16 Summit Fall Magazine

THE

SUMMIT Magazine & Annual Report 2015-16

Summit Rowers Make a Splash

THE SUMMIT The magazine of The Summit Country Day School Annual Report 2015-16 EDITOR Nancy Berlier ART DIRECTOR/DESIGNER Kathy (Hilsinger) Penote ’93 PHOTOGRAPHY Robert A. Flischel, Rick Norton, Mark Schultzman, Nancy Berlier, Helen Clark, Leah Fightmaster, Karen Kinross, John Fahrmeier, Joelle Ragland.

CONTRIBUTORS Sarah Cooney, Mike Dyer, Leah Fightmaster, Lauren Guip, Susan Miller, Megan McGrath, Meghan O’Brien ’17, Eliot Schiaparelli ’17, Kathy Schwartz.

Special thanks: Jen McGrath, Nancy Snow.

PRINTING Arnold Printing © 2016 The Summit Country Day School, Cincinnati, OH. The Summit magazine is published three times a year by the Communications Department of The Summit Country Day School, 2161 Grandin Road, Cincinnati, OH 45208.

Please direct address changes or other correspondence to the above address.

Summit News Phone: (513) 871-4700 ext. 291 Email: communications@summitcds.org Alumni News Please submit news about new degrees, new jobs, marriages, births and other notable passages in your life.

Go to www.summitcds.org/submityournews Summit Online View an archive of The Summit magazine online. www.summitcds.org/magazine The Summit Country Day School serves students from age two through grade 12 in a coeducational setting. The Summit combines the academic excellence and one-on-one guidance of a top-tier independent school with the servant leadership and character-building environment that are hallmarks of a Catholic education.

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ON THE COVER: Caroline Kranz ’16 gets a good luck handshake from Bryce Carlson, assistant varsity coach with the Cincinnati Junior Rowing Club, before a race at the Saratoga Invitational Regatta. Caroline, who signed to row with Division I Syracuse University this fall, was one of five Summit students with the club last year. Photo by Mark Schultzman. Story on page 36.

ON THIS PAGE: Amid applause from the student body gathered in the circle, retiring Technology Director Ken Uckotter and Upper School Chemistry teacher Ed Escudero get some “fives” from Montessori and Lower School students who participated in a “clap-out.” Several longstanding members of the faculty and staff chose the end of the 125th anniversary year as the time to begin a new chapter in their lives. Photo by Nancy Berlier. See stories beginning on page 24.

Head of School Message

Character: The Root of our Identity Who am I? This is a question that is fundamental to our being. During their journey through The Summit, children are searching to answer this question.

If you ask them who they are, their answers will usually align with their skills or accomplishments: I’m a good soccer player; I’m smart; I’m strong in science. I read an article a while back which suggests the answer to the question “Who am I?” is much more profound.

A psychologist from Yale and a philosopher from the University of Arizona collaborated on an interesting project. They studied three groups of patients: • Those with Alzheimer’s because they end up not remembering who they are, where they are, friends or family; • Those who suffered fronto-temporal dementia (FTD) because it leaves memory intact but attacks executive function skills such as impulse control and empathy – aspects of our personality that affect perception of our character;

• Those with ALS who lose motor control but other functional areas remain intact.

The researchers then asked the caregivers of these folks to fill out a

questionnaire about how the patients had changed over time. They asked questions like, “How much do you sense that the patient is still the same person underneath?” and “Do you feel like you still know who the patient is?”

The results showed that the caregivers for the FTD patients felt they had changed the most. Those caring for Alzheimer patients had changed less.

Those caring for ALS patients felt like they had changed the least.

When they dug deeper into the data, researchers found that changes in memory or intellect weren’t significant factors in how the caregivers perceived their patients had changed. However, changes in moral behavior correlated most closely with how much the patient had changed.

They concluded that our moral character is at the root of our identity. It’s our character that links us most closely with others.

The Sisters who founded this school didn’t need a study like this to tell them that. Their faith and life experience told them that the most important thing children get from their family and their school is the development of their character. That’s what defines these individuals for the rest of their lives.

They may become doctors, lawyers, homemakers or change jobs and careers multiple times, but their identity as far as others are concerned is their character.

At The Summit, our reason for being is to transform children into leaders of character. Yes, we want to teach children how to lead, collaborate, think analytically, think practically, think strategically, think creatively, write, speak and be lifelong

Contents learners. Yes, we want to help them develop spiritually, academically, physically, socially and artistically. Yes, we want to help them be accepted at a college that most closely matches their interests and ability.

But the most important gift we can give children is an ethical framework with which to live their lives.

I often tell the story about Jared Dunnmon ‘07.

After graduating from here, he went on to Duke University, then to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and is getting his PhD at Stanford. I asked him what he got out of his Summit experience. He first mentioned his love of science. The teachers here turned him on to the subject area he decided to make his life’s work. He then said we have “the best English department on the planet” because professors would hand back his papers at Duke and ask him, “Where did you learn to write so well?”

But it was the third thing he mentioned that got my attention. He said that The Summit had given him an ethical framework his peers at Duke didn’t have. He observed many of them struggling with the problems of life, yet to Jared, the solutions were obvious. His gut told him what the right thing to do was.

The intentionality of our character program, the faith formation of our spiritual pillar and the role models of our teachers and coaches all combine to help build character in each child that walks through the door.

That’s the gift of a Summit education. That’s The Summit Way.

Rich Wilson Head of School

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Features Award-winning children’s poet Nikki Grimes worked with small groups of Lower and Middle School students on their writing skills.

Parents at Family Math Night see how much fun it can be to learn and use math.

The Middle School History Club has published two magazines on Cincinnati history.

Movement is critical to the neurological development of preschoolers and helps them remember what they learn.

Bursting from The Summit bubble, the Class of 2016 was a distinguished group – committed to service, academic excellence and achievement.

Ceil Johnson’s enthusiasm for teaching earns her the Schilderink Family Faculty Chair for Distinguished Teaching. Upper School English teacher Phyllis Lipovsky received the Leader of Character Award.

Jen McGrath and Antoine Hicks are The Summit Way award winners.

Dr. Leonard Sax will deliver a keynote speech focusing on early childhood parenting and gender issues in early education at the Nov. 7 Early Childhood Education Symposium.

Cincinnati Junior Rowing Club has taken Summit athletes all the way to national competition and earned one a Division I scholarship.

Departments

Corrections We regret two errors made in the spring magazine. A caption incorrectly identified one of the Knight of Stars gala co-chairs. The co-chairs were Deb Schaefer and Beth Shaw. A caption incorrectly identified Hagia Sophia in Istanbul,Turkey.

A former house of worship, it is now a museum.

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Newsmakers Athletics Faculty/Staff Recognition In Memoriam Save the Date

Insert A special pull-out section in this magazine thanks the many people who contributed to the Annual Fund for Excellence in 2015-16.

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Best-selling children’s author Nikki Grimes works with Grace Tounge and Daniel Min during a Lower School writer’s salon.

Award-Winning Poet Nikki Grimes Helps Students Identify Voice

By Leah Fightmaster As part of The Summit’s 125th anniversary speaker series, the Lower School invited award-winning children’s poet Nikki Grimes to discuss her published work with students in kindergarten through grade 12. Ms. Grimes, a New York Times best-selling author, also worked with small groups of students on their writing skills.

During a series of discussions with students, Ms. Grimes shared her work and her writing process with the focus on individual identity.

In advance of her visit, third graders wrote poems about a pair of their shoes that expressed their personal identity, an exercise inspired by Ms. Grimes’ book Shoe Magic.

She selected the poems of three students – George Baker, Holland Lippert and Madeline Schaefer – for special ribbons at Campus Day. During the past three years, Lower School 6 6 Annual Report 2015 - 16

teachers have focused lessons on narrative, expository, persuasive and opinion writing.

The time seemed ripe for a dive into a better understanding of poetry writing, Literacy Coach Patti Kenney says.

Students in grades two through four and seven through eight had the opportunity to work with Ms. Grimes in writer’s salons in which she led an activity to expand each young writer’s ability to think creatively and expressively. The exercise, which included a prompt to think freely about word play, encouraged students to consider words and their meanings and how they could use those meanings to create an expressive piece of writing. “The main idea is to paint a picture,” Ms. Grimes says. “Paint a picture with words. You’re telling a story with as few words as possible.”

Students embraced the word play activity, taking to heart the search for new, elaborate words to include in their poetry that would illustrate their work more effectively. Instead of describing the

feeling of happiness, one student substituted the word “joyful” and explained that it changed the meaning of her poem because “happy is just on top of you, but joyful is deep inside of you.”

Ms. Grimes’ work with Summit writers dovetailed with The Summit’s signature Writing Program. In the Lower School, students are taught to draft their ideas into writing, revise their work and rethink their message with editing before ending with the final product. The process is executed with individualized instruction and encouragement from their teachers. Creatively, this advances in the Middle School, where these fundamentals are

My Flip-Flops My pink sunglasses will be just right The sun is shining, it is so bright Stepping outside I feel thick air It’s so uncomfortable I put up my hair I look for some shoes to wear to the pool I need something that will help me stay cool My flip flops are orange, green and pink These will be the perfect ones I think!

Sitting poolside in the chair Feeling hot sun on my hair I pass the lifeguard, get a high five Now everyone watch me do my sweet dive!

– Madeline Schaefer

expanded upon to write short stories with a clear main idea.

“In the writer’s salon we did with second and third grade students, Nikki Grimes encouraged the students to use each of their senses so that what they wrote could be read and felt by all who listened,” Mrs. Kenney says. “Watching the students transfer what they had practiced in the classroom to what Nikki was developing with them in the salon was magical. They did not rush to complete the task; they thought to add meaning to their writing.”

My Cleats Bought them from a sports store Got them for 10 bucks Shoes were slightly used Boy was I in luck Pink, silver, white and blue Tie them up I’m on my way My cleats are ready for the game Hit the streets time to play Running with the ball Passion for the team Wind up, shoot and score Hear the crowd scream Take my shoes off Put them away Air hits my feet They worked hard today – George Baker

Ballet Shoes Tie the elastic in a knot It makes the shoe tighter So it won’t fall off My feet go swoosh I love ballet shoes!

Get up on my feet I start dancing I know the beat Enjoy the applause Just for me!

