Five years later, my daughter is still being harassed--and I've learned that simply calling someone…read more'racist' doesn't repair the damage or foster real understanding. I fully support Cleveland High's commitment to equity, but I believe our community deserves genuine learning, not symbolic gestures. What happened: The culinary teacher asked a volunteer to "give Alfonso a face," handing a white student a mold created during a prior unit on ethnic heritage. That student piped on icing, then classmates--including my daughter--posed for a photo with the finished cake, unaware it evoked blackface. Meanwhile, Black students and their families saw a painful reminder of a history of dehumanization. How it blew up: The teacher encouraged everyone to post their work online, and the image--three white students holding a blackface cake--sparked immediate outrage. Administrators lumped it in with noose and swastika graffiti, never noting it was a classroom assignment. Local and national media quickly labeled three "racist white girls" trying to sell their creation. The principal held a rally condemning hate, but when students asked why there had been no suspensions or other consequences for the girls, she replied the incident was still "under investigation"--the results were never made public. The restorative circle: Five days after the incident, the principal finally convened a circle with the Black Student Union--without the culinary teacher present or any disclosure that the blackface cake had been a classroom assignment. Rather than using that space to examine how the curriculum, the teacher's directives, and the school's broader white-supremacist culture enabled this harm, administrators chose the easiest narrative: framing it solely as an intentional hate act. By lumping it in with noose and swastika graffiti and placing full blame on three students, they sidestepped any meaningful discussion of systemic failings and missed the chance to acknowledge their own institutional responsibility to families of color. That circle proved the most instructive experience of my daughter's two years at Cleveland--she emerged with profound new insights--but it also violated restorative justice's fundamental principle that all parties share their stories. What followed: Despite appealing to the PPS school board for answers, they declined to comment, citing teacher protections and "student privacy." At the same time, our daughter was already receiving death threats--and under the "impact matters, not intent" framework, any public explanation risked making things worse for her. Fearing for her safety, we chose not to speak to the media. My daughter left the PPS system after 10th grade. The incident profoundly changed her perspective on institutional racism--but most of her classmates never gained that insight What this says about Cleveland High: This episode could have been a teachable moment for all students about how white supremacy continues to shape school culture--from blackface molds to one‐off "culture fairs" unmoored from curriculum. Instead, students were shamed without real instruction. Bottom line: Cleveland High's response was incomplete. I share this so that, if another school faces something similar, it chooses education and transparency over mere symbolism. Honest conversations are the only way forward.

this school is pissing me off this school cant make rules im gonna switch my kids outta of this…read moreschool i told my friends to switch theres kids beacuse this school is horrible the new rule of being late to class IS BAD IDEA and slow my daughter was like 1 mins late to class and they shut there door right at her face and made her go back to the office to get a yellow pass for her to enter the class the made her 10 times more late this school

I got to take classes with Brooke Totman and she is phenomenal! She helps students with their…read moreindividual needs and gives exact points to focus on. She really loves her craft and it showed, which in turn, made the class genuine and fun. I cannot express how much Brooke helped me grow in the span of 6 weeks. She helped me improve myself and made me want to continue along the path of acting. I highly recommend her class if acting is a passion of yours.

The Short: Ted Rooney is an incredible teacher, artist, and human. If you have the opportunity to…read morework with him, I highly recommend you do so. The Long: Ted single handedly gave me the fortitude to transition from stage to film, and made me feel in control and confident while doing it. When I came to Ted, I had recently graduated from theatre school, and though I had been acting on stage for years, I'd never really explored film. I wanted to be able to do both, but was overwhelmed on how to start. Enter Ted. He met with me, had me do an scene, and talked me through a specific, personalized, game plan for practicing film in class and on my own, based on where I was at in my career. Ted is a confident yet humble teacher, he's an artist at giving a small note that makes a big impact, and he keeps his direction focus, and (stressing this again) personalized. Now, years later, I am very fortunate to work almost primarily in film, and honestly have Ted to thank for jumpstarting my career. Finding a good acting coach can be difficult... Luckily, you can stop looking now. :)

Dumb school got me stuck here for three years and it suucks, except cipriano cause he's cool. It…read morefeels like I'm stuck in the backrooms when I'm here.

A really great place where everyone is doing their best. It should be given so much more in terms…read moreof resources but the students and faculty and staff are wonderful -- I've had two kids go through the school in the past 5 years.