SCHOOLS
DECEMBER 30, 2015 • HILLTOP PRESS • 3A
HILLTOP PRESS
Editor: Richard Maloney, rmaloney@communitypress.com, 248-7134
CommunityPress.com
ACHIEVEMENTS | NEWS | ACTIVITIES | HONORS
Brent classroom offered students holiday shopping Five-year-old Mathias Nelson looks left and right as he carefully unzips his classmate Patrick’s bookbag and tucks in a small gift he has wrapped and addressed himself. “It’s a surprise – they open their backpack and say, ‘Oh, it’s a present!” he says in a confidential whisper. “Putting presents in backpacks is kind of like Santa – but Santa puts them in your house.”
For the last 10 years, Brent Elementary teacher Darla Fiedeldey’s classroom has served as a one-stop holiday shop and giftwrap center for her kindergarten students. The shop opens the Monday after Thanksgiving and closes at winter break. Each child can shop once per day for a classmate or family member – but only if he or she writes a list out first.
“This is the most writing they’ve done all year because they’re motivated to write,” their teacher says. It’s also work on fine-motor skills – all that cutting, wrapping and taping – and a lesson in giving. “I’m giving this to my auntie,” says Niyla Stewart, 5, of a ceramic soap dish she’s wrapping, “so her soap doesn’t spill all over the sink.” The gifts are mostly contri-
butions from Fiedeldey and her friends and family – small gifts they bought and never gave, Happy Meal toys, freebies, holiday ornaments. To her students, they’re treasures. “It’s funny what they pick,” their teacher says. “Sometimes they pick things they really, really want themselves, and they give them to their mom because they know they’re going to get it.”
Fiedelday says there’s another reason moms and dads and classmates get the majority of the gifts. The students know how to spell m-o-m and da-d and can look up classmates’ names on the bulletin board. Fiedelday smiles. “I don’t get many presents – because they can’t spell my name.” Krista Ramsey, Finneytown Local School District.
SCHOOLS NOTEBOOK Finneytown High School » Brendon West may just be a freshman, but every day in his Smart Horizons class, he’s getting a head start on what he wants to do with the rest of his life. Smart Horizons is an online career exploration class – an elective rarely found in most U.S. high schools – that uses slides, PowerPoint and videos to give students a realistic, streetlevel view of eight career fields. Students work at their own pace and earn certificates as they master various aspects of the job. Once a week, the students take part in co-op experiences on the school campus or in the community. In seven weeks of school, West covered three semesters of study about working as a certified protection officer. “I’m enjoying this class, and things I enjoy I really work hard to learn about,” he says. “I can see that I have a lot of careers to choose from – security officer, the military, police officer. I just know that I want to get the people who hurt other people.” Finneytown is able to offer the Smart Horizons class through a six-year, $7.5 million Straight A Learning Re-Engineered Grant from the Ohio Department of Education. Program facilitator Sue Polter oversees the semester course. This semester her 30 students have mastered more than 500 lessons covering careers in childcare and education, commercial driving, certified protection officer, food and hospitality, homeland security, office management, professional skills and retail customer service. Secondary » Finneytown School is one of 10 schools nationally to win a $25,000 award from Intel. The school will use the award for safety updates and other technology improvements. Micro Center in Sharonville was the nominating store and employee James Wiles - a Finneytown alumnus - nominated Finneytown. In the past the store has won runner-up awards of $2,500 for local school districts, but this was the first year it won the $25,000 grand prize. “The Intel award is an amazing gift and a great vote of confidence in our school, especially because it comes from one of our graduates,” Principal Sally Thurman said. “It helps us move some of our technology goals onto a faster track, and for that we’re truly grateful.”
McAuley High School » Ten years ago, the Sophomore Pinning Ceremony was initiated to celebrate sophomores. Ssophomores are encouraged to take on more leadership roles in school as they are symbolically and literally unified by their new pins. The pins were blessed and blessings asked for the sophomores. Each sophomore young woman, as her name was announced, received her pin from a senior “sister” from her family homeroom.
The special pin is crafted in the shape of the McAuley crest, embossed with the school motto, representing, among other things, the light of education, the wheat of the farmer’s college once located in College Hill, the Irish background of Catherine McAuley, and the Sisters of Mercy who opened McAuley in 1960.
Whitaker Elementary » Whitaker Elementary students Kennedy Adams, Elizabeth Cain, Lucas Campbell, Xavier Sheets and Carson Smedley are part of a project sponsored by Interact for Health and Xavier University to promote healthy habits. The Whitaker students ran, tumbled, threw, jumped rope and sprinted at Cintas Center as cameras rolled and XU basketball coach Chris Mack talked about being active. The footage will be turned into videos announcing the “HealthyXFActor” contest, an initiative to encourage kids around the Tristate to make healthy choices. Students will be able to submit a story or photo showing how they made a healthy decision, and win tickets to an XU basketball game or private basketball camp with Mack. The videos with Kennedy, Elizabeth, Lucas, Xavier and Carson will show up at upcoming XU basketball games, the XU and Interact for Health web sites and other public venues.