Dance to the music I step one and a time Lift my foot And there I go I dance!

– Holland Lippert

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During the spring Family Math Night, Maddie Sumnar was delighted when the plastic cup tower she and classmate Ann Miller built, with their parents, reached her height.

Family Math Night Shows Learning Math Can Be Fun

By Nancy Berlier One evening in April, parents joined their children in the Lower School to play games. First graders made octopi, an activity that involved measurement, counting to 100, telling time and problem-solving. Second graders created mandalas with pattern blocks and experimented with origami, creating art from geometric shapes.

Third graders were the scorekeepers in family bowling games in the gym and demonstrated their knowledge of Scratch coding in the cafeteria. Fourth graders played a heated game of Math Jeopardy and competed to “earn” the most money by mining chocolate chips from cookies.

Family Math Night is a biennial event in the Lower School which celebrates the joy of learning and, specifically, how much fun it can be to learn and use math.

Advanced understanding of neurological development has led to changes in early childhood education, so the teaching of math 8

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has changed radically over the years, says Math Specialist Julia Almaguer. “Many parents were educated at a time when math class had them sitting at their desks while the teacher lectured about a chapter in a textbook, followed by them doing worksheets. Math class isn’t like that anymore.”

Mrs. Almaguer points to a recent white paper written for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics which says that playing games to learn and practice math is fun and motivating, but it also: deepens student understanding and reasoning as they explore fundamental number concepts and computation strategies; encourages strategic thinking to solve problems; supports computational fluency; and, when done at home, supports a school-to-home connection.

“Family Math Night engages children in critical and creative thinking, provides real-life application of math skills and gives children an opportunity to demonstrate their mathematical understanding to their parents in a fun way,” she says.

Middle School Journalists Dish Up Tales of Local History

By Eliot Schiaparelli ’17 In the most recent issue of Echoes, a new Schott Middle School history magazine, seventh grader Grant Gerhardt wrote a fascinating article about the history of Cincinnati-style chili.

“For those of us who have grown up here with Cincinnati chili, like myself, this unique style of chili is probably something that they cannot live without,” he writes.

His story explains how the city, once known as “Porkopolis,” was transformed into “Chilitown” by aspiring immigrants and entrepreneurs who found Cincinnatians had a taste for chili.

Grant was one of 19 seventh and eighth grade students who wrote stories for the new magazine. The idea for a club of this sort was conceived by Middle School Social Studies teacher Mark Schmidt nearly 12 years ago at a social studies convention, but was brought to life this year with the help of Paul Serrianne ’01, a Middle School art teacher who has knowledge of layout and design.

The two moderators and their students in the Middle School History Club created two issues of the magazine during the 2015-16 school year.

Educating their classmates on Cincinnati history, Volume I focused on the city’s history from 1788

Grant Gerhardt dishes up the history of Cincinnati’s unique chili parlors in an issue of the new Middle School history magazine, Echoes.

to 1900 while Volume II presented stories from 1900 to the present day.

“Students who worked on the magazine had the option of writing articles while researching a visual component and/or designing an infographic using references and visuals,” Mr. Serrianne says. “During the planning and research phase students learned about copyright law, open source and fair use. Students were shown how to lay out articles and infographics on Microsoft Publisher, Photoshop and InDesign.”

The moderators plan to continue the History Club magazine in the years to come with a new theme every year. Mr. Schmidt also plans to include a field trip each year. This year, students were treated to a rare opportunity to explore The Cincinnati Enquirer’s archive, which is not open to the public.

The first year’s issues covered a wide array of stories from the city’s 228-year history.

In addition to Grant’s mouthwatering story about Cincinnati’s unique chili, some of the other articles from the first two issues included information about Cincinnati’s unfinished subway system, the story of Kings Island and a quiz by Mr. Schmidt on his favorite topic, the Reds.

Eliot Schiaparelli ’17 is co-editor of the Upper School student newspaper Insight.

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Toddler teacher Amie Adkins, center, works on name recognition and jumping skills with her class. Students are called by recognizing their name in writing, then asked to jump with both feet at once, a skill that toddlers are in the process of mastering.

Movement Promotes Cognitive Development in Young Learners

By Lauren Guip Upon observing any of the Montessori preschool and kindergarten classrooms housed in The Summit’s Lower School, one attribute stands out with distinction. Freedom of the child’s movement is at the center of everything.

The children filter in, socialize, greet their teachers, and then each and every child independently and actively chooses work from one of the five areas of the classroom. The room bursts with life and movement. One particular spring day in my own classroom, on one end of the room, a 5-year-old child taps his forehead with a pencil as he ponders the solution to a word problem, and then seeks a teacher when he can’t quite find the solution on his own. Across the room, a 3-year-old loses herself in a painting of rich blues and purples. Another child asks a friend to choose a snack together. Meanwhile, 10

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a teacher gathers a small group lesson around a rug to discuss the life cycle of a butterfly. This is all happening simultaneously, and while I overtly control nothing, everything is completely under control.

If you’ve ever spent much time with a preschoolaged child, you notice quite quickly that “sitting still” for more than 10 minutes is akin to climbing Mount Everest. Yet, many approaches to preschool education still involve a significant amount of idle time dedicated toward lengthy structured lessons, assessment and rigorous academics. In other words, the typical preschool learning environment is more passive than active. A study published earlier this year from the University of Virginia found that children today, compared with those in 1998, are engaged in much less self-directed activity. So, if we know that children need movement, why aren’t more schools giving them what they need?

The answer to this question directs us back to what the research tells us. We don’t just think children should move, we know it. A 2012 study from The University of Chicago exploring “Embodied Learning Across The Lifespan” showed a close relationship between movement and cognition throughout all stages of life. The link is undeniable. Author of the study, Sian Bielock, writes that “acknowledgment of the body’s role in cognition has inspired a prolific trend in the psychological literature, and it is an essential piece of the puzzle in understanding learning and development.”

One admirable aspect of The Summit’s Montessori environment and leadership is that it is constantly evolving based on research. However, in this case, the research supports what we have been doing for more than 50 years. According to Montessori Director Kathy Scott, “Children learn by doing and moving. The meticulously prepared Montessori classroom is designed specifically to meet the internal need for children to move while learning.” Throughout her career at The Summit as a teacher, and now as director, Mrs. Scott has adjusted the learning environment for children based on current brain research, which she believes enriches the experience for children. With plans to dedicate a classroom space for use as a “muscle room” starting this year, this new research on movement is no surprise to her.

“The simplest of tasks,” Mrs. Scott says, “such as the process of a child getting material from the shelf, taking it to a workspace, completing it, and returning it to its proper place provide movement which researchers have demonstrated increases cerebral blood flow, and this physical activity provides a learning experience that supports long-term cognitive development. The free movement within our classrooms is natural for children, and consequently they benefit from the freedom of movement.”

Personally, I am often inspired by the life that the children bring to the environment simply by moving freely within it. Any teacher will tell you that when the children are in the classroom, they bring it to life. As Montessori educators we are taught to follow the child, so this research connecting movement to cognition deepens our understanding of brain development in early childhood, giving us additional insight into how and why opportunities for movement in the classroom are essential to the healthy development of children.

IGknight Music and Movement In The Summit’s IGknight program, music teacher Donna Dirksing Doran teaches parents of children from birth to 24 months activities that build comprehension, spatial-temporal, emotional and fine motor skills. Read more at www.summitcds. org/igknight.

Montessori and Lower School music teacher Donna Dirksing Doran, right, leads an IGknight Music and Movement class for babies and their parents.

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THE S UM

L HOO SC

UNTRY D CO AY IT M

Boys in tuxedos smile at the photographer for the traditional class photo on the front steps. L to R, front row to back row: Avery Coates, Calvin Spanbauer, Jared Hochwalt, Lirui “Jackson” Xiong, Connor Lyle, Justin Ayer, Davionne Laney, Connor Shaw, Xindi “Justin” Zhou and Jared Bulla.

CLASS OF 2016

Class of 2016 Bursts from the Bubble

By Meghan O’Brien ’17 Sunday, May 29, 2016, was a perfect day for flipflops and T-shirts. However, 92 Silver Knights left their flip-flops on the shelf and instead spent the morning fastening the buttons on their tuxedos or adjusting the 12 Annual Report 2015 - 16 12

skirts of their gowns, preparing for their graduation from The Summit.

After four years of high school, the graduates of 2016 finally got to don their special black tail coats and hand-picked white dresses. Though the weather

seemed too warm for such formalwear, the seniors looked perfectly in place as they lined the steps in front of the historic, 125-year-old school for a class portrait.

Because The Summit has such a rich school history, it is only natural that taking pictures of both the graduating class and lifetime Summit students before the ceremony begins is just one of many graduation traditions. After the students dispersed from the steps and the many parents with cameras went back to the Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel to take their seats, the seniors lined up for the procession.

With red roses resting in the ladies’ arms and pinned to the lapels of the young men’s tuxedos, the seniors waited for the deep rumble of the organ and the brass horns to mark their entrance. As the first notes of music floated out of the Chapel and into the hall, the procession began. The graduates’ families craned their necks from the hand-carved, wooden pews to look.

First, Father Philip Seher and the flags entered. The Upper School faculty and Head of School Rich Wilson followed, along with Upper School Director John Thornburg and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Stuart Seltman.

Finally, for the last time in their high school careers, the Class of 2016 entered the Chapel. The white skirts of the young women swept the circular stone tiles that the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur collected. The light coming from the stained glass windows hit the lapels of the young men’s tuxedos, making them shine.

The graduates bowed to the altar and took their seats in front of the gilded fleur-de-lis walls, where they celebrated mass and listened to salutatorian Alexis Hogya and valedictorian Elena Montag deliver their speeches. The grandeur of the 19th Century Chapel added gracefulness to the special ceremony.

“The Summit has taught us to be people of character, to be curious, to be tolerant and to be confident in our ideals,” Elena told her classmates. “The Summit has given us the academic skills which will help us excel in our college careers, and has fostered the individual traits that will enable our successes. The skills we have acquired here will be put to the test for the first time, and we will have no safety nets or padding to soften the blows or stop our falls. The future is unknown, and we must face it alone, but we are truly ready. We, the Class of 2016, are ready to give back all that we have been given and ready to burst the Summit bubble.”

