Seven Hills Spring 2018 Magazine

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N S I D E - PA G E EI 6

A WORLD IN TRANSITION Teaching the Languages of the Globe

Contents

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Spring 2018

Arts Center Rises

By Head of School Christopher P. Garten

A World in Transition, Teaching the Languages of the Globe

By Karla DeJean

School News School News - Sports School News - Arts Alumni News and Class Notes Upcoming Alumni Events

Front cover photo: A World in Transition, Teaching the Languages of the Globe.

Special thanks to Keith Neu for his sports photography.

Christopher P. Garten Head of School Margo Kirstein Director of Development

Chris Hedges Director of Marketing & Communications

Karla Dejean Writer & Project Manager, photographer

Sarah Ott Lautar ’05 Director of Alumni Engagement

Taylor Evans Communications Specialist, photographer Š 2018 The Seven Hills School

SEVEN HILLS CL ASS OF 2018 Our congratulations and very best wishes go with the members of the Class of 2018, who will be attending the following colleges and universities in the fall.

S E V E N

H I L L S

C L A S S

O F

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M A T R I C U L A T I O N

American University

Florida Gulf Coast University

Amherst College

Franklin & Marshall College

Belmont University

Georgetown College (Ky)

Bowdoin College

George Washington University

California Institute of the Arts

Harvard University

Case Western Reserve

Indiana University - 2

University Colby College College of Charleston College of Wooster Columbia University Davidson College Denison University Dickinson College Drexel University Duke University - 3 Emerson College

Lake Forest College Loyola University Chicago - 2 Miami University - 4 Michigan State University Muskingum University New York University Northwestern University Ohio State University - 8 Princeton University Purdue University Rensselaer Polytechnic

Emory University

Institute

Flordia State University

Rice University

L I S T

Rochester Institute of Technology - 3 Savannah College of Art

Vanderbilt University Wake Forest University

and Design - 2

Wellesley College

Southern Methodist

Wittenberg University

University

Worcester Polytechnic

Syracuse University - 3

Institute

Thomas More College - 2

Yale University - 2

Tufts University

Yeshiva University

Union College (NY)

Military Service Singapore

University of Arizona University of California, Berkeley University of Chicago - 2 University of Cincinnati - 6 University of Kentucky - 5 University of Michigan University of Texas - 2 University of Texas at Dallas University of Virginia

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Christopher P. Garten HEAD OF SCHOOL

ARTS CENTER RISES — A FORUM OF TALENT, INSPIRATION, AND COLLABORATION As I write, just outside the

lunchroom, half performance venue.

Young Family Library, four

Now, at last, we will have a gathering

huge bulldozers and backhoes

space and a performance venue that

are excavating the site of our

truly reflects the energy and creativity

new Center for Arts and Leadership. In a few short

of this community.

and productions each year.

The defining feature of our arts program is the extraordinary amount of creative freedom and artistic decision-making our teachers turn

weeks, after foundations are laid, the massive steel skeleton of this new facility will begin to rise into the sky.

This new facility is the culmination of nearly two decades of planning and three years of ardent fundraising and community support, and now we are finally ready to realize this longdeferred dream.

Our alumni will remember the Red Barn on the Hillsdale Campus as the performance venue for their youthful

Seven Hills has one of the most robust

over to their students. In performance

theatrical productions and Founders

performing arts programs in our region.

after performance, our students lead

Hall, which was built in 1958, as our

A talented and inspirational faculty

the way, making myriad interpretive

multipurpose cafetorium — half

guides the creative energies of the

choices, such as guiding scenes,

hundreds

creating costumes, designing lighting,

of students

performing solos or improvisations,

who

producing choreography or composing

perform in

original music, and even directing full

more than

productions.

two dozen concerts

This unique approach to the performing arts means not only that our students grow as artists, but that

4

they learn to assume the same adultlike responsibility that their future work lives will require. Their impassioned participation in the performing arts program builds confidence and self-awareness, but it also fosters organizational and collaborative skills that will be so important to their future

culture of Seven Hills. When the new

clearer vision of their own futures.

success. Finally, now, we will have a

auditorium comes online, we will build

We also see ourselves gathering,

state-of-the-art performance venue

out the weekly assembly programs to

much more frequently, to showcase

that supports this ambitious vision of

bring our students together.

student accomplishments in a host

how the arts can transform the lives of young people.

We see these regular gatherings as a chance to expose our students to

This new structure will be more than

artists and scientists, politicians and

just a performance venue. We see the

entrepreneurs, engaging adult role

new facility as an opportunity to sustain

models whose stimulating stories

and strengthen the uniquely inclusive

will inspire our students with a

of extracurricular areas. The new auditorium will feature academic competitions in current events or math applications or Certamen. It will house exhibitions of student work from the Innovation Lab or the culminating Shark Tank from the entrepreneurship class or political debates and Mock Trial competitions, giving our students a chance to display their unique talents and accomplishments for their peers.

This is, in short, a huge step forward for our community, and we are deeply grateful for the leadership and generosity of all of those who have made this possible.

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A WOR LD IN T RA NSI T ION TEA CHING THE LANGUA G ES OF THE GLOBE

By Karla Dejean

“

“The path of learning leads students to realize that the focus of their classes is no longer learning about the language, but using the language to learn about life.”

ANN GRIEP Seven Hills World Language Department Chair

InWe the a global lens. relevant more than ever in arespirit achinglyofclose to realizing this,They themake latest iteration arenas. of ourAnd, evolving dream Charlemagne’s that the languages that hold stories we of Seven observation Hills’ future...And when our work is done,

the United States, cantheallhistory take ofpride in what learning we another akinonly to for of social commerce, but for becoming bilingual, or even havelanguage built, isnot our awareness, current students, the generations having of a second soul, Seven Hills’ insights, entertainment, moving farther from young people who willmedical walk these halls long after we polylingual, have left isour mark. world language teachers encourage

technology, and human interest

being viewed as a charmed, well-

their students to experience and

across geographical and political

schooled exceptionality and closer

document life through 4 6

to necessity.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . e Bu

nos

días. . . .

children between the ages of 2

teachers are unleashing

and 19—a more pressing goal is

a level of learning that

for students to understand how to

greets the minds of

apply their language skills and learn

students as young as 2,

in greater depth about the culture

when it is told in song

and history of the regions in which

and verse, shifts to a

each language is spoken.

basic study of lesson in parts of speech and

"Recent labor statistics show

Using the three modes drafted

simple phrases in Lower

that the number of jobs aimed

by the National Standards

School, and expands into

at bilingual workers more than

Collaborative Board—interpersonal,

more complex cultural

doubled from 2010 to 2015,

interpretive, and presentational—

studies, travel, and

growing to 630,000,” said Marty

we offer a look at how Seven Hills

application in our Middle

Abbott, executive director of the

students are learning to listen,

and Upper schools.

American Council of Teachers

read, speak, and write in French,

of a Foreign Language (ACTFL),

Chinese, and Spanish, and read

Seven Hills language education

an individual membership

provides students with not only the

organization of more than 12,500

skills and insights to listen, speak,

language educators throughout

write, and read another language,

the country. “Some of the data is

but also how to be and live in that

really telling—90 percent of hiring

language and understand the world

managers are saying they have a

that comes along with it.

need for bilingual employees and 40 percent said they haven’t been able to find them.”

Here, language acquisition and write in Latin.

happens naturally, regularly, and

Through unique lesson

intentionally.

While the need to understand and

plans, impromptu activities,

speak another language is becoming

intercontinental travel, and voice-

an integral skill for Generation Z—

over IP phone technology, our

This is how it works …

Continued on page 8

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LISTENING & READING What our students hear and how they learn to interpret language

conflicts, and potholes. In other words, no concertinas, whimsical promenades, or clichéd bérets were allowed in this lesson.

Middle School teacher Madame Jacky Kalubi, a native French speaker from the capital city of Kinshasha, Congo, said true language acquisition begins when students are able to understand the breadth and depth of the language.

Like botanists, she wants her students to have a command of the roots and knowledge of the composition of the soil from which the language springs, not just the words and their meaning.

C K FAC I U

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It is also why Kalubi’s class this winter watched L’Ascension, an aspirational French-subtitled film about a man who sets out to climb Mt. Everest to prove to a woman he likes that he would do anything for her. More than the endearing storyline, however, Kalubi wanted her students to see France as a country—a real country of nearly 67 million people with socioeconomic ebbs and flows, immigration issues, public housing, ethnic and religious

Seven Hills offers trips on a rotating basis to five different countries, including China, France, Greece, Italy, and Spain.

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“There are so many different aspects of France and other Francophonic countries,” said Kalubi. “In some academic settings, students may often only learn one aspect, typically the chic one about Paris. I wanted to bring to light much more, such as the immigration issues in France and the diversity of its people. France is so much composed of the diversity of the population and most people who come to live in France come from other countries colonized by France.”

On a mid-February morning, Kalubi’s eighth-graders watched protagonist Samy, a young French man of Senegalese heritage, navigate a meandering path of societal pressures as the only climber in the movie of African descent.

“I want them to hear the language while reading the captions,” said Kalubi.

“Subtitles are so good for this because the students can hear the accents and inflections as they read the words, engaging sight and sound.”

Lower School students in Megan Hayes’ classroom not only hear fluent Spanish spoken in class, they hear it in the same way they learn English—via vivid storytelling, repetition, and pictures, something Hayes has been doing for years.

After watching a language teacher share a similar lesson during a professional development workshop at the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages conference last year, however, Hayes' lessons incorporate a more formalized storytelling method called story listening. Every day, Hayes relays her vibrant lessons to students in each grade level, telling a story of a lonely bear or an industrious beetle.

Each plot begins with a drawing at the left of the whiteboard and, gradually, in storyboard format, Hayes draws the tale in great detail, telling the plight of each character, while illustrating what she says in Spanish. Her facial expressions and the intonation of her

A WORLD IN TRANSITION

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Teaching the Languages of the Globe

voice are also tools. Regardless of their age, the students sit at rapt attention, many responding in Spanish, showing full comprehension. The lessons are fluid, colorful, dramatic, and fully engaging.

spelling and ask wonderful questions, which provoke an opportunity for further growth in the language.”

SPEAKING & WRITING How students send messages into the world

The email landed in world language department chair Ann Griep’s inbox in late February. Hamilton County “Using the story listening approach Coroner Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco had to teach Spanish appeals to students been interviewed extensively by a French because it is a highly visual and magazine reporter for her ongoing work supported language,” said Hayes. in the midst of the opioid crisis in Greater “Students engage because it is within Cincinnati, a region the context of a story, so embattled, it has but the teacher is able reached international to speak using rich ears. In it, Sammarco, a language to convey Seven Hills parent, was meaning. I truly believe A WORLD OF L ANGUAGES quoted for her expertise there is something in our • • • • • • in the eight-page hard-wiring, as human article. She didn’t speak Seven Hills students have several opportunities to begin formal beings and language or read French, but she language learning once they become sixth-graders. Here’s a speakers, that connects knew who could help. look at the paths our students take to gain competency, and us to stories.”

She asked Griep if her sometimes fluency, in one or more languages at Seven Hills: French students could Hayes continued, saying, • Age 2 through fifth grade – translate the entire “At first glance, students Students take Spanish lessons once or article so she could may look passive, merely twice a week in 25- and 35-minute read it. sitting and listening, Señora Megan Hayes acts out, draws, and narrates a lesson for her first-grade students, a technique called story listening. Use your smartphone QR Code scanner app to watch a portion of the lesson unfold.

AT SEVEN HILL S

but there is so much more going on. As students listen, they are drawn in and will often use their background knowledge to relate, make predictions, comparisons, and connections to the story. As time goes on, students start to notice nuances in grammar and

sessions.

•

•

Sixth grade – All sixth-graders are required to take a full year of Spanish, and most take one semester of French and one semester of Latin.

Seventh grade through 12th grade – Students have opportunities to take multiple course offerings in Chinese, French, Spanish, or Latin, including several AP and honors courses.

For the next few days, French language students in Griep and Upper School French teacher Wynne Curry’s classes marched diligently through passages of the article in pairs. Essentially, their classrooms became a well-oiled translation machine.

Continued on page 10

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A WORLD IN

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TRANSITION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Teaching the Languages of the Globe

m Co

ment

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the very region they are living in. They are seeing, firsthand, the need for and importance of having the command of a second language.”

Curry informed her students that the computer application Google Translate was not an option—it wasn’t a proper tool even if it were allowed—and encouraged them to talk out sentences. They mined for the most sophisticated level of meaning, retained the nuances, idioms, and vernacular in the original piece, and accurately translated their portions thoughtfully. The students presented Sammarco with the finished product about two weeks later.

“This is real world language communication,” said Curry, who quickly tasked her students with the higher-order assignment the day she became aware of the need.

“Our students are translating an important French article about

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While Curry and Griep used an extensive writing assignment in an impromptu request to help their students unlock the power of language, Middle and Upper School Latin teacher Katie Swinford plans a very structured wax tablet writing project to make the ancient world a tangible place for her students. The elaborate lesson incorporates a full sensory writing experience as students make wax tablets, transcribe lines from Vergil’s Aeneid onto them, practice reading Vergil’s poetry in meter, study the story of the Trojan War and the Aeneid, and, finally, translate excerpts from the work.

Though Latin is considered not to be a dynamic language of study, Swinford steps boldly over that assumption line with her students, a fact made even more evident in Seven Hills students’ success in Ohio Junior Classical League and Certamen. “In my classroom, the philosophy that underscores every lesson is that Latin was a language spoken by real people, who lived and breathed,” said Swinford. “My students learn as much culture and history as they do Latin with the hope that they use the language with an awareness of its cultural milieu.”

In 2017,

26 students —20 PERCENT OF THE SEVEN HILLS AP EX AM-TAKERS—TOOK

AN ADVANCED PL ACEMENT EXAM IN WORLD L ANGUAGE. AP STUDENTS MUST LEARN TO COMMUNICATE IN A NUMBER OF WAYS, INCLUDING INTERPRETING PRINT AND AUDIO PASSAGES; EXCHANGING EMAILS AND COMPOSITING PERSUASIVE ESSAYS; HOLDING SPONTANEOUS CONVERSATIONS; AND CREATING A CULTURAL COMPARISON DELIVERED AS A TWO-MINUTE ORAL PRESENTATION. WHILE AP STUDENTS MASTER THESE FORMS OF COMMUNICATION IN THEIR L ANGUAGE OF STUDY, THEY USE THE FOLLOWING SIX THEMES, WHICH SERVE AS THE FOUNDATION FOR THEIR ACTIVITIES: • GLOBAL CHALLENGES

• FA MILIES AND COMMUNITIES

• BEAUT Y AND AESTHETICS

• CONTEMPORARY LIFE

• PERSONAL AND PUBLIC IDENTITIES

• SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

In a much more present-day, pop-culture take, Doherty Unit III Spanish teacher John Krauss uses the magnetic draw of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to boost his students’ Spanish-speaking skills.

Equipped with a winning headshot of The Rock on the whiteboard in front of them, students whizzed through saying a number of Spanish phrases, with The Rock being the subject in sentences with two new verbs every week.

Once his students become familiar with each verb, they write it on an index card and add it to others held together with their own carabiner maintained by each student each week.

By the end of the school year, the students will have the command and use of dozens of new Spanish verbs that are documented in their handmade booklet.

For Krauss, the exercises are successful every time students are able to confidently say aloud a sentence they’ve

constructed. “The idea is to give them the command of speaking using high frequency words,” said Krauss in late February. “In any language, the top 200 words are about 90 percent of the daily conversation. When our students start knowing how to use these words, they move closer to real-world usage of the language.”

HABLA CONMIGO How holding conversations in another language is changing the way students learn A walk into Teresa Bardon’s Spanish IV class in late winter presented a lovely chaos. Pairs of students stood

or sat together, scattered throughout the room, discussing their favorite movies in a conversational tone. The students had just a few minutes to prepare their talking points. Their dialogue was natural and real. They made mistakes, stumbled over words, and even laughed when they couldn’t remember certain phrases.

And that is the beauty of it, said Bardon. The students are driven to communicate their thoughts about pop culture, and Spanish happens to be the way they have chosen to do it.

For the most part, that humor carries Use your smartphone to scan this QR Code and watch a video of Teresa Bardon’s Spanish language students discuss their favorite movies.

through their Spanish and, because the subject of their discussion is something they care about, the exchange is always relevant.

Continued on page 12

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SPEAKING WITH THE WORLD, • • •

FACE-TO-FACE

Modern technology facilitates so much of the speaking, listening, and other communicative components that are part of a language class. It brings our students face-to-face with the world.

– World language department chair Ann Griep

Technology has exponentially changed the way students learn languages. When phone technology like Skype video became a household communications tool in the late 2000s, the world for language educators zoomed in from zero to 60. Instead of waiting for an annual trip to Spain to have an opportunity to speak in person with a class of Spanish students, for example, teachers are able to invite students from around the world into their classrooms for a face-to-face learning relationship.

