The Summit Magazine Winter 2017-18

THE

SUMMIT Winter Magazine 2017-18

In This Issue:

The Science Behind Montessori Learning Materials Boys and Girls Soccer Champions

THE SUMMIT The magazine of The Summit Country Day School Winter Magazine 2017-18 EDITOR Nancy Berlier ART DIRECTOR/DESIGNER Kathy (Hilsinger) Penote ’93 PHOTOGRAPHY Nancy Berlier, Jolene Barton, Leah Fightmaster Costello, Sammi Crew ’19, John Fahrmeier, Robert A. Flischel, Elizabeth Gosiger, Karen Kinross, David Mason, Hannah Michels, Rick Norton, Kathy (Hilsinger) Penote ’93, Michael Rafi ’18, Tony Tribble, Martin Santek, Jeff Schaefer, Joe Smallwood.

CONTRIBUTORS Sandy Champlin, Jay Cooper, Leah Fightmaster Costello, Deborah Kendrick, Erica Miknius, Kathy Schwartz, Scott Springer, Amanda Wood. Special thanks: Jen McGrath, Mary Alice LaPille, Nancy Snow.

PRINTING Arnold Printing © 2018 The Summit Country Day School, Cincinnati, OH. The Summit magazine is published three times a year by the Communications Department of The Summit Country Day School, 2161 Grandin Road, Cincinnati, OH 45208.

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

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

Go to www.summitcds.org/submityournews Summit Online View an archive of The Summit magazine online. www.summitcds.org/magazine The Summit Country Day School serves students from age 18 months through grade 12 in a coeducational setting. The Summit combines the academic excellence and one-on-one guidance of a top-tier independent school with the servant leadership and character-building environment that are hallmarks of a Catholic education.

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ON THE COVER: Toddler Sam Lallathin spreads shaving cream on an outdoor art exploration easel on the patio outside her classroom. This practical life exercise helps develop fine motor skills. Montessori materials are designed with specific learning goals in mind. See story on page 10.

Photo by Kathy (Hilsinger) Penote ‘93.

ON THIS PAGE: Summit fans are jubilant at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus where both the girls’ and boys’ soccer teams won the Division III state championship. See story on page 26. Photo by senior Michael Rafi.

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Head of School Message

Social Development Not many independent schools talk about developing their students’ social skills in their mission statements. The Summit does, and there’s a good reason for it.

A study in the February 2011 issue of the peerreviewed journal Child Development reported a significant improvement in grades among children who participated in a social-emotional learning program relative to those who did not. A 2015 study in the American Journal of Public Health revealed that “social competence” in kindergarteners correlated positively with adult behaviors. The study began in 1991 and tracked 750 kindergarteners through the age of 25. For every one point increase on a five-point social competence attribute rating scale, students were twice as likely to earn a college degree and 46 percent more likely to have a fulltime job.

None of this is a surprise to us. The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur taught social skills here from the day the doors opened because of the benefits they saw it provided:

Self-Regulation.

Children harbor impulses with which they are born.

While those impulses are good in terms of helping the child survive in the world, they can definitely get in the way of developing productive relationships with others.

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The amygdala, the seat of emotions, develops more rapidly than the cerebral cortex, which in adults decides whether to act on emotional impulses the amygdala emits. The social skills we teach are designed to train the developing cerebral cortex to regulate these impulses. If you watch one of our Lower School teachers in action, you’ll hear her give directions clearly and explicitly, repeat the directions as necessary and credit the students when they are able to self-regulate appropriately.

Emotional Intelligence. Schools play a key role in teaching children how to make friends and work well with their peers. The first step in this process is helping children develop empathy for others – helping them to put themselves in the shoes of others.

Children can be pretty self-centered; that tendency helped children survive in an evolutionary sense. However, in today’s world we need to counterbalance that impulse by helping children see the effect of their words and actions on others.

Michele Borba, who keynoted our Early Childhood Education Symposium in October, provided many tips on how to develop empathy in children, which she says has seen a decline of 40 percent throughout the last 30 years. Technology seems to be causing many of these problems, as children spend more time in front of screens and less time face to face. This seems to reduce children’s ability to read accurately the facial expression and body language of others. They also have trouble picking up on voice intonation, which signals verbal meaning and indicates when a speaker is finished.

Conflict Resolution. At all grade levels, we teach children the techniques that should be employed

Contents to resolve conflicts. In the lower grades, children learn to use “I” statements (“I feel ___ when you ___”) to communicate to others how their actions made them feel. In the upper grades, we often use a discipline technique called “restorative justice,” whereby we interview the perpetrator, the victim and witnesses separately to understand what happened. We then work with the perpetrator to help him or her understand the effects of such actions and develop a plan for the perpetrator to restore justice and “right relationships” with the victim and others involved. In an ideal world, students resolve their differences; however, given the maturity of the parties involved, adult guidance and modeling are sometimes required.

Pro-Social Behaviors. A final aspect of emotional intelligence is teaching children to be positively proactive in their behaviors toward others. Failures in this area turn off others. Polished behaviors, on the other hand, attract others: • Exhibiting good manners, • Initiating social contact rather than waiting for others to do so – smiling and making eye contact, • Expressing gratitude to others and demonstrating optimism, • Showing strong listening skills, • Asking for help when necessary and offering it to others.

Positive skills and habits acquired in childhood become established in the neural wiring of children and give them an advantage as they navigate their world. That’s why developing children socially was a goal when the school opened in 1890 and continues to be a central part of the Summit Way today.

Rich Wilson Head of School

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Features With a rise in narcissism among America’s youth, we need to start an “unselfie” revolution, says Michele Borba, best-selling author and keynote speaker at the 10th annual Early Childhood Education Symposium. Dr. Borba talked about why teaching children to be empathetic matters for their success, happiness and resilience.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen time for children from newborn through age 2 – and less than an hour a day for ages 2 through 5. Excessive screen time is adversely affecting children’s brains, says Montessori Director Kathy Scott.

One of the biggest differences between a Montessori classroom and a traditional one is the materials that the students learn to use.

Each material, no matter how seemingly small, playful or mundane, has a specific purpose and learning goal.

Senior Caroline Karbowski is using the power of 3D printing to deliver visual images into the hands of people who cannot see in the conventional way.

While the community is inspired by a plucky junior who has endured chemotherapy and personal tragedies, Paul Wilson just wants to be a normal teen.

Many schools go decades without getting to state-level competition, if they get that far at all, but on one weekend in November, both the boys’ and girls’ soccer teams won state titles. Again. And soccer wasn’t the only Summit sport that made it to state.

Pudy (Kroger) Lame ’46, Patricia (Tyler) Perin ’45 and Dawn and Dr. Robert C. Schiff Jr. are honored for helping the school make restorations, endowing scholarships and lighting our chapel narthex with a pair of historic candelabrums.

FC Cincinnati soccer player Austin Berry ’07, professional golfer Wes Homan ’02 and two alumni standouts who came back to coach, Eddie Maag ’02 and Tiara Turner ’07, are inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame.

Alumni returned to campus in October to share their successes and experience with students at Career Day.

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Student Newsmakers

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Faculty Newsmakers

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College Athletes

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Class Notes

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Legacy Photo

Correction Two listings in The Summit’s 201718 Report on Philanthropy were incomplete. Andy and Bing Hinton should have been listed in the Leaders of Character Society Julia and Louise’s Circle with seven years of giving. Mary and William Staun have 25+ years of giving.

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Michele Borba, Ed.D., a nationally recognized author and psychologist, delivers the keynote address at the Early Childhood Education Symposium.

How to Start an ‘UnSelfie’ Revolution 9 Essential Habits that Give Kids the Empathy Advantage

By Hannah Michels

Empathy is down. Narcissism is up. And “selfie syndrome” is to blame.

That’s according to Michele Borba, Ed.D., a nationally recognized author and psychologist, who warned parents attending the 10th annual Early Childhood Education Symposium that selfishness has become a dangerous contemporary phenomenon. Selfishness, she says, teaches kids “it’s all about me, not all about we.”

One of the most popular speakers in the 10year history of the symposium, Dr. Borba was asked to come back for this anniversary year. Her presentation, “Raising Unselfies: Why Empathy Matters in Success, Happiness and Resilience and Proven Ways to Nurture it in Kids,” was sponsored

by Drs. Renee and Michael Kreeger and was based on her book UnSelfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World.

In the packed Lower School gymnasium, Dr. Borba discussed nine essential habits that can 6

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give kids the empathy advantage. She offered specific actions and called attention to traits that can increase or decrease empathy. Kindness, collaboration and resilience increase empathy, she says, while stress, racism and hate decrease empathy.

The term “unselfie” was inspired by a teen Dr. Borba knew who was concerned about her selfieobsessed friends and the stress that selfies caused.

“Unselfie” kids are happier, more successful, less stressed, have healthier relationships and are more employable, Dr. Borba says. The nine habits are the foundation of her new book.

Empathy is the first habit on Dr. Borba’s list.

Sympathy, she says, is “I feel for you,” while empathy is “I feel with you.” Dr. Borba urged parents to “nurture the nature” of empathy that children have in them from the moment they are born. If this empathy is not nurtured, it lies dormant. Teens today are 40 percent less empathetic than they were just a generation ago, and narcissism has increased 58 percent. Despite these numbers, Dr. Borba assured the audience

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that “it’s never too late.” Empathy can grow from any age.

The second habit is perspective-taking – trying to understand the other person’s point of view.

Inductive discipline involves teaching a child to care through their words. This can be practiced by identifying behavior in media, such as telling a child “that’s not how we act in this family” in response to a scene on television. Perspective-taking can also be practiced by asking questions such as, “How would you feel if that happened to you?”