Bursting from the Summit bubble was a group of students who had so distinguished themselves:

• The 92 graduates performed 6,995 community hours during the past four years, averaging 76 hours per student. At graduation, Annie Dadosky and Rachel Stines received the Saint Julie Billiart Award, which recognizes students who celebrate life each day through their selflessness, positivity and dedication.

• Some 80 percent of the seniors played a sport during the 2015-16 year, and 14 percent of the graduating class plan to compete in collegiate athletics, which is more than twice the national average. Of this 14 percent, eight students signed to NCAA Division I, Division II or NAIA teams.

Summit boosters awarded Jackson McKeever and Gabbi Gehner the Maurice “Bud” O’Connor Memorial Award for excellence, commitment and Christian leadership through athletics.

• It is no surprise that the Class of 2016 received 427 college acceptances. Some 92 percent of the class took AP college-level classes, and 20 percent were recognized by National Merit.

Jackson McKeever and Nathalie Plum received the Archbishop McNicholas Award which recognizes seniors who have maintained the high ideals of service, Christian responsibility and academic achievement. More than $15.2 million in scholarships were offered to the 92 graduates. Nine students were awarded full-tuition scholarships.

If walking out of the Chapel with their diplomas in hand, listening to families and faculty cheer and seeing fellow classmates tear up didn’t make the Class of 2016 feel like they had officially graduated, it was most likely because they had not yet loaded pictures onto their social media accounts. Turning the photos they took in the front circle into their cover photos on Facebook made their graduation feel official.

Salutatorian Alexis Hogya, in her address to the class, made note of the importance of making good choices.

“Choices matter,” she said. “They are essential to our development as individuals. We are the culmination of all the choices we have made.”

The Summit community is grateful that the Class of 2016 chose to share their various gifts and talents with us, and the 61 different colleges and universities that the graduates will be attending next fall are so incredibly lucky that our Silver Knights chose them.

Meghan O’Brien ’17 is co-editor of the school newspaper Insight.

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Valedictorian Elena Montag, left, and salutatorian Alexis Hogya.

Five members of the Class of 2016 received special awards at graduation. From left, they were: Gabriela Faith Gehner, Maurice “Bud” O’Connor Memorial Award; Nathalie Veronique Plum, the Archbishop McNicholas Award; Jackson Thomas McKeever, Maurice “Bud” O’Connor Memorial Award and the Archbishop McNicholas Award; Anne Marie Dadosky and Rachel Marie Stines, the Saint Julie Billiart Award.

Logan Bush.

Margaret Fisk and Reece Jackson.

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Olivia Adams, left, and Addy Smythe.

L to R: Monica Saba, Madeline Amend and Sophia Ortiz.

Senyan “Charlotte” Luo, left, and Lucia Grandison.

Joshua Rademacher gets help with his boutonniere from Upper School Physics teacher Amy Girkin.

Denisha Herring.

The Summit’s Board of Trustees members applaud the graduating class.

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The Lifers

Eighteen students in the Class of 2016 were lifelong students at The Summit.

L to R, front row: Mary Clare Mathile, Soyanne Elizabeth Mosbacher, Elena Marie Montag, Sara Jon Bissantz, Monica Regina Baluyot Saba, Madeline May Amend and Tiernan Rebecca Nelson.

Row 2: Caroline Walshe Kranz, Sydney Claire Beckmeyer, Alexis Marie Hogya, Cecilia English Donovan, Helena Jules March, Sophia Marie Ortiz, Allison Margaret Haussler and Joanna Catherine Hutchins.

Back row: Joshua Daniel Rademacher, Avery Justin Browning Coates and Henry R. Seltman.

16 16 AnnualChaplain ReportPhil 2015 - 16celebrates Mass with the 2016 graduates and their families, concluding The Summit’s year-long 125th Summit Seher anniversary year celebration.

National Recognition National Merit finalists: Dustin Argo, Lillian Lu, Jack Meyer, Elena Montag, Tony Ortiz and David Temming National Merit Commended Students: Maddie Amend, Jared Bulla, Elizabeth Farrell, Lucia Grandison, Katie Guarasci, Alexis Hogya, Jodie Hutchins, Madelyn LaBar, Anna Lang, Soyanne Mosbacher, Olivia Northrop and Lucy Schroder.

L to R: Decked out in their robes waiting for the ceremony to begin are Upper School faculty members Catherine Flesch, Stephanie Duggan, Greg Dennis, Alice Brannon ‘85 and Karen Suder.

National Hispanic Scholars: Elena Montag, Tony Ortiz, Soyanne Mosbacher, Anna Lang, Olivia Northrop and Sophia Ortiz U.S. Presidential Scholars Semifinalist: Lillian Lu

Handing out diplomas as The Summit’s Board Chair Stuart Seltman gives his graduating son, Henry, a hug.

L to R: Yi Nuo “Jenny” Zhang, Madeleine Stevenson and Janel Bond.

17 Summit Magazine 17 Cynthia Ann Moore Rieke and Rachel Marie Stines.

National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Addy Smythe, Xavier University, soccer Sydney Beckmeyer, James Madison University, lacrosse Caroline Kranz, Syracuse University, rowing Gracie Kunkel, Morehead State University, soccer Charlie Maciejewski, Bowling Green State University, soccer Brendan Jones, Marshall University, soccer Division II Davionne Laney, Seton Hill University, football NAIA Rielly Dowling, University of Rio Grande, soccer Nathan Melson.

L to R: Elizabeth Guarasci, Lucy Schroder, Madison Rohrig, Allison Kinross and Sabrina Jemail.

Katie Byrne and Charlie Maciejewski.

18 Davi Laney’s family joined him in the circle in front of the school after 18 Annual Report 2015 - 16 graduation.

Sunanda Tamrakar.

The Graduates 2016 Graduating Class As they appeared formally in their tuxedos and gowns for graduation, we present the Class of 2016 with the formal names they requested on their diplomas: L to R, front row: Olivia Ann Adams, Addison Marie Smythe, Morgan Leigh Evans, Elena Marie Montag, Sara Jon Bissantz, Taylor Anne Ayer, Monica Regina Baluyot Saba, Madeline May Amend, Kathryn Margaret Byrne, Tiernan Rebecca Nelson and Nathalie Veronique Plum.

Row 2: Haley Elizabeth Bosse, Anna Montserrat Lang, Ana Mercedes Nieto, Madison Rohrig, Lucy Schroder, *Shabnam Fayyaz, Jordan Jones, Allison Kinross, Mary Keegan Berger, Sophia Marie Ortiz, Soyanne Elizabeth Mosbacher and Senyan Luo. Row 3: Avery Justin Browning Coates, Calvin Lewis Spanbauer, Cynthia Ann Moore Rieke, Madelyn Marie LaBar, Madeleine Paxton Shelton, Lillian Meng Lu, Joanna Catherine Hutchins, Sabrina Assunta Rita Jemail, Allison Margaret Haussler, Elizabeth Kathleen Guarasci, Rachel Marie Stines, Mary Clare Mathile, Reece Edward Jackson and Logan Riley Bush.

Row 4: Jared Thomas Hochwalt, Lirui Xiong, Olivia Hope Northrop, Elizabeth June Farrell, Anna Elizabeth Long, Lucia Gabrielle Grandison, Sunanda Tamrakar, Yi Nuo Zhang, Laura Herfel, Margaret Rae Taylor, Anne Marie Dadosky, John Edward Merritt IV and Jonathan Crawford Hackett.

Row 5: Connor Lyle, Justin Michael Ayer, Cara Morgan Kirkpatrick, Yihuan Fang, Caroline Walshe Kranz, Gabriela Faith Gehner, Emily Judith Ray, Madeleine Claire Stevenson, Alexis Marie Hogya, Grace Kunkel, Sydney Claire Beckmeyer, Nathan Michael Melson and John Anderson Meyer.

Row 6: Davionne Valdez Laney, Connor John Shaw, Elisabeth Rosemarie Stanis, Janel Nicole Bond, Margaret Lucille Fisk, Denisha Danielle Herring, Cecilia English Donovan, Helena Jules March, Logan Bernhardt and Brendan Michael Jones.

Row 7: Xindi Zhou, Jared Thomas Bulla, William Dowling, Linhao Yang, Tenzing Bryce Mangat, Henry R. Seltman, Charles Joseph Maciejewski, James Brady Johnston, James Eastin Taylor McAlevey, Dustin Brent Argo, Antonio Roberto Ortiz and Luc O’Bryan Moser.

Row 8: August Schweitzer, Steven Vincent Craig Jr., William C. Mackey, Vaughn Allen McLean, David Joseph Temming, Jacob Martin Beardslee, Jackson Thomas McKeever and Joshua Daniel Rademacher. *Post-graduate student.

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Schilderink Family Faculty Chair for Distinguished Teaching Ceil Johnson: Becoming the Best Version of Herself

By Nancy Berlier When Ceil Johnson was a senior at Our Lady of Angels High School in St. Bernard, she told her dad she wanted to be a teacher. Bert Fister, a successful engineer with sons who became engineers and lawyers, was surprised. She recalls: “He was like, ‘Honey, why would you want to choose a profession like that? It’s so hard, and you won’t get recognized for your hard work.” She rationalized that her love of drawing, music and reading would make her a good teacher. So he told her: “Well then, if you are going to be a teacher, be the best one you can be.”

This year, Mrs. Johnson received the highest recognition that The Summit gives to educators, the Schilderink Family Faculty Chair for Distinguished Teaching. Colleagues and parents who nominated her describe her as a student-centered master teacher who is mindful of her own need for continuous growth. And dealing with first-graders here every day for three decades, they say she possesses “the patience of Job.” She has a visually stimulating classroom filled with hands-on materials and understands how movement and motor skills impact neurological development of 6- and 7-year-olds. She develops a relationship with each child. She sings silly songs to help them memorize facts and to just have fun. She sends parents videos that depict her joy-filled classroom.

She gives homework that involves parents – she says with a laugh “whether they want it or not” – and invites them to partner with her in their children’s education. She takes advantage of professional development opportunities every year. When no one is available to play piano at Mass, she does. On most Friday nights, you can find her with her family in the bleachers cheering for the Silver Knights.

“Her enthusiasm for teaching has never waned after 30 years here,” Head of School Rich Wilson says. “It would be difficult to calculate how many children’s lives she has touched in her tenure.”