Technology also provides natural ways for students to practice pronunciation, spelling, and grammar. On a regular basis, Seven Hills students use the following apps: Q U I Z L E T – Students and teachers use this often for vocabulary reinforcement. When students are learning new vocabulary, they pair up and answer questions in a trivia game format.

K A H O O T – Teachers often use this for grammar review; it presents information in multiple-choice format.

G A R A G E B A N D – Students use this app to practice pronunciation, conversational speaking, and oral presentations.

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• • •

In 2012, ACTFL made significant changes to the focus of language acquisition, an alignment with a recent shift in the College Board Advanced Placement exam guidelines.

“There was no formally proscribed content prior to the 2012 AP overhaul.

Teachers were left to their own devices to determine what content to include in their teaching of the language,” said world language department chair Ann Griep.

In selecting six broadbased themes, strongly increasing the focus on real-world communicative tasks, and incorporating cultural competence into assessments in a more coherent way, the focus has shifted from learning language for language’s sake to using it to navigate and better understand the world.

The changes handed down from the College Board have spread into the pre-kindergarten through

爱好

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grade 12 language education arena.

Not only is speaking conversationally encouraged and required, the content must be relevant and pertinent to the speaker, in order for it to make a lasting impact on the way students view the value of language. Executive Director of ACTFL Marty Abbott said language acquisition works best when it has meaning, and conversations that answer real questions are key in the process.

“If you are having a conversation with someone and you can see them and you ask them what colors they are wearing, your mind will not process what is being said because you can see them and that is not a useful question,” said Abbott.

“But if you call someone on the phone and you ask them the same question,

their information is something you can use. It’s something you don’t know and you will focus on what is being said.”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A. WORLD . . . . . . . IN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

TRANSITION

Teaching the Languages of the Globe

The themes laid out by the College Board—global challenges, beauty and aesthetics, personal and public identities, families and communities, contemporary life, and science and technology—set the tone for the breadth and depth of what students of language should be comfortable discussing in detail. During their language AP exams, students have four minutes to gather their thoughts and take notes to speak fluently and continuously in an organized manner about the given presentational theme for two full minutes.

“Language learning should be about everything under the sun,” said Griep.

“By the time they get to more advanced levels of study, the focus of language class is no longer learning about the language but about using the language to learn about other things. Because that’s really how you use language.”

BEING Using language to learn about oneself, others’ lives, and a community’s culture Across divisions at Seven Hills, there is a consistency of thought among our world language teachers, that one must sit in a language, roll around in it, break it apart.

As Seven Hills students learn how to conjugate Latin verbs and tweet in French, they also are learning they carry a weight of responsibility that allows them to bridge worlds with the knowledge

of another language. At Seven Hills learning the culture and customs behind a language is not merely about tasting the food or spending eight days in its cities and provinces; it is about learning that France has a glaring public housing crisis or reading recipes in Spanish and then producing a vlog of yourself cooking the dish. It is about learning that daily life in China has a lot to do with the unpredictability of its weather.

In Mia Wu’s Upper School Chinese class, students learn to present a fluid, short speech in Chinese that explains to their classmates the oddities of weather events that inform the daily lifestyles of those who live primarily in northern China. In many cases, China’s rare climatic events often serve as a cultural divining rod; the country’s wealthy, said Wu, plan seasonal vacations to avoid unhealthy sandstorms,

while everyone else finds ways to live through it. For Wu, teaching her students such a fact is just as important as teaching Pinyin and traditional Chinese character writing. She knows it will help her students understand why learning another language is the carrier of the deeper meaning of things, not the endgame. And Wu herself applies her requirements of staying aware of current events to her own professional development.

“Every school year, I try to stay on top of teen culture in China by talking to our international students from China, who attend Seven Hills,” said Wu. “It’s one of the reasons why I think it is so important for my students to be aware of current events and the cultural issues in China.

Continued on page 14

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We also study and discuss airport travel in class before our trip to China because being able to understand the spoken

Chinese word and read the written characters is so important during travel.”

On Musica Miercoles, or Music Wednesdays, Middle School Spanish teacher Maggie Walker incorporates pop culture into her class, playing a chart topper in a Spanish-speaking country, while her students fill in vocabulary words they hear in the song’s lyrics on worksheets. Walker said the exercise pairs student learning with relatable pop lyrics and an engaging atmosphere.

“We’re incorporating learning about culture and listening skills,” said Walker.

“They’re reviewing vocabulary and working on their reading comprehension in a way that is comfortable and natural.”

Walker said her students enjoy the program because it also incorporates

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Muevas de Martes—Movement Tuesdays—and Juegos de Jueves— Game Thursdays.

In order to help her students understand the historical and cultural depth of late Republican and Imperial history, Upper School world language and English teacher Marcie Handler asked her Latin III honors students to choose a topic from that period of history and give brief presentations about an important historical figure or a particular battle. Handler then borrowed coin electrotypes, or replicas, from the collections of the Department of Classics at the University of Cincinnati and assigned each student a coin that related to their presentation topic.

The students had to decode the Latin inscription on the coin and research the coin imagery to determine who minted the coin and when.

"The students then write up museumquality catalog entries of each coin, complete with an image of each side,” said Handler. “By working on this

Use a QR code reader app on your smartphone to scan this link to eighth-grader Allie Nathan’s French assignment, entitled “Les Corvées,” or “Chores.” The assignment required students to use the French language in a wholistic format, incorporating speaking, listening, reading, and writing in French.

exercise, our students get real-world practice at decoding and translating the Latin inscriptions on the coins, and begin to learn how to ‘read’ the imagery on these very political 2,000-year-old artifacts.

Griep said one of Seven Hills’ key world language teaching goals is to spark students’ curiosities and give them enough confidence in a new language to delve further, and seek new layers of meaning by understanding the world in more than one language. " “We want our students to truly be able to navigate within a country, to know how to travel off the page of a book into a real neighborhood in Spain, France, Senegal, Morocco,” said Griep. “As our students become more and more adept at language and culture, they know the path of learning leads them to realize that the focus of their classes is no longer learning about the language, but using the language to learn about life.”

A WORLD IN TRANSITION Teaching the Languages of the Globe

F U N FA C T S A B OU T OU R T E A C H E R S

It’s a given

language teachers

that Seven Hills world

WORK TIRELESSLY TO DELIVER LESSONS, DAILY, THAT ENGAGE

STUDENTS, DRAW THE WORLD CLOSER AROUND THEM , AND BRING A NEW L ANGUAGE TO LIFE. WHAT YOU M AY NOT KNOW, HOWEVER, IS JUST HOW UNIQUE OUR WORLD L ANGUAGE FACULT Y REALLY ARE. ENJOY A FEW FUN FAC TS ABOUT SOME OF YOUR TEACHERS!

Did you know p

…

Doherty Spanish teacher John Krauss has a brilliant display of 20 flags in his classroom— representative of the 20 countries where Spanish is the official language.

p Middle and Upper Spanish teacher Philip Thornberry has a degree in linguistics. p Latin and ancient history teacher Katie Swinford and Latin, history, and English teacher Marcie Handler are practicing archaeologists who continue to go on digs throughout the ancient world.

p While in college, Upper School Chinese teacher Mia Wu

bartered with her American friends making authentic Chinese food for them, in exchange for English tutoring.

p World language department chair Ann Griep met her Belgian husband on a study abroad trip to France in the summer before her senior year of high school.

p Lotspeich Spanish teacher Megan Hayes is quite a sketch artist. Her drawings are a useful tool for her vibrant curriculum.

Enchant

Seven Hills world language teachers pose for a fun selfie on Broadway Street in Nashville, Tennessee, during the 2018 American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages conference.

. é . .

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SCHOOL NEWS

SEVEN HILLS CONGRATULATES NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARS National Merit Scholarship Winners

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation named seniors Curtis Sun, Natalie Choo, Michael Barresi, and Charlie Dwight National Merit Scholarship winners. Each of the students will receive a $2,500 scholarship award.

National Merit Finalists

Eight Seven Hills seniors were named National Merit Finalists in 2018. The National Merit Scholarship Program honors talented U.S. high school students each year for academic excellence. The Seven Hills School congratulates the following National Merit Finalists: Michael Barresi, Natalie Choo, Tindar Cyr, Charlie Dwight, Bobby Kanter, Nick Purple, Mary Grace Ramsay, and Curtis Sun.

CURTIS SUN, NATALIE CHOO, MICHAEL BARRESI, CHARLIE DWIGHT

National Merit Semifinalists

Two students were named National Merit Semifinalists.

They are Jonathan Harsh and John Stewart.

National Merit Commended Students

The Seven Hills School continues its tradition of excellence with eight seniors, who were named Commended Students in the 2018 National Merit Program. The Seven Hills School congratulates the following National Merit Commended Students: Christine Cao, Kay Kemp, Matthew Maring, Jessica Nordlund, Robby Shaffer, Kate Stein, Nick Williams, and Sarah Zhang.

College-Sponsored National Merit Scholarship Awards

Congratulations to two seniors who received College Sponsorship of National Merit Scholarships, as of May 11, 2018. Nick Purple received a National Merit Scholarship to University of Chicago. Mary Grace Ramsay received a scholarship to Northwestern University.

Colleges and universities sponsor National Merit Scholarships that are renewable and cover up to four years of undergraduate study at the sponsor institution. Stipends range from $500 to $2,000 per year. Within those limits, officials at the college determine each winner's annual Merit Scholarship stipend.

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LEFT TO RIGHT: JONATHAN HARSH, TINDAR CYR*, JOHN STEWART, NICK PURPLE*, CURTIS SUN*, NATALIE CHOO*, CHARLIE DWIGHT*, MARY GRACE RAMSAY*, BOBBY KANTER*, AND MICHAEL BARRESI* Names with*are National Merit Finalists

LEFT TO RIGHT: JESSICA NORDLUND, ROBBY SHAFFER, SARAH ZHANG, NICK WILLIAMS, KATE STEIN, MATTHEW MARING, AND CHRISTINE CAO INSET PHOTO: KAY KEMP

SCHOOL NEWS

2018 FREDERICK A. HAUCK SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS The Seven Hills School has awarded the 2018 Frederick A. Hauck Scholarships in Math and Sciences to seventh-graders Shanaya Bharucha, Anna Papakirk, and Savita Thompson; eighth-grader Naina Purushothaman; and juniors Amisha Mittal, Aryan Katneni, and Christopher Nathan. The award is named after

MS Hauck Winners — Naina Purushothaman, Anna Papakirk, Shanaya Bharucha, Savita Thompson

Dr. Frederick A. Hauck, a world-renowned nuclear scientist and philanthropist who served on the Atomic Energy Commission and worked closely with Albert Einstein. Seven Hills established the Hauck Scholarships to recognize students who demonstrate outstanding achievement and commitment in mathematics and/or science. Winning students entering grades seven and eight receive a grant of $250 to be applied to tuition for an approved summer enrichment program. Winning students entering grades nine through 12 receive a one-year scholarship of $1,000 to be applied to their 2018-19 tuition at Seven Hills’ Upper School.

US Hauck Winners — Aryan Katneni, Amisha Mittal, and Christopher Nathan

awards

CONGRATULATIONS TO NEW MEMBERS OF CUM LAUDE SOCIETY The Upper School honored its 16 new inductees into the Seven Hills chapter of the Cum Laude Society, a national honor society that recognizes academic excellence, at the Cum Laude Dinner on April 12. New members are juniors: Madeleine Jay, Gregory Kalin, Felix Karthik, Aryan Katneni, Christopher Nathan, Varshini Odayar, Annabel Stanley, and Grant Veldhuis; and seniors: Matthew Cook, Tindar Cyr, Carly Jones, Louann Kovach, Jessica Nordlund, Nathaniel Rising, Caitlin Shaw, and Avni Varshneya. The event also honored the members who were inducted last year as juniors: Michael Barresi, Lucy Callard, Natalie Choo, Alexander Kreines, Nick Purple, Mary Grace Ramsay, Curtis Sun, and Yuou Wang. The event’s guest speaker was Seven Hills alumna Dr. Meera Kotagal ’99, a pediatric surgery fellow at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

Seven Hills is one of fewer than 400 high schools in the country—with 21 in Ohio—who have been granted a Cum Laude Society chapter, an academic honor society, modeled on Phi Beta Kappa. Seven Hills Head of School Chris Garten congratulated the students during the ceremony and said, “Each year we recognize students whose academic performance and habits of mind meet the highest possible standards for scholarship and good character.”

Kotagal, who also holds a master’s degree in public health, shared with the Cum Laude members some words of wisdom she picked up from a friend, as she was deciding on a focus for New Cum Laude members her medical Bottom two rows (clockwise): Nate Rising, Tindar Cyr, Varshini Odayar, practice.

Grant Veldhuis, Gregory Kalin, Aryan Katneni Top two rows: Jessica Nordlund, Carly Jones, Caitlin Shaw, Avni Varshneya, Madeleine Jay, “I have five Annabel Stanley, Louann Kovach Standing: Christopher Nathan and things I hope will Felix Karthik *Not pictured: Matthew Cook be helpful to you on your path,” said Kotagal “Number one, dream big. Two, do what you love.”

She continued with the remaining three—"practice resilience; cultivate mentors; and laugh, play, and have fun.”

As part of the annual Cum Laude Society induction ceremony, it is tradition for faculty members of the Cum Laude Committee to address each new member with remarks compiled from quotes from the students’ teachers. For a direct link to the remarks, type in this link, http://www.7hills.org/ wp-content/uploads/2018/04/ Cum-Laude-CommitteeRemarks.pdf, or download a QR Code app to your smartphone and scan the code on this page.

Cum Laude Committee

Bottom row: Beth Driehaus, Tina Kuhlman, Lenore Horner Top row: Nate Gleiner, Wynne Curry, Linda Ford, Katie Swinford, Anna Works-McKinney, Marielle Newton

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SCHOOL NEWS

SEVEN HILLS STUDENT NAMED PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLAR In May, the U.S. Presidential Scholar Program named Seven Hills senior Natalie Choo a 2018 U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts. Presidential Scholars are selected on the basis of academic achievement, personal characteristics, leadership, and service activities. The Presidential Scholars Program is one of the nation's highest honors for high school seniors.

Choo is one of 161 outstanding American high school seniors who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, artistic excellence, leadership, citizenship, service, and contribution to school and community.

The U.S. Presidential Scholars will be honored in Washington, D.C., for their accomplishments in late June 2018.

"This is a spectacular achievement," said Seven Hills Director of College Counseling and Assistant Head of School Susan Marrs. "Almost every year, one or more of our seniors is recognized as a Presidential Scholar candidate, but the competition is stunningly rigorous and we've never before had a winner. We're so very proud of and happy for Natalie, now officially recognized as one of the most distinguished high school seniors in the country!"

Choo is also a National Merit Winner, an avid student of multivariable calculus and Spanish literature, and an accomplished vocalist who recently won finals for her vocal performance at the Cincinnati Arts Association Overture Awards.

From nearly 3.5 million graduating high school seniors, more than 5,200 students were identified as candidates in the program, and only 630 semifinalists were selected from across the country. Natalie is one of only five 2018 Presidential Scholars in the state of Ohio, and only one of 20 in the nation, in the Arts category.

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SCHOOL NEWS

THANK YOU! The Seven Hills Development Office gratefully acknowledges and thanks the more than 230 volunteers who dedicate their time and energy, ensuring that The Seven Hills School continues to provide the rich learning experiences and tight-knit community defined by a Seven Hills education.