THANKS TO KRISTA RAMSEY
Calling them exemplary, conscientious, inquisitive, cooperative and just plain nice, Finneytown Secondary School teachers chose six students as their November Students of the Month. Those honored include (left to right) Chris O'Leary, Grade 11; LaShonda Holt, Grade 8; Solomon Efetevbia, Grade 10; Naomi Dinberu, Grade 9; Olivia Williams, Grade 12; and Wade Isphording, Grade 7.
PROVIDED
Three McAuley sophomores with their lapel pins: Madison Hughes (45211), Ruth Hewald (45247) and Nora Honkomp (45231).
Winton Woods High School » Dr. Saad Ghosn uses his art to say things he believes in and to show the world as he would like to dream it. That was his message to 16 art students at Winton Woods High School during a visit that was part of the Taft Museum’s Artists Reaching Classrooms program. “Art is the voice of the artist,” Ghosn said. “It is the way we express ourselves.” Ghosn showed the students the woodcut he had carved for “The Road to Peace” and then the print itself. He explained that printmaking allowed an artist to make multiple copies of a work, and when used for social justice, those copies could be used in many places. Students broken into two groups to analyze Ghosn’s art and then discuss it. Many saw themes of compassion, injustice, non-violence, freedom and protecting the planet. Ghosn encouraged the students in their own work. “You need to practice your art and let it grow,” he said. “It should come from within you, from what you believe in. It should come from your heart.”
Winton Woods Middle School » Nathan Washam and Nico Prentosito have spent months preparing for the spelling bee at Winton Woods Middle School this year. The two boys went 50 rounds, spelling words from the
said the two boys studied for the spelling bee together. “Nico has been a good friend to Nathan and has encouraged him over the years,” Lisa Washam said. Nathan has severe autism and a motor tic disorder. “I am impressed with Nico’s character,” she said. “He has been kind and inspirational to Nathan, and Nathan considers him as his friend. I think that Nico’s character will take him further than a win or loss in one spelling bee.” The judges for this year’s spelling bee were Matt Alander, Lisa Giblin and Stephanie Romer. The word announcer was Gary Giblin. » Winton Woods Middle School band students Matthew Bernardo, Alex Ingram and Abra Upthegrove performed with the Junior Cincinnati Youth Wind Ensemble at University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. “All three students went through an audition process to be selected for the group,” Winton Woods Middle School band director Matt Buhl said. “In fact, so many kids tried out, the auditions took an entire weekend to complete. “These students are all stars in our bands here at the middle school, so I was thrilled to see them take the opportunity to join every school's best from around the area each week. Their growth as musicians is already evident. I'm very proud of our musical Warriors.”
Winton Woods Schools
THANKS TO NAOMI GOERTZ
Winton Woods Middle School musicians Matthew Bernardo, Abra Upthegrove and Alex Ingram performed with the Junior Cincinnati Youth Wind Ensemble.
THANKS TO TINA PRENTOSITO
Former Winton Woods board member Tim Cleary receives his Community Spirit award from Board President Jessica Miranda.
Winton Woods Middle School friends Nico Prentosito and Nathan Washam were runner up and winner respectively of this year’s school spelling bee.
pre-determined spelling list and tackling some surprise words off the list. “Nathan was crowned spelling bee champion for the second year in a row at Winton Woods Middle School,” said Stephanie Romer, science lab teacher and spelling bee coordinator. “Nico stuck with Nathan for 49 of
those rounds, showing dedication and skill that is impressive for any middle school student. Even though the spelling bee was a tough competition, Nathan and Nico had each other's backs when it came to encouragement, self-confidence, and preparation.” Lisa Washam, Nathan’s mom,
THANKS TO TERESA CLEARY
» Winton Woods City Schools has changed in many positive ways in the 11 years that Tim Cleary served on the district’s board of education. He’s been part of creating the Academy of Global Studies, implementing part-time enrollment for home school students, building the new high school stadium, and forging international school partnerships in China. It was all this, and more, that led to Cleary receiving the district’s Community Spirit Award at the November board meeting. “It’s more than community spirit for this gentleman,” Superintendent Anthony G. Smith said. “He’s put his life, and energy and commitment into making this district a better place for all our students. His energy, his enthusiasm, his love for children, and his love for district is just a small token of who he really is.” Cleary said some of the highlights of his time as a board member included greeting teachers at the high school on the first day of school, awarding full-ride college scholarships to students through his affiliation with Cincinnati Christian University, and working with a staff and administrators “who work hard and care about students.” Cleary thanked the board for his appointment to the Great Oaks board and said, “I’ve enjoyed all the fingerprints I’m leaving behind in policy and facilities and the stadium. It’s been an honor to serve my neighbors.”