March 12, 2026

Dear Lakewood Schools Community,

It is hard to believe that we are already three-quarters of the way through this school year, and our students are kicking off their final quarter of 2025-26. Many great achievements have happened since my last update and I’m happy to share them with you.

This quarter also brought much to celebrate across our district:

• LHS Junior Riley Williams – who is a cosmetology student at C-TEC – was voted in as one of the nine Central Regional Officers for SkillsUSA!
• Mrs. Brittaney Crider received the 2025-26 Leaders for Learning Award from the Licking County Foundation…congratulations to her!
• Congratulations also to LHS Quiz Bowl District Champions!
• This school year marked the first official year of our DECA program, and four students competed at the district level, while one of our teams advanced to the State DECA Competition!
• The Lancer bands performed at the District 10 OMEA Large Group for the first time in 20 years, with the Symphonic Band earning a rating of Superior (I)!
• Fifth-grade students participated in the STEAMFest at the Works: Ohio Center for History, Art, & Technology – Zeveah Simco earned the Judges Award for her toothpick bridge, and Sawyer Springer earned the judges award for her innovative car design!
• The LMS production of Bye Bye Birdie, Jr., and the LHS production of A Christmas Carol were both fantastic!
• The JV Girls Bowling Team finished 1^st in the Licking County League!
• Boys Bowlers Riley Bloise and Braxton Mellring were District qualifiers, and Sam Zwayer had the LCL Boys High Game with an incredible 279!
• Boys Wrestling had three District qualifiers – Tucker Ostgaard, Carson Schehl, and Cohen Shinault – and Schehl and Shinault also qualified for State!
• LMS Wrestler Tanner Ostgaard was the LCL Champion!
• The LHS Girls Swim 400 Yard Freestyle Relay qualified for the District Championships (Milly Meldau, Khloe Antunes, Adison Weekly, & Rehgan Marietta)!
• Braylon Brooks is an Indoor Track State qualifier!

As we move into Spring, many exciting things are on the horizon. The LHS and LMS spring musicals, Fiddler on the Roof and Bye Bye Birdie, Jr. (yes, again), respectively, are coming up. The LHS production will take place during the weekend of April 17-19, while the LMS production will be on May 7. We’re also looking forward to the spring sports season, with Lancer Baseball, Softball, and Track & Field programs striving for continued success. Lastly, the Class of 2026 will end their Lakewood Lancer career with Commencement on Friday, May 22, from The Court in Lakewood High School at 6:30 p.m. Please join me in wishing them well as they plan for their future beyond high school!

We have several things to look forward to on the horizon. As we move forward, I greatly appreciate the support from our families and the Lakewood community. I look forward to sharing more of the great accomplishments of our faculty, staff, and students as we finish the 2025-26 school year.

Let’s go, Lancers!

Sincerely,

Scott Coffey

Superintendent, Lakewood Local Schools

Reimagining education, instilling community pride, inspiring future success.