The Seven Hills School Semester in Review for Fall 2023

SEMESTER IN REVIEW

LOOKING BACK AT FALL 2023

AS WE CLOSE THE FALL SEMESTER 2023-24, WE LOOK BACK AT SOME OF THE OUTSTANDING ACCOMPLISHMENTS THAT MARKED THE FIRST HALF OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.

OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT 22 Students Honored by National Merit Competition and College Board Ten seniors were named semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Competition. Congrats to Alice Bachelder, Dhanush Bearelly, Nicholas NATIONAL MERIT SEMIFINALISTS Cohen, Arjun Gupta, Timothy Jordan, Ed Li, Carter Stevens, Oliver Szabo, Leo Weller, and Mikul Wyer.

Congratulations to Isabelle Anthony, Megha Gaitonde, Gavin Isakov, Rishi Mittal, Riley Moser, Anish Patil, Rex Shaffer, Margaret Tenney, and Gabrielle Walker for being named National Merit Commended Scholars.

The National Merit Scholarship Program is an annual academic competition that honors academically talented U.S. high school students. Students qualify for recognition in the National Merit program with their scores on the PSAT/ National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

NATIONAL MERIT COMMENDED

Three students received National Recognition Awards from College Board. Nate Campos received the National African American Recognition Award and the National Hispanic Recognition Award. Grace Dunson received the National Hispanic Recognition Award. Kaeden Iyoha received the National African American Recognition Award. ........................................

Senior Named Poet Laureate

Congrats to senior Gabrielle Walker for being named the 2023-24 Youth Poet Laureate of Cincinnati by WordPlay Cincy. A committee of experts chose Walker because of her unique perspective on poetry’s impact on community engagement and the eloquence of her own writing.

GABRIELLE WALKER

BECKETT CERON

Freshman Featured on NPR

Congrats to freshman Beckett Ceron for being a 2023 NPR “From the Top” participant. The show features astounding performances and captivating personal stories of talented classically trained young musicians from across the country. Ceron was on the episode that was recorded in Cincinnati in September.

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A DVA N C E D PLACEMENT HONOR ROLL Seven Hills Named to AP School Honor Roll with Highest Distinction Seven Hills was named to the Advanced Placement School Honor Roll, earning a platinum distinction. The AP School Honor Roll recognizes schools whose AP programs are delivering results for students while broadening their access to AP courses by increasing a college-going culture and the opportunities to earn college credit and maximizing college readiness. Only 6% of the eligible schools received the Platinum distinction. Of the Seven Hills Class of 2023, 80% took at least one of the 17 AP courses offered by the Seven Hills Upper School. Of those students, 79% percent earned a 3 or higher, securing college credit, and 29% took five or more AP courses while at the Upper School.

SEVEN HILLS RANKED #1 B Y N I C H E .C O M Seven Hills is pleased to announce Niche has ranked Seven Hills #1 Best College Prep Private High School in Cincinnati. Niche is a website for researching and ranking K-12 schools in national, state, and local categories using parent and student reviews and data from the U.S. Department of Education.

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF SEVEN HILLS 50 YEARS OF SEVEN HILLS

attending business school

The 2023-24 school year marks the 50th

and how the COVID-19

anniversary of the merger of College Preparatory School (CPS) and the Hillsdale-

American food industry.

Lotspeich School that created The Seven

Marsha Williams ’77 told

Hills School. Numerous events and festivities

the Upper Schoolers

happened during fall semester with more to

about her career in

come in the future. Check out 50th.7hills.org

market research, where

to learn more about upcoming events, read

she specialized in brand

stories from members of the Seven Hills

and consumer insights

community, and more!

and had clients like

OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, CONT.

50TH ANNIVERSARY KICKOFF AT HOMECOMING

Eight Students Awarded for Poetry

Alumni and their families gathered during

Congrats to senior Diana Zhang and juniors Anna Kunkel, Ahalya Nambiar, Claire Liu, Evy LaBare, Lauren VordemEsche, Dougie Schecter, and Shlok Mehta for receiving awards from The Ohio Poetry Association’s 2023 High School Poetry Contests.

pandemic affected the

the Homecoming varsity soccer games on Sept. 23 on the Hillsdale Campus to cheer on the Stingers, enjoy food, and take part in festive activities.

