SCHOOLS A6
Western Hills Press
August 25, 2010
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Editor Marc Emral | memral@communitypress.com | 853-6264
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PRESS
Seton students help renovate Hindman homes
By Kurt Backscheider
kbackscheider@communitypress.com
Laura Mersmann said she jokes with her father that she can now repair the roof or build a deck if he ever has home improvement projects he needs completed. Mersmann of Delhi Township was among the 23 Seton High School students who recently spent six days on a mission trip to Hindman, Ky., volunteering to help rehabilitate homes through a program called Sharing With Appalachian People (SWAP). “I didn’t want to leave at the end because there are so many people who need help down there,” she said. “It was a major growing experience for me, and they were the most gracious people. They had some of the kindest, warmest and giving spirits I’ve ever seen.” Mersmann, who is entering her sophomore year at Seton, said she and her fellow Saints helped install roofing gables, put roofs on trailers, built a deck, hung vinyl siding, cut wood, put up drywall and worked on a ramp. The students, along with one alumnae and five chaperones, stayed at the United Methodist Church and worked at various location throughout the town renovating homes. Senior Sarah Kramer said she was surprised at how thankful the families were. “They did not have very much, but what they did have they were very proud of it,” she said. “It made all of us appreciate what we have.” At the start of each day the families, Seton students and
SWAP hosts would gather in a prayer circle. Kramer said it was a moving experience, as two different cultures and religions came together to thank God for all his blessings. Mersmann said in addition to helping people get back on their feet, the trip also gave the students an opportunity to grow in their faith and grow as a sisterhood. “I always wanted to go on a mission trip because I wanted to get out of Cincinnati and try something different,” she said. “Volunteering means a lot to me, and working hard and sweating through my shirt to help others helps me feel closer to God.” After a day of working on the houses the girls enjoyed different activities each night. Some nights the families would sing the students their favorite songs or play guitar. Other nights the SWAP hosts would take the students around to show them their hometown. On the final night the students invited the families to dinner at the church. After dinner, they went around the room and everyone said their highs and lows for the week. The students were touched that the families all said they had no lows because everything was exciting to them, and they were appreciative to the volunteers for everything they did. “After this mission trip I became closer with my friends, classmates and with God,” junior Sarah Kathmann said. “I thank Seton High School and the SWAP program for giving me this opportunity to help others and know that I made a difference.”
PROVIDED
From left, Seton High School students Sarah Kramer, Lexi Cranley and alumna Megan McDonald proudly show a resident of Hindman, Ky., the progress on his new roof. The students participated in a mission trip this summer, volunteering to renovate homes for the Sharing With Appalachian People program.
PROVIDED
The Seton students who spent six days on a service mission trip to Hindman, Ky., were, left to right, back row, Sarah Kramer, Julie Buttelwerth, Lindsey Allgeyer, Rachel Weber, Hannah Lanzillotta, Nikki Bell, Laura Mersmann, Shelby Ashcraft, Sara Schwierjohann, Anna Combs, Lexi Cranley, Kate McHale and Mary Leisgang; front row, Sarah Kathmann, Sam Beeler, Emma Lindle , Melissa Schenkel, Sarah Clark, Emily McDonald, Jourdan Lyons, Anne Pace and Emily Stautberg; and Akayla Floyd, center front.
New administrator at home in 3 Rivers
By Kurt Backscheider
kbackscheider@communitypress.com
PROVIDED
New teachers
Pamela Terwilleger, left, and Angela Ross are new to the faculty at McAuley High School. Terwilleger holds two degrees from the College of Mount St. Joseph: a bachelor’s degree in math and business administration and a master’s degree in math education. She’s teaching Algebra II and Geometry. Ross joins the guidance department as a counselor. Ross holds a bachelor’s degree in middle childhood education from Xavier University and just completed a master’s degree in school counseling at the University of Cincinnati.
Patty Blake said she wants to work hard for the Three Rivers Local School District because she has a vested interest in the community. Blake, the district’s new assistant superintendent, lives in the district, her children attend Three Rivers’ schools and her husband, Jeff, is a second-grade teacher at C.T. Young Elementary School. “I’ve always been very excited about the Three Rivers district because it has that close-knit community feeling, and it’s also a very innovative and progressive district,” she said. “This is an amazing opportunity for me.” Blake comes to Three Rivers after serving as a middle school principal in the Hamilton City School District for five years. Prior to that she was an assistant principal at Oak Hills High School for five years.
A Seton High School graduate, she earned a bachelor’s degree in education/English from the College of Mount St. Joseph and a Blake master’s degree in educational administration from Xavier University, where she also works as an adjunct professor. “I enjoy teaching at Xavier because it allows me to continue researching and it keeps me very current on educational practices,” she said. Blake, who is the daughter of Jeanne and the late Ed Thompson of Delhi Township, said she chose a career in education because it runs in the family. She said her sister and two of her nieces are also educators. “We’re all just born teachers in our family,” she said. The desire to serve her commu-
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Patty Blake is the daughter of Jeanne and the late Ed Thompson of Delhi Township nity was another reason she went into teaching, she said. “Teaching is all about growing people and helping people get excited about learning things that will enhance them as a person,” Blake said. She said the community’s approval of the bond issue to build a new preschool through 12thgrade school in Cleves makes this an exciting time for the district, and she’s ready to help in every capacity she can to continue moving the district forward. “My goal really is to be a great support to the community and the teachers and parents and students in the district,” she said. “I really think this is a world-class district and we have a lot to offer.”