PEPPER PIKE, Ohio – Orange High School senior Ishan Bhatt has been named the Kiwanis Club of Lander Circle Senior of the Month for January.
A National Merit semifinalist, Ishan is a member of the National Honor Society and an AP Scholar with Distinction. He worked as a research intern at the Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
While at the Clinic, Ishan used agent-based modeling in Java to simulate cancerous tumor growth and mutation and presented at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation Summer Student Poster Symposium.
At CWRU, he interned at a Hematopoietic Stem Cell Lab, performing flow cytometry and cell staining experiments, splenectomies and spleen digestions.
Ishan also led a Student Visionaries of the Year candidate team, volunteering 50 hours to raise more than $3,000 for Blood Cancer United.
He also is the president of both the OHS speech and debate team and Amnesty International club.
As lead attorney and treasurer for the OHS Mock Trial team, Ishan was a state-qualifying attorney and twice qualified for regional competition. He has earned multiple Best Attorney awards and created slideshows to teach club members about law, presentation and courtroom protocol.
Ishan is also on the OHS Writing Club. Under his leadership, the state-qualifying creative writing team won the 2024 DI JustWriteOH regional tournament.
A three-time varsity letterman in tennis, Ishan helped the Lions win the 2025 state team championship and was a member of the 2024 second-place team and the 2023 fourth-place team at the Ohio Tennis Coaches Association tournaments.
He also runs cross country, having served as co-captain.
Ishan also managed and led a 5K community fundraiser.
Community service is also a major part of his life, as he enjoys working at the annual Kiwanis Club of Lander Circle rummage sale, serving as a patient greeter at University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center in Beachwood and teaching tennis through Advantage Cleveland.
Every school year, the Kiwanis Club recognizes six seniors for their leadership, integrity and academic achievements.
OHS earns gold status on AP Honor Roll
Orange High School recently earned overall Gold recognition on the 2025 AP School Honor Roll.
This achievement included Gold status in College Culture and Platinum status in College Credit and College Optimization.
To qualify for the 2025 AP School Honor Roll, schools must meet or exceed the criteria for a given recognition level for all three metrics: college culture, college credit and college optimization.
The AP School Honor Roll recognizes schools that have done outstanding work to welcome more students into AP courses and support them on the path to college success.
Brady Middle School sixth-grader Alona Karpovych, left, listens intently as classmates Liam Minc, center, and Peyton Sinn, right, representing Central Asia, try to make a deal as part of the school’s Silk Road unit. Fellow sixth-grader Gabriel Wainkroot, in back, looks around to ensure no “bandits” will interrupt the trade efforts.(Photo Courtesy of Orange City Schools)
Traveling the Silk Road
Brady Middle School sixth-graders traveled on a far journey, back in time and halfway around the world, while never even leaving the school, according to a news release from the Orange City School District.
After studying the Silk Road as part of a human migration and cultural diffusion unit, the students were involved in a simulation in which they took an active part in ancient times by becoming traders on the Silk Road.
The students were divided into six country groups, each with a specific item to sell or trade as well as two items they needed to take back to their “hometown” to make a profit.
They even encountered “bandits,” portrayed by staff, who “stole” from them along the road but returned the items with a correct answer to a question about the experience.
The sixth-graders learned how the Silk Road was an important instrument in cultural diffusion and the sharing of ideas, philosophies, religions, music, government and military tactics around the Eastern Hemisphere, as well as its impact on modern times.
Kindergarten Information Night
Moreland Hills Elementary School’s 2026-27 Kindergarten Information Night is set for 7 p.m. Feb. 5. at the school on the Orange Schools campus, 32000 Chagrin Blvd.
The information night is designed for parents of kindergartners enrolling in the 2026-27 school year.
Parents will learn about the kindergarten program, meet the staff and tour the school.
Call 216-831-8600, ext. 4606, for RSVP information.
Beginning with the 2026–27 school year, new state legislation standardizes the age-eligibility requirements for kindergarten enrollment for all school districts across Ohio.
All kindergarten students must be 5 years old on or before the first official day of school in the district the student will attend to be eligible for kindergarten.
The 2026-27 school year for Orange Schools begins Aug. 20.