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D E V E L O P M E N T

Fleming & Dobbs Ackermann Ashley Ackerman ’05 Julie Albright Louise Knauft Allen H’54 Tyler Allen ’16 Janet Allen-Reid ’76 Nupur Anand Lynette Andersen Libby Andrews Sydney & Bob Anning Dulany & Rob Anning ’86 Andres Antonsson ’17 Fatima Anwar ’16 Beth Archibald Humaira Aslam Meg Atkinson Steve Baggott Gay Seybolt Bain H’51 Sam Bassett ’17 Barbara Beaver Sally Bidlingmeyer ’84 Jack Binkley Rose Bitsoff Heidi Black ’98 Chrissie & Josh Blatt Wendy Braff Marney Briggs ’16 Aideen & Payson Briggs ’87 Sarah Pancoast Broad ’94 Kenya Brock ’98 Bruce Brown Madeline Caldemeyer ’11 Karen Bidlingmeyer Callard ’80 Bret Caller Scott Carroll ’85 Lalitha Chunduri Eliza Clark ’17 Terry Clayton Kate Coley ’16 Rebecca Lindy Coll ’83 Marilyn Collins Ellen Coombe ’13 Michael Coombe L’72 Dorothy (Kim ’84) & Evan Corbett ’82 Angie Apple & Robert Cybulski Jennifer Dauer Shelby Davis ’17 Ron DeLyons

V O L U N T E E R S

Andrew DeWitt ’89 Sharon Dizenhuz Jeannie Zimmerman Donaldson H’60 Priscilla Dunn Anne Scherz Durket H’72 Colleen Dwight Tara Eaton Kimberly Eberwine David Ellis Lisa Eng Susan Esler Merry Ewing ’76 Phyllis Ewing Meredith (Edwards ’98) & John Ficks ’89 Marsha Firestein Ginny Fisher Marc Fisher Linda Ford Rachel Foster Linda Van Doren Freeman H'63 Nancy Gall ’77 Tom Garber ’96 Wendy Ellis Gardner Jane Garvey C’74 Barbara Gasser Raji Ghosh Ben Glassman ’93 Elizabeth Goldstein Abram Gordon Ben Greenberg ’06 Eric Greenberg ’02 Anne & Taylor Greenwald III Marni Greenwald Brooke Guigui Hasani Harrigan ’16 Jenna Harris '04 Ed Hatfield Ellen Haude ’88 Michael Heldman ’16 Lisa Richardson Henske ’83 Tyler Hervas ’07 Grace Allen Hill ’80 Debbie Hill Brian Hills ’16 Sean Holcomb ’17 Melissa Holsinger Maureen & Frank Howard Ed Howe ’84 Sebastian Hue ’02

Dianna Icenhower Kay Ilg Joan Fankhauser Ireton C’51 Judy Jackson Clay Jamison '06 Mar Robertson Jennings H’50 Rose Johnson Linda Jones Jim Jurgensen II Marielle Kabbouche-Samaha Jacky Kalubi Tshiunza Kalubi ’02 Elida Kamine ’99 Jessie Karthik Victoria Karamanoukian Amy Bulger Kattman ’89 Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney Susie Keller ’04 Lair Kennedy Trey Kieser ’17 Sashi Kilaru Esther Kim Andrea Knarr Peter Koenig Jacquie Kovach Liza Zimmerman Krasner '06 Libby Landen Krone ’77 Palmer Kruzner ’16 Susan Steman Laffoon H’57 Jutta Lafley Margaret Avril Lawson ’75 Maliq Lee ’17 Angie Lee Andy Lenobel ’01 Laura (Hoguet ’06) & Jeff Leonard '06 Peter Levin David Levy ’99 Sally Leyman Rica Ligeralde Laura Lindner-Sankey ’82 Sylvia Lotspeich Greene L’55 Jackie Mack Laurie Maguire Zola Makrauer Nicole Malofsky ’15 Susan Maloney Anne Mapes ’11 Mike Marrero Nicki Martin ’09

Charissa May-Riley Robert McCoy Veronica McCreary-Hall Trish McDonald Katie McNamara ’11 Lois & Cliff Mentrup Jenny Menzies ’03 Karen Meyer Robbie Michelman Ken Mims ’81 Mari Miura Tracy Lynn Monroe ’82 Velma Morelli Wil Morriss ’17 Sean Moser ’17 Mitzie Moser Jake Moses ’17 Lilamae Mueller Harrison Mullin Sybil Behrens Mullin ’83 Alisa Murph Devi Namboodiri ’17 Asia Reid Narayan ’05 Meg Nelson Theo Nelson Steve Newman ’02 Mark Niehaus ’12 Chip Niehoff ’88 Michael Nordlund Eric O'Driscoll Susan & Dennis Okin Libby Warrington Ott ’78 Jim Papakirk Kyle Patel ’13 Carol Pearce Sarah Pearce Phipps ’96 Alex Phillips '02 Marla Peltier Austin Poston ’11 Joni & Dick Quimby Alex & Andrew Quinn Lisa Raimondo Emily Rauh ’17 Jessalyn Reid ’08 Susan Robinson Celeste Rooney Lynette Rosati Shim Connor Rouan ’14 Mollie Rouan ’15 John Rubin '02

Sue Boller Rusche H’56 Lynn Schweitzer Rush H’68 Sunny Bowman Saelinger C’61 Beth Schiff Walker Schiff ’10 Phoebe Schiff ’17 Jayna (Schlegel ’90) & Dan Schimberg ’80 Allison Schneider John Schneider Dotty Shaffer ’83 Caroline Kalnow Shemony ’06 Dennis Shiels Sarah Shim ’14 Mary Jo & Bill Simpson Tiernan Sittenfeld ’92 Jo Sittenfeld ’98 P.G. Sittenfeld ’03 Paul Sittenfeld Michelle Smith Christie Barnard Smith H’56 Shelly & Matt Smith Erin Snelting Kelli Stein Jennifer Stein Sarah Steinman Jane Sutton Kim Takahashi Anne Drackett Thomas H’66 Mandee Thompson Benjamin van der Horst ’05 Aaron VanderLaan ’91 Anne Vanoy Heather Zaring Vecellio ’92 Joe Waterman ’92 Jeremiah Weaver ’ 17 Liza Martindale Weiner ’99 Katherine Oechler Whitbeck H’67 Russell White Judy Wiesemann Jim Wiesmann Marsha Williams ’77 Winsome Wilson Laura Welles Wilson ’84 Ellie Wilson ’14 Lisa Collins Winick ’85 Joan Wolfram Luke Wulsin ’10 Sharon Yosafat 19 17

SCHOOL NEWS

MIRIAM TITCOMB MEMORIAL FUND

Grants for Enrichment Since 1978, the Miriam Titcomb Fund, an endowed enrichment fund established by alumnae, has made it possible for more than 100 Seven Hills faculty and staff to have meaningful travel and study experiences.

These adventures are personally and professionally inspiring for our faculty and staff and their increased scholarship and enthusiasm enriches the entire school community. We are pleased to share the stories of 2017 recipients Jen Faber, Amy Kulhavik, and Anne Ramsay.

UPPER SCHOOL HISTORY, CO MP UTER PR O G R A MMI N G TEACHER, AND TECHNOLOGY CO ORDINATO R J EN FA BE R

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Jen Faber was awarded a Titcomb grant for her experience, “Israel: A Multicultural and Historical Adventure.”

Jen traveled solo to Israel, visiting its many sites and cities, including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

Jen said her travels in Israel, which is home to spaces both sacred and rich with complex histories, was the “chance of a lifetime.” She saw the Western Wall, the Dome of the Rock, and the Holy Sepulchre. A centerpiece of the

trip was visiting Yad Vashem, a museum dedicated to the Holocaust.

“My trip to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv was truly a life-changing experience,” she said. “This trip allowed me to become immersed in the culture of Israel, if only for a few weeks. The food, the people, and the incredible history of this land had a profound impact on my understanding of this part of the world and myself.”

SCHOOL NEWS

MIRIAM TITCOMB MEMORIAL FUND

Grants for enrichment Although there were many highlights of her trip, Jen especially enjoyed an early morning hike to the medieval fortress at Masada overlooking the Dead Sea. “I awoke at 2 a.m., rode the bus out to the site, and hiked about 400 meters up to reach the fortress,” she said. “As I reached the top, the sun rose over the Dead Sea and it was the most impressive sight.”

DOHERT Y UNIT I TEACHER A M Y K U L H AV I K learned about the history of the state and the Native American Blackfeet Tribe, explored more than 20 glaciers on foot and by boat, and enjoyed the beautiful scenery.

Amy Kulhavik was awarded a Titcomb grant for her experience, “Journey to Glacier National Park by Train.” Amy and her husband traveled by train to Montana’s Glacier National Park last summer, fulfilling their love of exploring the United States.

When they arrived in Montana, the Kulhaviks stayed in a lodge built in 1913 by railroad executive Louie Hill. They

“One of the highlights for me was hiking to Scenic Point,” Amy said. “After climbing 2,350 feet to the top, the view was breathtaking.

Having a moment to take it all in and reflect was just what I needed to remind myself how lucky I was to be there to experience this area of our beautiful country.”

hiking and exploring nature. She and her husband have traveled the East Coast, taking trips to states like Florida and Maine, but they had never gone west.

“Having the opportunity to travel to such an amazing place like Montana was a dream come true,” she said.

Amy said she enjoys being outdoors. In the past 10 years, she has especially taken an interest in

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SCHOOL NEWS

MIRIAM TITCOMB MEMORIAL FUND

Grants for enrichment, continued U P P E R S C H O O L M AT H T E A C H E R A N N E R A M S AY Anne Ramsay was awarded a Titcomb grant for her experience, “Aprendiendo y Sirviendo en Guatemala” (Learning and Serving in Guatemala).

financial constraints. Private groups take these individuals in for life,” Anne said.

“As I visited Hogar Virgen del Socorro each day, I imagined what it would be like to live your entire life at this location, never visited by a mother, a father, a sibling. It was heart-wrenching.”

Anne shared a home with people from around the world who were also in Guatemala to improve their Spanish, including a fellow American from Texas, a

Last summer, Anne traveled to Guatemala to volunteer and improve her Spanish language skills. She worked with her Spanish teacher, Corina, studying four hours a day for two weeks. Anne also volunteered with disabled children living at the hospital, Hogar Virgen del Socorro. The experience inspired much reflection.

“People who are born with significant disabilities in Guatemala are often abandoned by their families due to 22

couple from New Zealand and a woman from Mexico. One of the highlights of the trip was immersing herself in Guatemalan culture.

“I saw new places and learned about a different culture,” Anne said. “I enjoyed the the open air markets of Chichicastenango, the gorgeous Lake Atitlán, the erupting Pacaya volcano, and the blend of Mayan practices and Catholic ceremonies.”

SCHOOL NEWS

CREATING CONVERSATIONS SPEAKER SERIES The Seven Hills School’s Creating Conversations is a speaker series designed to engage as a community, with each other and with the help of experts in their fields, about raising bright, healthy, happy children.

PA R E N T I N G I N T H E A G E OF ANXIETY New York Times columnist and psychologist Lisa Damour offered Seven Hills parents and friends a different way to view stress during Seven Hills’ counseling department’s final Creating Conversations parenting speaker series of the 2017-18 school year. Damour challenged parents to help their children observe the object of their stress in smaller parts, in order to avoid getting carried away.

Her advice was simple and practical, often centering around tangibles, such as calendars and schedules.

“Look at your week. Break it down.

Look at real time and block out the weeks. It can be pretty illuminating once your children realize they can be in control of their schedules,” Damour told a packed house at Seven Hills’ joint presentation with St. Ursula Academy.

“If children learn to pace themselves, they won’t get swept up in the tide.”

Damour also shared that anxiety is real and unavoidable, but it isn’t something to fear. Because American culture is

Creating Conversations speaker Lisa Damour addresses families at St. Ursula Academy in January.

often fast-paced and frenzied, stress is inevitable. But our students will be OK, said Damour. She added that parents must analyze each child’s stress on a case-by-case basis. For example, while some students may have too much on their plates, others with seemingly overloaded calendars may view multiple activities as downtime or relaxation.

Overall, Damour said, the way students view anxiety can often determine their success in academics and in their social lives.

“Anxiety is a bodily experience. We can all learn to be aware of our bodies and control these feelings. The aim is not to create conditions where kids don’t have anxious eruptions,” said Damour. “The aim is that our kids have tools to not be scared of those anxieties. If they erupt and recover, we are good.”

The Seven Hills School Speaker Series

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SCHOOL NEWS

BOOKS FOR LUNCH 2018 WELCOMED JANE SMILEY BOOKS FOR LUNCH AUTHOR JANE SMILEY SHARED HER LOVE FOR LITERATURE WITH STUDENTS, PARENTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO ATTENDED SEVERAL BOOKS FOR LUNCH EVENTS THIS YEAR. THE PULITZER PRIZE WINNER’S LATEST NOVEL IS GOLDEN AGE, WHICH CLOSES SMILEY’S THE LAST HUNDRED YEARS TRILOGY.

“

“The most salient characteristic of being a reader is freedom.”

-Jane Smiley

Smiley spoke to Upper School students before the luncheon, sharing what inspired her, and offering the audience sage advice about writing. “You can write something because you love somebody else’s work,” Smiley said. “You can write

Pictured above, from left, Books for Lunch co-chair Amy DeWitt, Head of Upper School Matt Bolton, author Jane Smiley, Head of School Chris Garten, and Books for Lunch co-chair Beth Shaw.

because you’re inspired by someone else.” In the afternoon, Smiley spoke to members of the Seven Hills community at Xavier University’s Cintas Center.

Head of Upper School Matt Bolton introduced Smiley, noting her unique point of view as an author. “I know that Jane Smiley will give us many things to

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think about,” he said. Smiley discussed the novel, its inherent politics, and its relationship with the reader. “The most salient characteristic of being a reader is freedom,” she said. “Whatever decision you are making, you are free to make. The novel is one-on-one.”

She noted that as we read, with every turn of the page, our empathy grows.

She spoke extensively about classic novels that spanned centuries, some of which inspired her thoroughly modern work. Smiley’s lecture was closed by introspective remarks from Head of School Chris Garten. Garten shared that Smiley’s dry humor and literary wit offers a fresh perspective and “glimpse into the way writers read.” Referring to Smiley’s unabashed dislike of King Lear and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Garten said, “We are all kind of taught to react a certain way to treasured literature. It’s liberating to hear Jane’s response to correct or challenge these works and talk about something we might find wrong with them.”

Seven Hills recognizes the 2018 Books for Lunch committee and co-chairs Amy DeWitt and Beth Shaw and the hard work that made this year’s event one to remember.

Jane Smiley speaks to Upper School students during a visit to the Young Family Library.

The Books for Lunch program has brought major authors to The Seven Hills School and Cincinnati, including Thrity Umrigar, Alexandra Fuller, Colum McCann, and Robert M. Edsel. The 2018 Books for Lunch event was made possible

by Presenting Sponsors, The Robert and Adele Schiff Family Foundation. The event committee included Alison Caller, Sharon Dizenhuz, Colleen Dwight, Amy Francis, Maria Kalomenidou, Shelly Smith, and Rae Vuic.

Author Jane Smiley stands with Upper School students, from left, Caitlin Shaw, Smiley, Kate Stein, Lucy Callard, Ceci Rauh, Rosie DeWitt, Curtis Sun, Drew Vecellio, and Jamie Holcomb, who were the special guests at the Books for Lunch event at Xavier University’s Cintas Center.

Taste of Seven Hills Taste of Seven Hills celebrated its 10th year in early March! This successful schoolwide event celebrates the many cultures in our community. Taste of Seven Hills included attractions from around the world, and the talents of our students were on display during a special recital. Students entertained the audience with an array of cultural displays, including Irish and Indian dancing, musical performances, and an interpretive dance. Students, faculty, and parents hosted booths throughout Founders Hall, which featured Chinese games and calligraphy, a Malaysian moon kite craft, henna painting, and more!

Congratulations to Nate Gleiner, English teacher and equity and justice coordinator, and parent Rica Ligeralde, chair of the planning committee, who organized the event, including the performances and activities.

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SCHOOL NEWS

PERSONAL CHALLENGE Learning by Heart: Seven Hills Junior Bolsters Smoking Cessation Program in Appalachian Hospital Felix Karthik

Bedside manner is a subject so profound, medical journals never tire of publishing new findings on the behavior. Whether the debate swings from nature to nurture, scholars agree upon one thing—the doctor with a pleasant bedside manner is, simply put, the better doctor.

Seven Hills junior and aspiring medical doctor Felix Karthik is already getting a practical look at the relationship between personable medical care and patient goals.

At 14 years old, he traveled to rural southern India to volunteer at Dohnavur Fellowship Hospital, where patients received care under lacking conditions and scant resources. He saw firsthand the inadequate conversation, support, and sustained contact, and quickly learned how it affected patients there.

“They weren’t only suffering from medical problems but also financial and emotional problems,” said Felix, during an early February interview. “They needed that extra support and I thought that was very important, in addition to the medical attention.”

The trip to Dohnavur spurred Felix to a cause closer to home—Adams County Regional Medical Center in Seaman, Ohio, a region in Appalachia. He pursued a three-fold Personal Challenge project to raise $5,000 for smoking cessation products, such as nicotine patches and drugs like Chantix, promote awareness about smoking habits, and implement a cessation program with a personal touch. For more than two years, Felix has worked closely with Stephanie Sparks, a registered nurse and certified tobacco treatment specialist at Adams County, to get to know patients who want to stop smoking or significantly decrease their smoking habits.

“That’s what made this project,” said Felix.

“I learned to ask personal questions, such as, ‘Were there any life events that prompted you to smoke today?’ Some of the patients would share that they just found out a loved one had a heart attack and they would immediately want to smoke a cigarette. I have 26

the opportunity to talk and share with them Personal Challenge project has shed light all the detrimental health effects of smoking on his interest in working to continuously using PowerPoint presentations, which deeply PERSONAL CHALLENGE IS A REQUIRED impacted those PROJECT THAT OFFERS STUDENTS THE patients.”

OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE SOMETHING OF

Felix found INTEREST AT A DEEP AND MEANINGFUL LEVEL once people trusted him, they WHILE EXPERIENCING THE EXCITEMENT OF shared more LEARNING. AS PART OF THE VENTURE, WHICH and allowed themselves to IS TYPICALLY COMPLETED BY STUDENTS IN be helped more.

He also noticed that patients with present, supportive medical providers, improve the quality of public health in rural, friends, and family members tended to be underserved areas. more successful with their cessation goals.

His time learning from the patients in these In an abstract he authored as part of areas has also allowed Felix to reflect upon his Personal Challenge project, titled his own personal connection to heart health “Freedom from Smoking for an Ohio Rural and the power of family support.

Community,” Felix wrote, “Smoking is more common among U.S. adults living in the “About three years ago my 10, day-old Midwest compared to other regions. (The) cousin died of a congenital heart problem.

Smoking rate has fallen across the country Even though it wasn’t related to smoking, it by 27% since 1997. However, it has not made me very interested in heart health,” declined that much in rural communities.” said Felix. “Many patients in rural areas don’t Felix's abstract was accepted for a poster have access to education about public health presentation at the Cleveland Clinic. and the sustained effects smoking, alcohol, and drug abuse have on the heart. I want to Felix said he will continue to champion help because I personally know how truly the need for resources at Adams County fragile the heart can be.”

Regional Medical Center, and that his

SCHOOL NEWS

PERSONAL CHALLENGE Coloring Outside the Box Senior Nina Dizenhuz is a crayon architect.After learning about the work of a California man who repurposed and remolded old crayons, the Seven Hills senior decided to pursue an idea to build a crayon designed specifically for the small hands of toddlers with fine motor needs.

In a year’s time, what started out as a Personal Challenge project has transformed into a quest to help children here, near, and far. Dizenhuz said she started collecting used crayons after picking up a pumpkin pie with her father at the Blue Ash Frisch’s Big Boy. Like many other restaurants, Frisch’s offers children coloring page menus and a pack of crayons.

settled on the idea to create crayons that were easier to grip, she immersed herself completely,” said Levesque. “She was so enthusiastic, in fact, that it spread into our Algebra II class and we all loved helping her peel donated crayons as we discussed math topics.”

Dizenhuz researched the shape of writing utensils and learned that the two most comfortable shapes for small hands are triangular and ovoid. Using modeling clay, she incorporated both as she designed a 4-centimeter-long crayon shape “When you think about it there are a ton of resembling a bird beak or shark kids who go to Frisch’s and they go through tooth. With help from retired Seven Hills engineering teacher THEIR JUNIOR OR SENIOR YEAR, SEVEN HILLS Doug Ford, STUDENTS ENGAGE IN ACTIVITIES THAT HELP Dizenhuz built 3-D molds that THEM FURTHER EXPLORE THEIR INTERESTS OR allow her to cast STRETCH BEYOND THEIR COMFORT ZONES. dozens of crayons STUDENTS SHARE THEIR PERSONAL CHALLENGE with a grip that is very comfortable for PROJECTS WITH THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY AT toddler-age ONE OF TWO EVENTS DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR. children with and without special fine motor needs.

Dizenhuz has also a ton of crayons and half the kids can’t even handsewn small fabric drawstring bags to reuse them because of health code,” said provide a breathable packaging for typically Dizenhuz. “Crayola manufactures 12 million pungent-smelling crayons. She has produced crayons—daily. If you just look around you 100 units so far. will find a crayon. They’re everywhere. And After sharing her design with educators they’re filling up landfills.” and therapists in the community, including First, Dizenhuz set up a collection bin at a teachers and students in the Early Childhood Frisch’s in Blue Ash. After receiving thousands Center on the Hillsdale Campus, Dizenhuz new and used crayons that were separated by found that her work, which she calls Hands on color and neatly packed up by the wait staff Crayons, offered students a natural design there, Dizenhuz set out to peel crayons, melt for students who struggle the most with their them down, pour them into a mold, repackage grips. At that point, she knew her work would them, and share them with children. continue beyond Personal Challenge and into college.

Dizenhuz’ energy for her project was contagious, said her Personal Challenge Dizenhuz frequently meets with occupational adviser Cassie Levesque. “When she finally therapists throughout Cincinnati and holds

phone conferences with mom bloggers across the country. She is also working with the Cincinnati Occupational Therapy Institute and her work may be studied at Xavier University’s occupational therapy master’s program. She is currently mulling the idea of the TOMS business model, in which consumers would purchase one unit of crayons in order to make four units available for children in need.

Two years after she began her project, Dizenhuz said she is amazed by the twists and turns her work has taken. In March, she was considering a nonprofit partnership in which Hands on Crayons would benefit students in Cincinnati Public Schools as more people learn about her work, which is outlined on a website she created, www.handsoncrayons.com.

“I used to think if you are an engineer, all you do is engineering or if you are a teacher, that all you do is just teach. I didn’t realize how non-binary careers are,” said Dizenhuz. “I am learning about marketing, communications, and law. I’m sewing, educating people, and learning about therapy. I didn’t realize a crayon would take me to so many places and I know it won’t stop here.”

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SCHOOL NEWS - SPORTS

WINTER SPORTS HONORS Talented teams, state competitions, and competitive student athletes The Seven Hills girls swim team ended

a spectacular season by placing seventh overall at the state championship. Senior Lucy Callard repeated as state champion in the 500 Free, her third year in the top spot, and claimed another championship in the 200 Free. She was named Miami Valley Conference (MVC) Swimmer of the Year. Junior Emma Shuppert was the state runner-up in the 100 Back and she was named MVC Swimmer of the Year. She also finished eighth in the 200 IM. In the 200 Medley Relay, the girls team finished fifth overall. Sophomore Jocelyn Spanbauer was also named MVC Swimmer of the Year.

The boys swim team placed fifth overall in the state championship. Senior Tindar Cyr finished third in the 100 Breaststroke and fifth in the 200 IM. Junior Greg Kalin finished sixth in the Backstroke and fourth in the 100 Butterfly. Freshman Tim Kalin finished eighth in the backstroke. Overall, the boys team finished fifth in the 200 Medley, sixth in the 400 Free, and 10th in the 200 Freestyle Relay. Cyr, Greg Kalin, and junior George Eng were also named MVC Swimmers of the Year. Swim coach Brandon Williams was named Coach of the Year by the Miami Valley Conference.

The girls bowling team qualified for districts and sent senior Audrey Wilson to the state tournament for the fourth time in her high school career. Audrey earned the title of state runner-up for the second year in a row, bowling a 180, 203, and 246. She was also named Player of the Year by the MVC. Coach Robin Wilson was named Coach of the Year by the MVC. The boys bowling team qualified for districts this season. The team was led by senior John Stewart, who was named to first team, all conference. The MVC also named Randy Wilson Coach of the Year.

The Seven Hills girls basketball team had another great year. The girls basketball team

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won the league for the first time in 10 years. Senior Maggie Kersting made her 1,000th career point during the winter season and set an all-time single game scoring record by scoring 40 points in a game. Sophomore Laura Shuppert set a single game record with eight threepointers. Maggie was named Player of the Year by the MVC and District 16 First Team. Coach Tyler McIlwraith was named Coach of the Year.

The Seven Hills boys basketball team had a solid season, making it to the sectional finals. Junior Brice Hill broke the all-time, single game record, with 42 points in a game. He was also named Player of the Year by the MVC and District 16 First Team.

The gymnastics team was led by seniors Reagan Brackett and Maggie Ellis. The team placed seventh in the city and 12th in districts. The 17-student team worked as a cohesive unit that learned many skills throughout the season.

The cheerleading team had a great season.

They lit up the sidelines and cheered on our boys and girls basketball teams. The team was led by seniors Elyse Bullen, Rosie DeWitt, and Ceci Rauh.

Senior Gracin Richardson, a member of the girls varsity basketball team and the girls varsity bowling team, received the MVC Dick Snyder Sportsmanship Award for displaying integrity and good sportsmanship throughout the season.

Senior Lucy Callard was named Penn Station Student Athlete of the Month for the month of February. Lucy was presented with an award during a special pep rally in Kalnow Gym in January. She was also presented with a $500 check for Seven Hills, which she decided the school should donate to Jose Cerda Aquatic Foundation.

Many Seven Hills athletes were also recognized by the Cincinnati Enquirer

as athletes of the week throughout the semester, including bowlers and swimmers.

Seven Hills had an impressive number of student athletes receive All Academic awards. Eighty-four students qualified for the award.

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SCHOOL NEWS

SEVEN HILLS ABROAD

Spain, China, Italy and Greece Seven Hills Upper School students experienced a broad array of travel opportunities over the 2018 spring break, from participating in an exchange with Spanish students to traveling to China, and Italy and Greece.

Spain

Upper School Spanish teachers Teresa Bardon and Ismael Godoy led 26 students to Spain to experience a traditional exchange trip. In September, students from Bilboa’s Colegio Askartza came to Seven Hills. Then, over spring break, Seven Hills students traveled to

Students stand in front of the Puente Vizcaya, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

UNESCO World Heritage Site. “The Puente Vizcaya is a hanging, moving bridge that transports passengers and cars from one side to the other,” Bardon said. “Students rode the gondola to cross the river and walked across on the top of the bridge.” Their adventures continued in San Sebastian, Segovia, An art teacher in Spain teaches students about the works of Spanish artist Joan Miró.

Toledo, and Spain's capital Madrid. While in the capital city, Bilbao to learn about life in Spain. students “Students had a fantastic experience explored Plaza living with Spanish families for 10 days Mayor, Plaza Sol, and experiencing school and family life,” and the famous said Bardon. “They saw the differences Gran Vía. and similarities of living in another country, and at the same time gained an understanding and appreciation of the Students spent differences of other cultures around the 13 days exploring world.” In Bilbao, students attended China, its cities, school, lived with host families, and and many sites. experienced unique excursions, including Students and a trip to the Puente Vizcaya, a

chaperones Jacky Kalubi, Upper School French and Spanish teacher and Middle School French teacher, and Mia Wu, Middle and Upper School Chinese teacher, toured Beijing, Xi’an, and Shanghai. The travelers visited several landmarks, such as the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the famous Terracotta Warriors, and Shanghai’s Commercial Tower. In Shanghai, students and their teachers visited Seven Hills’ sister school, Shanghai Xi’nan Weiyu School.

The Chinese students visited Seven Hills in 2017. “This trip was our students' first time in an Asian country,” Wu said.

“They were amazed by the culture, the architecture, and overall lifestyle. I know they had so much fun because a lot of

China

30

Students and Upper School language teachers Jacky Kalubi and Mia Wu stand on the Great Wall of China.

SCHOOL NEWS

SEVEN HILLS ABROAD Spain, China, Italy and Greece

the kids not currently enrolled in a Chinese class now want to study the language so they can visit China again.”

The Seven Hills group tours Shanghai.

Italy and Greece

Upper School teachers Katie Swinford and Marcie Handler led 23 students on

Seven Hills tours the Acropolis Museum in Greece.

a nine-day trip through Greece and Italy as they experienced firsthand the ancient civilizations they studied in Latin class. In preparation for the trip, each student created a five-minute presentation along with a handout on a monument of his or her choice in Greece or Students and teachers Katie Swinford and Marcie Handler pose for a photo in front of the Roman Colosseum.

Rome. “On travels in Greece, where they visited sites throughout the Acropolis and its museum, as well Greece and Italy, our students gave as the Ancient Agora, Lycavittos Hill, presentations to teach their classmates and Ancient Corinth. Their adventures about the monuments they studied,” in Italy began with a tour of the ancient Handler said. Students began their monuments of Benevento. Students also visited Pompeii and the Naples Archaeological Museum. In Rome, students explored the Pantheon, the Colosseum, and the Vatican Museums.

Handler said students had several behind-the-scenes experiences throughout the trip, including a visit to the excavation headquarters of the Athenian Agora, a behind-the-ropes walk through the Temple of Apollo in Corinth, and a VIP tour of the Ara Pacis in Rome.

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SCHOOL NEWS - ARTS

arts

Music TO OUR EARS 19 years later, small instrumental

lessons expand into

the

thriving

arts program FROM A CLUB TO THE CLASSROOM: A

H I S T O R Y

O F

S E V E N

H I L L S ’

I N S T R U M E N TA L

P R O G R A M

When instrumental music teacher John Rising arrived at The Seven Hills School in 1999, the only formal instrumental course offered was a handbell class.

W

ith the goal of fostering a passion for music, Rising would talk to students and ask if they played an instrument. If they said yes, he invited them to play in a club format. Today, Rising has a full teaching schedule, directing Middle School sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade ensembles and Upper School symphonic and contemporary ensembles. He also teaches fourth- and fifth-graders two mornings a week.

The program has graduated “amazing, accomplished musicians,” Rising said, and the future continues to look bright for instrumental music at Seven Hills.

“I think we hold strong to our mission statement and commitment to the role of the arts in a wellrounded education,” Rising said. “Starting kids on instruments at an early age is a good first step toward a well-rounded education, as well as making sure they have appropriate facilities in which to rehearse and perform. Most importantly, Seven Hills ensures there is time during the school day to rehearse!”

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SCHOOL NEWS - ARTS

AN I M M E R S I V E A R T S EXPERIENCE: T H E I N S T R U M E N TA L P R O G R A M

T O D AY

In the 2017-18 school year, roughly 150 students in sixth through 12th grade took part in an instrumental ensemble and eight students participated in fourth- and fifth-grade band. The Lower School's Beginning Strings program also had robust enrollment.

This outstanding participation rate can be attributed to instrumental music’s strengths as an immersive arts program, including a dedication to commitment and follow-through. While Rising said he would be pleased to see Seven Hills graduate the next world-class cellist, like

Yo-Yo Ma or popstar like Bruno Mars, that isn’t his intent. Rather, his mission is for students to discover how music fits into their lives.

“I am interested in getting kids to think long-term about how music can be part of their ‘life plan,’ ” he said. “Even if they don’t keep singing or playing an

instrument in college, they still had the experience and are that much more culturally literate.”

Rising also emphasized the importance of beginning the study of music at an early age. The fourth- and fifth-grade programs feed the Middle School program and help students develop an enthusiasm for music. “These kids come into Middle School with a year or more of experience and they can establish themselves as ensemble leaders,” he said.

Through music, students learn many lessons they can carry into other areas. Music builds more than skill; it builds character. “The music program teaches important lessons through failure and lots of it!” Rising said. “Musicians learn patience, discipline, and, most importantly, perseverance.”

Recognitions and Awards E VERY YE AR, STUDENTS IN THE INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PROGRA M ARE RECOGNIZED BY LOCAL AND NATIONAL MUSIC ORGANIZ ATIONS. THE 2017-18 SCHOOL YE AR WAS NO EXCEPTION.

• Freshmen Andrew Yang (violin) and Meg Yuan (cello), junior Aishwarya Varma (viola), junior Max Yuan (viola), and senior Nick Purple (violin) were selected to play with the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra Philharmonic.

• Junior Max Yuan (viola) was selected to play with the prestigious All-State Orchestra. Yuan also performed in the Ohio Music Education Association’s Solo and Ensemble Contest.

• Sixth-grader Anish Patil, seventh-graders Erin Finn and Savi Thompson, and eighth-graders Robby Ligeralde and Anand Patil performed in the prestigious, audition-based Winter Concert for Cincinnati Junior Strings.

• Sophomore Rajiv Raman performed at Carnegie Hall in February as a violinist with the Honors Symphony Orchestra.

• Freshman Andrew Yang played a violin solo at Cincinnati Pops’ Mozart’s neighborhood program and participated in Cincinnati Arts Association Overture Competition, becoming a finalist in the competition.

Continued on page 32

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SCHOOL NEWS - ARTS

MUSIC TO OUR EARS, CONT.

“

“Musicians learn patience, discipline, and, most importantly, perseverance.”

- John Rising

A NEW HOME:

THE CENTER

FOR ARTS AND LEADERSHIP

This year, construction began on the Center for Arts and Leadership, a 45,000-square-foot facility that will house the Seven Hills arts programs and a striking auditorium, which will seat approximately 500 people.

Rising’s classroom will move from the Donovan Arts Center to the Center for Arts and Leadership upon the building’s

completion in May 2019. He is eager to move into a new classroom, noting that the current instrumental room is packed with instruments, music, and other 34

equipment. He said in the new building, students will be able to play comfortably and not have to move heavy equipment to Founders Hall for performances.