Perspective-taking extends to requiring reparations: “You did something that was hurtful, not helpful, so what will you do?” Dr. Borba says. “Yes, you could give her a hug. Yes, you could go say you’re sorry.” Furthermore, games like chess, Go Fish and Chutes and Ladders teach emotional literacy, as children learn to pick up on the feelings of the other player. These kinds of games also improve sportsmanship, character and respect.

Moral identity is cultivated through habit. Dr. Borba told a story about a family that decided the most important trait to them was caring. The family repeated their commitment to caring continuously until it became internalized. They said it so often, they became it.

In the same vein, Borba stressed moral imagination, which includes exposing children to books with moral dilemmas like Charlotte’s Web and Wednesday Surprise – “the ones that open up your heart to others.”

She also emphasized the practice of kindness.

Similar to empathy, simple rituals and routines can make kindness become a habit. She suggests implementing the “Two Kind Rule,” which requires that every day kids are to say two kind things to someone. Kind things could be anything from giving someone a smile or a wave, or holding open a door and saying hello. Dinner can be a great time to reinforce kindness by reviewing a child’s kind acts from the day and identifying how it made the other person feel. Kindness can also be practiced by becoming a charitable family, Dr. Borba said.

Even at a very early age, children can participate in charity with something as simple as putting gently used toys and clothes into a family donation box.

Every time the box is full, families can go together

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to donate the items. This encourages practicing “we not me.”

“Empathy is free-falling, but anxiety is skyrocketing,” Dr. Borba says. When stress builds, empathy suffers. But this can be combatted with self-regulation and mindfulness. The best way to handle stress? She recommends deep, slow breathing. Children need to be taught ways to cope with stress and to calm down, and deep breathing is the place to start.

Dr. Borba illustrated moral courage with a story of a boy named Tyler who shaved his head in solidarity with his friend, Ian, who had been diagnosed with cancer, and recruited his male classmates to do the same. They called themselves the “bald eagles.” Dr. Borba encouraged parents to share these good news stories with their children, because these kinds of stories show kids that there is good in the world, and that kids can be a part of that. Moral courage is teaching kids to speak out and stand up when something isn’t right and to change things for the better.

Collaboration activates empathy, she says.

Empathetic kids think with an “us,” not “them,” mentality. Children can take a “STAND” to solve problems: Stop and calm down, Tell what’s wrong, Assess alternatives, Narrow choices and Decide the right one. Collaboration involves learning how to respectfully disagree, resolve conflicts and boost cooperation.

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This also extends to altruistic leadership.

Dr. Borba told the story of a child, Christian, who noticed that some kids on the playground at his school didn’t have anyone to play with. Christian took his idea for a “buddy bench” to the principal.

A lonely child without a friend to play with that day could sit on the bench and then be included by other kids who see them sitting alone. The “buddy bench” idea went viral and has been implemented on playgrounds worldwide, all because one child took the initiative to help others.

“It’s all about elevating your child’s heart, and it’s all about nine habits,” Dr. Borba says.“Empathy is not soft and fluffy. It’s powerful. It’s transformational.”

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Summit photo illustration

Put Down the Devices and Play How much is too much when it comes to children and screen time?

By Leah Fightmaster Costello

“It’s okay to turn off your kids.”

As The Summit’s Montessori Director Kathy Scott opened her presentation at the 10th annual Early Childhood Education Symposium on Oct. 28, she said that while many parents think that allowing children to interact with apps and games that appear educational is acceptable, they’re having an adverse effect on their children’s brains.

In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends no screen time for children from newborn through age 2 – and only increases that to less than one hour a day for ages 2 through 5. Screens include television, tablets, cellphones, video games and computers. The AAP’s research suggests that many children in the 2-to-5 age range are consuming content through devices for closer to three to five hours a day – more than quadruple the recommendation.

A reason for this guideline is that between birth to age 2, brain growth is at its fastest rate. Children’s brains at this age grow from 400 grams to more than 1,000 grams during this period, according to Dr. Dimitri Christakis, who is a pediatrician, researcher and parent. He discussed the topic in a TEDx talk called “How TV Affects the Brains 8

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of Young Children.” As the weight of the brain grows, so do the synapses or connections. Babies are born with a lifetime supply of neurons and through interaction with the world around them, the synapses multiply, grow and become stronger.

If they aren’t stimulated and utilized in the correct manner, those unused neurons will be pruned away by the time a child hits early adulthood.

“In the earliest ages of life, focusing on what you expose your child to is when it pays off,” Mrs. Scott says. “The key factor in developing healthy synapses is personal interaction versus images on a screen. Focusing on experiences and opportunities for young children allows the child’s brain to take in overall sensory input, including visual, tactile and auditory sensations.”

In the Montessori, sensorial input and experience allows children to make those connections and perceive reality around them. Young children are unable to recognize symbolic relationships and representations because their brains aren’t developed enough to understand what they see on the screen is fake. In addition, hands-on exploration and face-to-face interaction develops several types of skills, including cognitive, language, motor and social-emotional skills, Mrs. Scott says.

In an article published by Princeton University titled “Media and Young Children’s Learning,” authors Heather Kirkorian, Ellen Wartella and Daniel Anderson reference an experiment in which children were shown a three-dimensional image of a bowl of popcorn on a video and asked if, when the researcher turned the device upside down, whether the popcorn would fall. Younger children, who are unable to discriminate between real objects and televised images, were more likely to claim that the popcorn would fall.

Mrs. Scott says another issue with too much screen time involves the type of media children consume and its content. Younger children’s brains take longer, on average about five seconds, to comprehend what they have seen.

Games and videos with quick scene changes and rapid movement and sound don’t provide enough time for children to understand what they’re seeing. This can set them up for comprehension troubles later in life, including potentially higher rates of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), behavioral problems and irregular sleep because they don’t develop concentration skills that mirror real life Dr. Christakis says in his TEDx talk.

While much of the focus on media content is that there is too much violence in movies, games and television shows, how content is presented either aids or hinders development. In one example, clips from “The Powerpuff Girls” and “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” show the difference in cadence and pace that information is presented in two shows that are labeled for children. The clip from “The Powerpuff Girls” included two scenes that cut between one another repeatedly and rapidly, with loud sounds and destructive actions. In the “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” scene, Mister Rogers visits a restaurant and viewers witness his interaction with the hostess and he explains, slowly and clearly, the situation. It lacks the aggressive activity of the other show, repeats phrases and is warm and engaging.

“Children say they’re bored because the pace of life is not fast enough,” Mrs. Scott says. “That is a problem. Bored can be good. Let children be bored. It fosters creativity and problem solving.”

Out of boredom comes play. When children play, they use a variety of systems and develop skills necessary to be well-adjusted. Play develops both fine and gross motor skills, such as core strength needed to perform everyday movements and tasks. Children exercise their imagination and creativity, learn independence, develop language skills, practice regulating their own emotions and receive critical social interaction.

“Children who are exposed to inappropriate or large amounts of screen time are used to being entertained rather than engaged.

Screens provide instant gratification, which sets children up to expect to be entertained rather than entertaining themselves, which promotes creativity. Learning to problem solve and having hands-on engagement also develops skills of patience and delayed gratification,” Mrs. Scott says.

Much of language development comes from reading aloud, both to others and to self, which are aspects of the Lower School’s Five Star Reading Program. Children who read aloud or are read to can sound out words, hear inflection and pace and use their imagination to create the story.

Alexis Weaver, a literacy teacher at The Summit who works with Montessori and Lower Schoolaged students, still reads to her own children even though they are older. Not only do older children benefit creatively, but the shared family time creates a bond that is reinforced through reading together. Mrs. Weaver’s choice of medium is deliberate as well – she reads from an actual book as opposed to an electronic device.

While this reinforces limiting screen usage in all ages, new studies show that for younger children, reading from a device weakens the dynamic that nurtures language development.

“Think of the interaction that occurs when you read a book. You are actively engaged in turning the pages, pointing out pictures and talking about the story,” Mrs. Weaver says.

“Reading from a book sparks conversation, and conversation builds a rich vocabulary that expands background knowledge. All of this is linked to reading success.”

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Toddler Declan Cole develops fine motor skills as he pushes a ball through a tube. He is also learning about object permanence and oneto-one relationships as the ball re-appears at the other end of the tube.

The Science Behind Montessori Learning Materials 10

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By Jay Cooper

One of the greatest differences between a Montessori classroom and a traditional one is the materials, or “works,” that the students learn to use. Adults and children alike can observe these differences the moment they enter a Montessori classroom at The Summit. Rather than scribbling with crayons, a young child might be carefully concentrating on pouring water from a pitcher into a bowl, or be seated on a rug on the floor spelling words with large, tactile letters.

Not only are these materials more engaging and enjoyable for the playful preschooler, but they are carefully designed, specific to the Montessori curriculum. Each material, no matter how seemingly small, playful or mundane, has a specific purpose and learning goal.

The Montessori classrooms at The Summit are replete with Montessori-designed objects and teaching aids: items not typically found in more traditional, non-Montessori classrooms.

The professional Montessori faculty at The Summit, led by Director Kathy Scott, utilize these materials as part of the self-teaching concepts that nurture self-control, concentration, order and independence.

“As Montessorians, we believe children learn to their fullest potential in a peaceful classroom where materials are carefully prepared and presented by highly educated, nurturing professionals who encourage children to learn independently and at their own pace,” Mrs. Scott says. “Our training in the Montessori philosophy allows us to meet the needs of our youngest learners by providing a prepared, languageenriched environment where they are able to practice care of self, care of the environment, exploration of the world around them, as well as gross and fine motor development. The materials facilitate this.”

