Lake Catholic Dreams Big, Releases Strategic Plan for an Extraordinary Future

“Without leaps of imagination or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.” – Gloria Steinem
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that a plan is a document that puts structure around an idea. But without that vision to set the plan in motion, there’s no point in following through. Feminist icon Gloria Steinem understands that before there is a plan, there is a dream. That’s always the first step in any plan.
Lake Catholic High School is excited to announce the completion and release of its new Strategic Plan, Creating Extraordinary Futures, a comprehensive roadmap designed to guide the school’s growth and development over the next several years. This plan, which has received the full support of both the Diocese of Cleveland and the Lake Catholic Advisory Board, sets a clear direction for the future while remaining grounded in the school’s rich traditions and mission.
Creating Extraordinary Futures is the result of a year-and-a-half of collaboration within the Lake Catholic community. Through surveys, interviews, and workshops with a wide range of stakeholders—including students, current and former parents, alumni, community members, faculty, and staff—the school has gathered invaluable insights to shape its vision moving forward. This input was used by a dedicated group of community leaders, in partnership with Partners in Mission, a full-service Catholic Education growth consultancy and professional learning firm, to craft strategic goals and objectives across eight critical domains – Academics, Advancement, Catholic Identity, Enrollment, Facilities, Finance, Governance, and Student Life.
Each domain has been thoughtfully analyzed to ensure that Lake Catholic remains a leading institution for academic excellence, spiritual growth, and community engagement. The Strategic Plan emphasizes the importance of holistic development—nurturing not just the intellectual but also the spiritual, social, and emotional growth of students.
“We are excited to begin the work within the plan as we look to move forward the mission of Lake Catholic High School,” Lake Catholic President John Morabeto said. “This plan will be our guiding light as we chart the future of our vibrant institution.”
The Strategic Plan is not only a vision for growth but also a commitment to excellence in every area of the school. It will focus on enhancing the academic experience, building stronger community connections, expanding enrollment, and ensuring that facilities, finances, and governance structures are well-positioned for future success.
“The unveiling of our new strategic plan is a testament to Lake Catholic’s unwavering commitment to faith, excellence, and service,” said Jeff Fenner, Chairman of the Lake Catholic Advisory Board. “This plan reflects the school’s dedication to preparing students not just for academic success, but for lives rooted in purpose and guided by Catholic values."
As Lake Catholic High School embarks on the next phase of its journey, the new Strategic Plan will serve as a living document, regularly reviewed and updated to respond to the evolving needs of the school community and the broader educational landscape.
To read Lake Catholic High School’s new Strategic Plan, please visit http://hzthfa.rubio-games.com/about/strategic-plan.cfm.
Young Alum, Ohio State Sophomore Films Buckeyes' Run to National Championship

When looking for a new job – whether it’s a summer position as a high schooler or even changing careers 20 years after graduating from college – the old saying goes, it’s not always what you know, but who you know.
In only her second year at Ohio State as a Sports Industry major, Mackenzie Brugh (’23) has heard that many times already. So, when she got an email last winter (as a freshman in her first semester in college) with a job posting for a video assistant role with the Ohio State football team, she applied.
“Video is not my passion,” she said, “but I wanted to get my foot in the door, get experience, and meet as many people as I could.”
Early in the morning on Tuesday, January 21, just hours after Ohio State defeated Notre Dame, 34-23, to win the College Football Playoff National Championship, Brugh was being fitted for a championship ring.
“I don’t know if we are going to get rings, but our boss said he was going to try to make sure we did get one,” she said.
As an athlete her entire life, the Sports Industry major was a perfect fit for Brugh, who was a member of the Lake Catholic cross-country, basketball, flag football, and track teams. So, when she got that email before winter break during her first year, she was happy to apply for the position that would become a full-time job for her starting with the Buckeyes’ spring practices in 2024.
“My interview for the position was right when I got back from winter break. I found out I got it a few weeks later,” said Brugh, who admitted the most she had ever filmed before was a few of her brother’s (Connor, Lake Catholic Class of 2027) games on an iPad. She was one of 15 students who made up the football coaches’ video production team. The team is led by an assistant director of video (Brugh’s direct boss) and the Director of Video Production.
During spring workouts and practices leading up to the annual Scarlet and Gray spring game, Brugh would work in the morning (with practices starting as early as 530a) and take classes in the afternoon. She was trained on her camera, tripod, and backup sources. She was also shown how to import and edit her videos, although she said that wasn’t a main function of her job this season.