ALUMNI SPEAKERS VISIT UPPER SCHOOL

34 Seniors Named Seven Hills Scholars

The Alumni Speaker Series is part of

Congrats to the 34 members of the Class

anniversary of the merger that formed The

of 2024 who were inducted into the new

Seven Hills School. It gives Upper School

Seven Hills Scholars Society. The Scholars

students the ability to hear from Seven Hills

Nickelodeon and LEGO. She also shared

Society is closely tied to the Seven Hills

alumni, who share their career experience and

her experience as a volunteer domestic

values and recognizes students for meeting

stories from their lives beyond Seven Hills.

and international courier with the National

requirements in GPA, community service hours, class participation, and Personal Challenge projects.

S E V E N

H I L L S

S C H O L A R S

the ongoing celebration of the 50th

Peter Wojda ’06 discussed the strong foundation he gained from Seven Hills, his current S O C I E T Y

Marrow Donors Programs with the Health Occupation Students of America Club.

position as the

Frank Cohen ’91 spoke to students about

general manag-

how he found his success in real estate

er of the North

investing by having the logic, teamwork, and

America Fulton

communication skills he learned from his time

Market Group,

at Seven Hills. Cohen is the senior managing

and the value

director at Blackstone, a global investment

of finding your

firm, and acts as the global chairman of

own path. He

Core+ Real Estate and chairman and CEO of

spoke with the

Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust. He met

entrepreneur-

with the economics class about his work in

ship class about

real estate investing and navigating property laws in other countries.

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LEARNING THROUGH INQUIRY, HANDS-ON DISCOVERY, TECHNOLOGY, AND COLL ABORATION INVESTIGATING PUMPKINS FOR HALLOWEEN

PENGUINS VISIT LOTSPEICH In November, Lotspeich first graders

In October, Unit I students in Joan Claybourn’s

gathered around a clear plastic enclosure

class at Doherty conducted a Halloween-

to meet their new penguin guests from the

themed investigation into pumpkins. After

Cincinnati Zoo! With wide smiles and excited

discussing the attributes of their pumpkins, the

eyes, students calmly waved to their new

students measured the pumpkins’ heights and

friends and learned the differences between

circumferences, weighed them, and estimated

penguins living in the wild versus at the zoo.

the number of seeds that were inside them.

The zoologists also explained the penguins’ unique feathers, and how they repel water

STUDYING THE MONARCH MIGRATION

and insulate the flightless birds. After the presentation, students asked about their habitats, diet, personality quirks, and more!

In late September, Lotspeich science teacher Kate LaBare’s fourth grade students released some of their recently hatched Monarch butterflies into the wild. The butterflies departed for their multi-generational journey to central Mexico, and the newly released butterflies’ descendants will migrate back to Cincinnati next summer. Students learned about the biology and mechanics of the perilous 3,000-mile adventure and wished

disciplinary guidelines overseen

by Head of Upper School Matt Bolton. The students showcased their understanding of the book’s characters and themes.

EIGHTH GRADERS UTILIZED MICRO:BITS

their beloved butterflies safe travels.

Eighth grade computer

UPPER SCHOOL DISPLAYED LITERARY KNOWLEDGE IN DEBATE

to utilize micro:bits in Keagan

In a spirited debate, teams of students in

computer designed so students

English teacher Mark Beyreis’ class argued

can understand and experiment

for or against The Pardoner, a character from

with how software and hardware

SEVENTH GRADERS SHARE SOLAR SYSTEM BOOKS

Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales,”

work together. They can feature

Seventh graders from

being expelled from Seven Hills. The Pardoner,

radio and Bluetooth antennas,

science teacher Kristin

who was a Seven Hills student for the sake of

a processor and temperature

Suer’s class read their

the debate, underwent a disciplinary commit-

sensor, a compass, an accelerometer, a micro

handmade solar system books to Lotspeich

tee hearing through the lens of Seven Hills’

USB socket, and more.

first graders. Before this, the seventh graders

science students learned how O’Mara’s Innovation Lab. A micro:bit is a pocket-sized

worked in groups to research and design

UNIT I GLIMPSES INTO THE PAST In October, Unit I students went on a field trip to Sharon Woods Heritage Village, a living history museum, to get a glimpse into what life was like in southwestern Ohio during the 19th century. “We are currently learning about the past, present, and future in social studies, so the outing fit in nicely with our curriculum,” said Unit I teacher Amy Kulhavik.

their books based on their choice of planet.

Students could base the book on the planet itself or as a setting for their story. The leaders of each group presented the books to their peers, as well as to Lotspeich students.