Mrs. Johnson received her bachelor’s degree in education from Miami University and master’s degree in education, with a reading specialization, from Xavier University. She taught four years at a

local Catholic school before joining The Summit in 1986. Her daughter, Erin, is in seventh grade. She is also a mom to Bridgid Thelen ’12, whom she raised after health issues led to the sudden and unexpected deaths of her parents within a month of each other.

Mrs. Johnson has adapted to the times. “The role of the classroom teacher has changed,” she says.

“Teachers used to be directors in their classrooms, telling students what they needed to learn. Now, teachers are facilitators who help children become independent learners.” Teaching children how to learn is a practice which improves memory, develops critical thinking skills and promotes a love of learning.

“My job is to make them excited about being here each day,” she says. “At the end of the day, I tell them why they need to come back tomorrow and what’s going to be great about tomorrow. I want them to reach inside themselves and realize everyone’s an artist, everyone’s a reader, everyone’s good at something, and they need to use those gifts and talents and get better. My job is to find the things they are struggling with, make those things easier and build confidence in them. My job is to find those things they are good at and show them even better ways to use those gifts and talents.”

Mrs. Johnson uses data to drive instruction. “You pretest. You post-test. And along the way you do quick assessments so you can say to a child, ‘You’ve got this, now move on to this,’ or ‘You need a little more work in this, come with me.’ The classroom is not 18 children listening to you. It is you listening to them and continually adjusting to what they need.”

At the annual Faculty-Staff Recognition Dinner, the Schilderink award came as a surprise to her. She recalls being asked to talk to Upper School students on the topic of The Summit’s five-pillar mission statement. “I said to them, ‘You’ve got great stuff here in your classrooms, but the greatest things you have are the teachers because they have such great passion for what they do.’” Reflecting on winning the award, Mrs. Johnson says: “Winning this award was a thrill for me. I was so proud and so honored because there’s so many here who are so deserving and there’s not many who have won it.”

Obviously, others think she is indeed Summit deserving.

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Leader of Character Award

Phyllis Lipovsky: Leading by Example and very approachable, understanding that while she loves the subject, it might not be the easiest for all of her students.

“Ms. Lipovsky has a genuine compassion for her students and a love for her subject area. She realizes that British literature is a tough subject and may not be particularly interesting to a lot of students, but she makes it fun and allows students to display their understanding of the material in different ways,” the parent says.

Outside of her classroom, Ms. Lipovsky is adviser for Key Club. While she routinely passes off the credit for successful fundraising activities to the hardworking club members, she is instrumental in motivating them and helping organize activities during her free time while earning the respect and admiration of teachers and students alike.

By Leah Fightmaster The type of teacher who leads by example is a true leader – someone who shows his or her students the best path by heading the march down it themselves.

Upper School English teacher Phyllis Lipovsky is one of those teachers. Students know what she wants from them because she shows them through her own actions. She works hard, treats others with respect and compassion, and she goes out of her way to make sure her students are successful. The Leader of Character Award characterizes the recipient as someone who embodies the 13 traits of the signature Character Education Program and is a model to everyone around them of what those traits should look like.

One parent of a student in Ms. Lipovsky’s class said that while her son has had some learning difficulties, she has gone out of her way to work with him to ensure he understands the material and is able to succeed. That has made all the difference in his improvement and has provided him more confidence in his academic skills. In addition to her dedication, the parent added that she is also an adept communicator 22 22 Annual Report 2015 - 16

Upper School English teacher Alice Brannon says that Ms. Lipovsky unifies the school because everyone – from the students to teachers to office workers – are engaged in their efforts to fundraise for charitable organizations while providing an excellent leadership development opportunity for club members.

“Phyllis is intelligent, honest and kind,” Mrs. Brannon says. “She loves her family dearly and extends this care to her students and fellow teachers. I am proud to call her my colleague and my friend.”

That dedication to her work is evident to her students as well. Nathalie Plum, a 2016 graduate who worked closely with Ms. Lipovsky both as a teacher and leader within Key Club, says she taught her how to be precise and thoughtful in all aspects of her life.

“Ms. Lipovsky has had a vast and incredible impact on my life as a student, Key Club member and person. I would often arrive early to Friday morning Key Club meetings and we would sit and talk. It was during these talks that I came to appreciate her sense of humor,” Nathalie says. “It was during Key Club that she helped me cultivate my leadership skills, especially since she called on me if she was forgetting any topics in the meeting. She certainly has been a positive influence on my life and I am very grateful to have been her student.”

Summit Way Awards

Jen McGrath: Jill of all Trades When Head of School Rich Wilson announced this year’s Summit Way Awards, he called Schott Middle School Administrative Assistant Jen McGrath a “Jill of all trades.

If she doesn’t know how to do something, there’s a good chance she’ll learn and be great at it anyway.”

Many of Mrs. McGrath’s ideas end up making a big impact at The Summit. As a Summit mom, she thought that an electronic payment system for school lunches would be easier to manage for the school and parents. The 2016-17 school year will see the implementation of such a program.

“Jen is very conscientious in her work. She is always more than happy to support students, faculty members and parents alike,” Mike Johnson, Middle School director, says. “Often in the Middle School office you hear reference to ‘Momma Jen,’ a nickname she was given when she was the football team mom.”

Outside of her job in the office, Mrs. McGrath offers help to several other departments with tasks that fit in her multi-talented wheelhouse. She helps keep everything running smoothly. The students love her because she looks out for them like their mothers, and her co-workers love her because she’s a friend to all. She strives for excellence in everything with the happiest of attitudes, and truly shows those around her the Summit Way by example.

“Her greatest ‘professional’ skill is organization and communication,” Mr. Johnson says. “Because of this, there are always people seeking her support for a variety of different projects. While she is realistic in her ability to juggle a variety of things, she is also quite reflective, ensuring that what she does, she does really well.”

Antoine Hicks: Sharing the Joy Rarely seen without a smile on his face and an enthusiastic greeting of “What’s up?” for all, students of all ages can’t wait to see him during their school day.

He’s well known for jumping in the air with them for a “high five.”

Mr. Hicks works in Dining Services, but he can be found moonlighting in maintenance or as a stand-in referee. Mostly, it’s because he’s willing to do anything for anyone. No person is exempt from his giant smile, which he shares with everyone he meets throughout his day at The Summit.

“Antoine is loved by all. He always has a smile on his face no matter the task ahead of him each day,” Dining Services Manager MaLissa Geers ’76 says.

Mr. Hicks does not just share his joy with those around him. He pays attention. He cares. He shows genuine interest in how a person’s day is going and what is happening in their life. Like many, he can’t resist the lure of a nice day with gorgeous weather. He’s been known to take a moment to play with the Middle School students on the playground and slip outside on Field Day to join the activities. It’s possible that Mr. Hicks gets along so well with the students around him because his face isn’t the only youthful part of him – he is young at heart, too.

“The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur remind us that school should be a joyful place. The children need to feel that we care about them and we are thrilled that each one is here,” Mr. Wilson says. “Antoine lives these values every day. That’s The Summit Way.” --By Leah Fightmaster

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‘Children are human beings to whom respect is due, superior to us by reason of their innocence and of the greater possibilities of their future.’

– Maria Montessori

24 24 Annual Report 2015 - 16

Phyllis Schueler: Defining Montessori

By Nancy Berlier Phyllis Schueler has had a profound respect for each child in her care. She believes every child has the unlimited potential to learn, and children learn best in a prepared environment with well-educated teachers who understand how their brains process information in order to learn.

Retiring after 45 years at The Summit, we can thank Mrs. Schueler for defining the modern Montessori Program at The Summit. Although she is quick to give credit to her faculty, she directed the program during a time of unprecedented growth. During her tenure, the Montessori grew to record enrollment.

The Summit is the only independent school in the area offering full Montessori preschool experience and one of only a few that offer a Montessori program for 2-year-olds.

“She built a world-class Montessori program that serves as the standard of excellence in Cincinnati,” Head of School Rich Wilson says. “I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to learn from her and work with her. She is leaving an indelible mark on The Summit.”

Under her direction, the Early Enrichment began and Advanced Enrichment was refined. Both programs present an academically strong curriculum in science, culture, geography and fine arts through thematic units of study. She incorporated World Language complete with introductions to French and Spanish to toddlers. She started the Toddler Program for 2-yearolds. She revamped the Orff-Schulwerk early music education program, which helps develop areas of the brain involved in language, reasoning and problemsolving.

She added the teaching of “kindness” in the curriculum through the Character Education Program.

She added Bible Stories to address the spiritual pillar in The Summit’s mission. She fostered an opendoor policy to give parents access to all aspects of their children’s education. Her imprint is on the architecture and interior design of the Lower School.

We can thank her for the transoms and side windows around the doors and large picture windows in every classroom. She made sure classrooms, lighting and materials optimized Montessori methodology.

Mrs. Schueler grew up in Hyde Park and went to St. Mary’s High School. She received her bachelor’s degree from Edgecliff College and was working as a counselor and home economics teacher at McNicholas High School when she enrolled her oldest son, Steven, in The Summit’s Montessori Program. Falling in love with the program, she went to Xavier University where she earned her Montessori certification and master’s degree. There, she trained under Hilda Rothschild, who herself had been trained directly by Maria Montessori. In 1971, Mrs. Schueler joined The Summit faculty and was promoted to director in 1989. Her legacy at The Summit extends to her own family. Her son Steve graduated from the Boys Middle School in 1980 and Todd from the Upper School in 1996. Daughter Tara’s twins are current students.

Perhaps it was the Hilda Rothschild tutelage, being only one generation removed from Maria Montessori, that made Mrs. Schueler such a stalwart guardian of the Montessori philosophy. She made sure there is a wealth of sensorial learning materials in The Summit’s classrooms and that the materials are “authentic.”

But the most important aspect of The Summit’s Montessori are the well-educated teachers who have master’s degrees and/or Montessori certification.

Mary Humpert, The Summit’s longest-standing Montessori teacher, also studied with Hilda Rothschild and understands the impact that relationship had on Mrs. Schueler. “Phyllis worked hard to maintain the integrity of our Montessori program,” she says. “We have a team of teachers who totally support that ideal, to make our program as authentic as it can be.”

In choosing a successor, The Summit launched a nationwide search but Montessori teacher Kathy Scott’s teaching expertise, administrative and professional development experience, leadership and knowledge put her ahead of the other candidates.