“It will be extremely cool to have a space which allows us to function properly and to do things we can’t do because of space, such as joint concerts, combined rehearsals, community events, and more,” Rising said. “I would love to see about 50 kids per grade in every performance ensemble and to perform and host concerts.”

Tina Kuhlman, chair of the fine and performing arts department, has played an important role in the development of the Center for Arts and Leadership. As arts programs grow, so does the need for additional space.

classroom and performance space needs that have arisen over time for this thriving program, and will afford our students the opportunity to reach their potential and showcase their achievements and creative practices,” Kuhlman said.

The Center for Arts and Leadership is not just a new building with classrooms

and a stage, it’s an emblem of the growth and evolution of the arts at Seven Hills.

“This building is the next phase in the continued development of our fine and performing arts program, and is a strong symbol of Seven Hills’ commitment to innovation and excellence in the arts,” Kuhlman said.

“The design of the new Arts and Leadership building addresses the

music visual art drama music

SCHOOL NEWS

s e l mb

e by th

• • • 25 M U S I C I A N S • • •

5 violinists

4 guitarists

1 flautist

2 cellists

2 clarinetists

6 keyboardists

2 alto saxophonists

2 percussionists

1 trumpeter

7th Grade

ENSEMBLE

• • • 25 M U S I C I A N S • • •

8th Grade

ENSEMBLE

• • • 32 M U S I C I A N S • • •

3 violinists

1 trumpeter

7 violinists

4 guitarists

2 violists

1 bassist

2 flautists

8 keyboardists

2 flautists

7 guitarists

1 clarinetist

3 percussionists

2 clarinetists

1 keyboardist

1 alto saxophonist

1 bassist

2 alto saxophonists

4 percussionists

2 trumpeters

2 mallet percussionists

1 bassoonist

Upper School

Upper School

• • • 26 M U S I C I A N S • • •

• • • 48 M U S I C I A N S • • •

CONTEMPORARY ENSEMBLE

6 alto saxophonists 1 tenor saxophonist 1 baritone saxophonist 1 violinist

SYMPHONIC ENSEMBLE

4 guitarists

16 violinists

10 keyboardists

1 violist

1 bassist 2 drummers/ auxiliary percussionists

arts

e umbers s n E N

ENSEMBLE

the

6th Grade

2 cellists 6 flautists 7 clarinetists 2 alto saxophonists

1 tenor saxophonist 1 bassoonist 1 trumpeter 1 bassist 7 keyboardists 3 percussionists

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IN MEMORIAM: In memory of Kyle Plush, Class of 2020 The Seven Hills community suffered the loss of a dear classmate, teammate, student and friend on April 10, when Kyle Plush passed away.

Kyle was a young man of keen intelligence, good humor, and exemplary courage, who, since joining our school family in the seventh grade, had a profound impact on our community.

Bright, curious, and deeply engaged in his learning, Kyle often astonished his classmates with his wide reading and his diverse font of information, especially about current events. He loved to learn and took great pleasure in sharing what he knew in a lively and enthusiastic way.

With his characteristic zest for life, Kyle engaged fully in a host of school activities from theater rehearsals to tennis practice. Whether on bus rides or in lunch table conversations, Kyle’s could turn a seemingly mundane activity into something lively and memorable for all.

He is remembered, too, for his instinctive kindness, his broad smile and easy laugh, and the warm, friendly manner that could immediately put us at ease and make us feel welcome and included. Indeed, a staggering number of students remember Kyle fondly as one of the first people to welcome them when they joined our community.

Though his time with us was tragically short, Kyle approached life—and all its challenges—with courage, determination, and boundless joy. He taught us to approach each new morning, each new challenge, each new experience as an opportunity to stretch, to learn, to grow and to enrich the lives of the people around us.

Kyle is deeply missed by our entire school community.

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SCHOOL NEWS

STINGER MADNESS and Seven Hills Day of Giving For a week in March, the Seven Hills campuses were abuzz with two important yearly events supporting The Seven Hills Annual Fund—the weeklong Stinger Madness, which ran March 5-9, and Day of Giving, which ran for 24 hours on March 8. In the bustle of this busy week, emails, letters, and videos flowed out of the Development Office and from our volunteers, and gifts from across town and around the world flowed in.

Stinger Madness Our weeklong Stinger Madness brought together families of current Seven Hills students for a friendly competition to see which of the three divisional teams (Team Guethlein/Fox for the Lower School divisions, Team Waskowitz for the Middle School division, and Team Bolton for the Upper School division) could achieve the highest parent participation percentage in the Annual Fund by the end of the week.

Congratulations to Team Guethlein/Fox, who, following a close race of the three divisional teams, came out ahead to win the Stinger Madness trophy for 2018!

Reminder: If you haven’t had the opportunity to make your Annual Fund gift for the 2017-18 school year there is still plenty of time, as our fiscal year runs through June 30. Please visit www.7hills.org/ AnnualFund to make your gift today.

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Seven Hills Day of Giving During our 24-hour Day of Giving, friends of the school—alumni, grandparents, parents of alumni, and many others— showed tremendous support, as they made their gifts to the Annual Fund. As always, it was a great pleasure to hear from so many friends of Seven Hills.

Stinger Bees Filled the Hills!

As Stinger Madness and Day of Giving gifts were pouring in, our Development team was out on our two campuses Filling the Hills with Stinger bees, each with a sticker bearing the name of those who made the gift.

Thank you for Filling the Hills!

Our grateful thanks to our donors and our Annual Fund volunteers, whose encouragement helped us Fill the Hills during Stinger Madness and Day of Giving!

A grand total of 206 friends and families of Seven Hills made Annual Fund gifts during these events, joining the more than 1,100 donors who had already supported the 2017-18 Seven Hills Fund.

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SCHOOL NEWS

S A M P L E S

UNIT I SHARES WINTER POETRY PRESENTATION

The works of poets like Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky echoed throughout Faran Hall when Unit I students gave their Winter Poetry Presentation. The presentation was the second of three poetry recitations by first-graders on the Doherty Campus in the 2017-18 school year. In addition to teaching the principles of poetry, Unit I teacher Amy Kulhavik said the lesson honed students’ memorization and public speaking skills. When they presented, they had to do so with clarity, volume, and expression. “This unit is a favorite of not only the students, but teachers and parents, too,” Kulhavik said. “We are in awe of how confident and comfortable the students become by each presentation. By the third recitation, the students are pros, choosing and performing a poem independently.”

FOURTH-GRADERS STUDY SOCIAL AWARENESS

40

As part of a cross-cultural study of social awareness, fourth-graders on the Doherty Campus examined a number of stories and art forms spanning the globe. Fourthgraders began the year making replicas of mandalas, colorful symbols represented in

F R O M

O U R

Hindu and Buddhist faiths. “The students later visited the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center downtown to learn about the Underground Railroad and delve into equity and equality in society with an historical and local context,” said Unit III teacher Dana Pease. “We also watched a movie about Ruby Bridges, to give a more personal connection for our students as she was about their age at the time she integrated a segregated school.”

Students then read about Henry Box Brown, the true story of a slave who literally mailed himself in a wooden crate to reach freedom. “This book has incredible illustrations so we talked about how illustrations support and enhance the message in stories,” said Pease. “The activity connected the text to the illustrations and found examples in the pictures that supported the message in the words. The students were quite engaged and had some very perceptive ideas about the book.”

JAZZ SINGER PERFORMS AT LOTSPEICH

Cincinnati jazz singer Kathy Wade shared her impressive voice during a Lotspeich weekly assembly in early winter. Wade, a two-time Emmy nominated artist who has traveled the U.S., Europe, and Caribbean,

O N L I N E

N E W S L E T T E R

shared A Black Anthology of Music, covering the history of jazz from its roots in the tribal songs of Africans brought to America on slave ships, to its modern-day influence on rap and hip hop music. The rich history

lesson, accompanied by piano, took students through time as they learned about the evolution from tribal songs, to field music, to spirituals, to ragtime, to blues, to jazz. Wade called jazz “America’s classical music” and described its appeal around the world.

“Jazz will make you a friend on every corner of this world,” Wade said. “It is as classic as Coca-Cola.” Wade sang standards from Billie Holiday, Dionne Warwick, and Duke Ellington, teaching children how to scat along to It Don’t Mean a Thing (If it Ain’t Got That Swing). Wade left students with three lessons, asking them to take care of the planet, reminding them they can be whatever they want to be, and to remember, “the people who live on this planet are our neighbors.” She sang Warwick’s song That’s What Friends are For

S A M P L E S

F R O M

O U R

and led the group in a singalong.

THIRD-GRADERS PRESENT PLANK HOUSES

Lotspeich third-graders’ study of Native Americans was extensive, spanning two semesters. The students continued their lesson in Liz Lorenz’s Project Math class, as third-graders researched and built plank houses utilized by Native Americans of the northwest.

Earlier in the year, students were split into groups and assigned a tribe to research. Throughout the project, students learned about scale and calculated it for their houses. They drew scale plans, as well. They completed meticulous research about their tribes and their homes. Third-graders constructed their plank houses and included detailed touches, such as totem poles, family crests, fire pits, and smoke holes. In early February, they shared their work with

their classmates. “The students did a wonderful job sharing their knowledge about their tribe’s plank houses and providing insight into the most challenging aspects of the project and what they took away from the process,” Lorenz said.

CODING CLASS COMPLETES “SEARCH AND RESCUE”

Eighth-graders sent their Spheros, a spherical robot about the size of an orange, on a search and rescue mission during a winter coding class. Teacher Karen Glum gave students a scenario—residents of a (cardboard) townhouse complex haven’t been seen in days and the eighth-graders needed to code their Spheros to search the townhouses in an efficient manner. “You have to write code to get Sphero in and out of these buildings,” Glum said. Eighth-graders worked in two groups to code their Spheros, following a few rules. The robots had to go into each townhouse twice, they had to be able to get a 360-degree view of the buildings, and they had to avoid vegetation on the paths leading to the buildings.

O N L I N E

N E W S L E T T E R

delved into the meaning of service and the importance of community while reading the novel, A Long Walk to Water, by Linda Sue Park in early February. The novel focuses on real-life issues of war, lack of water resources, waterborne illness, and limited educational opportunities in Sudan. It tells the story of a former resident of Sudan, Salva Dut, who experienced these issues firsthand. Dut was given opportunities that others weren’t, and then chose to give back. After reading the novel round-robin style in class, students then paired with students in North Hollywood, California, writing letters that included their impression of the novel, and what service to community means to them.

The class in California received the letters and responded with letters of their own.

“This was a great lesson in the positivity that comes from connecting with one’s own community and beyond,” Dawson said.

WRITING WORKSHOP EXPLORES THE IMPORTANCE OF SERVICE, COMMUNITY

At Seven Hills, service and commitment to community are values instilled through curriculum and projects. Patty Dawson’s sixth-grade writing workshop class 41

SCHOOL NEWS

S A M P L E S

SIMULATION ACTIVITY SHEDS LIGHT ON OTR HOUSING CRISIS

The word “gentrification” has a pretty simple definition on paper. But in context, gentrification is a complex, winding societal issue with long-term implications and,

often, harsh outcomes for low-income earners. Students who volunteered to participate got a theoretical glimpse of how gentrification is affecting Over-the-Rhine during Who Gets a Seat, a social awareness activity led in February, by urban neighborhood advocate Jennifer Arens.

Using posters and chairs, Arens asked students and faculty members to “join” an OTR neighborhood as residents in varying socioeconomic levels ranging from below the poverty line to those in much higher economic brackets. Arens demonstrated the struggle of low-income earners to stay in housing by asking those seated to move and stand away from the seated group.

Others, who had more earning potential, were asked to move into vacated properties, while some residences were condemned, leaving even less housing for

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those living in the area. Arens said she designed the activity after learning that many people don’t understand how gentrification works. Senior Carly Jones said she organized the Who Gets a Seat

activity to launch Black History Month, which is in February.

A CLOSE LOOK AT EVOLUTION IN ACTION

Students in Bryce Carlson’s AP Biology class launched a project in early 2018 to get a close look at the fundamentals of genetics and selective breeding.

Adding potting soil, fertilizer, and seeds to their foam containers, students planted their first generation of Brassica rapa, a fast-growing plant in the broccoli and

O N L I N E

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cabbage family. Once the seedlings grew and matured, students selected a trait of interest (e.g. number of flower buds, or leaf width), and then pollinated only those plants with the most extreme versions. The seeds from that breeding were planted as the second generation and students studied if the trait they selected was more or less common as those plants grew, said Carlson.

The students’ intensive study also included a discussion around the ethics of genetic engineering and its comparison to artificial selection. “Genetic engineering is a form of biological engineering, which involves taking a gene from one species and inserting it into another,” Carlson said. “And that contrasts with the way we have been breeding plants and animals for thousands of years, selectively breeding only those with the most desirable traits. Some argue that selective breeding is fundamentally the same as genetic engineering, and the benefits of the technology outweigh the risks. Others passionately disagree.”

PATTI GUETHLEIN

So no one tries.

Instead, Seven Hills friends offer the way they feel about Mrs. Guethlein, quickly recalling their favorite memories with her. They tear up easily these days. No one knows Doherty without her.

“She started out a smart, hard-working, and strong teacher and she grew into a smart, hard-working, and strong principal,” said close friend and Doherty pre-kindergarten teacher Ginger Rubin. “Patti knew the school from all points of view, even as a parent.”

Guethlein said she can remember the way she felt as a teacher on her first day at the newly merged Seven Hills School.

“I was excited, proud, and humbled,” said Guethlein. “And I still feel that way. Each day, children make you laugh and remind you of all that is good in the world. They keep you grounded and remind you to not take yourself too seriously.”

“

“I love Patti’s ability to know each and every child. My favorite memory is when Lulu was 3 and Annie was in second grade I came to school early to pick LuLu up from extended care. When I got to school it was obvious the school was in the middle of a fire drill. I look up and Patti is walking across the street carrying LuLu, who was still sound asleep. She took LuLu over to stand by Annie so if she woke up, she wouldn’t be afraid! I could not have been more touched by her actions. Patti made Doherty such a loving, trusting environment.”

-Seven Hills parent B Gordon Doherty alumnus and Seven Hills junior Drew Vecellio called Guethlein a “benevolent hero.”

“If Mrs. Guethlein were a superhero, she’d be your classic Superman type—adored by all, abhorred by none. She

Doherty Librarian Linda Wolfe said Guethlein is known for leading with a gentle strength and a supportive, calm, honest, and patient ability to inspire all around her. In fact, Wolfe shared a haiku she wrote for her friend: Soft as a whisper Powerful Patti calmly Leads all toward success Guethlein’s legacy of caring, putting the needs of children first, of supporting faculty, and of appreciating her love of being an educator rings true in the hearts and minds of current Doherty students as well as alumni.

“

“There is so much that I treasure and appreciate about Patti that I could fill Mrs. Wolfe's library with volumes of books … The best testament to Patti's love, support, and courage is my children's complete trust and love for her.

Because of Patti, Doherty is the best gift I could have given my children as Doherty is truly a magical place—a place where children feel safe, loved, and valued for all of their traits. My husband and I will be eternally grateful for what Patti has done for our family.”

– Seven Hills parent Michelle Setzer

seems to be everywhere all at once and she cares for the entirety of Doherty and its hundreds of alums all at the same time.”

44 years of service

It’s hard to pull it all together and do it justice—the entirety of Patti Guethlein’s legacy on the Doherty Campus. An educator and administrator for 44 years, she has served multiple generations of students.

Guethlein called her time at Doherty “an incredible journey” full of lasting friendships.

“We have achieved a lot together. I will miss the children most of all because they have always given my life purpose.

I will miss the faculty, the office, and Rick, John, and Barb in our cafeteria and maintenance department. I will miss the exchange of ideas, the challenge of change, and the excitement that defines school. And finally,” said Guethlein, “I will miss the sunrise that greets me from my office window every day. Sometimes it was hidden behind the clouds, but I always knew it was there.”

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BARBARA KAROL

“This was serendipity. It just happened that Patty called me and it ended up to be a 33-year career for me, a second home,” Karol said. “I’ve made a lot of friends here.”

Karol took the role and since then, she has held many positions at the school, including speech teacher, yearbook coordinator, community service director, director of the Upper School’s Personal Challenge program, library assistant, and state funds coordinator. Karol said she has enjoyed the past nine years working with Robert Horne, director of finance and operations.

“

“The amazingly versatile Barbara Karol has served Seven Hills in so many wonderful ways over the years. She has been such an important part of our school community for decades, and while we are thrilled for her as she looks toward her retirement, we will miss her terribly.”

- Susan Marrs, Assistant Head of School, Director of College Counseling, and Director of Studies “The faculty and of the staff work hard and they are so engaged in helping the students. I was just very impressed and very grateful to be involved with that group,” Karol said.

Karol has particularly fond memories of her speech class, which was a required course. She said it was rewarding to watch her students grow and to learn about their interests.