One cannot discuss the importance and specificity of Montessori materials without discussing Maria Montessori herself. Dr. Montessori spent countless hours perfecting the nature of these materials through experimentation, observation and careful calculation. These materials have been deliberately

constructed and organized in a responsive way.

Dr. Montessori considered the developmental needs of children and specifically created materials that would address those needs. She then watched children interact with these materials and refined them to perfection. These materials were created by Dr. Montessori with a clear intention to foster self-discovery and serve learning goals.

Control of Error “Control of error” is a major component in the materials of a Montessori classroom. This phrase means that, while interacting with a material, a student can observe if they have completed the task correctly. They don’t need a teacher to correct them — the correction is built into the material or work.

“Experiential learning from the materials promotes problem solving and cognitive development,” Mrs. Scott says. “This includes noticing that water has been spilled on a table while pouring to having beads left over when counting to 100.”

One graphic example of control of error in a Montessori material is the cylinder block. This wooden block has differently sized holes with cylinders that fit into them. It is impossible for a student to fit a cylinder into every hole without matching the sizes correctly. Thus, when a cylinder is “left out,” the student knows they haven’t completed the task. The intention of the activity is obvious and any mistakes will be obvious.

Control of error limits the amount of intervention or intrusion necessary from a teacher. This unique feature of Montessori materials allows students to learn independent problem solving and analytical skills, and increases their confidence and selfesteem.

These materials are built on the idea that children should discover the answers, not be told the answers. That “aha!” moment cultivates a passion for learning that follows the student throughout their life. Psychology pioneer William Kohler referred to it as insight learning – that sudden “dawning” of understanding the problem and arriving at the answer without repeated trial and error.

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While toddler Charlotte Yue matches each puzzle shape to its place, she develops fine motor grasping skills and learns shape matching and color naming. The puzzle is self-correcting, which means she can tell independently if she completed the task correctly without a teacher telling her.

Success builds self-confidence.

Sensory engagement Montessori materials are meant to engage and excite the child on all levels. Dr. Montessori was a firm believer in the connection between learning and movement. She felt that more active, sensoryengaging materials would increase a child’s interest in a task, and therefore their learning. By providing materials that address all of the senses and involve the child’s entire body, the Montessori classroom invites all children to learn.

A Montessori classroom gives students the opportunity to classify, compare and order various materials using all five of their senses. For example, many Montessori preschool classrooms have a set of tubes filled with materials that make different sounds — some soft and some loud. By shaking and exploring the tubes, students can use their auditory sense to arrange the tubes from loudest to softest.

The objects in a Montessori classroom are made of a variety of materials that expose children to different textures and colors. Children have the opportunity to engage with materials made of wood, wicker, fabrics, metals and even glass. The Montessori classroom will also include a number of 12

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natural materials like twigs, rocks and leaves.

Montessori learning materials are often fragile, unlike the durable, heavy duty materials that preschoolers are often provided in traditional classrooms. This fragility is an important, intentional quality of these materials: carefulness, for example, is learned when something breaks.

Montessori teachers demonstrate thoughtful, appropriate handling of the materials, and the students learn to respect and value their classroom. The pride and joy the students get from interacting with these materials help them to learn independence and responsibility.

While Montessori materials may be more fragile and provide the potential for learning “accidents,” rest assured they are also very safe. All Montessori learning materials are made according federal safety regulations.

Levels of challenge Another highly unique and important quality of Montessori learning materials is that they can be used at all levels of learning. The materials that a child is introduced to in preschool will greet them in every classroom and at every level of learning throughout their Montessori career.

Each material in a Summit Country Day School Montessori classroom presents multiple levels of challenge that can carry through the child’s education as they build on more complex concepts.

This feature is well-demonstrated by the concrete “golden beads” material that are used to introduce the decimal system to young children. Single, loose beads represent a value of one and a wire rod holds 10 beads to represent 10. Ten of those rods are wired together in a flat sheet to represent 100 and a cube of these sheets creates a representation of 1,000. Later, this set of materials will be used to perform functions of math such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

The familiarity of these materials not only makes the child comfortable working with them, but it also allows the child to see connections among various concepts of learning and how those concepts build upon each other.

Because these Montessori learning materials were so diligently perfected by Dr. Montessori, they are integral to the success of the overall Montessori curriculum.

The nature of this material-specific learning means that it is easy to continue a child’s education at home. Filling your home with the Montessori materials expands a student’s learning opportunities and helps them advance concepts in the two central environments of their life: home and school. There are a variety of online resources for purchasing Montessori materials to enrich your child’s home learning environment.

The Montessori classroom is a holistic place that is designed specifically for serving and addressing a child’s learning needs. The materials children encounter in their classrooms will excite them, teach them independence and responsibility and help them build complex ideas upon simpler ones.

The Montessori curriculum here at The Summit would certainly not be possible without these uniquely designed materials.

This article was first printed as a blog on The Summit’s website. To read other blogs on parenting topics, go to www.summitcds.org/blog.

Toddlers Cate Lallathin, Liam Bonilla and Sam Lallathin work in a “scooping” practical life activity designed to develop muscle control and strength.

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Haley Thurston, the daughter of Spanish teacher Yngrid Thurston, visits senior Caroline Karbowski in the school’s new Exploratarium about the 3-D objects Caroline printed to help people with visual impairments.

Senior Expands the Visual World for People Who Are Blind

By Deborah Kendrick As an adult, one of my favorite shopping venues has long been toy stores, or, to be more precise, the section in toy stores where the plush and/or plastic animals and characters reside. Like most blind people, I see with my hands. While using the tactile to translate the visual results in fabulous images delivered to the brain, there are definite limitations on the range of “sight” when touch is required.

Caroline used a 3D printer and an online image, and the amazing palm-sized model was soon in Cassandra’s hands. People suggested to Caroline that she meet Haley Thurston, the daughter of Yngrid Thurston, a Spanish teacher at The Summit.

The same age as Caroline, Haley was immediately enthusiastic. She was also ready with ideas of images she would like to see. Haley, it turned out, longed to see a map of the world, various geometric shapes and insects.

Caroline, with her 3D printer, was off and running.

I can’t touch a rat, a fox or a crocodile. Nor would I want to touch them. But three-dimensional replicas fill the void.

Caroline Karbowski, a bright and talented senior at The Summit, did not yet have any blind friends when she started thinking about the power of 3D printing to deliver visual images into the hands of people who could not see in the conventional way.

As a junior, she attended a college open house at Xavier University and happened to meet Cassandra Jones, a disability services professional who is blind.

She asked Cassandra the probing question, “What images would you like to see?” The answer, more delightful than profound, was “Mickey Mouse and a Disney castle.”

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Speaking of running, ideas seem to spark in Caroline’s imagination almost faster than she can catch them, but one idea she tackled was to find collaborators with more tech experience than her own. She wanted to build a project worthy of competition at Cincinnati’s TechOlympics. She is not a techie herself, she says, just a person with an idea of how to help blind people see the world.

Her tech teacher at The Summit (Niko Kitsinis, Technology Systems and Innovation Manager) and the school Tech Club jumped on board. A website was launched, a plan developed and a project called See3D won second place at TechOlympics in February 2017.

To make See3D a truly successful venture, she realizes she needs to gather information from experts. To that end, she has traveled with her parents to sources in Ohio, Indiana, Chicago and New York, and is still gathering information. She has shared information with teachers of the visually impaired, and the information is clearly flowing in both directions. In Indiana, she saw the project of a teacher who is assembling, piece by piece, a 3D replica of the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. In Chicago, she delighted teacher and students with her models of minions! She gave them minions and butterflies and they gave her some clear plastic labeling sheets so she could begin making braille labels for all her images.

While Caroline and the half-dozen students working with her have created plenty of images for fun, she sees the greatest future for the project in making 3D images with a purpose.

In particular, she is focusing on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) images.

Touring thingiverse.com, a website dedicated to sharing images created for 3D printing, she has downloaded and produced 3D representations of DNA, molecules, myriad shapes, topographical maps, a chameleon, a cell and more. Besides visiting schools for the blind and talking to professors and teachers involved with the education of blind children, she is contacting blind people one by one as well.

While Caroline maintains that using 3D printers is less expensive than purchasing science-related kits designed for the blind, producing images still costs money. The Summit has a half-dozen 3D printers.

After the success at TechOlympics, she launched a GoFundMe page to help purchase supplies. So far, she has used the money to buy filament and plastic labeling paper. She hopes to purchase a Perkins Brailler, which Haley has been teaching her to use.

See3D received a grant of $250 (the Jane Goodall Roots & Shoots grant) and a 3D printing package through the GE Additive Education Program. At this point, Caroline and her collaborators are not creating new images, but searching for existing images that will work well for blind people. The spaghetti-like filament used to create the images, which is available in a variety of colors and textures, is threaded into the machine which, as Caroline

These three-dimensional objects, printed with a 3D printer, are intended to help the visually impaired get a tactile sense of what they “look” like.

describes it, functions more like a hot glue gun than a printer.

Caroline had been given my name by other blind people in Cincinnati and contacted me to ask if I’d like to receive any of the 3D models. After our first conversation, she sent me a Cinderella castle and a butterfly.

The models themselves are delightful. There is something mesmerizing about the butterfly in particular. Each time I pick it up, I find running my fingers over its wings and antennae somewhat irresistible.

If you are blind or have significant low vision, reflect for me on a few questions: Can you confidently describe a Disney castle? A butterfly? Shrek? Or a minion? How about the inner layers of the Earth?