The seventh graders will read their books to Doherty students in the spring. continued on page 4

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LEARNING THROUGH INQUIRY, HANDS-ON DISCOVERY, TECHNOLOGY, AND COLL ABORATION, Continued the science hallway. The

LEARNING BUSINESS THROUGH COFFEE

students built the cars out

Two days during the fall semester, the

on a pulley and string to

Hillsdale Commons was transformed into

propel the cars. They had

a community café. The café is a student-

to consider the stability

run project by Caleb Paull’s Upper School

of their cars, the friction

entrepreneurship class. The students learned

between the wheels and

about supply and demand, marketing, and

the floor, and how the

the ins and outs of running a business while

diameter of the pulley is

their classmates and faculty on the Hillsdale

of wood and used weights

related to the wheels. “The

Campus got to enjoy hot chocolate,

ACTING OUT STORIES IN PK2

important aspect of any building project is

baked goods, and coffee and admire artwork

Students in Julie Brackett’s pre-kindergarten

to highlight the gap between simple models

made by Lotspeich students.

for 2-year-olds class at Doherty have been

we teach that make for nice calculations

reading “Owl Babies” by Martin Waddell.

and reality,” Horner said.

The students have

acted out the story.

SECOND GRADERS EXPLORE THE WORLD THROUGH BRIDGES

PK2 students played

In mid-December, Lotspeich second

the three baby owls

graders hosted Morning with the Bridges

while Brackett was

and showcased their recreated bridges

the puppeteer for

from around the world! Throughout the

the mother owl and

semester, students learned about bridge

fifth grader Michael

construction, geography, and mapmaking.

Graham guest starred

Students’ friends, family, peers, and

as the narrator.

teachers gathered in Founders to hear the

enjoyed the book so much that they

little architects present their creations and explain why they chose their specific bridges.

EIGHTH GRADE BAKES BREAD FOR TENDER MERCIES Just before Winter Break, eighth graders restarted the tradition of baking apple spice bread for the residents of Tender Mercies,

TESTING CARS IN AP PHYSICS Students in Lenore Horner’s AP Physics class tested the cars they built in teams to see if they were able to successfully convert gravitational potential energy into enough motion to get their cars to move down

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a nonprofit that helps unhoused adults with mental illness have a safe place to call home. For many years before COVID, eighth graders participated in this service learning project and enjoyed the opportunity to care for their neighbors.

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ATHLETIC ACHIEVEMENTS GOLF TEAMS COMPETED AT STATE

Girls varsity volleyball

The boys and girls varsity golf teams both advanced to the state tournament this fall sports season. The boys team placed fourth with senior Charlie Mullin tying for eighth place overall and the girls team placed 10th with senior Julia Zhu tying for 29th overall.

The boys team was the district, sectional, and Miami Valley Conference champions and the girls team was the runner-ups at districts.

BOYS SOCCER ADVANCED TO REGIONAL FINALS impressive post-season run, which earned

GIRLS TENNIS WON COACHES CLASSIC

the Stingers a place in the regional finals.

The girls varsity tennis team won the Greater

The boys varsity soccer team had an

They were the district and sectional champions and ended the regular season with a record of 17-2.

STINGERS NAMED PLAYERS AND COACHES OF THE YEAR Congratulations to junior Everett Rinaldi for being named Miami Valley Conference boys soccer player of the year and head coach Mike Combs for being named Southwest District Private School coach of the year.

Congrats to junior Annie Katuska for being named player of the

Julia Zhu

Cincinnati Tennis Coaches Association Coaches Classic. The team defeated Lakota West, Ursuline, and Country Day to win the title.

VOLLEYBALL UNDEFEATED IN MVC The girls varsity volleyball team went undefeated in the MVC with a 12-0 record.

The league named Michelle Cowherd volleyball coach of the year and junior Annie Katuska volleyball player of the year.

Everett Rinaldi

year by the MVC for volleyball and Michelle Cowherd for winning coach of the year.

Congrats to senior Charlie Mullin for being named co-golfer of the year and boys golf coach Christian Vining for being named golf coach of the year.

Boys varsity soccer team

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F INE AND PE R F O R M I N G A R T S STUDENTS HONORED FOR MUSICAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Numerous Seven Hills students were honored for their musical accomplishments outside of school. Congrats to seniors Celine Tan and Nathan Wang for making the All State Band and senior Julia Zhu for being named an All State Orchestra Alternate. Congrats to junior Diego Godoy for being named the Cincinnati Youth Jazz Orchestra and senior Nathan Wang and seventh grader Angella Zong for being named to the Cincinnati Youth Wind Ensemble. Congrats to senior Julia Zhu and junior Kyle Wang for being named to the Southwest Regional Honor Orchestra.

