On Sunday, May 15, 2022, Falk welcomed back the Class of 2018 for a very special event commemorating the group’s upcoming high school graduation. About 30 Falk alumni and their parents returned to the school to play lawn games, visit classrooms, and catch up with former classmates and several teachers. 

“It was heart-warming,” said Kelly Maddox, Falk’s SIS Manager and the mother of Jackson Juzang. “It was great to see the growth they’ve had since middle school, now turning into these amazing young adults, and to see everyone so connected even after not being with each other for so long.” 

The Class of 2018 is notable, said director Jill Sarada, because they were the first to begin kindergarten in the classrooms added as part of the school expansion project completed in 2009.  

Her son, Jake, is a member of the Class of 2018. But she also remembers this class well because she was a kindergarten teacher at Falk at the time. 

“I remember their play experiences in kindergarten,” said Sarada. “This class was very much into understanding how things work and taking things apart. It’s fascinating to see the passions they’re following, but I’m not surprised to see so many pursuing science- and math-related interests.” 

The event also served as an opportunity to learn more about class members’ academic success following their careers at Falk and about their college plans. 

Of 31 students in attendance, the Class of 2018 reported: 

• Eleven National Honor Society members; 

• Three National Merit Scholars; and 
• Seven Pittsburgh Public School class valedictorians (which is a record since Falk began keeping record). 

Members of the Class of 2018 will be attending: Brown University (in a dual degree program with the Rhode Island School of Design), Carnegie Mellon University, Case Western Reserve University, Emerson College, Franklin and Marshall College, Haverford College, Northwestern University, Notre Dame University, the University of Pittsburgh, Point Park University, Rose-Hulman College Institute of Technology, and the University of Michigan, among others. 

In addition, students reported acceptances from Fordham University, George Washington University, Georgia Tech University, Harvard University, Rice University, Sarah Lawrence College, the University of California-Davis, and Villanova University. Students were also offered generous scholarships, including a $25,000-year Honors Scholarship at Pitt and a scholarship of $35,000 per year at the University of Arizona. 

Class members’ intended majors vary widely, ranging from various engineering fields (bio, chemical, and materials science) and physics, biology, and computer science to theatre, journalism, and film.