists, Eleanor Lubbers, Gabe Mallamad and Lev McFarland, were recognized for earning among the highest 1% of scores on the PSAT during their junior year.

Advanced Placement Scholars came next, with 16 students recognized for earning scores of at least 3 on three more exams, another 16 recognized as AP Scholars with Honor for scores of 3.25 or higher on four or more exams, and sis more as AP Scholars with Distinction for scores of 3.5 or higher on five or more exams. The 38 total Scholars represent a steady increase year after year, from 19 in 2023 to 30 in 2024 and 33 in 2025.

Superintendent Kirby then announced the fourteen students who earned the President's Excellence Award and the 42 who earned the President's Award for Educational Achievement, again an increase over the respective ten and 23 students last year. The class of 2026 is certainly ready for the academic rigor of college.

The excitement built as Tiesha McEwen, College Readiness Counselor at the high school, took the stage to introduce 22 different Community Scholarships and Awards, totaling $61,800. Most of these ranged from $500 to $2000 and were gifted to 52 students, some of them repeat recipients.

The awards recognized success across the board, from academic and athletic to musical and literary. Students' engagement in school and community were strong factors in determining winners, with many donors encouraging them to give back as they achieve their own success in the future. Some gifts came from national foundations and corporations, including Parker Hannafin who references "a continued collaboration and partnership supporting STEM education," with many scholarships in recognition of alumni, teachers and coaches.

Generosity was on display from the Brothers & Sisters Inc., originally founded as social clubs at Heights in the 1970s that have morphed into organizations "that support Heights scholars and cultivate relationships to strengthen community," according to member Lisa Hunt. More than a dozen Brothers and Sisters filled the stage to give $2000 Academic Excellence Scholarships to each of six deserving students.

Many other gifts were named in memory of students who passed away in the prime of their lives, some decades ago and some much more recently. From the Barden, Benner, Carter and Calvin Singleton III Memorial Scholarships to the Jayvon Pryor and "Biz" Visionary Brandon James Scholarships, these gifts are established by family and friends to honor the legacies of their loves ones.

One such gift, and the second largest of the night, was The Jon Lewis Award, a $15,000 scholarship given in memory of Jon Lewis, from the class of 1952, who died in a car crash mere weeks before starting his freshman year at Cornell University. This year's recipient was Maria Alferez Tolentino, a first generation American who will be, in her words, "the first in my family to even step foot in a college classroom."

Born in the United States parents who emigrated from Mexico, Maria will attend Kent State University this fall and study either international relations or social work. "When I think of everything my parent sacrificed to come here, I definitely want to help other immigrant families."

Her mother was present at the ceremony and heard the number "fifteen" when Maria's name was announced, but it wasn't until her daughter returned to her seat crying tears of happiness, that she understood the full extent of the gift. "And my dad, you never see that man crying," said Maria. "But even he shed a tear."

The next portion of the evening was emceed by the Heights Schools Foundation President Susan Carver, class of 1978, and Executive Director Laura Loebl, class of of 1987. The Foundation gave away 18 scholarships to 37 recipients, totaling $66,500. While many deserving students were recognized for both their talents and their efforts, there was one moment that stood out above the rest.

The final award of the night was the only one that not a single student applied for. That's because it has no application and is instead given to a student selected by teachers, administrators and staff. Only in its second year, The Mills Award was established by brothers David and Michael Mills, who attended Coventry Elementary and Roxboro Middle School before moving away. "It's funny," said David Mills, "when people ask where I'm from, I always tell them that I grew up in Cleveland Heights and went to Orange for high school."

Their parents embodied the values of creativity and community so prevalent in the Heights, which inspired the brothers to establish this very generous gift. Like The Jon Lewis Award, the recipient of The Mills Award is not listed in the evening's program and the sense of surprise is multiplied by the fact that no one submitted an application. Many students were not even aware that the award existed. But then AVID teachers Claudine McCoy and Shawn Washington took to the stage and began to describe one of their students.

They used phrases like "academic diligence" and "strength of character" and "responsibility and purpose." And they could have been talking about any number of the students they see for four consecutive years in their AVID courses, which prepares students, many the first in their families, for success in college.
But then Ms. McCoy said another phrase, one that Nala Simmons knows well because she remembers the exact day she first told her teachers, "I'm choosing to bet on myself." That bet paid off that Tuesday evening, to the tune of $20,000.

"I felt extremely, extremely honored and incredibly grateful," Nala said the next day. "Beyond grateful, in fact." The first generation college student will head to Xavier University in Louisiana, an HBCU, to study public health and pre-med. She hopes to become a cardio-thoracic surgeon, though she is realistic that her specialty may change as she moves through her studies. She definitely wants to travel to countries with poor health care and give back.

But wherever Nala ends up, she will never forget where she came from. "This gift really shows the investment that Heights puts into its students," she said. Her grandmother Tressa Wilson agreed, saying, "This school was very instrumental in her being successful. I'm so proud of her and all the students here tonight."

As David Mills said, "When we met Nala, we both immediately could sense why she left such a powerful impact on her teachers and peers.

But no one captured the mood of the night better than Nala herself, when she said, "I've been shown love, the action, not just love, the feeling."