Rajiv Joseph '92 is an American playright. In April 2008, he was awarded the Vineyard Theatre's Paula Vogel Award which is given to emerging playwrights, and his play Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo was chosen by the NEA as one of two outstanding new American plays (which receive grants of $90,000 each). The Center Theater Group in Los Angeles will produce Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo as part of its 2009 season. It is a darkly comedic drama, which takes the audience to the streets of Baghdad where the lives of two American soldiers, an Iraqi translator, and a tiger intersect, changing each other’s lives forever.

Many Heights graduates go away to great things, but many come back:

Steven Haynie '91 always had fond memories of Cleveland Heights even when his family moved to Cincinnati after he finished fourth grade. Indeed, after eighth-grade he asked to move back to attend Heights High. “It was almost as if I had never left,” says Haynie. “I walked through the doors and so many people came over to say hello.” He went on to study mass communication at the University of Cincinnati (“Dick Goddard was my idol”) but his career path took a major turn when he took part in the summer re-shelving program at the university’s library. “Library Science became my new love,” he says.

Heights High, long known for its visual and performing arts, has produced six graduates who are taking their musical talents to new heights.

Matt Urminski '05 is a member of Ohio University’s African Ensemble and the private African drumming and dance company Azaguno. He is a student of Paschal Yao Younge, a world percussion expert, the hand-drumming accompanist for OU’s School of Dance African Dance classes, and teaches two other accompanists in training. He will graduate this year with a master's in specialized studies and minors in cultural arts and psychology.

Keep that information about our Heights graduates coming! I would love to hear from more Cleveland Heights and University Heights families about what their graduates are doing now. Email me at lita@valancy.com. Here’s just a sampling of what some of our graduates have been up to.

Every building has a story to tell -the story of those who designed and labored to build it, the families or businesses that used the space, and the neighborhood and environment surrounding it. Sadly, as neighborhoods change, these stories are often lost, especially when an older building is torn down. Two Heights High graduates, however, are capturing this history and keeping much of the valuable wood materials from ending up in landfills.

It has been a pleasure to update you on what Heights graduates are up to. Please keep those updates coming! I would love to hear from more families about what their grads are doing now. Email me at lita@valancy.com.

Here’s just a sampling of what some of our graduates have been up to:

By the time he graduated from Heights High School in 2005, Mark Muthersbaugh had logged 1,000 volunteer hours at the Natural History Museum, so it didn’t surprise family or friends when he decided to study biology at Oberlin College.

Last semester, when the opportunity to study abroad in Tanzania presented itself, Mark jumped at the chance. “Tanzania protects 30% of its land in large National Parks,” explained Mark, “so I felt studying there would offer the animal behavior field study opportunities I wanted, while giving me an experience I couldn’t get any place else.”

Heights High graduates are definitely “taking the road less traveled, marching to the beat of their own drum and thinking outside the box” when it comes to continuing their post graduation studies!  Here’s just a sample of what some of our graduates have been up to.

Heights High grads have been taking “the road less traveled," "marching to the beat of their own drum," and "thinking outside the box” when it comes to continuing their post graduation studies. They are definitely a group that sees the world as an extended classroom.

Chip Ramsey, Heights High class of 1984, has always known what he wanted to do: have his own auto repair station. “When I turned 40, I knew I had to do it.” One and a half years ago, Chip took the big step and put his dream in motion by purchasing Washington & Lee Service, Inc. on Lee Road.