“Kathy believes in the infinite potential of each child to learn,” Mrs. Schueler says. “That is Montessori.”

The Montessori community gathered at a goingaway picnic hosted for her at the end of the school year where she was presented with a scrapbook full of their memories of her. To the last day, she modeled respect and kindness for the children in her care, Mrs. Humpert says. “Every child was a priority to her. The day she retired, she came into my room and lit up when she saw the children. She has a great 25 Summit Magazine 25 heart.”

‘Everyone tries to define this thing called character. It’s not hard. Character is doing what’s right when nobody’s looking.’

– Unknown 2626 Annual Report 2015 - 16

Helen Clark: Grace and Wisdom

By Nancy Berlier Kindness. Caring. Respect. Fairness. Responsibility.

Courage. Perseverance. Accountability. Justice.

Patience. Humility. Compassion. Gratitude.

These 13 traits, which are embedded in The Summit’s curriculum, could also describe Helen Clark, the retiring Lower School director who rewrote the school’s Character Education program in 2012.

“Any school can say they teach character education, but the unique way we form character in our children – by intentionally teaching an age-appropriate trait at each grade level – sets us apart from other schools,” Head of School Rich Wilson says. “Helen’s execution of the revised character program was flawless and delighted parents because of its clarity of explanation and the results they see in their children.”

Mrs. Clark’s legacy also includes the articulation of the Social Skills Program, Conceptual Math Program, Five Star Reading Program, “It’s a Zoo” fourth grade research capstone, professional development and the creation of a professional learning community. Her long career as a Lower School teacher prior to becoming a director had a profound effect on the lives of countless children.

Growing up in New York, Mrs. Clark received her bachelor’s degree in communication arts from Marymount Manhattan College. Arriving in Cincinnati, she first enrolled her daughter in a large public school, but she had an awakening when the child was in third grade. “She came home one day so excited because she had finished her homework in the morning and had spent the afternoon helping the art teacher clean her closet. On this same day, testing results arrived to show that her IQ was off the charts high and she would be the only child going into the gifted program the next year. I cried and then I started looking at private schools.” She enrolled her daughter at The Summit.

Six years later, she joined the faculty. She earned her master’s degree in elementary education from Xavier University. She was named director in 2011. Both her children, Steve ’94 and Karen Blake ’90, are alumni.

“They left, I stayed,” she said at the end of her 29 years.

In 2007, Mrs. Clark was the recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities grant to study critical thinking skills for children. In June of 2009, she received the Schilderink Family Faculty Chair for Distinguished

Teaching. As a teacher, Mrs. Clark was known for her ability to understand what made kids tick. With her expertise in differentiated instruction, she could tailor her lesson plans to fit each child’s interests, abilities and learning styles. “The idea that education could be onesize-fits-all is just not reasonable,” she says. “Children are in different places academically.”

As a director, she inaugurated testing of children three times a year in math, so that individual student needs could be addressed and their growth could be charted in comparison to national norms. The Character Education and Social Skills programs she developed were designed to serve The Summit’s mission, to challenge children to become aim high academically while developing good judgment and ethics so they can be effective in making the world a better place. Noted character education educator and author Thomas Lickona, whose work inspired the school’s program, called this teaching children to be “smart” and “good.”

Mrs. Clark also articulated how the Lower School teaches math and reading, creating Summit Signature programs. And she facilitated teachers in turning a fourth grade science project into a cross-curricular capstone that includes zoology, art, research writing and computer technology. For the teachers, she was an advocate of professional development. “Individual teachers have taken classes in professional learning communities for the past five years,” she says. With regular meetings by grade level, teachers embrace the learning community mentality and collaborate with each other. “I really do believe our program has evolved to the place where we are doing everything well,” she says. “If you go on YouTube and you listen to what experts say education should be, it is what Lower School offers. It really is where we are.”

Mrs. Clark leaves the Lower School in the hands of Dr. Kendra Thornton, who served as Lower School guidance counselor since 2009 and received her doctorate from Johns Hopkins University this past summer with specialization in “mind, brain and teaching.” Among the many tributes that were given to Mrs. Clark in a memory album, this one from Middle School Director Mike Johnson thanked her for making present to the rest of us the charism of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. “I was struck with the depth of her knowledge and her insight into a broad range of topics. In reflecting upon that experience, and my subsequent work with Helen, I have come to realize that she embodies the grace and wisdom which The Summit seeks to cultivate in every student, faculty and staff member.”

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‘Every great dream begins with a dreamer.

Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.’

– Harriet Tubman 2828 Annual Report 2015 - 16

Ken Uckotter: The Dreamer

By Nancy Berlier Ken Uckotter describes his years at The Summit as being in the vortex of rapid change. “It sounds like a long time to say I’ve been here 38 years, but the years have blurred with all the initiatives that have been set into motion and the speed with which we have changed,” he says. “There’s always been something new coming around the corner.”

Mr. Uckotter has played a key role in every major change at The Summit since the school transitioned from ownership of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur to an independent board of trustees. His history, in many ways, is the modern history of the school. “Ken was one of the dreamers who re-envisioned the high standards for what The Summit would become,” Head of School Rich Wilson says. “His ideas propelled continuous innovation in the technology, professional development and curriculum that shaped The Summit over the past four decades.”

Mr. Uckotter grew up in Northern Kentucky and graduated from Covington Catholic High School.

Joining the Marianist order of the Catholic Church, he earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Dayton and was assigned to teach math at a Cleveland high school. The social turbulence of the 1960s challenged Mr. Uckotter’s thinking about innovation in education as he earned his master’s degree from Case Western Reserve University.

After eight years in Cleveland, Mr. Uckotter was named vice principal of Dayton’s Chaminade Julienne High School, jointly operated by the Marianists and the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur who then owned The Summit. Mr. Uckotter left the order and accepted a position as The Summit’s Upper School principal in 1978-79. In November 1978, he married Diane Hannah, a teacher he had met in Cleveland.

The Summit was on the cusp of great change. Social metamorphosis provided more opportunities for women, resulting in fewer becoming nuns. With their numbers dwindling, the sisters turned the school over to an independent board of trustees during Mr. Uckotter’s second year. “We wanted to grow enrollment, because growing enrollment was going to be important to the growth of our school,” he recalls. “We wanted to continue to cast this school as a Catholic school but with the added dimension of being an independent school.” The Summit joined the

National Association of Independent Schools and the Independent Schools Association of the Central States.

Leadership aimed to develop a best-in-class learning environment. With that came the need to ride wave after wave of rapid technological innovations. It was Mr. Uckotter who purchased The Summit’s first computers. Mr. Uckotter’s secretary was typing, and retyping, student schedules on an electric typewriter.

“I knew there was a better way,” Mr. Uckotter says.

He purchased two Apple+ computers – each with 48K memory and storage on 5.25-inch floppy disks – seemingly amazing at the time. He wrote programs which cross-referenced Upper School students and class times. Printing the results on continuous-feed printers using carbon paper took hours, but the computer age at The Summit dawned in the 1980-81 school year.

In the ensuing years, the school invested continuously in innovative technologies. Mr. Uckotter became a presenter at national conferences and hosted regional computer users. After 11 years as Upper School principal, Mr. Uckotter was named director of studies, which later became director of technology and curriculum. Mr. Uckotter was a key planner in major construction projects – Flannery Gym and Kyte Theater in 1984, Schott Middle School in 1996, the Lower School in 2004 and the east wing addition to the Upper School and science lab renovations in 2015. He championed professional development for teachers.

More recently, Mr. Uckotter was the architect of a $1.5 million investment in technology infrastructure that has positioned The Summit as one of the most technologically advanced schools in southwest Ohio. In preparation for his retirement, Dr. Kirstin McEachern was named curriculum director a year ago.

Holly Northern, a 16-year veteran of the Technology Department, is replacing Mr. Uckotter as director. Along the way, Mr. and Mrs. Uckotter raised three Summit lifers: Margaret Lebahn ‘99, Karen Montgomery ‘04 and Theresa Uckotter ‘01. Although Mrs. Uckotter had already retired as a teacher, she retired this year as chapel sacristan.

Among the many tributes that were given to Mr. Uckotter in a memory album, this one from fellow retiree Helen Clark, summarized Mr. Uckotter’s impact: “You truly are one of the primary colors in the tapestry of our story. It makes me smile to appreciate how ahead of your time you have always been. From your first days as director of technology, you understood how technology would forever change education…

Having you on The Summit’s team has been a blessing to our school.”

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Retirees celebrated at the Faculty-Staff Recognition Dinner included, from left, Phyllis Schueler, Noreen Petry, Maureen Habig, Ed Escudero, Ken Uckotter, Diane Uckotter, Lois Johnson, Helen Clark and Barb Bolander. Not pictured: Deb Toth, Karen Wagner and Ying Zhao.

Appreciation for Retirees As The Summit ended its 125th anniversary year, several members of the faculty and staff decided to begin new chapters in their own lives. Head of School Rich Wilson recognized retirees at the FacultyStaff Recognition Dinner in June.

from finding an obscure piece of equipment to maintaining the attention of Montessori students with a science demo.”

Ed Escudero, 29 years. Upper School chemistry and materials science teacher and bowling coach. Mr. Escudero was introduced to The Summit through his wife, the former Mary Ann O’Donnell ’71. Her grandmother, Grace Dolle, graduated in 1901, and Ed and Mary Ann’s children – Jaime ’04, Mia ’06 and Marisa ’09, all lifers – represent the fourth generation to attend.

Karen Suder, Upper School science coordinator, recalled meeting him when interviewing in 2003.

He was covered in dirt because he was saving commemorative bricks before a renovation. She said she knew then that this was a man who truly loved The Summit. Mr. Escudero rarely missed recording home football games, and the coaches considered his video a secret weapon. He also organized the school’s first bowling teams and will continue to coach next year.

The former Marianist brother was a nationally recognized chemistry teacher when hired in 1987.

