In the News

Winners of Rotary’s Four-Way Speech Contest, and the annual music and visual arts competitions, were honored at a gala event at the Beck Center on April 14.

Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River, the contest annually highlights the incredible talents of students attending one of five high schools – Lakewood, Lutheran West, Magnificat, Rocky River, and St. Edward.

Speech contest first place winner was Alessio Matera from Lakewood High School with a speech entitled, “Trump 2.0.” Avani Sabharwal from Magnificat High School earned second place with a speech entitled, “The Dangers of American Isolationism.” Both students represented the club at the Rotary district 6630 competition on April 12.

Placing third was Delaney Starr, “The Box,” and fourth was Mel Diemert, “Title Generated By AI.” Both are from Lakewood High School.

peeches must be of original content and be based on “The Four-Way Test of Rotary” which asks, “Is it the truth, Is it fair to all concerned, Will it build goodwill and better friendships, and Will it be beneficial to all concerned?”

Beck Center for the Arts in Lakewood has been a valued partner of Rotary for this event, serving as the liaison to educators at the high schools and providing the venue and judges for various phases of the competitions.

This is the 80th year for the club’s speech competition, and the twenty-eighth year that the Beck Center has collaborated with the Rotary club for these student competitions.


West Shore Career-Technical District Outstanding Student Award recipients honored by the Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River on April 7 were joined by school administrators from Lakewood, Bay Village, and Westlake at the awards ceremony.

 

On April 7, the Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River hosted the 27th annual West Shore Career-Technical District Outstanding Student Awards at its weekly luncheon. The 16 recipients were honored for their dedication, leadership, and accomplishments in their career-technical programs.

Each award recipient is automatically nominated for the “Career-Technical Student of the Year” award, which will be announced later in the school year at the annual Career Passport Assembly.

Grants totaling $77,896 from the Lakewood-Rocky River Rotary Foundation will provide scholarships, encourage student achievement, fight hunger, and foster programs for community health and wellness.

Each year, the Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River seeks grant applications from non-profit organizations that serve our youth, adults and community within Lakewood and Rocky River. Since its creation in 1952 by then-Club President Carl Dryer, the Foundation has enabled the club to provide over $1.25 million in student scholarships and grants, accomplished due to the generosity of the club’s philanthropic membership.

At the Rotary Club scholarship presentation on June 3 were (from left) Leslie Favre-Krogman, club president; students Hannah Schmidt, Leah Campbell, Zen Bowers, Stephen Tirpak, and Jon Francher, scholarship chair. (Not pictured: Mimi Nee.)

Five area graduating seniors were awarded scholarships by the Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River at its weekly lunch meeting on June 3. Recipients include Mimi Nee, Leah Campbell, and Zen Bowers of Lakewood High School, Stephen Tirpak of St. Ignatius High School, and Hannah Schmidt of Saint Joseph Academy.

Each will receive $3,000 Donald W. Strang, Jr. Scholarship awards from the Lakewood-Rocky River Rotary Foundation. This $15,000 scholarship program is part of nearly $78,000 that the local Rotary Club donates to community programs each year.

In addition to demonstrating academic achievement and potential, these five Rotary scholarship winners were chosen for their character, as well as extracurricular and community involvement.

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Bob DiBiasio
May 05, 2025
Cleveland Guardians Update
Emmie Hutchison
May 12, 2025
Keri Unterzuber
May 19, 2025
Rocky River Assistance Program
Jon Fancher
Jun 02, 2025
Rotary Scholarship Award Ceremony
Adam Sonnhalter
Jun 09, 2025
The Seven Key Pitfalls of Business Transaction.
Tak Soto
Jun 16, 2025
Guild to the Digital World
Fred Degrandis
Jul 07, 2025
Andrew Mangels
Jul 14, 2025
Chris Arnold
Sep 15, 2025
Foundation Annual Meeting
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