Congrats to the following students for being named to the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra: seniors Evelyn Gao, Ed Li, Anish Patil, and Julia Zhu; junior Kyle Wang; freshman Irene Zhang; and eighth grader Mia Wang.

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excellent at what they do, work well together as a team, and are great with the kids.” The SAFD cover multiple kinds of stage fighting with their masterclasses, including single swords, broadswords, quarterstaffs, and unarmed fighting.

SETTING THE STAGE WITH KINDERGARTEN

Doherty Beehives

TIM BURTON SELF-PORTRAITS IN FIFTH GRADE Lotspeich fifth graders recreated the iconic aesthetic of film director Tim Burton during Lotspeich art teacher Jody Knoop’s class. As they illustrated, students also strengthened their shading and highlighting skills. After their portraits were complete, they framed them with black construction paper.

UPPER LEARNS STAGE COMBAT

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In mid-November, Upper School theater classes completed Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD) — certified stage combat masterclasses with certified fight choreographers and instructors Jonn Baca and Joshua Pikar. “I have worked with John and Josh for about 20 years,” Upper School theater teacher Marc Raia said.

“Aside from teaching masterclasses, they also work with our students any time we produce a play that features staged violence. They’re both

Kindergartners practiced their public speaking and learned how to use their diaphragm in preparation for their spring performance in Lower School drama teacher Natalie Bird’s class. Students took to the stage and one by one recited “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” for their classmates. The little performers expressed their surprise with how loudly they had to talk in order for their audience to hear them. Additionally, students stepped into the director role and gave acting directions to follow, such as “be a lion” or “act like water.”

DOHERTY STUDENTS CREATE COMMUNITY BEEHIVES Doherty students created beehives inspired by the concept of community as a collaborative art project in art teacher Kacey Watkins’ class. Before diving into the project, students discussed what their idea of a community is, how they contribute or would like to contribute to the Seven Hills community, and what shapes or images suggest community. Then, students read “The Honeybee” by Kirsten Hall and Isabelle Arsenault, which discusses how a beehive shows various parts of 3 what makes a community, such as communication, collaboration, and companionship. After reading the book, students decorated their own honeycombs and bees and combined them into their very own Seven Hills beehive.

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The Middle School production of “Shakesplosion”

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Lotspeich fifth graders recreated the iconic aesthetic of film director Tim Burton while drawing their self-portraits.

2 Lotspeich pre-kindergarten students from Tyler McIlwraith’s class worked together to paint a large mural filled with all kinds of animals.

3 The Upper School’s double-cast performance of “Clue.”

4 Lotspeich fifth graders performance of “The Lion King.”

6 Middle School performs one-act production

of “Shuddersome: Tales of Poe.”

5 Middle School performs one-act production of “The

Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon!”

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F I N E A ND PER F O R M I N G A R T S, Continued Upper School Choral Concert

Upper School Choral Concert

Seventh Grade Instrumenta

Doherty Strings at the Winter Program

Doherty Winter Program at Doherty

Upper School Musical “Guys and Dolls”

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Doherty Winter Program at The Schiff Center

Seventh and Eighth Grade Chorus Concert

Upper School Instrumental Concert

al Ensemble

Sixth Grade Choral Concert

Sixth Grade Instrumental Ensemble

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SE VE N H I L L S AT H L E T I C S SA M PLER 1

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1 Lower and Middle School winter student athletes were honored during halftime at varsity soccer and basketball games during spirit nights.

4 Seven Hills launched the Kindergarten Kickers program. Girls and boys varsity soccer players teach kindergartners the basics of soccer.

6 Junior Annie Katuska was named Miami Valley Conference volleyball player of the year and won the Dick Snyder Sportsmanship Award.

2 Senior Charlie Mullin placed eighth overall at the state golf tournament and was a medalist at the sectional tournament.

5 More than 40 alumni returned to the Hillsdale Campus for Fall Alumni Sports Night. Alums faced off against current students in tennis, volleyball, and soccer.

7 Lower and Middle School fall student athletes were honored during halftime at varsity soccer and basketball games during spirit nights.

3 Varsity tennis coach Tim Drew and Upper School tennis players led clinics for fifth and sixth graders.

© 2024 The Seven Hills School

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