Or a particular constellation of stars? Do you have a mental image of the face of Abraham Lincoln or Barack Obama?

The sense of touch (or, more precisely in this context, touch translating for sight) can deliver powerful visual images to the brain, but there are countless images all around us that are well beyond the typical three-foot reach of a human being’s arm.

Deborah Kendrick is a Cincinnati-based author who has been recognized nationally as an advocate for people with disabilities. This article was written for AccessWorld Magazine and was reprinted with permission. After publication, Caroline was featured in a Blind Abilities podcast. She also heard from people who were blind in India and across the U.S. who requested models or wanted to become involved. And See3D was invited to the Cincinnati Mini Maker Faire and MakerX in Columbus.

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PAUL STRONG

Focus, Determination, Grit Give Teen Strength to Defy Cancer

Paul Wilson ‘19 16

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By Nancy Berlier Paul Wilson is a normal teenage boy. He loves football and baseball. He wants to hang out with his buddies. He plays video games and goes to movies.

Naturally, he is annoyed by all of his parents’ silly rules about his health and safety, and his younger siblings get on his nerves. He looks forward to going to college, maybe playing sports there and becoming an oncologist.

Paul says he doesn’t want to be in the spotlight, although that would be cool if it was for something like blitzing in a football game, recovering a fumble and taking the ball 99 yards for a touchdown as the crowd roars. “I would love to be in the spotlight on ESPN as the best catcher or having the greatest hit ever,” he says. But he doesn’t want to be thought of as a role model.

Or a hero. Or a survivor.

Yet to many at The Summit, Paul Wilson is all of those things.

Last year, Paul faced tragic deaths of an uncle and a teammate. He survived a fiery car crash that took the life of a close friend. Two family friends died.

And he underwent five rounds of chemotherapy to combat acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In each round, he was kept in isolation at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center for about 30 days with a visitor list limited to six people. Most of the time, he was confined to a 12-foot by 15-foot room that felt like prison to him. If that weren’t enough, he developed a blood infection from the simple act of brushing his teeth and spent 16 more days in the hospital, including six days intubated in an intensive care unit battling a fever of 105 degrees and acute respiratory distress which nearly killed him.

As awful as that was, all of it, says Paul, is in the past. “I just don’t think much about it,” he says. “It already happened. It’s over. I was looking at football season that whole time. Now I’m looking at baseball season. Now I’m looking at colleges.”

A junior this year, Paul will turn 17 in March. The AML is in remission, knocked down to a 20 percent chance of recurrence. Paul has thought hard about

what his future could be and he likes what he sees: a great college, a good job, dating, marriage, children and living the good life.

“Paul is a teenager trying to navigate, not only the normal tumultuous roller coaster of this developmental period, but also the extremes of death and disease at too young of an age,” says Rosie Sansalone, a teacher from his Middle School years.

“Paul, to me, defines perseverance.”

Paul has grit, says Upper School Counselor Mike Fee. “I know Paul wants just to be a high school boy,” he says. “He wants a return to normalcy. For him, that looks like a boy in school every day, on sports teams, having normal interactions with friends. He doesn’t like the limelight or attention this brought to him. I don’t think he’ll ever identify himself as a cancer survivor. He won’t let this be a defining descriptor of who he is.”

A community united Something happens spontaneously at The Summit when a member of the community faces extreme adversity, says Upper School Director John Thornburg.

“Everybody gets on board quickly to do whatever they can. The issue with Paul wasn’t ‘did he have support’ but ‘was there too much?’ We had to coordinate it so it wasn’t overwhelming for the family.”

While Paul was fighting for his life, the student body took it to heart, says Mr. Fee. “It was a life lesson.

You’re 15-, 16-years-old. You learn these things can happen. The kids had to deal with their own emotions and that was scary. They learned ‘Don’t take things for granted. Be grateful for what you have.’ ” A stranger walking through the Upper School might have thought Paul’s last name was Strong instead of Wilson because of the “PAUL STRONG” wrist bands and “PW STRONG” posters.

“When the school was told that Paul had been diagnosed with cancer, we had an orange day just for leukemia cancer awareness,” says junior Micah Johnson. The entire Upper School student body dressed in orange. “It was a great turnout; everyone participated,” Micah says.

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Charlie Wilson, fourth to the left from the front, joined the entire Upper School one day last year for an “orange-out” to show support for his brother, Paul.

Paul has a lot of close connections in The Summit community. He is a lifer and has an extended Summit family. His grandmother, Lynn Lippert, was a school nurse for many years. His mother, Elizabeth, and five of his aunts and uncles are alummi.

His brother, Charlie, is a freshman and sisters, Adeline and Eliza, are in the third and first grades, respectively. Three Lippert first cousins include Lily, grade eight, Holland and Wayne, grade five. Plus, there are his brothers on the football and baseball teams and his advisement group.

While Paul’s parents and grandparents took turns staying with him at the hospital, The Summit’s Caring Committee delivered three meals a week to Paul’s home. A representative from the hospital explained to the sophomore class what Paul’s disease and the treatment plan were. Students received updates in assemblies and gathered for a prayer service when his fever was really high.

Lillian Chow, a 2017 graduate, ordered the “PAUL STRONG” wrist bands. Another 2017 graduate, Duke Tobin, asked his dad, the Director of Player Personnel for the Cincinnati Bengals, for a helmet.

Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton, also a Summit dad, autographed it. Athletic Director Greg Dennis donated a Summit helmet which the football players signed. Jeff Stayton, Upper School social studies teacher, who had all of the Lipperts in his class at some time, printed 100 signs that said “PW Strong” and placed them all over the campus. Paul couldn’t have visitors in the hospital, so the football team created a video for him. Every week, kids brought get-well cards to the office to be delivered to the

hospital. Paul’s advisor, Upper School math teacher Eric Unwin, kept in touch with the family through text messages and delivered cards and gift baskets to them during Christmas break. Teachers created packets of homework that Paul could work on at the hospital and at home so he didn’t lose a year of school.

“I give a lot of credit to our parents because they jumped right in,” said Marsha Wermes, Upper School administrative assistant. “They organized daily dinners and then all the kids jumped in to see what they could do, which speaks volumes to me about the community.”

What makes Paul strong?

A linebacker on the football team, Paul was fit. During Days of Grace and Wisdom, when Upper School students participate in a spiritual retreat, he began to feel severe back pain, particularly at night. At first the Wilsons thought it was something orthopedic, like a torn muscle.

But by the morning of Monday, Nov. 28, a day off for the Upper School students who had been on retreat, something clearly was very wrong. Tests were done and he was diagnosed that same day with AML. One little cell had replicated the wrong way, probably back in June or July, and it kept building more cancer cells. “It’s not hereditary,” says Paul Sr., his father. “It’s sheer luck of the draw,” says Elizabeth, his mother. “You just get it,” says Paul. “It’s sheer bad luck.”

From the outset, Paul was adamant about getting his normal life back. “When he was in the hospital, all he was doing was preparing himself for the next season,” says his mom. “He exercised. He did school work. That’s all he focused on. You just do what you have to do to get through it.”

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L STRONG PAUL STRONG PAUL STRONG PAUL STRONG PAUL STRO So what makes Paul strong? Lots of people have answers.

Paul takes this question literally. Strength comes from working out. “I’m the worst example you will ever see of any kind of patient,” Paul says, laughing. “I was horrible. I am the most stubborn person you’ll ever meet. They would tell me not to work out, but I just basically did football lifting kind of stuff. It was hardcore stuff.”

Paul has always loved working out, says Micah, the only friend on that very short hospital visitor’s list.

“This was a big part of Paul’s life inside the hospital, because it occupied time and kept him in shape while being confined to a very small room. It also helped Paul feel active in the hospital instead of being hooked up to machines and sitting there bored all day.”

Paul is focused, says Mike Johnson, Micah’s dad and Middle School director. “Pauly is one of the most coachable kids I’ve ever known,” says Mr. Johnson.

“He’s been that way his entire life. In his battle with cancer, whatever the next thing was, he just moved forward. Keeping his mind on what was in front of him lessened the feeling of getting lost in the drudgery and led him to take the next step in stride.

By keeping his mind on the incremental steps he was able to keep moving forward.”

Paul is determined, says Mr. Unwin. “Paul focused on working his way back to school and then not letting anything stop him from stepping back on the football field and baseball diamond.”

Paul has a big heart, says Varsity Football Head Coach Justin Isaacs. “When he first found out he had cancer, one of his main concerns was how his teammates would feel, not about himself. He has a never-quit attitude, a heart of a lion. He’s fearless and always thinking about others. Since I’ve known Paul for the past nine years, he has never quit or given up on anything. I’ve coached him in basketball, as well as football. He’s always working to become better. Even when he fails he tries again.”

Paul is a scrappy guy, says Mr. Thornburg. “Things don’t seem to stop him. I wasn’t surprised that he hung in there the way he did. He didn’t let circumstances overwhelm him. I would say he has an incredibly strong spirit.”

Bengals quarterback and Summit dad Andy Dalton autographed a team helmet to give to Paul while he was in the hospital, as did The Summit’s football team. L to R: Silver Knights displaying the helmets are junior Rylan Woods, seniors Ruben Tolble and Eric Kroencke, junior Andrew Warren, sophomore Conor Brodie, seniors Xavier Johnson and Joe Collins and sophomore Amir Johnson.

Paul is a fighter, says Varsity Baseball Head Coach Triffon Callos. “He has shown the mental strength to overcome the obstacles he has faced. His positive attitude while facing such adversity shows what kind of person he is.”