Under Mr. Escudero’s leadership, The Summit was one of the first Cincinnati schools to begin a materials science course. Mr. Wilson called Mr. Escudero the school’s go-to guy. “He graciously shared his time and talents with everyone,

Diane Uckotter, 27 years. Sacristan. Mrs. Uckotter always had the Chapel ready to go with fresh candles and pressed linens, making it “the most special place at The Summit,” Mr. Wilson said. Mrs. Uckotter previously retired as a teacher, yet she remained a presence at the school as a substitute and mother of Margaret ’99, Theresa ’01 and Karen ’04. Though

3030 Annual Report 2015 - 16

husband Ken, The Summit’s technology director, also retired this year, Mrs. Uckotter said she probably will continue to sub.

excited to find the perfect book for the avid readers who enjoyed visiting her in the library each day. She made the MS library a haven for all.

Debbie Toth, 26 years. Schott Middle School physical education teacher, field hockey and lacrosse coach.

Calling her a role model for the personalized approach The Summit wants to offer every child, Mr. Wilson described how she built relationships during warmup exercises. “It is during this time that she is actively listening to her students and engaging them in conversation,” he said. “It is important to encourage students to open up and speak about what is going on in their lives. She can then support the student feeling alone while also attending to the student who is just having a bad day.”

Barb Bolander, 18 years. Dining Hall aide. The first to flip on the kitchen lights, Mrs. Bolander helped feed stomachs so the teachers could feed minds. “I discovered that she is very observant,” Mr. Wilson said. “She noticed that I never passed up her chicken tetrazzini, so she would alert me a day ahead of time that it was on the menu. Many of us gained weight during the school year because of her great cooking.”

Noreen Petry, 25 years. Montessori teacher. In addition to greeting children each morning with her Irish wit, Mrs. Petry dedicated additional hours to After School Care, Summer Camp, Holiday Fun and Discovery and the overnight children’s lock-ins. When Montessori teacher Michele Kaegi became too ill with cancer to carry on, Mrs. Petry stepped up to prepare the classroom. “This extra effort was critical in creating an environment that set the children up for continued positive effort despite the absence of their beloved lead teacher,” Mr. Wilson said.

Maureen Habig, 7 years. Lower School educational assistant. Mrs. Habig led first graders through math and reading assignments. She also became known as the cafeteria rock star for her ability to keep the lunch line moving and remind her charges of proper etiquette.

Ying Zhao, 7 years. Middle School Chinese teacher.

This enthusiastic educator, also the mother of Thomas Quan ’15, transformed the program into a serious study of Chinese language and culture on par with the school’s French and Spanish courses.

– Kathy Schwartz

Lois Johnson, 25 years. Violin teacher. Summit students were lucky to learn both music and life lessons from a professional violinist. Post-retirement from The Summit, Mrs. Johnson will continue to perform with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO). While teaching, Mrs. Johnson rehearsed with the CSO four to six times a week and played two or three concerts a week. With her husband, she also raised daughter Olivia ’03, a lifer. “The great teachers are constantly practicing their craft,” Mr. Wilson said.

“She knows the importance of teaching personal discipline to children – that in order to be great, you have to work hard at it day and night.”

Karen Wagner, 20 years. Lower School librarian.

Karen Wagner had a passion for the written word that was evident in her enthusiasm as she worked with students in the Middle School over the years. She enjoyed teaching them how to write a bibliography, what the specifics of the structure of a book are, as well as how to navigate a library. She was always Head of School Rich Wilson presents retiring Montessori teacher Noreen Petry with the lamp 31 Summit Magazine 31 she chose as her retirement gift.

NEWSMAKERS

The U.S. Department of Education selected Lily Lu ’16 as a semifinalist in the Presidential Scholars competition. Lily is one of 689 semifinalists across the country and one of 23 in Ohio to advance to the final round of competition.

Logan Taylor ’17 took first place in a national equestrian event at the M&S/Team Barber ChildAdult Jumper Classic in Ocala, Fla. Riding her horse, Secretive, she defeated 63 other equestrians and their horses, finishing the course with zero faults and a jump-off time of 42.489 seconds. The first-place national title came with a $7,500 prize.

Violinist Katie Anne Headley ’17 competed with the Northern Kentucky Youth Sinfonia in Chicago against high schools from across the United States. Katie Anne and the Youth Sinfonia received a Gold Rating, the Adjudicator Award for groups with a score above 95 and Outstanding Ensemble Award, as well as the Maestro Award for a solo piano performance. She personally was nominated for the Ovation Award.

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Annual Report 2015 - 16

(L to R) Jack Meyer ’16, Wanyi “Sherry” Xiao ’18 and Hanchen “Jeffery” Huang ’19

Wanyi “Sherry” Xiao ’18 emerged as the top female student in the Ohio High School Mathematics Invitational Olympiad, hosted at Capital University in Columbus. Jack Meyer ’16 and Hanchen “Jeffery” Huang ’19 also finished in the top 100. The Olympiad brings together top math students who qualify through a regional test. Sherry was 15th overall in the individual competition and 13th overall in the ciphering competition. Her group took first in the team pressure competition. At day’s end, Sherry was 14th overall in the state and the No. 1 female.

Power of the Pen state competitors were, clockwise from top left: Tommy DiPaola ‘21, Melina Traiforos ‘21, Catherine Coldiron ‘20, Lucia Boadas ‘20, Payton Campbell ‘20 and Alisha Shabbir ‘21.

Melina Traiforos ’21 finished in the top 1 percent of the students who competed in the Ohio Power of the Pen competition at The College of Wooster. Melina made it to the final power round of competition with her story “The Last Good Day.” Also competing were Payton Campbell ’20 and Tommy DiPaola ’21 and Alisha Shabbir ’21.

Some 700 writers qualified for the state tournament.

Student Newsmakers

Upper School Social Studies teachers Dr. Tracy Law ’85 and Kelly Cronin, Jared Bulla ’16 and College Counseling Director Maureen Ferrell.

Jared Bulla ’16 achieved the Boy Scout rank of Eagle Scout after completing an 80-foot bridge over an excavated area at the Valley View Nature Preserve in Milford. The excavation, created during development along the Little Miami River, had left behind an island with no mode of traveling to it. Jared’s bridge, which is part of a larger environmental project for the preserve, provides access to the island if the excavated area becomes a wetland. After a year of planning and construction, it took 36 people 314.5 hours of work to complete it.

Nathalie Plum ’16 and Dr. Michael Pohl of the Silverton Kiwanis Club.

Nathalie Plum ’16 was awarded a $1,000 scholarship from the Kiwanis International Foundation to recognize her work in the school’s Key Club. During Nathalie’s four years, the club raised almost $20,000 for charity.

Model UN conference participants were, top row, left to right: Jared Bulla ’16, Shuyi “Christine” Jin ’17, Chang “Krystal” Gao ’17 and Zhuonan “George” Ruan ’17. Middle row: Jinghan “Hailey” Zhang ’17, Lily Lu ’16 and Caroline Karbowski ’18. Front row: Senyan “Charlotte” Luo ’16, Yunyi “Judy” Wang ’18 and Lilly Gieseke ’19. Not pictured: Reyyan Khan ’19, Hannah Fassler ’17, Amalia Nichifor ’17, Hope Thomson ’17 and Lillian Chow ’17.

Summit delegates to the Model United Nations competition at Miami University received awards for their work. Senior Lily Lu ’16 was named Outstanding Delegate. Zhuonan “George” Ruan ’17 won a verbal commendation and an honorable mention. Reyyan Khan ’19 received an Outstanding Delegate award. Verbal commendations were given to Jared Bulla ’16, Lilly Gieseke ’19, Jinghan “Hailey” Zhang ’17, Senyan “Charlotte” Luo ’16 and Caroline Karbowski ’18.

Schott Middle School Science teacher Michael DiPaola, Anna Claire Bristow ‘20 and Religion teacher Penny Herr.

Anna Claire Bristow ’20 received an Outstanding Student Award from the Hyde Park Neighborhood Council. The award goes to one student in each of the participating area schools on the basis of academics, character, leadership, community awareness and citizenship.

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Faculty Newsmakers Kendra Thornton, the new Lower School director, has been awarded a doctorate in education from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, with a specialization in Mind, Brain and Teaching. Her dissertation was titled “The Impact of Professional Development on Teacher Efficacy Specific to Strategies for Success with ADHD Students in Inclusive Private School Classrooms.”

Dr. Thornton received her master’s degree in community counseling from Xavier University and bachelor’s degree in political science/ pre-law from the University of Cincinnati. She served as the Lower School’s guidance counselor for K-4 students since 2009.

Nicaragua Mission Trip

A group of parents and students from The Summit worked with Sister Rebecca Trujillo SNDdeN in Matagalpa, Nicaragua on a mission trip from June 6 to 16 to work with “Familias Especiales de Santa Julia Billiart.”.

Middle School Director Mike Johnson, who had led students previously to Matagalpa, led this family mission as well. Familias Especiales provides support to Matagalpan families with disabled children with programs that include job training, parenting programs, home therapy and small business development. One of the greatest gifts of this trip, says Summit Chaplain Phil Seher, was the inclusion of Mike Johnson’s daughter, who has a hearing impairment, and Spanish teacher Yngrid Thurston’s daughter, who is visually impaired. Students and parents were able to work as volunteers for Familias Especiales and staged a “Fun Day” to celebrate their work.

The Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Women’s Sports Association honored Summit Athletic Director Greg Dennis with the Mary Jo Huismann Administrator of the Year Award. During Mr. Dennis’ tenure, the school has won 13 championship trophies, including state titles won by The Summit’s girls’ soccer team in 2015 and 2011 and the girls’ tennis singles championship earned in 2007

by Gabby Steele ‘09.

34

Annual Report 2015 - 16

A scene from Matagalpa, Nicaragua.

Annual mission trips reinforce the emphasis The Summit places on global citizenry.

Spanish teacher Yngrid Thurston with children in Matagalpa, Nicaragua.

Grace LaLonde ’20 pushes a Nicaraguan child in a swing on the Familias Especiales playground, which has been designed for children with various impairments.

Rachel Johnson ’17 uses a mirror shows a Nicaraguan youth how she looks with face paint.

Symposium Keynote to Address Early Childhood Parenting, Gender Early Childhood Education Symposium • 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5 The Summit Lower School • Free and open to the public. Continuing education units available for teachers.

• RSVPs requested but walk-ins welcome.

Register and learn about other presenters at www.summitcds.org symposium.

Dr. Leonard Sax, MD, Ph.D.

By Megan McGrath Dr. Leonard Sax, MD, Ph.D., a physician, psychologist and author, will deliver the keynote speech which is sponsored this year by Drs. Renee and Michael Kreeger.