After the spring game, she was done working for the team for the summer and returned home.
“I was home for the summer but had to be back at school by the end of July,” she said. “My dorm room wasn’t even ready when I got back, so the team paid for me to stay in a hotel for a week while I worked.”
Unlike in the spring, during the fall, everything is in the afternoon. She would usually work Sunday nights, at least 2-7p Tuesdays through Thursdays, and then be at home games four to five hours before kickoff. But her entire work schedule was dependent upon what the football coaches wanted and how long they would actually practice.
“We don’t get priority scheduling like athletes, so I just had to make sure all my classes were in the morning because there were a lot of days we were there late – plenty of weeks when I worked more than 40 hours,” she said.
Her job became the secondary sideline videographer tasked with filming the defense during practices from the sideline in a tower.
“The tower wasn’t bad until the two weeks when they were practicing for Tennessee (the first round of the College Football Playoff),” she said. “It was about 15 degrees out, but it was 15-20 degrees colder up there. We had to have heaters up there with us.”
Her role was only to film practice. So, she didn’t travel to away games during the regular season. And it only took three of her team members to film the home games, but that doesn’t mean she was without a job.
“I was up with one of our cameras on the concourse by the big scoreboard,” she said. “The camera is so close to the fans that my job was actually to make sure they kept their hands down and out of the way of our shot.”
When Ohio State officially qualified for the playoffs, Brugh knew two things – One, she was going to be able to travel to the bowl games (assuming they kept winning). Because of the playoff schedule, the team traveled several days before each bowl game and practiced, which meant the video team had to be there with them. And two, she wasn’t going to get the holiday breaks that most college students enjoy.
“The Michigan game is Thanksgiving weekend, and we had practice Thanksgiving morning, but I was able to make it home in time for dinner,” she said. “After the loss to Michigan it was an intense two weeks of practices, and we worked a lot. I worked on Christmas Eve but was able to make it home and actually walked into 4 o’clock mass at St. John Vianney during the homily. And then we spent New Year’s Eve in a hotel in Los Angeles.”
It was there that the Buckeyes avenged one of their two regular season losses, beating No. 1 Oregon in the Rose Bowl. From there, it was more work than school for Brugh and the rest of her team.
- Ohio State football was excused from classes from January 6-10 (despite its general student population returning to school) because Texas, the Buckeyes' national semifinal opponent, was still on winter break. So, to make things equal, Ohio State didn’t have to attend classes either.
- After the 28-14 win over Texas in the Cotton Bowl, according to Brugh, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said they were there to win a National Championship, not to go to class; so they didn’t go to class the week of January 13-17 either.
- Not to mention when they returned from both the Rose Bowl and the Cotton Bowl, Brugh and her team had to wait for the luggage truck at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center and then set up all the coaches' laptops. “We’d be at the facility usually from 4-7a when we got back,” she said.
“I definitely have a lot of work to make up,” she said. “I think most of the Sports Industry professors are used to people missing classes for stuff like this, but the (general education) professors aren’t. So, I did have some unexcused absences.”
Although Brugh said she still doesn’t think video is the career she’s going to pursue (her dream would be to work for the Cleveland Browns and the girls high school flag football program they’ve started), she definitely wants to keep this job for next season. She did say though that at her year-end meeting with her bosses she’s going to see what it will take to be a game-filmer next season.
“I learned so much this year, technically as a videographer, and what goes on in the sports industry,” she said. “Regardless of what team we work for and root for, there is a level of respect for each of the teams we played and their staffs because we all have a job to do. We need to maintain professional behavior. The only time all season that we didn’t contain ourselves was when Jack Sawyer scored against Texas.
“It was just very interesting being in that building every day. So much goes into a program like that. So many different operations people doing so many different jobs. And then, of course, the demand for perfection from the coaches and the players. Everyone working together for one goal. And they did it.”
And she might get a National Championship ring for it. Not too bad for a college job.








Torch of Loyalty Award Presented to The Christ Child Society of the Western Reserve

It took a few days, but the Torch of Loyalty was finally passed on burning through all the snow dumped on Northeast Ohio last week.
Lake Catholic was all set to present the Torch of Loyalty Award at its President’s Circle event last week, but the event ended up being postponed (and eventually canceled) because of the severe winter weather that passed through the area.
Not to be denied, President John Morabeto presented the award on Monday, December 9, to the Christ Child Society of the Western Reserve at its Christmas Luncheon.