“

“Barbara Karol has bridged generations at this school. It is not an understatement to say she has helped Seven Hills in all aspects— from teaching to ordering academic materials for our divisions. She is a caring, committed, and dedicated person who has a passion for this school and her career.”

- Robert Horne, Director of Finance and Operations

“I taught every student who came through the high school and got to know them because speech is a very different course,” she said. “You really get to hear what the students care about. It was very interesting.”

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During her time at Seven Hills, Karol said the Hillsdale Campus has expanded and now resembles a small college campus. One thing that has stayed the same? The faculty and staff who are passionate about Seven Hills.

“

"I've given speeches from the political minefields of the U.N. in New York, to weekend warriors trying to survive a soccer match, and all places in-between. Every single one carried the wisdom of Ms. Karol. Her speech class during my junior year set foundations that are always with me."

- Marc Shotten ’92, Senior Transport Specialist at the World Bank’s Global Road Safety Facility

33 years of service

Barbara Karol’s career at The Seven Hills School started in 1985 with a phone call. On the other end of the line was her college friend, the late Patty Flanigan, a beloved Upper School theater teacher at Seven Hills, who needed to hire a part-time acting teacher.

BOB TURANSKY

Over the years, Turansky has become the stuff of legend for students and faculty, alike. While the world has changed around him and students, over generations, have been affected by societal evolutions, Turansky has remained stalwart in his teaching goals—to help students understand that history is now, an ongoing, living thing that is determined and molded by human relationship and progress.

“

“Mr. Turansky is one of, if not the most inspiring, life-changing teachers I've ever had. He's brilliant, quirky, compassionate, and has an incredible ability to make students both appreciate history and care about the world around them.”

– Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld ’03

“Simply put, I wouldn't be who I am, where I am, were it not for Turansky. His transformative role in my life has been such that I will never grasp how lucky I was to be his student,” said Conrad Jacober ’11, graduate students of sociology at Johns Hopkins University. “Turansky and I chat frequently and hold reading groups at his home whenever I'm in town.”

Like his friendship with Jacober, Turansky has kept in touch with dozens of students over the years, often making it into the acknowledgements of history books written by his students who have gone on to become professors and historians.

“Mr. Turansky has an eye—and a heart—for the deep ethical questions posed by history and political theory. He teaches his students how to understand power and how to think,” said Anne Eller ’99, assistant professor of Latin American and Caribbean history at Yale University. “I am incredibly grateful to Mr. Turansky, whose intellect and passion in the classroom changed my life forever.”

Director of College Counseling and Assistant Head of School Susan Marrs said Turansky’s presence in the Upper

School will be missed, adding that she has enjoyed truly getting to know him over the years.

“Bob may try to hide behind an irascible façade but, in fact, he’s a big softie, unable to resist baby animals or grandchildren who want to dance with him,” said Marrs.

“I can’t even count the number of kids who have written college essays about his impact on the way they have come to understand history and what that has meant for their understanding of the current political scene.”

If his ongoing intellectual discussions with alumni are any indication, his retirement will mark the beginning of more robust work in political advocacy. Turansky is also looking forward to writing for the local alternative newspaper, Streetvibes, spending more time with his grandchildren, biking, and hiking.

Turansky’s love for Seven Hills runs as deeply as the love of his students and colleagues, current and former.

“It’s been an honor to work alongside my colleagues in the history department, and the faculty as a whole,” he said. “They have been universally gracious, collegial, and knowledgeable, a stellar group. I lucked out. Thanks for putting up with me.”

“

“It is no exaggeration to say that Bob Turansky has shaped my intellectual and academic pursuits as much as, if not more than, any other individual—graduate school advisors included. As a Latin American History professor at UC-San Diego, I do my best to emulate Turansky’s dynamic and captivating lecture style, although we all know he’s inimitable.”

-Matthew Vitz ’98 – Professor of Latin American history at UC-San Diego

32 years of service

After more than three decades as a history teacher at Seven Hills, Turansky, a man justifiably famous as a life-changing teacher who leaves his students intellectually richer than they were before they encountered him, is retiring.

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THERESA COHEN

Cohen brought her fervent love of the natural world to her students via captivating lessons about butterfly metamorphosis, hatching chicken eggs, composting, gardening, ornithology, and apiculture. She also helped form the curriculum for Terrific Tuesday, ongoing, weekly outdoor kindergarten lessons.

As a Seven Hills pre-kindergarten and kindergarten teacher for more than two decades, Cohen ignited a legacy of wonder and fact-seeking that will continue to

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“Mrs. Cohen is caring, passionate, energetic, outgoing, and sincere.

She always recognized my interests that were outside of school and encouraged me to pursue those interests.”

–Seven Hills sophomore Ethan Rising

spread throughout Lotspeich for years to come. As a prekindergarten teacher, she appreciated, early on, the power of mentorship.

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“We hope that Theresa's energy and passion remain a part of Lotspeich. She was always fully engaged with everyone in her classroom and with every class activity. Our daughters have vivid memories of the chicks that hatched in Theresa's classroom. They watched the eggs incubate, checked on them daily, and then got to hold the chicks when they hatched. Most of all, though, they remember Theresa's warmth and enthusiasm, which made them both love school.”

-Seven Hills parents Jenn Habel and Chris Bachelder

Retired early childhood teacher Collette Reenan said it was her pleasure to co-teach with Cohen during the early years.

“Throughout her tenure at Lotspeich, Theresa has been a master teacher,” said Reenan. “Her attention to detail, and her welcoming, multifaceted learning environment fostered her students’ inquisitiveness and imaginations.

Mrs. Cohen set the stepping stones for her students’ continual love of learning.”

Cohen said her teaching career has been full of favorite memories, from parent involvement to her daily interaction with her ever-curious students.

“I will miss the children and everything we learned together every day,” said Cohen. “I hope we will all

“I was always excited but worried about teaching the children. Am I doing it right? Did I say the right thing?” said Cohen during an interview this spring. “Was I the best teacher I could be? Then a wise, wonderful co-teacher named Mrs. Reenan reminded me that I am ‘lovable and capable,’ a mantra I still follow today.”

Some would say Cohen’s need to learn unique things and little-known science facts is just as strong as her desire to share them. Pre-kindergarten teacher Kathleen Slone, who started out as Cohen’s assistant years ago, said she is grateful for Cohen’s mentorship.

“Theresa is such a giving and active member in all of the communities of which she is a part and never hesitates to share all of her useful knowledge,” said Slone. “She invited me into her classroom and has been a wonderful friend ever since. I know that I am very lucky to have had Theresa as a mentor and a coworker.”

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remember that the most important thing about learning is not contained within the four walls of a classroom but by being outside. This is vital when teaching young children, especially in these highly technological times.”

23 years of service

When Theresa Cohen teaches, she not only shares secrets of nature with her young students; she unpacks the magic behind everyday occurrences.

SANDRA SHAW

“It’s really been a very enjoyable ride,” she said of her time at the Resale Shop. “You come to know the customers really well.

The customers say this is a place for healing and it’s therapy. They tell you their problems. You listen. You’re just here for the shoppers.”

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“Sandra’s customers love her and that’s the reason they come here.

She’s loved by the community and has a generous, big heart.”

- Jennifer Kreines, Accounts Receivable Manager at Seven Hills

One of Shaw’s favorite memories involves the Resale Shop turning into an impromptu dance floor. “This man,

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“Sandra’s been an absolute joy to work with. She is balanced. She is fair. The customers love her and she will be greatly missed.”

- Nancy Schulhoff, Resale Shop Assistant

he was about 80 years old, we were playing some good music on the radio, and he was trying to cut a step or two,” Shaw said. “Everybody in the store was laughing and they started dancing, too!”

Shaw, who started as a full-time employee in the store before being promoted to manager, oversaw the remodeling of the Resale Shop, which involved painting and new shelving. The store also hosted several events, including a fashion show featuring clothes from the Resale Shop, customer appreciation days, and a flea market.

While Shaw has been manager, revenue from the Resale Shop has gone toward purchasing important school assets, such as a school bus and vans for Seven Hills, steps leading to the lower fields on the Hillsdale Campus, and teacher supplies for Doherty and Hillsdale campuses.

Shaw has enjoyed her time at the Resale Shop and explains that it not only helps the Seven Hills community, but the community beyond the Hillsdale and Doherty campuses.

“A lot of people have said this place has been more like a saving grace for them when their kids were growing up,” she said. “They didn’t have a lot of money, but they were able to shop here and their kids could dress nice and they didn’t have to spend a lot of money.”

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“Sandra’s a very nice, hard worker and very nice to the customers.

She is always the first one in and the last one to leave. She is one of the best bosses I've ever had.

Sandra has a great personality with everyone!”

23 years of service

For Resale Shop manager Sandra Shaw, during the course of more than two decades, her many customers have become much more than that.

- Harold Boyd, Hillsdale Campus Maintenance

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LINDA FORD

“That is so we remember and appreciate Pauling’s major contribution in using Vitamin C to cure diseases like atherosclerosis and cancer,” said junior Felix Karthik.

“On top of that, she gives us the opportunity to do around 50 experiments to illustrate visually the various topics we study.”

Known for taking her students on energetic tromps through invasive bramble and knee-deep slogs through

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“I will miss her dedication, energy, and enthusiasm for her subject and for her students. I will miss the thoroughness of her lesson plans and the extraordinary passion she brings to her role of teaching.

I will also miss having a teacher who is such a big supporter of her students even outside the classroom.

Whenever I am in a play, musical, or concert at Seven Hills, I always know I'll see her smiling face in the audience, swaying along to the music.”

– Natalie Choo, Class of 2018

the Ohio River, Linda Ford will don her muddy hiking boots and fishing hat for more adventures outside of the classroom as she steps into retirement this spring.

Ford’s ever-teaching, ever-learning energy reached through the science wing of the Upper School, pulling in students and teachers, alike.

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“Linda is an educator, a professional. She has a quirky imagination that kids gravitate toward, and she is a great colleague. From Linda, you get what you see—a loving, caring educator who is impassioned by students’ discovery of their potential,” said Upper School science teacher

Tim Drew. “As a science colleague, Linda is supportive and adds twists to discussions that allow us all to evolve as educators. She is inspirational, and her energy is contagious. I will miss the daily contact with such a kind soul. She has been a fantastic role model for everyone.”

For several years, Ford has had an exceptional opportunity to not only stay in touch with former students, but to work on a professional level with them, as well, and watch them emerge as science teachers, themselves.

“Linda has been a crucial mentor to me during my first year teaching AP Chemistry,” said Julianne Bain Hall ’11, AP chemistry teacher at Durham School of the Arts. “Although I live eight hours away, she has helped me plan countless lessons and develop many resources for my students in North Carolina. I am thankful for her commitment to the larger chemistry community throughout the country.”

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“Mrs. Ford is all heart: she loves chemistry, teaching, and her students. She always had great energy and enthusiasm in the class. Even though she is one of the toughest teachers, she brings laughter and awe with her funny stories and demos.”

– Louann Kovach, Seven Hills Class of 2018

19 years of service

Every February, Linda Ford brings in a birthday cake for her chemistry students. It’s a celebratory treat to honor her favorite chemist and peace activist, Linus Pauling.

And because that isn’t quite enough, she also brings in Vitamin C gummies.

LYNN NIEHAUS

community.

Niehaus was drawn to Seven Hills, applying at the suggestion of her neighbors, now-retired Lotspeich librarian Marcia Snyder and kindergarten teacher Karen Mandell. At the school, she found a

“The dedicated teachers and families of Seven Hills are an incredible caring community of educators, artists and engineers, scientists, explorers, musicians and

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“It has been my joy and privilege to work with this talented, creative, dedicated, compassionate woman. We have planned together, taught together, supported each other, collaborated and commiserated, cried and laughed together. Lotspeich will miss her. I will sorely miss her.”

–Kim Walden, Lotspeich third-grade teacher innovators,” Niehaus said. “That’s what makes us the amazing school we are.”

Niehaus, with her fellow third-grade teacher Kim Walden, has facilitated many memorable student projects during her tenure. Third-graders completed extensive studies of Native American cultures and Cincinnati History.

One of Niehaus’ favorite projects was creating a dragon tale. Students first chose six adjectives then wove a fictional tale using the adjectives as the base. Thirdgraders then illustrated their unique dragons.

Kindergarten teacher Theresa Cohen said she and Niehaus worked closely together on the monarch butterfly project. When kindergarten students moved from the Lotspeich building to the new Nellie Leaman Taft Early Childhood Center, Cohen explained, Niehaus was passionate about keeping a strong connection between kindergarteners and third-graders.

So, the teachers collaborated on the Journey North Monarch Butterfly program, tracing the path of monarch butterfly migration.

“Lynn was equally enthusiastic about building on these connections through art projects, ‘buddying’ children,

and offering her time and assistance to continue to create opportunities that were important to this project,” Cohen said.

Niehaus said collaboration like this has been a cornerstone in her teaching at Seven Hills. She often collaborated with Project Math teacher Liz Lorenz, and she also noted her strong partnership with Kim Walden.

“Kim and I planned everything together,” Niehaus said.

“Kim is an amazing teacher, colleague, collaborator, and partner to work with, and I am so very fortunate and grateful to have worked with her these past years.

Together, we have had a great third grade.”

Another reason third grade is so great is because year after year, Niehaus’ goal has remained the same. “I’ve always wanted to inspire every child,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to make them feel comfortable where they are as learners, and create opportunities that allow each child to find success.”

Niehaus will stay busy in retirement. She plans to keep in touch with her Seven Hills friends, travel, cook, and spend time with her family. She will also devote time to continuing her painting series about independent bookstores, for which

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“Lynn’s grace, sense of humor, and humility is endearing to all her colleagues. She may quietly reveal her many talents particularly as a gifted artist. Most often Lynn is seeking to support those with whom she teaches and certainly those students she teaches. Her style, wit, talent, and goodwill will be greatly missed by all of us.”

13 years of service

Every teacher in Lotspeich knows the school is more than just a school. It’s a family that welcomed retiring teacher Lynn Niehaus into its arms more than a decade ago.

-Carolyn Fox, Head of Lotspeich

she was given a Seven Hills Titcomb Grant in 2016, to travel to Paris and paint the city’s bookstores.

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LINDA CLARK

“I had some great teams and some great players who still, to this day, stay in touch and that has meant a lot,” Clark said.

Clark worked with Jill Romerill, serving as co-director of the After the Bell enrichment and Summer Programs.

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“Linda has been a valuable member of the Seven Hills community in so many ways. Many know her in her role with after-school care and summer camps, but Linda has also served as a Middle School girls basketball coach and varsity girls volleyball coach. Linda is an example of how a talented person can fill so many important roles for the school and do them all incredibly well. She will be missed tremendously and we wish her well in the next adventure in her life.”

- Brian Phelps, Seven Hills Athletic Director “There’s a lot of pride with how the Summer Program’s grown and how it’s respected throughout greater Cincinnati, with the enrichment programs almost tripling in numbers in the past four years,” she said. “I feel like we’ve accomplished a lot. It’s nice to see.”

Clark said she was drawn to Seven Hills’ “sense of community” and found that the position was a great opportunity for her.

“Everyone was really welcoming and helpful,” Clark said.

“It didn’t take long for Jill and me to establish a comfort level working together and we developed a really strong partnership.”

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“Linda Clark’s creative programming and professional management have been instrumental in enhancing and expanding both the Summer and After the Bell programs. It has been a pleasure to work with Linda for the past 12 years and we wish her all the best in her next adventure.”

- Jill Romerill, Co-director of the Enrichment and Summer Programs at Seven Hills

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Clark is pleased with how the programs she’s been a part of have developed over the years. The Summer Program has especially thrived, and includes camps attended by children from around the area.

“What I love about Seven Hills, probably the most, are the values that are exemplified here and what we strive toward,” Clark said. “I think that’s really important in today’s world.”

Although she is excited to retire and spend time with her three grandchildren and travel, Clark said she will miss her coworkers and students. Every day, she said, she would leave work laughing. “I want people to know how much I appreciate their support through the years here and the joy they brought to each day,” Clark said.

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“As our girls Middle School basketball coach, she led our teams to a Miami Valley Conference A-division tournament championship and runner up, and a B-division championship, as well.

Her players benefited from her vast knowledge of the game of basketball and received a great deal of life lessons from her experiences as both a former player and coach.”

- Roger Schnirring, Seven Hills Physical Education Department Chair, Middle School Athletic Directorand

12 years of service

Throughout her 12 years at Seven Hills, Linda Clark has had a hand in helping to develop Middle School athletics and the Summer Program. She began her career at Seven Hills working with Middle School Athletic Director Roger Schnirring, assisting him with the program while coaching the varsity volleyball team, Middle School girls basketball, and one year of softball.