Paul is soulful, says Ms. Sansalone, quoting poet Khalil Gibran, who says, “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls, the most massive characters are seared with scars.” “Paul Wilson is one of the strongest souls I have had the privilege of knowing,” she says.

Putting it in perspective Paul doesn’t understand why people would want to know the details of how he overcame a battery of hardships during the months he spent in and out of the hospital last year. The five chemo treatments. Deaths of people close to him. Loneliness. Confinement. FOMO – the fear of missing out. He’s just a normal guy after all, and the past is the past. But he has used his story to promote Touchdown for Kids, a fundraiser that raises funds for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Project Avatar.

Paul has gained a perspective that most teens don’t have, says Mr. Thornburg. “Paul realizes that life is a series of challenges that you work through.”

Paul says there is one thing he would like other students to know from his experience. “Every person could be sick and twisted or kind and loving. But no matter what the person is like, they all have chances.

Not one chance. They have multiple chances.”

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Sophomore Puts Boots on Ground to Help Hurricane Victims

Sophomore Carissa Parker and her mom Joy, a Middle School science teacher, work in the rubble of a small Texas town that was devastated by Hurricane Harvey.

By Hannah Michels

Summit Country Day School students came together to serve hurricane victims through volunteering and donations as the faculty contextualized the disaster through classroom activities, such as designing ways to air drop supplies to remote areas and writing letters of hope to those affected by the disaster. But one student took her efforts outside of the classroom and directly to Texas.

Sophomore Carissa Parker and her mother, Middle School teacher Joy Parker, spent a weekend in a small town outside of Houston serving victims of Hurricane Harvey. The trip was a chance to make a difference in the lives of others, but it was also a chance to grant Carissa’s birthday wish.

“Just reading about this in the news, along with the fact that they needed more volunteers got me thinking about it,” Carissa says. “I really wanted to do something different for my birthday and thought that this would be a beneficial and enriching experience for me.”

Now 16 years old, she had been learning about the 10th grade character trait of humility in her leadership class, a trait that Carissa wanted to experience through service to others in a new and different place.

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“I asked her if there was any place she wanted to go for her birthday, like a weekend getaway,” Joy says. “She thought about it for a little while, then responded thoughtfully that she’d like to go to Houston to help victims of the hurricane. I was amazed, touched and humbled that she would choose to serve those in need for her birthday instead of shopping or going on a trip to a new city.”

Carissa and Joy joined Samaritan’s Purse and teams of 12 to 20 people to travel to a new home each day they were in Texas. Despite being 35 miles inland, homes were submerged in four feet of water. The motherdaughter duo removed damaged drywall and flooring from homes, and relocated items that could be saved.

Carissa and Joy talked with homeowners about their experiences and prayed with them before starting their work.

Carissa recalls inspiring words from a homeowner on their first day: “It is easy to show your love and devotion to God during normal times, but it is extremely hard when you are faced with disaster and tragedy.” Carissa met a man who spent three days rescuing people with his boat from the floodwaters despite his own home being completely flooded.

“All the victims I met were extremely humble, and their great spirits and attitudes, despite losing everything, amazed me,” Carissa says. “This whole experience and the people I met really just gave me a more humbling and appreciative perspective on my life.”

NEWSMAKERS Nine Summit seniors have been recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. L to R: Davis DeFoor, Joseph Delamerced, Robert Kerr and Lauren Lautermilch have been named National Merit semifinalists. Evan Baker, Scott Kinross, Brigid Lawler, Regan Lawler and Keith Meyer have been named Commended Students. The nine are among about 1.6 million students who took the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test last year.

Three 2017 graduates were named National Advanced Placement Scholars by the College Board. They are L to R: Martin Amesquita, who is attending the University of Pennsylvania; Lennox Brooks, who attends The Ohio State University; and Jiuhe “Vivian” Zhang, now at the University of Chicago. To become a National AP Scholar, a student must receive a score of 4 or 5 on at least eight AP exams and must have an average of at least a 4 on all exams taken. Last year, 85 Summit seniors, 63 juniors and 29 sophomores took exams in 23 AP courses. Altogether, 70 current students and recent graduates received AP awards.

A poem by junior Chris Guarasci was published in a national anthology. Chris wrote “An Ode to the Storm” last year in English teacher Gail Rosero’s class.

It is one of about 50 topical winners in the Live Poets Society of New Jersey’s 20th annual National High School Poetry Contest. Fewer than two percent of all the poems received were published in the anthology, Of Love and Dedication, which explored how teens approach various types of love and loyalty issues.

Latin Club members spent a week at the National Junior Classical League (NJCL) convention this summer with several bringing home honors.

Eighth grader Jimmy Fraley earned the most awards among Summit participants with 11, including second in the novice open certamen competition and third in modern myth and mythology tests. Senior Joseph Delamerced earned first place awards for individual service, traditional photography and state website. Others receiving awards were seniors Patrick Casanas, Davis DeFoor and Caroline Klette; juniors Alex Almaguer and Julia Dean; sophomores Ryan Burns and Connie Nelson; freshman Matthew Casanas; and eighth graders Abby Almaguer and Kendall Richard. Joseph served as the Ohio Junior Classical League president and was in charge of presiding over all the daily meetings of the Ohio delegation.

Julia was the OJCL parliamentarian, and Caroline was the league’s first vice president and historian.

Six Middle and Lower School students won awards in the annual Hyde Park Art Show in October. Seventh graders Trey Butler and Chloe Lane each won second place and $25. Trey

presented two skylines — one a sandpaper print, and the other a construction assembly.

Chloe created a mixedmedia piece composed of a crayon resist print and kaleidoscope plate.

Fourth grader Charlie Ritch received third place and $20 for a stained glass window drawing inspired by The Summit’s Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel. Second grader John Trokan and eighth graders Greg LaLonde and Lily Lippert each received honorable mentions and $10. John painted a Van Goghinspired sunflower still life. Greg made a tack sculpture of a cowboy boot. Lily created a Mehndi design of various hand renderings, using drawing and ink techniques.

Senior Vivianne Skavlem traveled to Tokyo, Japan during the summer with the Cincinnati Children’s Choir as a member of the Bel Canto Choir. The trip is part of a countdown to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The choir visited and performed in four Japanese cities during the weeklong tour.

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Student Newsmakers Five seniors attended the annual government education programs Buckeye Boys State and Buckeye Girls State in June. Scott Kinross, Lauren Lautermilch, Whitt Massey, Keith Meyer and Brendan Ochs spent a week on the campus of the University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio acting in the roles of government officials to learn more about the function of local government. In addition, Lauren was invited to be a delegate at the national Girls Nation in Washington, D.C. The Summit’s theater program performed Fools in October, turning Kyte Theater into a 19th Century Ukrainian village. A light-hearted romantic comedy by Neil Simon, the cast included, clockwise from center front, senior Nick Latham, junior Anna Fahrmeier, sophomore Kathryn Sullivan, junior Autumn Class, junior Hudson Nuss, junior Tess Wyrick, senior Caroline Karbowski, junior Lilly Gieseke and junior Beckett Schiaparelli. Not shown, junior Reyyan Khan. The play was directed by Summit Drama Coach Tom Peters.

Freshman Sophia Stanisic was accepted for membership, through an audition process, for the May Festival Youth Chorus. The chorus gives high school students opportunities to rehearse and perform challenging music and perform in several area concert series and the Cincinnati May Festival.

A group of students wore protective sunglasses for a rare opportunity to view a total solar eclipse on Aug. 21. Upper School physics teacher Amy Girkin led the outing to Hopkinsville, Ky., where they could witness the full totality of the eclipse. L to R: Juniors Grace Anderson, Julia Rosa Helm, Julia Dean and Evy Mattson.

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Student Newsmakers

Four Middle School students were rewarded this summer for presenting the best rocket project at Camp IO, an annual event in Cleveland sponsored by Centric Consulting. L to R: Seventh graders Ryan Schnitter and Sam Parker along with sixth graders David Schnitter and Benny Penote call themselves Team AERO (short for Arduinos, Engineering, Rockets and Observations). Their project, which ran from April through August, required them to turn a two-liter bottle into a rocket with an Arduino in the nose cone. An Arduino is an open source microcontroller that can perform simple tasks. In this case, it collected live flight telemetry and deployment of a parachute for recovery.

Among their many tasks: Benny and Sam learned how to program the Arduino in the “C” programming language. Ryan and David handled rocket construction, nose cone and tail fin design and launch pad construction. Benny and David researched and tested parachutes, which they made out of umbrellas. Ryan handled graphics. Sam helped build the launch tubes. Every team member was involved with launching the rockets, collecting data and making observations to improve rocket performance. The team successfully achieved a consistent rocket altitude of 190 feet with parachute deployment.

The boys presented their project at Camp IO for about 90 Centric Consulting technical leaders. At the end of the event, camp attendees voted on the best presentations and gave Team AERO the top spot. As a prize, they received tickets to see “Brain Candy” at the Aronoff Center.

The Summit race team took first place in the 2017 Warrior Run High School Challenge, an event which encourages students from 13- to 18-years-old to improve their physical and mental fitness, to volunteer and participate in philanthropy.

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Faculty/Staff Newsmakers

Tracy Law Ph.D., Upper School social studies teacher, participated in the National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE)’s GeoCamp Iceland program July 8-17. The program is an interdisciplinary experience which aims to expose participants to one of the most geologically active locations. Iceland is environmentally and historically unique. Dr. Law has brought what she learned in the field exploring Iceland’s changing landscapes and diverse environments to her Advanced Placement Human Geography, Honors World Issues and Advanced Placement Psychology classrooms. She also will present her experience at Global Evening, an annual event she coordinates which celebrates the global citizenry aspect of The Summit’s mission and global awareness through curriculum and experiences of students and faculty. Dr. Law wrote a daily blog about her experience in Iceland. Read it at www. summitcds.org/upperschool/international-law.