“My first interaction with the Christ Child Society came a few weeks after I was hired a year and a half ago as President of Lake Catholic when I had the pleasure of meeting Elaine (Cordiano), Mary (Blankschaen), and later Annie (Johnson),” Morabeto said. “They shared the mission of your organization and the passion of its membership. It was evident from that very first meeting that Lake Catholic was in good hands with partners like the Christ Child Society.
“The partnership between Lake Catholic and Christ Child Society of the Western Reserve began in 1995 and since that time, more than $200,000 in scholarship funding has been provided to Lake Catholic students. Let that sink in… $200,000!
“It is because of each of you and the good work of your organization that we are pleased to share the Christ Child Society of the Western Reserve as the 2024 Torch of Loyalty recipient.”
Since 1983, the Christ Child Society of the Western Reserve has worked to meet the growing needs of children in Lake County. It works directly with many social service agencies, healthcare facilities, and schools to identify under-resourced, in crisis, and at-risk children who would benefit from our services.
Lake Catholic senior Megan Joy, who along with her twin brother, Luke, has been Christ Child of the Western Reserve scholarship awardees each of their four years, was on hand to thank the group as well.
“I am incredibly grateful to be one of the recipients of the Christ Child Society Scholarship,” Megan said. “This scholarship has been a blessing to both me and my family, helping to ease the financial burden so I can focus on my classes and activities, like theater and lacrosse. The opportunity to be a part of this amazing community has been life-changing, and it motivates me to give my best both in the classroom and beyond. I am deeply thankful to the Christ Child Society for believing in me and my future.”
The Torch of Loyalty Award, which is the highest and most prestigious honor bestowed upon an individual, family, or organization, is a celebration of those who exemplify the core values of the school—commitment to excellence, compassion, integrity, and service—through their dedicated and selfless efforts. Recipients of the Torch of Loyalty Award are those who have gone above and beyond to support the school’s mission, ensuring the success and continued growth of Lake Catholic for generations to come. Whether through philanthropic initiatives, long-term commitment to our mission, or significant contributions to the betterment of the school community, these honorees make a lasting impact.
The award was accepted by Christ Child of the Western Reserve President Bobbie McArthur.
Last year, just before his retirement, the school honored Fr. Marty Polito, for his 20 years of ministry at Lake Catholic with the inaugural award.
The Torch of Loyalty award highlights not only the importance of loyalty and generosity but also the profound influence that committed individuals or organizations can have on shaping the future of education and the community. By recognizing these exemplary contributions, the Torch of Loyalty Award encourages others to follow in their footsteps, cultivating a culture of giving, unity, and support within the Lake Catholic family.
Class of 2025 Continues Turkey Day Tradition
It may be Lake Catholic’s longest-standing tradition.
This year marked the 50th year.
Yesterday, the senior class took its turn with Turkey Day.
What had started back in 1974 as a Thanksgiving feast for friends to enjoy each other as an entire class, has turned into much more for Lake Catholic students, as they live out one of the school’s core values – its willingness to serve.
“This is a very important day for our school and our senior class,” said Mrs. Cari Foster, the school’s Director of Mission and Formation. “We want to carry out our core values every day, but in particular this day, serving those in need is very important. Everything our seniors did today matters.”
The day started with a small prayer service, where there were prayers not only for the senior class but also for those who it was going to help. The seniors chose between eight different service projects and headed out into the community.
The groups headed to:
- Lake Farmpark, where the students helped set up Christmas trees for breakfast with Santa and cleaned up the barns for when families go for country lights and horse races.
- Outdoor YMCA in Perry, where they cleaned up the area by raking and blowing leaves and moving large tree branches.
- Botanical Gardens, where they also helped with fall clean-up of the garden areas.
- Camp Red Oak, where they worked on various maintenance projects both inside and out
- Vocational Guidance Center, where they worked with those who have developmental disabilities by playing games and making crafts.
- Deepwood Industries, where they also worked with those who have developmental disabilities by playing games and making crafts.
- Broadmoor School, where they worked and played with the children.
- Project Hope, where the students, after a tour of the facility, made cards for the packed lunches that are handed out every day, as well as sorting donations and organizing their storage room.
When the students returned to school, they were served a Thanksgiving feast, which was what Turkey Day started as back in the ‘70s. Lunch was served by some parents of the students, who also served as chaperones throughout the morning.
The day ended with the seniors joining the rest of the student body for a presentation from Mrs. Caitlin Alifirenka, co-author of I Will Always Write Back – the summer reading book for the entire school, which focuses on the power of friendship and how it can change lives.
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