The speech will focus on parenting, specifically on early childhood parenting, and will present a session on “Why Gender Matters in Early Education” at The Summit Country Day School’s Early Childhood Education Symposium on Nov. 5.

After completing his residency in family medicine in 1989, Dr. Sax opened a family practice where he treated adolescents and adults from 1990 to 2008.

In 2001, Dr. Sax began meeting with parents’ groups and visiting schools. Since then, he has toured more than 380 schools in multiple countries. He has also appeared on nationally syndicated broadcasts including the TODAY show and FOX News. Currently, he is continuing to speak to schools, while maintaining his role as a family physician in Pennsylvania.

Dr. Sax’s keynote presentation will center on his recent best-seller, The Collapse of Parenting, categorically around early childhood parenting. Throughout the past decade, the levels of obesity, depression and anxiety have risen among young people. In his book, Dr. Sax uses a compilation of data that he believes helps prove

that this escalation is a direct result of parents allowing their children to “run the show.” His book describes why children need parents to take control in order to be successful. During this program, Dr. Sax will discuss the ways in which parents can regain this control.

In an article published in The Wall Street Journal, Dr. Sax discusses how his research led him to the understanding that parents must emphasize the idea of respect during youth. He writes, “Require respectful behavior at all times. It’s OK to disagree. It’s never OK to be disrespectful.”

Dr. Sax will also present a session on “Why Gender Matters in Early Education,” the focus of his first book.

During his speech he will discuss the way in which he uses scientific data to uncover the ways in which boys and girls learn differently, and the best ways to assist them in excelling.

Helping children succeed, both at home and at school, is important to The Summit. This is the ninth year the school has hosted this free community-wide symposium.

To learn more about the Early Childhood Education Symposium and to register, go to www.summitcds.org/ symposium.

Summit Register Now: www.summitcds.org/symposium or call 513.871.4700 ext.Magazine 261

37 35

Rowers Caroline Kranz ’16, Maya Warren ’18, Alex Ragland ’19, Whitt Massey ’18 and Dane Franke ’17 gather before practice at the Cincinnati Junior Rowing Club. Not shown: Eighth grader Hans Huelsman, who was a novice coxswain last year.

Summit Rowers Make Splash at Regionals, Nationals

By Mike Dyer The amount of perseverance and dedication it takes to be successful in high school rowing is quite the rewarding experience.

Summit Country Day School graduate Caroline Kranz knew this first hand during her four years of participation.

Kranz was one of five student-athletes at The Summit to compete this spring with the Cincinnati Junior Rowing Club (CJRC). Other Summit rowers include Dane Franke ’17, Whitt Massey ’18, Alex Ragland ’19 and Maya Warren ’18.

The CJRC practices every day after school at the boathouse in Newport, Ky. Open to any high school 36

Annual Report 2015 - 16

student in the Cincinnati area, CJRC has separate boys’ and girls’ teams with about 125 rowers from area schools. Rowing includes competitive fall and spring seasons as well as a winter conditioning program. Greg Hull coaches the boys’ team and Andy Piepmeier is the girls’ coach.

“We are a club team, so we draw athletes from the entire Greater Cincinnati area,” Coach Piepmeier says, who is in his 15th year with CJRC and ninth as head girls’ coach. “We compete in sweep rowing (rowing with one oar) in boats that have four rowers and a coxswain and boats that have eight rowers and a coxswain. The rowers are selected into boats based on their skill level, regardless of school affiliation.”

Caroline, who signed to row at Division I Syracuse

University this fall, has been rowing since November of her freshman year. A Summit lifer, she played many other sports throughout her middle school years, such as soccer, lacrosse, basketball, tennis and swimming. She continued to swim in high school but rowing was extra special.

“I have put more dedication and effort into CJRC than anything else in my life,” Caroline says. “Practicing three hours a day, six days a week is the average amount of time per week.”

She has competed in regional and national regattas from Connecticut to Washington and from California to Florida. She earned a silver medal at the Summer Club Nationals in 2015.

This spring, at the U.S. Rowing Youth National Championship, hosted near Princeton, N.J., at Mercer Lake, Caroline was in the Varsity 8 boat which finished second in the country, earning

her a silver medal. Whitt Massey competed in the Men’s Youth Lightweight 8 boat, which finished fifth. Leading up to nationals, Caroline’s boat won the Midwest Regional Championship in Girls’ Varsity 8, and she was in the Second Varsity 4 boat which won that race. Alex and Maya competed in the Third Varsity 8 event and finished fourth. Both girls’ and boys’ squads won the team points trophy for the 16th consecutive year.

“I’m excited Caroline has the opportunity to compete at the Division I level,” Coach Piepmeier says. “She is one of the hardest workers on our team and leads the others with her example. She was voted to be one of our two team captains. I deeply respect the energy and competitiveness she brings to practice every

Whitt Massey ’18, second from left, participated in the Sarasota Invitational in 2016 in Sarasota Springs, NY.

Summit Magazine 37

day. I think she will be an asset to Syracuse and continue to lead with her work ethic.”

Entering her senior season this past spring, Caroline hadn’t taken a vacation, but the time and effort was all well worth the energy. “There are so many sacrifices you have to make in order to be a successful rower, but the feeling you get at the start of the race, and hearing the words ‘Attention, Row’ makes it all worth it,” she says.

Teammate Alex echoes that sentiment. She started in the eighth grade with intense winter conditioning. A lot of time was spent on rowing machines. “It’s brutal,” Alex says. “But once I got on the water for the first time, I fell completely in love with rowing.”

Alex Ragland ’19, left, and Maya Warren ’18, right, row in the same boat at the Sarasota Invitational.

3838 Annual Report 2015 - 16

Alex says she enjoys the team chemistry and doesn’t want to let down her teammates. “We are all pulling for each other,” she says.

While other sports may postpone due to rainy spring, that is clearly not the case for the rowing competitions. The team rows in heavy rain, high winds, and it doesn’t matter if it’s 30 degrees or 90 degrees outside.

“All of our athletes are committed individuals who enjoy the physical challenges that come with the competitive intensity of our practices,” Coach Piepmeier says. The rowers certainly embrace that challenge.

“Sometimes I come home and I’m covered head-to-toe in mud,” Alex says. “It’s so awful, it’s awesome.” She has been able to compete in Columbus, Indianapolis, Oak Ridge, Tenn.,

Chattanooga and Saratoga, N.Y. She says the rowers’ hands are often covered in blisters, and they are told to stay away from junk food. Strict rules about partying are also in place, but that’s ironic because the rowers are often too tired after a practice or competition. “Basically, during the week, my typical day is: School, practice, homework, bed. Repeat,” she says.

The social aspect within the team has really been a benefit, according to teammate Maya. “The whole team experience for me has been serious and competitive, but also mixed in with fun and a lot of opportunity for making friends,” she says.

“I probably enjoy mostly the friends I have made above everything on the team.”

Alex enjoys the downtime on the bus rides and the ability to joke with her teammates. “Of course, regattas are even more fun when we are the winners,” she says.

Mike Dyer covers high school sports for WCPO.

Dane Franke ’17 competes on a rowing machine called an “erb” in the winter Indoor Crash at Notre Dame Academy in Northern Kentucky.

Caroline Kranz ’16, center, gets a break from a race at the Sarasota Invitational.

39 Summit Magazine 39

Honor In Action

Summit Sports By the Numbers: Athletic Year in Review 2015--– 2016

By Sarah Cooney Student athletes were aiming higher during The Summit’s 125th anniversary year. Two teams won state championships – girls soccer and boys soccer. Also reaching state level competition were the girls’ and boys’ lacrosse teams, girls’ and boys’ tennis doubles pairs, a boys’ track relay team and four individuals in swimming, diving and cross country. Here is a look at the year in athletics by the numbers:

1 Coach named National Coach of the Year 1 Coach named State Coach of the Year 1 Athlete was named District Player of the Year 1 Athlete was named AP District Player of the Year 1 Athlete was named State Player of the Year 1 Team was district runner-up 1 Team was regional runner-up 2 Coaches named Regional Coach of the Year 2 Teams won State Championships 2 Athletes named All-Americans and Academic All-Americans 4 Teams won regional championships 6 Teams qualified for the state round of competition 6 Teams won district championships 7 Coaches named Miami Valley Conference (MVC)

Coaches of the Year 8 Athletes signed with Division I and II schools 9 Teams were MVC champions 9 Athletes were awarded MVC Players/Runners/Pitcher

of the Year 10 Athletes named to all-Ohio first and second teams 12 Individuals qualified for state competition 20 Student-athletes named to All-Academic teams 40 Athletes were awarded all-district honors 107 Athletes were named to all-league team honors

4040 Annual Report 2015 - 16

Members of the boys’ track state relay team were, from left, Beau Poston ‘17, Conrad Coldiron ‘18, Tullus Dean ‘17 and Scott Kinross ‘18.

Doubles tennis team Calvin Spanbauer ’16 and Jared Hochwalt ’16 made it to the state tournament quarterfinals.

Lacrosse All-American Sydney Beckmeyer ’16 at a home game.

41 The girls’ lacrosse team advanced to the semifinals of the state 41 Summit Magazine tournament.

Led by MVC and Enquirer Girls’ Coach of the Year, Kim Horning, the girls’ track and field team pose with their district championship trophy. L to R, front row: Allison Kinross ’16, Annie DeRoussel ‘19, Julia Dean ’19, Olivia Adams ’16, Jodie Hutchins ’16, Kerri Daniel ’17, Margo Dailey ’17.

L to R, back row, Shabnam Fayyaz ’16, Coach Kim Horning, Cara Kirkpatrick ‘16, Coach Rachel Buchenroth, Sydni Brooks ’18, Taylor Bulla ’17, Madelyn LaBar ‘16, Niah Woods ‘18 and Lauren Jones ’18.

Baseball players Logan Bernhardt ’16, left, and Will Edwards ‘17 display the AJ Cohen Memorial Tournament trophy.

42 42 Annual Report 2015 - 16

Logan Bush ’16 keeps his eye on the ball as a lacrosse defender.

The boys’ lacrosse team advanced to the semifinals of the state tournament.