Kat Sickinger, Upper School biology teacher, is participating in the Research Experiences for Teachers program at the University of Cincinnati (UC). For seven weeks this past summer, she conducted research on “The Spatiotemporal Variability of Air Pollution (PM2.5 and BC) in Microenvironments” and attended professional development workshops on challenge-based learning and the engineering design process. After the unit was completed, she was required to disseminate her results through a poster and video. She presented her research project poster at UC’S Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Conference on Sept. 27. An additional requirement was to create a unit of study with a similar topic as her research to incorporate into her classroom. This unit uses challenge-based learning and the engineering design process that she learned about through the professional development workshops over the summer. She also prepared a unit titled “Air Quality” to present to her class in January.

Several members of the faculty were presenters at the annual Independent Schools Association of the Central States conference in Chicago Nov. 9 and 10.

Kirsten McEachern Ph.D., Curriculum and Instruction Director, and Carolyn Varick, Middle School Math Department coordinator, presented “Beyond Sit-and-Get: Teacher-Led Professional Development for Pedagogical Change.”

Julia Almaguer, Lower School Math Specialist, and Ellen Valentine, fourth grade math teacher, presented “Design Math Instruction around Student Interest & Experience.”

John Thornburg, Upper School Director, presented “Repairing Student Relational Breakdowns,” addressing how establishing relationships with kids is critical to success as a teacher.

Brendan McEachern, Middle School language arts teacher, presented “Graphic Novels: Inserting Bang & Pop into Reading.”

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Faculty/Staff Newsmakers Triffon Callos, head varsity baseball coach, was re-elected Green Township trustee in the November election.

He was appointed to the Board of Trustees in 2014 and elected in 2015, serving as chairman for the last two years. Green Township is the third largest township in Ohio with 60,000 residents.

Laura Samuels, Ed.D., Resources Program Coordinator for the Upper School, has been appointed to the Board of Directors for the Cincinnati Center for Social and Emotional Learning. The board works with elementary and high school youth in areas of high poverty schools on the development of social and emotional skills.

Rosie Sansalone, Middle School language arts teacher, was a co-presenter of “The Rwandan Genocide in Middle and High School Curricula” at

the National Council for the Social Studies annual conference in San Francisco in November.

She focused on using personal testimony in the classroom as a lens to teach justice, using the eighth grade capstone publication, “Hear My Story, Be My Voice” as her example. Year three of the series included a chapter on the Rwandan genocide. Ms. Sansalone also was published in an Aug. 21 op-ed piece in The Cincinnati Enquirer entitled “Our tongues are powerful weapons; use them wisely.” In it, she encouraged readers to think of themselves as teachers of the next generation, to foster respect and to create positive human connections.

Samantha Setterlin, Middle School art teacher, was a copresenter at the Miami University Pre-service Art Education Conference on Oct. 8 on the topic of “Community Based Art Education.” She also presented a curriculum based on silk screen printing and ceramics at the Ohio Art Education Association Conference in November in Toledo.

Kendra Thornton Ed.D., Lower School Director, was invited to join Transcend Education’s Yellow Hats League, a network of experts focused on building beyond the current limits of school design by expanding community knowledge and sharing innovative models. Membership is by invitation only.

Four Upper School teachers served as readers of Advanced Placement exams this summer. They were social studies teacher Tracy Law, Ph.D., biology teacher Karen Suder, science teacher Martin Wells and social studies teacher Mark Schmidt.

Summit faculty and staff members participating in the Market 2 Market Relay race on Sept. 9 finished the 75-mile race from Milford to Dayton in 11 hours, 20 minutes and 33 seconds. L to R: Michael DiPaola, Kirstin McEachern, Joy Parker, Jen McGrath and Brendan McEachern. Hilary Carvitti ran on a separate team.

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Girls Make Comeback, Boys Three-peat to Become Part of ‘Soccernati’ Lore

By Scott Springer Many schools go decades trying to make a state final in any sport. Many have never been. On Nov. 10 and 11, The Summit not only participated in a pair of Ohio state soccer championships, but came home with the hardware twice.

In the opening game at MAPFRE Stadium, home of the Columbus Crew, on Friday, Nov. 10, the Summit girls faced Kirtland from Lake County. Junior Colleen McIlvenna scored three minutes into the game and that would be all the Silver Knights would need. For good measure, Colleen added another goal and top scorer Ravin Alexander, a senior, pumped in a pair as The Summit recorded the 4-0 shutout to culminate their season at 22-1 as Division III champions.

Tennessee commit), midfielder senior Lily Melink (a Gettysburg commit) and goalkeeper senior Mimi Stines (a Dayton commit). Junior Kennidy Belle (an Iowa State commit) and senior Madison Brault were MVC second team. Mimi and the Silver Knights’ defense allowed just 11 goals in 23 contests through the pipes with their toughest game coming in the regional final against the always-competitive Madeira Amazons. The Summit won the nail-biter 1-0.

“After getting knocked out of the tournament by them last year, it was awesome to come out and get the win,” Mimi says. “We knew the path to a state championship would run through Southwest Ohio.

Once we put that behind us, everything else fell into place. We had one goal this year and that was to win our second state championship together.”

“To play the last game of my high school career at MAPFRE Stadium is an experience I will never forget,” Ravin says. “To see the hard work of my teammates and coaching staff pay off is an indescribable feeling.

Wearing Summit across our chest is something my teammates and I take great pride in.”

Adds Lily: “Our tournament run was an experience I’ll never forget. As a senior and captain, I was proud of our team and how we worked together from start to finish. The state championship was a culmination of hard work, coaching and a supportive Summit community.”

Their lone blemish in the 2017 campaign was a 3-2 loss to Indian Hill, who would win the Division II state championship in the following game.

Coach Fee agrees that Southwest Ohio posed the biggest challenge for The Summit and was proud to be part of the triumvirate of state titles that included Indian Hill in Division II and Loveland in Division I.

“I was less of a coach on this team and more of a manager,” says Girls Varsity Head Coach Mike Fee. “They just knew what to do. I just managed pieces and put the kids in the right spots.”

“We knew that there would be good teams in Columbus, but we knew Madeira would be better,” he says. “I firmly believe that whoever won that game was going to be the state champion.”

Girls are back in town It was the third state title for the Summit girls and their second in three years. Ravin, who has verbally committed to become a University of Louisville Cardinal next year, finished her season with 41 goals, 12 assists and Miami Valley Conference (MVC) district and state Player of the Year honors. United Soccer Coaches named her and Harrison Schertzinger All-American.

Joining her on MVC first team was Colleen, (a

The Sunday after the championships, there was an all-star game at Sycamore, with all three title-winning coaches (Coach Fee, Indian Hill’s Amy Dunlap and Loveland’s Todd Kelly) in attendance congratulating each other. Coach Fee is the veteran ring-leader of the OPPOSITE PAGE: Clockwise from top left, girls gather in jubilation at winning their state championship; No. 1 says all for the girls who are in the stands cheering as the boys win their championship game; boys look skyward waiting for the ball to drop; boys greet Lower School students in a state send-off “spirit tunnel.”

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The 2017 Ohio Division III state champion boys’ and girls’ soccer teams pose for a photo on Williams Field. L to R, bottom row: Keith M Nick Mishu ’18, Henry Schertzinger ’18, Mimi Stines ’18, Lily Melink ’18, Madison Brault ’18, Kiana Allen ’18, Jenna Eveslage ’18, Sydni Yagodich ’21, Graham Nicholson ’21, Kendall Hamilton ’21, Colby Gordon ’19, Catlin Barnes ’19, Rachel Martin ’20, Grace Kaegi ’19, Jor Campbell ’21, Doug Simpson ’20, Jacob Schneider ’19, Evan Hunt ’19, Eli Rawlings ’19, Bennett Caruso ’19, Kieran Dowling ’19, Jack Ge Madeline Riley ’20 and Hannah Gottenbusch ’19.

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Meyer ’18, Sutton Eyer ’18, Chuck Steines ’18, Sam Smallwood ’18, Brendan Ochs ’18, Harrison Schertzinger ’18, Diego Vallota ’18, i Brooks ’18 and Ravin Alexander ’18. Middle Row: Sam Kohlhepp ‘20, Davis Whiting ’20, Jake Klopfenstein ‘20, Alex Waak ’21, Will rdyn Pez ’21, Kennidy Belle ’19, Victoria Walton ’19, Colleen Mcllvenna ’19, Gillian Fajack ’19 and Riley Richard ’21. Top Row: Josiah erdsen ’21, Leah Neltner ’20, Peyton Bulla ’20, Adrianna Parker ’19, Samantha Crew ’19, Anna Claire Bristow ’20, Meg DeNoma ’19, 29 Summit Magazine 29

Senior team captains Madison Brault and Diego Vallota carry the state championship trophies into Flannery Gym on the Monday after their victories as the whole student body cheered.

trio with Coaches Dunlap and Kelly winning their first state crowns.

Bethel, 1-0 vs. Dayton Christian, 2-0 vs. Troy Christian and 3-2 vs. Grandview Heights).

“There’s a lot of pride around the city,” Coach Fee says. “Many of the players on those other two teams are teammates with my girls in club ball. We got things from FC Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Reds.

The city did notice and sent congratulations out on social media.”

