Roosevelt Perry III (right), Criminal Justice, Berea-Midpark High School, and Eva Koczur (center), Engineering, Fairview High School, were named the Polaris Outstanding Senior Students of the Year for the Polaris Class of 2023. In addition, Tyler Kishmarton (left), an Automotive Technology senior from North Olmsted High School, was named Polaris Student Employee of the Year. Each was honored at the Second Annual Outstanding Senior Recognition Dinner in April. All have high aspirations and plan to make the most of their Polaris experience. As top Polaris honorees, they were also awarded $1,000 scholarships from the Polaris Educational Foundation.
Congratulations to our award winners and best of luck!
Roosevelt Perry III
Criminal Justice
Berea-Midpark High School
Roosevelt Perry III has been a model student in his two years at Polaris. He has maintained an overall 4.0 GPA and has only missed class when he is fulfilling duties here at Polaris or at Berea-Midpark. He was named outstanding program student as a junior and senior. Roosevelt is a member of the National Technical Honor Society, National Honor Society, Berea-Midpark Student Athletic Leadership Team, Southwest Conference Leadership Team, a commissioner for LINK, a member of the Berea-Midpark PTSA and even helped coach his brother’s flag football team. He is a natural-born leader - he was elected class president of the Polaris Criminal Justice program for his senior year, named a Polaris student ambassador and appointed to the Polaris principal’s advisory council. He also played football for four years and was named a captain as a junior and senior while serving on the team leadership group, which mentors underclassmen. The summer between his junior and senior year, he attended the West Point Summer Leader Experience, a weeklong immersion into the academic, military and social life of a West Point cadet – a once-in-lifetime experience! Roosevelt holds a number of industry credentials - National Emergency Communications Certification (NECC) Level 1 Telecommunicator, Stop the Bleed Training, National Incident Management System (NIMS) IS-100 and 700, American Heart Association Heart Saver First Aid/AED/CPR and completed the OSHA 10 course. In addition, he’s juggled a very busy high school schedule and has worked at the Middleburg Heights Giant Eagle since 2020. Roosevelt’s Criminal Justice instructor, Erik Fendenheim, holds him in high regard. “Roosevelt is an outstanding person. He is not just an excellent student, but he truly sees the best in people and tries to bring that out in them. He is a rare breed and will excel at anything he puts his mind to.” Roosevelt has set a career path that builds on his Polaris experience. This fall, he plans to attend Baldwin Wallace University where he will major in criminal justice. While enrolled in school, he hopes work in dispatch with plans to become a police officer after graduation. His dream job is to someday work the presidential detail for the U.S. Secret Service.
Eva Koczur
Engineering
Fairview High School
Eva Koczur has made the most of her four years in the Polaris Engineering program at Fairview High School. She has maintained a 4.5 overall GPA, is a member of the National Honor Society, National Technical Honor Society and has been recognized as the outstanding senior program student in Engineering. To say she is a high-achiever would be an understatement – she’s a National Merit Semifinalist, earned a perfect score on the AP Research CollegeBoard Exam, was named an AP Scholar with Distinction and received the AP Capstone Diploma. Throughout her high school career, she has been active in sports and other extracurricular activities – she played four years of soccer (two years as captain), she ran track for four years (two years as captain), ran cross country for three years, played one year of junior varsity basketball, has been active in Key Club for two years and serves as vice president of student council. Throughout her athletic career, she’s earned numerous accolades including 1st team all-conference (3x), 2nd team Greater Cleveland Coaches Association (2x) and westside senior all-star in soccer. In addition, she was a two-time regional qualifier and 2022 team MVP in track. She is always exploring ways to give back to the school community – she regularly organizes and participates in school fundraisers and spirit activities. She even organized, promoted, lesson planned and taught a 4-week ACT bootcamp for juniors during lunch. Last summer, she took her Project Lead the Way Engineering experience to new heights and landed an internship at NASA Glenn Research Center, which has continued into this school year. She works there three days a week designing rover wheels including those for the Mars helicopter. During her “free” time, she even works at Target. Her Polaris Engineering instructor, Heather Delis, sings her praises. “Eva is a once-in-a-career student. I have had her in my class since the seventh grade, and she always exceeds expectations and does so because she truly wants to learn. She is wise beyond her years and has a very bright future ahead.” This fall, Eva will follow in her parents’ footsteps and continue her studies at Penn State University where she plans to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. She hopes to continue to work at NASA throughout college. After graduation, her dream is to return to NASA as an engineer where she can continue to design, model and prototype for the space program.
Tyler Kishmarton
Automotive Technology
North Olmsted High School
When a student is placed with a local company, the employer evaluates the student’s skills and provides feedback on their progress in the workplace. There is no better indicator of success than to hear from employers that Polaris students are meeting and exceeding their expectations. Based on positive employer feedback and overall performance in the workplace and in the classroom, Tyler Kishmarton has been selected as the 2023 Polaris Student Employee of the Year. Tyler currently works as a diesel intern at Ohio Peterbilt in Broadview Heights. Prior to Peterbilt, Tyler worked for Crestmont Cadillac during his junior year and during the summer of 2022. His Polaris instructor, Bob Yuravak, credits him for his focus on higher learning. “Tyler is fully engaged in classroom and lab discussions. I’m always impressed how he’ll take even basic skills and hands-on activities and take them to a higher level. He brings a lot to the classroom and will make a fantastic employee wherever he goes.” Maureen Lehman, Polaris Director of Workforce Services adds, “Tyler's work ethic is incredible. His internal drive to be successful in the diesel field is admirable. He made his dream come true at Peterbilt by reading a simple flyer. Tyler sets the bar high. He is our first high school intern to work at Peterbilt.” This summer, he will attend the three-month Peterbilt Technical Institute in Lisle, Illinois, where he will receive advanced Peterbilt training on the company’s products and technologies, including their vehicles and engines. The 12-week program will help him develop manufacturer-specific skills recognized at their more than 350 dealerships across North America. Tyler is on a pathway to success and is well on his way to realizing his dream of becoming a diesel technician.
Thirty-six Polaris seniors enrolled in on-campus and satellite programs were also named outstanding students in their career-technical programs. This distinction is determined by academic achievement, citizenship, service and extra-curricular activities. Each student was awarded a $100 scholarship from the Polaris Educational Foundation. Below are links to our award winners:
Congratulations, Polaris Class of 2023! You will be missed!