2015 DIII STATE

IT COUNTRY DAY SCHO SUMM OL THE

Accolades for The Summit’s 2015 state champion girls’ and boys’ soccer teams continued all year. Team photos were unveiled in Flannery Gym on Feb. 16. Boys and girls received championship rings on May 5. Cincinnati’s new professional soccer team, FC Cincinnati, recognized the two teams at halftime on June 11. Four of the soccer players signed to Division I teams and one to an NAIA team. The girls’ and boys’ soccer teams are cheered by the thousands of fans attending the FC Cincinnati game on June 11.

As soon as the girls’ soccer state championship rings were opened, the girls began using their cellphones to post photos of them on social media.

Displaying their state championship rings, Charlie Maciejewski ’16 and Brendan Jones ’16, played on the 2012, 2013 and 2015 championship teams. Both signed43 43 Summitand Magazine with Division I schools: Charlie at Bowling Green State University Brendan at Marshall University.

Campus Day was a culminating event for The Summit’s 125th anniversary year. Several events were added to Campus Day as we welcomed our entire community of parents, new families, grandparents and alumni to visit and celebrate our heritage.

Head of School Rich Wilson gave special gifts to retiring directors Ken Uckotter, Helen Clark and Phyllis Schueler at the Mass. He also recognized Kelley Schiess, Assistant Head of School for Enrollment Management and Special Projects, and Communications Director Nancy Berlier for the leadership roles they played in the year-long anniversary celebration.

The Middle School presents “Winnie the Pooh” to the delight of a young audience from the Montessori and Lower Schools.

Upper School English teacher J. Patrick Kelly autographs copies of To Grow in Grace and Wisdom | The History of The Summit Country Day School. Three other new Summit books were also on display: The Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel: The Heart of The Summit by Dr. Tracy Law ‘ 85 Ph.D., the Lower School’s S is For Summit alphabet book and Kim Ashcraft’s The Relics of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel.

4444 Annual Report 2015 - 16

Bishop Joseph Binzer joins Summit Chaplain Phil Seher in our 19th Century chapel where the Upper School Camerata performed.

Ai Li Brown, Montessori and Lower School music teacher, demonstrates Orff music as she accompanies a student performance.

Lexie Dillon ’30 raises her arms during “Bear Went Over the Mountain,” a song in the Montessori’s Mothers’ Day Play. The Montessori performed a reprise on Campus Day.

The Schott Middle School’s Good News Puppet Company presents “How Good is the Good God: A Story of St. Julie.”

Sebastian Scharf, new to the toddler program, was literally looking up at the New Family Reception on Campus Day.

Ribbons adorn winning artwork at the Campus Day art show, which was juried by an independent judge.

45 Summit Magazine 45

In Memorium

as interns, whom she mentored and integrated into their classroom.

By Leah Fightmaster

“Michele believed in creating an environment where learning is irresistible and motivational, connecting with the child to develop a love of learning,” Head of School Rich Wilson says.

Michele Kaegi

Michele Kaegi set the standard.

Hundreds of children have passed through her classroom while in The Summit Country Day School’s Montessori Program. Throughout her time here, she taught multiple generations of Summit students. She began at The Summit in 1988, and some of her early students are now the parents. Wanting the same Montessori experience for their own children, they asked for Michele.

Michele died June 1 after a courageous year-long battle with cancer.

She was known for her inclusive classroom and complete lessons. When students entered the room, Michele greeted them respectfully, impressing that lesson on each child from the moment class began. Parents were encouraged to become part of the classroom by presenting short lessons, typically to share their knowledge and personal experiences of global customs, family backgrounds, job experiences and other subjects.

Michele’s classroom partner for many years was Noreen Petry, who retired at the end of last year. She describes their relationship as a team – Michele divided up their responsibilities in accordance with their strongest skills. She was a master of literacy, while Mrs. Petry’s background made her best suited to work with children on handwriting, geography and global lessons.

“Michele was more academic, while I liked the practical aspect of lessons. She could easily divvy up those responsibilities, which made for a better classroom,” Mrs. Petry says. “There was no ego involved with Michele. She just wanted things to work.”

And make it work she did. Their classroom was a go-to for the Admissions Office when parents came in for tours to demonstrate the Montessori Method and The Summit’s commitment to the authentic, whole child experience. If she promised to do something, she came through. Michele never stopped honing her craft – she was always bringing in new ideas, as well as new people 4646 Annual Report 2015 - 16

Teaching was natural to Michele. A mother to her four children – Zach ’09, Matt ’12, Lily ’15 and Grace ’19 – and wife to her husband Mark, she also spent much of her free time volunteering for Withamsville Church of Christ, which mirrored her strong Christian background and values.

“Michele’s life goal was to be a teacher. She embraced her job,” Mrs. Petry says. “She was a small person, but she could command a presence with her teaching.”

When Michele’s illness returned at the beginning of last school year, she knew. And once it became too much for her to handle, she knew she needed someone to take her place. Both she and Mrs. Petry insisted on trustee, alumna and parent Kathryn (Stahl) Harsh ‘84, who had once interned in her classroom.

Although she was out of the classroom, Mrs. Petry says the classroom ran the way Mrs. Kaegi wanted it, because they were still a team whether she was there physically or not.

It’s because of her emphasis on respect in the classroom and her values as a person that won her the Summit Way Award in 2011. She inspired her students with meaningful acts of kindness, politeness and empathy, traits that the Montessori focuses on in Summit’s Character Education program. Michele showed her students the Summit way through her own actions, and she is continuing to be honored posthumously with Cincy Magazine’s Outstanding Educator Award – a recognition she could only receive through nomination by parents.

A teacher’s teacher with a love of learning and a focus on character. That’s the kind of standard Michele set.

VISIT THE SUMMIT SAVE THE DATE

ADMISSION OPEN HOUSE DATES Parents, grandparents and alumni who are considering enrolling new students in The Summit are welcome to attend one of our upcoming preview events.

Thursday, Oct. 27 Montessori Preschool-Grade 8 Preview Day for Prospective Parents • 8:30 a.m. • Alumni Parlor Thursday, Nov. 10 Montessori Preschool-Grade 8 Preview Day for Prospective Parents • 8:30 a.m. • Alumni Parlor Thursday, Nov. 17 Upper School Open House • 6:30 to 9 p.m.

Various locations Thursday, Dec. 1 Montessori Interviews Prospective Students 8:30 a.m. • Montessori Library Tuesday, January 10 Montessori Interviews Prospective Students 8:30 a.m. • Montessori Library Thursday, February 9 Montessori Interviews Prospective Students 8:30 a.m. • Montessori Library Tuesday, March 7 Montessori Interviews Prospective Students 8:30 a.m. • Montessori Library Thursday, April 6 Montessori Interviews Prospective Students 8:30 a.m. • Montessori Library Tuesday, Jan. 31 Grades 1-8 Parent Preview Day for Prospective Parents 8:30 a.m. • Alumni Parlor Please RSVP for these events by calling (513) 871-4700 ext. 261 or email kistner_p@summitcds.org.

Recommend a Family to The Summit If you know a family who may be interested in The Summit, use this link to send us a referral. www.summitcds.org/recommendafamily

September 23 Homecoming and Reunion Weekend Cocktail Reception 6 to 8 p.m. All alumni are invited. Class years ending in “01” and “06” are encouraged to plan individual reunion gatherings on Saturday, Sept. 24 Saturday, Nov. 5 Early Childhood Education Symposium 8 a.m. Lower School Wednesday, Nov. 16 8:15 a.m. Legacy Photo. Alumni parents and grandparents of current students are invited to join the annual group legacy photo. Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel.

SUBMIT YOUR NEWS Please send us news about new degrees, new jobs, marriages, births and other notable passages in your life. Go to www.summitcds.org/submityournews JOIN THE BOOSTERS The Summit Boosters Association has helped build a strong tradition of athletic success by advancing The Summit’s mission through financial, volunteer activities, facility improvements and the K-6 sports program. For more information about the benefits of Booster membership, go to www.summitcds.org/boosters.

Summit Magazine 47

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION US POSTAGE PAID CINCINNATI, OH PERMIT #553

2161 Grandin Road Cincinnati, OH 45208 513.871.4700 www.summitcds.org

Address Service Requested Postal regulations require The Summit to pay at least 50 cents for every copy not deliverable as addressed. Please notify us of any changes of address.

Music and Movement Classes Birth to 24 months • Parent and child classes

New es Class g in m For !

Now

Music ignites all areas of child development. It helps the body and mind work together. Ignite your baby’s body and mind while experiencing music and movement activities together. Research in early childhood development supports the idea that early music education has lifelong benefits including language development, listening and memory skills, problem solving, coordination and self-expression. Activities in these classes are designed to stimulate your baby’s mind and body and can be replicated at home. In this special class aimed at the youngest musician, you and your child will strengthen your everlasting bond while exploring age-appropriate instruments, songs, stories, movement and dance.

Class Options All classes are parent and child classes. Parents can choose from ONE of the following three class meeting options. Classes will be held in The Summit Country Day School Lower School: Session I – Music and Minds • Fee: $215 Monday 8:30 - 9:15 a.m. - Sept. 12 - Dec. 12 Monday 9:30 - 10:15 a.m. - Sept. 12 - Dec. 12 Wednesday 9 - 9:45 a.m. - Sept. 14 - Dec. 14 Session II – Sing and Play • Fee: $215 Monday 8:30 - 9:15 a.m. - Jan. 9 - April 10 Monday 9:30 - 10:15 a.m. - Jan. 9 - April 10 Wednesday 9 - 9:45 a.m. - Jan. 11 - April 12 Session III – Let’s Play in May! • Fee: $90 Monday 8:30 - 9:15 a.m. - April 24 - May 22 Monday 9:30 - 10:15 a.m. - April 24 - May 22 Wednesday 9 - 9:45 a.m. - April 26 - May 24

Our program is led by Donna Dirksing Doran, elementary music specialist at The Summit.

• B.A. in Music Education and a M.M. in Music Education • Specialization in Orff-Schulwerk • Holds all three levels of certification in Orff-Schulwerk as well as Kindermusik training • Frequent presenter of workshops and clinics at the local, state and national levels • Former Education Director, Host and Assistant Manager for Linton Music’s Peanut Butter and Jam Sessions

Register www.summitcds.org/igknight Call (513) 871-4700 ext. 261. Class sizes are limited, so sign up today!