Not surprisingly, on the wider field in Columbus, the Silver Knights and Green Bears were tied 0-0 at the break with keepers Tommy Coil of Ottawa Hills and Summit junior Kieran Dowling trading saves.

In front of Kieran was senior center back Harrison Schertzinger, fearlessly foiling every cross.

Boys get a three-peat

In the second half, his twin, Henry Schertzinger, playing sparingly just four months removed from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in lacrosse, made a key move on offense. With 10:23 remaining, Henry broke down the middle, flipped a pass with his left cleat to junior forward Eli Rawlings, who briefly paused then deposited the inflatable sphere into the corner of the net.

Just a tad over 24 hours after the Summit girls rushed the field in glee, Varsity Head Coach Scott Sievering’s boys took to the pitch in their special blue unis featuring a teal accent.

After taking down an unbeaten Grandview Heights team in Xenia Nov. 8, the Silver Knights advanced to the title game against a likewise-undefeated Ottawa Hills team.

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Unlike the 2016 season, where The Summit had plowed through opponents decisively, this fall postseason featured closer calls. A year ago, The Summit won the championship with a nine-goal final. On championship Saturday, the Silver Knights came into the game scoring just eight goals in their Winter Magazine 2017 - the 18 final (2-0 over Tipp City previous wins to reach

“I got to send the seniors out the way they wanted to go,” Eli says. “Henry passed me that ball, and I was debating passing it, but past experiences told me to shoot it. I shot it and after that I knew it was going in.”

At that point of the defensive struggle, one goal felt like three. The Silver Knights were able to chew up the remaining 10 minutes and jump in the air in jubilation with their third consecutive trophy, a sixth

title overall and a “daily double sweep” for The Summit.

“I told these boys all tournament long, just get me to the state semifinals and I’m with you guys,” Henry says. “I got limited time and I came and made something happen for my team. That’s all I can ask for.”

Though not as dominating as 2016, the boys finished 18-3-2, scoring 93 goals and allowing just 10, with 17 shutouts. Harrison, who in the same week as the championship game signed with Henry to play lacrosse next year for Division I University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was Ohio Division III Player of the Year (along with district and MVC player of the year) and was named a high school All-American. Fellow captains Diego Vallota and Nick Mishu, who have both committed to play at Wright State University next year, were first team all-district and MVC, with Vallota making second team all-state.

The future is also bright in Hyde Park as Summit sophomore Doug Simpson was second in the league in scoring with 18 goals and seven assists. Two of his biggest goals came in the semifinal comeback against Grandview Heights, catapulting the Silver Knights to Columbus.

“It felt good, it felt really good,” Simpson says. “Last year I didn’t have the kind of role I have now. It’s a huge difference, I’m on the field more.”

Even minus last year’s high school All-American Cameron Belle, on the Xavier University Musketeer soccer squad this year, and last year’s city scoring leader Sam Martin, across town playing basketball for the University of Cincinnati Bearcats, the Silver Knights still added another championship year to their traveling banner.

“This group played each and every game with a bit of a chip on its shoulder,” Coach Sievering says. “If someone was going to beat us, they were going to have to be prepared and skilled enough to outplay us for an entire 80 minutes.”

As it was, the eventual-game winning goal by Eli Rawlings came in the 70th minute against a young, talented Ottawa Hills team that had just three seniors and featured 11 sophomores.

“We did lose a lot, but we didn’t lose the heart or lose the fight,” Coach Sievering says of his 2017 Silver

From the top, L to R: Juniors Colleen McIlvenna, Victoria Walton and Gillian Fajack and their teammates are cheered on as they parade through a state sendoff “spirit tunnel” that led from the front door to the end of the driveway. Senior captain Nick Mishu maintains control of the ball. Cheerleaders and a giant banner await the two soccer teams at the end of the state sendoff.

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Knights. “That team (Ottawa Hills) is a good team, and they’re going to be back. But, you know what? It still runs through The Summit.

We’re just proud of the community support and proud of each other.”

Winning coaches This wasn’t the first time both the boys and girls won the state championships in the same year. It happened two years ago, too.

Coach Sievering, who had been so overwhelmed at the finish of The Summit’s semifinal win that he immediately ran to the locker room to scream in joy, hugged nearly everyone in sight after the championship finale.

He is now 75-11-4 at The Summit Country Day School with a trio of state championships. His assistants are Craig Chmiel and B.J. Smallwood and his team doctor is proud dad Howard J. Schertzinger, Jr., M.D. “This is one heck of a group of guys,” Coach Sievering says. “People underestimate how hard it is to do what these guys have done: To get back here three times on top of losing guys and our forwards being all underclassmen. They’ve grown and matured.

Our defense has carried us.”

Coach Fee just wrapped up his 17th season coaching The Summit’s girls, has three state titles and a 22985-28 record. Keith Harring, Eric Unwin, Jen McGrath and Alex Maloney assisted him.

“We won in 2015 and these seniors were part of that group,” Coach Fee says. “I knew coming into the season with the seven seniors we had they were going to lead. It was the best group of senior leaders I ever had. They were on the same page from day one on Aug. 1.”

As always, Athletic Director Greg Dennis is the chief coordinator of athletic championships, now with 16 team and individual championships since he came to The Summit in 2004.

On a weekend when “Soccernati” won four state championships, two of those trophies made the trip south on Interstate 71 to 2161 Grandin Road. When the whole school turned out for a rally to welcome them home, The Summit “blues” never felt so good.

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Scott Springer is a2017 sports Winter Magazine - 18reporter at The Cincinnati Enquirer.

Clockwise from top left: Senior Ravin Alexander and junior Colleen McIlvenna during the regional final. Junior Eli Rawlings is joyful after scoring the goal that won the state match. Senior goalkeeper Mimi Stines stands guard. In the stands, sophomore Benjamin Tolble holds up a Victoria Walton “big head.” Junior Colby Gordon executes a header.

For the Record Summit State Championships Teams 1995 Baseball 1999 Boys’ Soccer 2006 Boys’ Lacrosse 2011 Girls Soccer 2012 Boys’ Soccer 2012 Boys’ Basketball 2013 Boys’ Soccer 2015 Boys’ Soccer 2015 Girls’ Soccer 2016 Boys’ Soccer 2017 Girls’ Soccer 2017 Boys’ Soccer Individuals 2007 Gabby Steele, Girls’ Tennis singles 2010 Colin Cotton, Cross Country 2011 Colin Cotton, 3200-meter run in Track 2014 Mason Moore, 1,600-meter run in Track 2015 Mason Moore, 1,600-meter run in Track 2015 Stewart Spanbauer, Diving

Clockwise from top left: The boys reach out to touch the state championship trophy after their win. The girls jump for joy in a group hug after winning the regional final. Clockwise from left: Juniors Kennidy Belle and Colleen McIlvenna, seniors Lily Melink, Ravin Alexander and Madison Brault and junior Victoria Walton.

Senior Sam Smallwood sends the fans a heart sign during the introduction ceremony before the game; other players, L to R, are freshman Graham Nicholson, senior Brendan Ochs, junior Evan Hunt, and freshmen Alex Waak and Will Yagodich. L to R: Wearing their medals and holding the trophy at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus are sophomores Madeline Riley, Leah Neltner, Peyton Bulla, Rachel Martin, Anna Claire Bristow and Maeve Talty. Junior Grace Kaegi and senior Lily Melink embrace. Head Coach Mike 33 Fee, junior Adrianna Parker and Assistant Coach KeithMagazine Harring 33 Summit watch from the sidelines.

Honor In Action

Summit Sports State Contenders In addition to the boys’ and girls’ soccer teams, who won Division III state championships, boys’ golf, the boys’ cross country team and individual girls in cross country and tennis participated in state competitions.

Freshman Places Fourth in Singles Tennis After two days of hard-fought matches, freshman Elizabeth Fahrmeier finished fourth in Division ll singles tennis and was named first team in singles by the Miami Valley Conference (MVC). The Greater Cincinnati Tennis Coaches Association named her first team in singles and “Newcomer of the Year.”

The Summit’s tennis team won the (MVC) with a 7-1 record. Michelle Hellman is the head coach.

Boys Golf Team Makes History The boys’ golf team placed fourth at the state tournament in October, the best in school history.

Senior Chris Kahle earned an All-Ohio Academic

Award from the Ohio High School Golf Coaches Association. Senior Sam Gosiger was named second team All-Ohio and was Division II Cincinnati sectional champion. Tim Jedding, an Upper School social studies and leadership teacher, is the head coach.

Cross Country Makes State Run Catherine Coldiron, or “CC” as she is called by her teammates, became the second individual girl from The Summit to qualify for a state cross country meet in school history. She also tied for the best finish of any Summit girl in state meet history, finishing 34th place overall out of 180 girls. The cross country boys’ team finished 10th and was the second team from the region to cross the line out of 20 teams. This is the sixth time in eight seasons that the boys have qualified to go to the state meet – finishing sixth, fifth, fourth, second, eighth and 10th previously.

Kurtis Smith, an Upper School religion teacher, is the Cotton Family Head Coed Varsity Cross Country Coach.

L to R: Sophomore Brian DeWine, freshmen Sean LaMacchia and Evan Lakhia, senior Scott Kinross, sophomore Catherine “CC” Coldiron, juniors Luke Desch and Elijah Weaver, freshman Matthew Brumfield, senior Will Doran and Cotton Family Head Coed Varsity Cross Country Coach Kurtis Smith stand tall after a spirited rally to pep them up for state competition.

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Freshman Elizabeth Fahrmeier shows the form that helped her win fourth place at state in Division ll singles tennis.

Sophomore Catherine Coldiron’s running performance made her the second girl in school history to compete at state as an individual.