ALUMNI NEWS

DOES THE SCHOOL STILL … ?

Alumni often ask us if the school maintains events and traditions that they fondly remember from their own years at the school. Many times, our answer is, “Yes, the school still does that!”

Drama in the Red Barn at Lotspeich The Red Barn has served as an icon for generations of Lotspeich students who attended drama class and performed on its stage. When Mrs. Helen Lotspeich first moved her school from Clifton to the current location on Red Bank Road in 1930, the land surrounding it was still somewhat rural. The

school’s grounds included the barn, which became home to the drama program very early on. As Kitty Blair Fischer L’62, H’68 recalls, the Red Barn “was the best ever. It was always fun to be there and, for a while, be able to transform into a character.” The Red Barn still holds Lotspeich’s drama classes and sees several plays and performances on its stage every year.

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ALUMNI NEWS

HELICOPTERS ON PI DAY AND AIR GUITAR IN JAZZ BAND: A STORY OF TWO SEVEN HILLS ALUMNI WHO BECAME BUSINESS PARTNERS

Our Director of Alumni Engagement Sarah Lautar ’05 caught up with Seven Hills alumni and business partners Ben Greenberg ’06 and Sebastien Hue ’02 to ask them about life after Seven Hills. Ben and Sebastien recently founded BS LLC, a marketing and branding firm based in Cincinnati.

Seven Hills’ Sarah Lautar:

What’s been happening with each of you since graduating from Seven Hills?

Ben Greenberg:

I attended University of Pennsylvania and graduated with a degree in philosophy and English in 2010. After graduation, I moved back to Cincinnati and landed a job at Strive Partnership, a nonprofit focused on creating positive change in education systems through collaboration. I then decided to go to law school and enrolled at Northern Kentucky University’s Salmon P. Chase College of Law. During law school, I worked for a boutique law firm

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specializing in product liability and complex litigation. During those challenging years, as an outlet, I started writing creatively with focus and energy. I soon decided to hold myself out as a freelance copywriter, and, luckily, Sebastien took notice and pulled me in on a project. Now we run a branding firm called BS LLC.

Sebastien Hue:

After Seven Hills, I moved to Chicago to attend Lake Forest College. I spent my days studying French authors and my evenings trimming artichokes at some of the city’s most delicious and lowestpaying French kitchens. After graduating with a degree in French Lit. and International Relations, I dabbled in rock ’n’ roll and culinary entrepreneurship. I chose business school, which is a rite of passage for all dabblers. Fond of my time in Europe, I attended the French business school ESCP in Paris. A few consulting stints in Europe led to steady work with a technology firm based in Tel Aviv. I soon found myself craving an American burger, when David Falk, of Boca Restaurant Group, rang and asked me to join his team. I spent the next five years imagining and building restaurants

Q &A

in and out of Cincinnati before I reconnected with Ben Greenberg and formed an LLC.

Seven Hills’ Sarah Lautar:

Tell us about how you started the branding agency you founded together.

Ben Greenberg:

Sebastien was working at Boca Restaurant Group as their director of marketing. I was looking for something creatively satisfying outside of my routine. He asked me to help him with a project for Boca, which became a piece of viral content for the Boca brand. We discovered two things: we like working together and we like working with other people’s ideas.

Sebastien Hue: What started as a

two-man artistic support group grew into an after-hours ghostwriting business. At a certain point, it all became too much. Ben was in law school, I worked a full-time job, and we were getting far too little sleep. So, after some inspirational music, we picked the safest route and decided to become full-time entrepreneurs.

ALUMNI NEWS

ALUMNI PROFILES: BEN GREENBERG ’06 & SEBASTIEN HUE ’02

Seven Hills’ Sarah Lautar:

Did special teachers or experiences from your days at Seven Hills make an impression on you?

Ben Greenberg:

Teachers like Bob Turansky and Sandra Smythe instilled in me a belief that pursuing difficulty and embracing challenge is ultimately more fulfilling than seeking the traditional trappings of success.

Patty Flanigan exists in a category of her own. As cliché as this sounds, she made me believe that I can be anyone or anything I desire. She reminded us all that life is to be lived passionately, thoroughly, and without compromise to one’s principles.

Sebastien Hue: During that era, I measured success by the quality and quantity of my practical jokes. Instead of with harsh words and more detention, Seven Hills disciplined with ideas. They encouraged creativity and

understanding outside of the traditional lines, and let those lines bend to encompass my humor, not stifle it.

What first appeared to be the patience of kind professors, endured as a philosophical lesson in the complexity of human spirit and the richness afforded if we look inside the many shades of behavior.

I’d be remiss not to mention that Seven Hills sparked my fascination with language and communication. I started learning French in the first grade at Doherty and ended up working in French politics and going to French business school.

Seven Hills’ Sarah Lautar:

If you could give your high school selves one piece of advice, what would it be?

Ben Greenberg:

Whatever you feel like you did wrong will not matter in five minutes.

Sebastien Hue: Don’t miss all the cool ’90s bands at Bogart’s you’ll love in 15 years.

Seven Hills’ Sarah Lautar:

What is a favorite memory from Seven Hills?

Ben Greenberg:

Too many memories to mention, and some that I probably can’t say here. Some things that come to mind: Tom Wolfe’s visit and our high school journalists grilling him with difficult questions, the Channel 14 helicopter landing on the soccer field on “Pi Day” (3.14), Mrs. Khoo’s often hilarious PowerPoint presentations, and any morning when one of our virtuosic musicians would give an impromptu performance for no other reason but that their talents were worth sharing.

Sebastien Hue: So many memories come to mind, but one that is often retold is a moment when high school baseball legend Lumen Sivitz ’02 ate an entire box of staff donuts out of sheer rage. I’ll follow Ben’s lead and mention Mrs. Khoo, whom I must thank for her patience (if I remember correctly, I routinely turned in pre-calc homework assignments on cafeteria napkins). And, Mr. Rising, who let me be a guitar hero two times a week in the school’s first jazz band.

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WE LOOK FORWARD TO WELCOMING YOU BACK TO CAMPUS!

SEVEN HILLS classes of 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994, and 1999 The classes of 2004, 2009, and 2014 will celebrate their reunions on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019.

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ION 2 0 • • • • •

All events are free of charge, courtesy of your Alumni Association & the Development Office.

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513.728.2432

LOTSPEICH classes of 1943, 1948, 1953, 1958, 1963, 1968, and 1973

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Reunion reps are needed to help make this a special weekend for your class. While the schoolsponsored reunion events are for everyone to enjoy, each class organizes its own class-specific events. Please volunteer to help plan an event for your class. The more people from your class who are able to attend, the better your reunion will be.

Please contact Sarah Ott Lautar ’05, Director of Alumni Engagement, at sarah.lautar@7hills.org or

CPS & HILLSDALE classes of 1944, 1949, 1954, 1959, 1964, 1969, and 1974

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Reunion 2019 April 5 & 6

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Spouses, guests, and families are welcome.

All information is available at www.7hills.org/ reunion.

CONGRATUL ATIONS TO THE CL ASS OF 1994 ON CELEBRATING YOUR 25TH REUNION

SHS

1994

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ALUMNI NEWS

CPS

1969 CONGRATUL ATIONS TO THE CL ASS OF 1969 ON CELEBRATING YOUR 50TH REUNION HILLSDALE

HILLSDALE

1969

1969

HILLSDALE

1969 HILLSDALE

1969

REUNION REPS are needed to help make this a special weekend for your class. Please contact Sarah Ott Lautar '05 at sarah. lautar@7hills.org or 513.728.2432 if you are interested in helping.

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ALUMNI NEWS

ALUMNI CAREER PANEL AND NETWORKING EVENT

“It’s okay to have new dreams and pursue something else. It’s okay to reinvent yourself,” alumna Tracy Monroe ’82 told the crowd at the first Alumni Career Panel and Networking Event. On Thursday, Jan. 18, alumni gathered on Hillsdale Campus in the Donovan Arts Center for a panel discussion featuring fellow alumni from a variety of industries. The panel was moderated by P.G. Sittenfeld ’03. The panelists shared their experiences and words of wisdom with the audience, much of which reflected the same Seven Hills values the school instills today. As Jen Menzies ’03 said of what she’s learned in her professional life, “Be nice and share credit. There is enough to go around on any team.”

Thanks to all who participated: • Moderator P.G. Sittenfeld ’03, Cincinnati City Council Member • Dorothy Kim Corbett ’84, Vice President of Law and Senior Counsel, Johnson & Johnson

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• Jane Garvey C’74, Vice President of Marketing & Communications, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital

• Ben Greenberg ’06, Founder, BS LLC • Sebastien Hue ’02, Founder, BS LLC • Jen Menzies ’03, Scientist, Procter & Gamble • Tracy Monroe ’82, Director of Planned Giving, Ronald McDonald House of Greater Cincinnati • Dotty Shaffer ’83, Physician, Full Spectrum Health Center • Marsha Williams ’77, President & Founder, Harvest Research Group

ALUMNI NEWS

CELEBRATING THE NEWEST MEMBERS OF THE SEVEN HILLS WALL OF FAME "Seven Hills isn’t just a community. It’s a family.”

These words from Kamilah “Mimi” Barker ’94 were never truer than on the evening of Jan. 5, when classmates, teachers, coaches, friends, and family gathered to witness the induction of the newest members of Seven Hills’ Athletic Wall of Fame.

Inducted this year were soccer, basketball, and track & field athlete Barker (introduced by former coach Angie Drew); basketball player Drew Kohn ’08 (introduced by current boys varsity coach Willie Hill); soccer, basketball, and softball player Sarah Leyman ’07 (introduced by current Middle School math teacher Carri Haskins); soccer, cross-country,

The evening's honorees, from left to right: Drew Kohn '08, Tom Betts, Kelley Peter '85, Kamilah "Mimi" Barker '94, and Sarah Leyman '07.

basketball, and baseball athlete Kelley Peter ’85 (introduced by former Athletic Director Duke Snyder), and recentlyretired longtime teacher and softball coach Tom Betts (introduced by Marty Mueller Gerhardt ’85, Tom’s former softball player and current Doherty P.E. teacher).

Each of the inductees gave inspiring acceptance speeches, their stories and memories evoking laughter and a few tears from the audience. Following the ceremony, the athletes were introduced at halftime of the evening’s basketball game.

The following evening, Kohn, who is the alltime leading scorer for boys basketball, and his teammates from the 2007-08 season were honored during halftime of the Saturday night varsity basketball game.

The 2007-08 district champion team, one of the most successful teams in school history, celebrated the 10th anniversary of its 23-2 season.

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25th Annual Young Alumni Holiday Party The 25th Annual Young Alumni Holiday Party took place on Dec. 21, 2017, at Taft’s Ale House in Over-the-Rhine. Members of the classes of 2007 through 2017 caught up at the event.

Save the date for this year—the party will be moving to Thanksgiving week on Saturday, Nov.24, 2018 from 5-7p.m. at MadTree Brewing Company.

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ALUMNI NEWS

#THROWBACK Celebrating Graduation with the CPS Silver Tea Many CPS alumnae fondly remember celebrating their final year of high school and the start of a new phase in life at the annual Silver Tea. Each year, a different family hosted the Silver Tea at their home for the CPS senior class, faculty, and parents. The first mention of the Silver Tea appears in the 1947 yearbook, where it is listed in the school’s calendar of annual events, along with a note describing the event as “a big

white cotton gloves a must—and enjoy dainty sandwiches, cookies, and tea served from fancy silver tea services. My friends and I felt quite sophisticated.” Cynthia recalls the Silver Tea being a meaningful and fancy occasion—enough so that she got her hair done at the beauty shop for the event in an upswept beehive.

Melody Sawyer Richardson C’61 also recalls the Silver Tea as a special event that the

1975 family hosted the tea in the formal dining room of their home. In 2006, Melody hosted a tea celebrating Doherty’s centennial at her home. “The 100th anniversary, it was a thrill to have it at my home. It was really very moving. I remember trying to sing the school song, and I couldn’t get through it.”

1966 success.” Starting in 1951, decades of CPS yearbooks include photos of the entire senior class together at the tea. The students certainly looked the picture of proper young women, dressed up and with their hair and make-up impeccably styled, standing beside a table set with china and a silver tea service.

As Cynthia Kuhn Beischel C’66, author of The Lost Tea Rooms of Downtown Cincinnati, remembers, “Guests of CPS’ Silver Tea would get all dressed up—

senior girls looked forward to as “a rite of passage.” During Melody’s senior year, her

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While the traditional Silver Tea faded with the 1974 merger of CPS and Hillsdale and coeducation, the tradition of sending seniors off into a post-graduate life does continue today with the Upper School annual Junior-Senior Picnic.

Doherty also honors this tradition. Librarian Linda Wolfe has hosted a Paddington Bear tea for students, using Mrs. Doherty’s tea set for the event.

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ALUMNI NEWS

Fall Reunions Brought Alumni Together 15TH REUNION

Seven Hills’ class of 2002 celebrated its 15th reunion on Nov. 25 at Queen City Radio in Over-the-Rhine. Thanks to Alex Philips, John Rubin, Tshiunza Kalubi, and Eric Greenberg for organizing the gathering! Members of the class got together again in December 2018 for an impromptu reunion.

2002

10TH REUNION

The class of 2007 got together on Nov. 25 at Pearl’s Bar in Cincinnati. The group, organized

by Tyler Hervas, took advantage of the warmer weather to reconnect on the outdoor patio.

5TH REUNION 60

On Nov. 25, the class of 2012 celebrated its fifth reunion at Igby’s in downtown Cincinnati. Members of the class caught up over food from Eli’s BBQ. Thanks to Mark Niehaus for planning the event!

ALUMNI NEWS

The Seven Hills Road Show Headed South for Sun in Naples!

Seven Hills alumni and parents of alumni gathered at the home of Anne Drackett Thomas H’66 for a luncheon on March 1, 2018. Many thanks to Anne for graciously hosting such a lovely afternoon for alumni and friends of the school!

Annual Seven Hills Alumni Basketball On Dec. 17, former Seven Hills basketball players gathered for the annual alumni basketball game. The competitive teams played an exciting game, which saw numerous lead changes and was decided by a last-second shot. #GoStingers!

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ALUMNI NEWS

REUNION 2018 Classics Luncheon Alumni from near and far attended the Classics Luncheon on Friday, April 13, as part of Reunion celebrations. Head of School Chris Garten presented the State of the School, and Class Agents Santiago Garcia ’19 and Claire Harrison ’19 shared their experiences as current Seven Hills students with our guests. It was a wonderful occasion to celebrate the Hillsdale and CPS classes of 1968’s 50th Reunions!

Diana Motch Dwight L’56, Barbara Anderson Landen H’62, and Carolyn Huwe Ludwig H’56

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Lib Asbury Stone L’42, H’48, Molly Maish Harrison C’48, and Ann Kreimer Howard H’48

Molly Brightwell Hansbrough C’68, Ellen Graf Reister C’68, Alys Baldwin McCalmont C’68, and Sherry Strasser Boswell C’68

Susan Newkirk Wright H’63, Laurie McLean Bustle H’63, and Lindy VanDoren Freeman H’63

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ALUMNI NEWS

REUNION 2018 Classics Luncheon

Photo above: Glenna McLain Light C’57, Betsy Alexander Berry H’57, Christopher Knoop L’53, Suzanne Pattison Zesch H’53, and Gwyneth Pease Spindel H’53

Students Claire Harrison ’19 and Santiago Garcia ’19

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Randy Upson LaFerriere H’63 and Joanne Hoffman Wilson H’63

Head of School Chris Garten presenting the State of the School

Photo above left: Director of Development Margo Kirstein, Janet Krefting, and Helen Chatfield Black H’41

Photo above: Sandy Hauck Elliott C’49, Diana Motch Dwight L’56, Pat Landen H’50, Janet Krefting, Helen Chatfield Black L’35, H’41, and Janet Fast Andress H’46

Peggy Foerster, Paul Foerster L’47, Nancy Parish Waggoner L’47, H’53, Raymond Waggoner, John Parlin L’54, and Anne Nieman Wilson H’53 65

ALUMNI NEWS

REUNION 2018 Classics Luncheon

Janet Hengstenberg Hauck H’46, Marilyn Miller Logan H’44, Lib Asbury Stone H’48, Molly Maish Harrison C’48, and Ann Kreimer Howard H’48

Ginger Howard Kuhn C’68, Sissy Hall C’68, Jane Ritter Janesch C’68, and Deborah Joslin Light C’68

Kitty Blair Fischer L’62, H’68, Dianne Wulsin H’68, Busy Chatfield Gilmore H’68, Pattie Scifres Jamison H’68, and Weenie Schweitzer Rush L’62, H’68

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Susan Newkirk Wright H’63, Jill Acomb Hoff H’63, Laurie McLean Bustle H’63, and Skye Blaine L’57, H’63

Head of School Chris Garten, Deborah Daniel Long C’68, Laura Love Rose C’68, Holly Ann Drew Osler C’68, and Meg McLaurin C’68

Lindy VanDoren Freeman H’63, Joanne Hoffman Wilson H’63, Anne Berkeley H’63, Tory Woodhull Parlin H’63, Director of Alumni Engagement Sarah Ott Lautar ’05, and Randy Upson LaFerriere H’63

Susie Smith Goldman C’68, Jill Johnston C’68, Ceci Twachtman C’68, Nancy Osmond Allgeier C’68, and Laura Hobson C’68

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ALUMNI NEWS

REUNION 2018 Classics Luncheon

Margo Taft Stever L’62, H’68, Betsy Durbrow Parker H’68, Suzy Marquard H’68, Beth O’Connell Keegan H’68, and Nan Sikes Witten H’68

Santiago Garcia ’19, Claire Harrison ’19, Ann McDowell Santen H’56, and Missy Richards Holzman H’59

Sherry Strasser Boswell C’68, Ellen Graf Reister C’68, Alys Baldwin McCalmont C’68, Lynn Burkholder McKlveen C’68 and Molly Brightwell Hausbrough C'68

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Barby Simpson Garner H’61, Barbara Anderson Landen H’62, Polly Adair Culp H’65, Janie Maddox Dumbadze C’65, and Carol Smith Hesser C’65

Judy Allen Thompson C’56, Nancy Donaldson Kollin H’59, Carolyn Huwe Ludwig H’56, Roberta Dunville Sprague H’56, and Joan Fankhauser Ireton C’51

Sue Skilken Magnan C’67, Penny Hepp Murphy C’58, Betsy Russell Craig C’58, Christy Haffner Borneman C’67, and Barbara Huenefeld LeBlond C’62

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ALUMNI NEWS

REUNION 2018 Flavor of Seven Hills Friday, April 13 proved lucky with lovely spring weather for the Flavor of Seven Hills! Local alumni and those in town to celebrate their Reunion gathered in the Hillsdale Commons to reconnect and enjoy the offerings of the many restaurants and chefs in the Seven Hills community who participated. The warm evening led guests outside to the deck to enjoy the sounds of Full Moon Ranch Trio while kids played in the quad next to the Upper School.

Many thanks to the following vendors who helped make the Flavor of Seven Hills such a success!

A la Carte Dessert & Catering

Maria & Jim Papakirk, Current Parents

Dewey’s Pizza

Full Moon Ranch Trio

Jody Knoop, Lotspeich Art Teacher

Nectar Personal Chef Services

Jen (Accounts Receivable Mgr.) & Jeffrey Kreines ’82, Current Parents

Andrew DeWitt ’89, Current Parent

Julie Francis ’81

A Tavola/Taglio

Pam Ashmore, Doherty Beginnings Parent

eat well celebrations and feasts

Rica Ligeralde, Current Parent

Jared Wayne ’97, Current Parent, & Nick Wayne ’99

Breadsmith

Renee Schuler, Friend of the School

Sarah (Allyn ’77) & Ward Bahlman L’66, Former Parents

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Camp Washington Chili

Dutch’s Larder

Room for Dessert

Melt Eclectic Café

Friend of the School through Austin Poston ’11 Wellmann's Brands

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ALUMNI NEWS

REUNION 2018 Individual Class Events

Hillsdale 1968 Pattie Scifres Jamison, Louise Lillard Sweet, Kathy Todd Barber, Suzy Marquard, Beth Keegan O’Connell, Laura Hopple Eschelbach, Kitty Blair Fischer, Robin Hawley Wood, Lynn Schweitzer Rush, Nan Sikes Witten HILLSDALE

1968

CPS 1968 Back row: Ceci Twachtman, Deborah Daniel Long, Alys Baldwin McCalmont Middle row: Deborah Joslin Light, Susie Smith Goldman, Holly Ann Drew Osler, Laura Hobson, Jane Ritter Janesch, Robin Wood, Sissy Hall Front row: Ginger Howard Kuhn, Laura Love Rose, Ellen Graf Reister, Molly Brightwell Hansbrough, Meg McLaurin, Jill Johnston, Nancy Osmond Allgeier

CPS

1968

CPS

CPS 1968 Sherry Strasser Boswell, Ellen Graf Reister, Nancy Osmond Allgeier, Meg McLaurin, Jill Johnston, Holly Ann Drew Osler, Susie Smith Goldman, Ceci Twachtman, Jane Ritter Janesch, Deborah Joslin Light

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1968

1978

1978 Back row: Marjorie Woodward Wasmund, Jenny Brandt Gast, Robby Garrett, Lisa Head James, Anzie Asbury L’72, Amy Mitchell Cherry, Martha Campbell, Teddy Calloway, Deirdre Sullivan Beeman, Frank Russell L’72 Front row: Susan Beaver, Howard Tomb, Ellie Fabe, Annie Paulsen, Dede Lewis Rowe, Libby Warrington Ott, Martha Allen

1983 Lauren Meyers Bosse, Amy Klein, Alissa Sammarco Magenheim, Lisa Richardson Henske, Sybil Behrens Mullin, Dottie Shaffer, Barbara Gourzis, Nancy McCormick, Lee Carter, Christine Porter Barton, Margaret Stewart, Fritz Wilger, Joyce Frazier, Paula White Wharton, Jim Paulsen ’81 Not pictured: Rebecca Lindy Coll

1983 THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE CLASS REPS FOR THEIR EFFORTS AND ENTHUSIASM!

CPS

Hillsdale

Lotspeich

Betsy Russell Craig

Allison Chase Elinor Adick Kline

Seven Hills

1958

1968

1958*

1963

Nancy Osmond Allgeier Debbie Daniel Long Ceci Twachtman

Skye Blaine Lindy VanDoren Freeman

1973

1968

Claire Hummel Kupferle Anne Sheffield Vanoy

Kitty Blair Fischer Nan Sikes Witten

Paul Foerster L’47

1978

Ellie Fabe Libby Warrington Ott

1983

Lauren Meyers Bosse Stephen Fine Nancy McCormick Sybil Behrens Mullin

Dotty Shaffer Fritz Wilger

1988

Karin Anderson Abrell Ellen Haude Julianne Richardson Wagner

1998

Kate Blocher Kenya Brock Meredith Edwards Ficks Andi Fischer Simon Jo Sittenfeld

*Hillsdale 1958 celebrated their Reunion over the weekend of May 19-20 with tours of the school and Cincinnati’s Music Hall, lunch in the Lotspeich Library, dinner at the Capital Grille, and brunch at the Palm Court.

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ALUMNI NEWS

REUNION 2018 Individual Class Events

1988 Back row: Chris Rice, Ed Baynes, Katherine Seiden Drake, Eric Ruder, Julianne Richardson Wagner, Andy Sokatch, Chip Smith, Kate Kuhn Galle, Melanie Heimann, John Hillhouse, Sarah DePalma Cosgrove, Betsy Quinn Darenius Front row: Jen Lynagh Clawson, Laura Kaufman, Karin Anderson Abrell, Ellen Haude, Dawn Meyers Not pictured: Jerry Lin and Cheryl Grood Kovachi

1988 1988 Karin Anderson Abrell, Jerry Lin, Head of Doherty Patti Guethlein, John Hillhouse, and Julianne Richardson Wagner

1988 74

1998

1998 Photo above - Back row: Andrew Simon, Jo Sittenfeld, Kenya Brock, Tuck Shepard, Bryan Ayers, Seb Botzow, Jay Ashmore, John Hepp, Dan Baker, Lindsey Zahner, Rich Hutchins Front row: Front row: Ginny Berg Van Alyea, Katie Kiefhaber Elliott, Betsy Findlay, Katie Draznik Schell, Meredith Edwards Ficks, Kate Blocher, Sarah Armstrong Rodgers, Lisa Barrett, Joe McRoberts, Andi Fischer Simon

1998

Photo left -Kenya Brock, Betsy Findlay, Meredith Edwards Ficks, Ginny Berg Van Alyea, Kate Blocher, Andi Fischer Simon, Lisa Barrett, Katie Keifhaber Elliott, Jo Sittenfeld

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ALUMNI NEWS

CLASS NOTES News from our Alumni 1959 Peter Breidenbach (L) (Newbury Park, California) wrote, “After 24 years away, I have returned to the Los Angeles area for work and life. Best to all in the Seven Hills and Lotspeich circle.” Peter owns Peter Bright Productions, where he is creative producer-writer and voice-over announcer.

School. In 2015, she was named Western & Southern Financial Group’s Dr. Lawrence C. Hawkins Educator of the Year in Cincinnati Public Schools. 2

1985 Congratulations to Michael Spitz (Los Angeles, California), who recently published Queen City Records, a book about record store history and culture in Cincinnati. 1

3

1989 1

1988 Congratulations to Krista Vitz Taylor (Cincinnati) on the recent publication of Angels and Superheroes: Compassionate Educators in an Era of School Accountability, which she co-authored with Jack Jose. Krista is an intervention specialist and lead teacher in Cincinnati Public Schools at 2 Gamble Montessori High

Brett Rubenstein (Fountain Valley, Colorado) sent us a photo of a Seven Hills meet up at Eldora Ski Resort near Boulder, Colorado. Former Seven Hills faculty members Ann Carson and Steve Kerchner and their daughter, Ellen, met up with Brett and his wife, Carolyn, and children, Jackson (age 11) and Piper (age 9). Ann taught Brett AP Biology at Seven Hills, and then Brett taught Ann and Steve’s daughter AP Biology at Fountain Valley School of Colorado! 3

1992 Tom McElhinney (Columbus, Mississippi) wrote, “I took command of the 43rd Flying Training Squadron at Columbus Air Force

Base in Mississippi on April 25. The squadron has 85 instructor pilots in three different airframes (T-6, T-38, and T-1). We are responsible for augmenting the active duty mission of training student pilots in Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training at Columbus Air Force Base. The squadron flies about 12,000 flights per year and represents about 15 percent of the total sortie production of the base. I've been a part of the 43rd Flying Training Squadron for 12 years and am very excited to take command of the squadron for the next two years. I will also keep flying the 757 and 767 with United Airlines out of Chicago, in addition to being the Squadron Commander for my Air Force reserve job.”

1994 Congratulations to Ned Elliott (Cincinnati) who is opening a restaurant, Foreign & Domestic, in Over-the-Rhine in summer 2018. Ned previously worked for

SHARE YOUR NEWS

New job? Recently married?

Written a book? If you have stories to share, please don’t hesitate! Go to www.7hills.org/alumniupdates.

Drop us a line and send high resolution photos (.jpeg format) to sarah.lautar@7hills.org.

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In Memoriam Our condolences to the families and friends who have lost loved ones.

restaurants owned by Danny Meyer, Alain Ducasse, and Thomas Keller. He opened the first Foreign & Domestic in Austin, Texas seven years ago.

2003 Congratulations to Wesley Filardo (Baltimore, Maryland), who recently completed his Ph.D. in computer science in natural language processing at Johns Hopkins University.

Cincinnati Art Museum. They were joined by many Seven Hills alumni and longtime dear friends, including Lauren Weber ’04, Liza Newman ’04, Sadie Ferguson Steller ’04, Ellen Houston ’04, Claire Rubin Prat ’04, and Will Constable ’05. 5 6

1936

Christine Marting Baermann C’36 (Raleigh, North Carolina) passed away on Nov. 19, 2017.

1942

Marjorie Littleford Ross C’42 (Ft. Thomas, Kentucky) passed away on May 2, 2017.

1946

Elizabeth Bell Friou H’46 (Tarrytown, New York) passed away on Dec. 16, 2016.

2004

1952

Jessica Moss Gagin (Cincinnati) and her husband, L.C., welcomed daughter Kennedy Phoenix on Nov. 30, 2017. 4

Valerie Richards Ault H’52 (Bannockburn, Illinois) passed away on Sept. 27, 2017.

1955

2005 Mindy Moser Barber (Cincinnati) and her husband, Brad, welcomed their son Henry Bradford Barber on Feb. 5, 2018. 6

4

Jenna Harris (Denver, Colorado) married Dillon Teske on Sept. 2, 2017, at the

5

Congratulations to Asia Reid Narayan on her recent marriage to Neil Narayan. Asia and Neil were married on Oct. 14, 2017, at the Taft Museum in Cincinnati. Fellow Seven Hills alumni in the wedding party included Robin Schimberg Lee ’06,

Nancy Blemker Yeaw C’55 (Chatham, Massachusetts) passed away on March 12, 2018.

1957

Mary Ann Swedes Strickland H’57 (Petoskey, Michigan) passed away on Jan. 28, 2018.

1980

Kimberlee “Kimmi” Allen ’80 (Tucson, Arizona) passed away on Dec. 4, 2017.

1991

SGM Samuel McAllister ’91 (Alexandria, Virginia) passed away on Jan. 24, 2018.

1998

James Parker ’98 (Cincinnati) passed away on Dec. 18, 2017.

Class of 1997

Jeremy Friedman (Cincinnati) passed away on March 29, 2018.

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ALUMNI NEWS

CLASS NOTES News from our Alumni Jessalyn Reid ’08, Ramsey Reid ’03, and mother-of-the-bride Janet Allen-Reid ’76.

2010

7

Shannon Monnier Evers (Greenville, South Carolina) wrote to us, “Just finished my Masters at Clemson University in Food, Nutrition, and Culinary Arts. I recently got married in October of 2017 to Nathan Evers. I am the Executive Chef at Plate 108 doing cooking classes for the public, and I am working on becoming a registered dietitian to bridge the gap between culinary and nutrition.”

2012 Artist Linnea Head (Cincinnati) was interviewed and featured on WLWT’s Channel 5 story celebrating

7

2006 Daniel Filardo (Denver, Colorado) is in his final year of residency in internal medicine at the University of Colorado, Denver.

Congratulations, Daniel!

2008 Best wishes to Alexa Lowe Buchsieb (Columbus, Ohio) on her marriage to Chris Buchsieb on Aug. 5, 2017, in Cincinnati! The couple lives in Columbus. 8

9

INTERESTED IN BEING A REUNION REP FOR YOUR CL ASS? 8

Please Contact Sarah Ott Lautar ‘05, Director of Alumni Engagement sarah.lautar@7hills.org 513.728.2432

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the first birthday of Fiona, the Cincinnati Zoo’s famous hippopotamus. Linnea’s art has been inspired by the preemie hippo and the zoo has featured her artwork in some of its publications. 9

ALUMNI NEWS

Alumni Calendar 2018-19 Saturday, July, 28, 2018

Saturday, Aug. 4, 2018 Alumni Sports Day Volleyball at 3 p.m.

Tennis (coed) at 3 p.m.

Soccer (men’s) at 4 p.m.

Hillsdale Campus, Red Bank Road Seven Hills Alumni Night at FC Cincinnati Game starts at 7:30 p.m.

Nippert Stadium at University of Cincinnati Friday, Sept. 21, 2018 Homecoming Picnic at 5-7 p.m., fireworks at 8 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018 Homecoming Girls Soccer at 1 p.m.; Boys Soccer at 3 p.m.

7 Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2018

Fall Alumni Gathering and Goodall Award Ceremony Honoring Goodall Recipient Eileen Ward Barrett H’69 6-8 p.m.

Young Family Library Hillsdale Campus, Red Bank Road Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018 Alumni Event in Boston, Massachusetts 6-8 p.m.

Post 390 406 Stuart St., Boston, Massachusetts 9 02116

Alumni Event in NYC 6-8 p.m.

Doubles Club at the Sherry-Netherland 783 Fifth Ave., New York, New York 10022 Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018 Alumni Basketball Games Women at 2 p.m.; Men at 4 p.m.

Kalnow Gym, Hillsdale Campus Young Alumni Holiday Party 5-7 p.m.

Madtree Brewing Co. 3301 Madison Rd., Cincinnati 45209

save the date

Alumni/Girls Varsity Soccer 3 p.m.

Hillsdale Campus, Red Bank Road

Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018

Fifth, 10th, and 15th Reunions For classes of 2013, 2008, and 2003 Locations TBD Please email Director of Alumni Relations Sarah Lautar ’05 at sarah.lautar@7hills.org to volunteer!

Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019 Alumni Career Panel & Cocktail Hour 6-8 p.m.

Donovan Arts Center, Hillsdale Campus Friday & Saturday April 5 & 6, 2019 Alumni Art Show & Reunion 2019 CPS, Hillsdale, and Seven Hills classes of ’44, ’49, ’54, ’59, ’64, ’69, ’74, ’79, ’84, ’89, ’94, an ’99. Lotspeich classes of ’43, ’47, ’53, ’58, ’63, ’68, and ’73.

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The Seven Hills School Hillsdale Campus 5400 Red Bank Road Cincinnati, Ohio 45227

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