L to R: Boys Varsity Golf Coach Tim Jedding stands with Nick McCleary, Micah Johnson, Chris Kahle, Max Mosbacher, Sam Gosiger and Jake Simpson as they prepare to leave for state competition.

Four Seniors Sign with Division I Colleges Four seniors signed letters of intent in November to play on Division I teams in the fall of 2018. Brennan Gick signed a letter of intent to play baseball at Division I Northern Kentucky University (NKU). Alea Harris signed to play basketball at Division I Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C. Twins Harrison and Henry Schertzinger signed to play lacrosse at Division I University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC).

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Seated in the center, Madeleine “Pudy” (Kroger) Lame ’46 is surrounded by her family and the family of her sister Anne (Kroger) Lambert ’36 after the Rev. Philip O. Seher, former Summit chaplain, blessed the reconstructed side doors.

‘Thy eternal summer shall not fade’ Pudy (Kroger) Lame ’46: Summit Country Day Memories The John Lame family generously donated funds to restore the chapel foyer exterior side doors in honor of John’s mother, Summit lifer Madeline “Pudy” (Kroger) Lame ’46, her sister, Anne (Kroger) Lambert ’36 and their mother, Theresa (Finn) Kroger 1907. The doors were dedicated on Nov. 24, just before the family celebrated Pudy’s 90th birthday. In this short essay, Pudy writes about her fond memories of the school.

By Madeleine “Pudy” (Kroger) Lame ‘46

In the early 1900s my mother, then Theresa Finn, attended The Summit on Grandin Road. Every day, she walked six blocks down Madison Road, across the Grandin Road bridge (which is no longer there) to the gates of the school. She laughingly told us of using her books as a sled to slide down a snow-covered hill on campus. The resident priest promptly reported her to the nuns. Once her family moved to Clifton, she then attended Sixth Street Academy downtown. After it closed, the huge doors were preserved in the city museum as the first girls’ school in Cincinnati.

In 1936, my oldest sister, Anne, then a Summit senior, became President of Student Council. I was in the second grade. At our early age, we were considered babies and were treated as such. In the morning we were given orange juice. After lunch we each got a mattress to place on the floor for a nap ... no way did I sleep. In the afternoon we had chocolate milk. It is hard to believe, but I hated it then.

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As the years passed I received three sacraments (Holy Communion, First Confession and Confirmation), learned of heaven, spoke French and had top grades.

I loved school. As I attended the seventh grade in the large building, my grades became mediocre.

Perhaps this is because my dad died in July 1941, and December brought us World War II. In high school we, too, joined the war effort. Gym class was about learning to march and so was called “Summit Army Class.” The boys we knew called us the SACs. Rationing had begun – gasoline, sugar, butter, etc...

Tanks were manufactured instead of cars. We would flatten empty cans so the tin could be used in making bullets. We rolled bandages and knitted army hats for cold areas.

As we translated from Latin the Gallic Wars of Caesar, we had a new language and new words, such as aircraft carriers, Sherman tanks, etc... Our new life went on. Spanish was a new language to learn because of our relationship with South America. While I still loved English and history, I realized I didn’t know

enough and couldn’t learn fast enough. After hearing of the European and Pacific countries in the war, I chose to learn more on my own, which explains my love of history.

In the section of the Rostrum called “Activities,” you can see we were always busy. Our music teacher had once said I was her only cross to bear since every time I passed by her harp, I would strum all the strings and run so she couldn’t tell who it was. We each had a large photo done of us and our teacher looked at each and affixed a Shakespearian quote. Mine read “Thy eternal summer shall not fade” and “dawn’s early light ... lover of candlelight and the exotics ... hands of an artist ... from the sublime to the ridiculous ... our

unpredictable Pudy.” Perhaps she knew how I hated mornings.

The war was over and we once again became giggly; however the boys who fought the war would always remember the horrors and atrocities of war. Yes, my formative years were many faceted; however, after many years, I can now understand the importance of my 12 years at The Summit. I have never stopped learning and have come to realize that I have just begun. The more you learn, the more you realize what you don’t know.

Thanks, dear Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Belgium, and God bless you all.

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‘A chronicle of my love affair with The Summit’ Patricia (Tyler) Perin ’45 Honored with Alumni Award, Comes Full Circle

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By Leah Fightmaster Costello

Pat and Joe Perin are familiar with scholarships at The Summit. They’ve established three named scholarships – the Pat and Joe Perin Scholarship Fund, the Perin/Tyler Scholarship Fund and the Patricia TylerPerin Scholarship – two of which are for one male and female Upper School student who “displays an enthusiastic and energetic spirit.” The stipulation of displaying an “enthusiastic and energetic spirit” seems to have come from Pat, but it’s the third named solely for her that demonstrates Mrs. Perin’s personal experience at The Summit as a student and how it shaped her as a person.

Patricia (Tyler) Perin ’45 and her husband, Joe, are probably best known in Cincinnati for building what was once the city’s largest-volume furniture store and producing one of Cincinnati’s most memorable advertising jingles of the 1970s, which aired frequently on the “Uncle Al Show.”

But before that, Mrs. Perin was introduced to The Summit while she was an eighth grader at St. Mary School in Hyde Park. She was awarded a full scholarship – on what basis she still isn’t aware. She still recalls her first visit to the school – walking up the front steps to the heavy wooden double doors and seeing the sunflower window above it. Meeting the principal at the time, Sr. Mary Francis, in the Bishop’s Parlor. Going on a tour and seeing the Alumni Parlor, library, study hall, classrooms, dining room and St. Cecilia Hall, thinking how inviting and grand they all seemed. Her final stop, the Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel, was the best saved for last.

Yet, Mrs. Perin is aware that all those first impressions are superficial. When she began her Summit story the following fall as a freshman, she had 10 classmates who brought a variety of differences to their class.

She made friends with upperclassmen, developed role models and gained confidence. She recalls meeting Fr. Edward Flanagan, founder of the well-known organization Boys Town, just before his death during a visit to The Summit and touring him around the school, as well as Fr. James Keller, a missionary who founded the religious tolerance-focused Christophers.

She calls these meetings the “highlights in my love affair with The Summit.” Mrs. Perin was inspired to use her gifts to volunteer at St. Joseph’s Orphanage as a tutor and change the world one person at a time.

As President of the school, it was tradition to deliver the welcome address at graduation. While rehearsing,

English teacher Sr. Marie Emilie offered Mrs. Perin some advice, and it was not of a religious kind: “To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night, the day, thou canst then not be false to any man.”

To thine own self be true she was. Mrs. Perin went on to earn fashion and interior design degrees from the University of Cincinnati, and after laboring three months at an unrewarding job at which she felt unsuccessful, she accepted a job at Shillito’s as a fashion stylist. She refers to this position as her dream job, dressing mannequins in the Race Street windows and coordinating fashion shows. The job came to an end when she married Joe and decided to start a family while launching their soon-to-be successful furniture business.

“We consider them our proudest accomplishment,” Mrs. Perin says about her three children, all of whom attended The Summit.

She refers to the years that follow as “one hectic blur,” as if they “were on a hamster wheel, or better yet, a runaway rollercoaster.” The Perin family traveled the world and took in some of the most compelling sights and experiences. They made friends with well-known Cincinnati favorites, grew their business, Perin Interiors, and salvaged numerous pieces from venues around the city to fill their showroom.

One of the most notable of these came from the Albee Theater, when Mrs. Perin went to the public auction preceding its demolition for some chairs and left as the new owner of more than $200,000 worth of artifacts.

While the Perins donated most of those pieces to the Music Hall ballroom following its renovation, a pair of candelabrum once owned by John Jacob Astor IV found their new home at The Summit. (See story on page 40.)

To honor the generosity, support and impact Mrs. Perin and her family have had on The Summit throughout the years, she was the 2017 recipient of the McKenzieSargent Award – the highest alumni award The Summit bestows on alumni and is named after the school’s first two alumnae, Anna McKenzie and Olive Sargent, who graduated from The Summit in 1893.

It recognizes achievements in career, community volunteer leadership and/or service to The Summit, a legacy Mrs. Perin possesses, and one she claims would not have been possible without The Summit itself.

“Without that Summit scholarship, I am convinced this chronicle would be very different,” Mrs. Perin says.

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Provenance of the Candelabrums: From the Astor Estate to The Summit

By Nancy Berlier Anyone who has seen the movie Titanic no doubt remembers the scene where John Jacob Astor IV, one of the richest men in the world at the time puts his pregnant young wife on a lifeboat, and then bravely stands on the deck as the ship slides into the North Atlantic Ocean in the early morning hours of April 15, 1912.

Astor and his bride, Madeleine Talmage Force, were returning from a European honeymoon to their New York City townhouse. Among the lush interior décor elements in the townhouse were two hand-tooled brass candelabrums. Each candelabrum is nine feet tall and has 12 curved arms embellished with a floral application.

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Charles Lamb, the New York architect hired by vaudevillian E.F. Albee to design Cincinnati’s RKO Albee Theater, purchased the candelabrums from the Astor estate and placed them at the base of two marble staircases in the theater’s grand lobby.

When the Albee was torn down in 1977, the candelabrums were purchased

by Pat and Joe Perin.

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Pat had them sandblasted to their original brass state and rewired before placing them in the Perin Interiors showroom in Springdale. When the Perins closed their store in 1995, they moved the candelabrums, which Pat called the “crown jewels” of the Albee, to their living room in Amberley Village.

This year, the Perins gave the candelabrums to The Summit. The fixtures are so heavy that it took four men to carry each candelabrum up The Summit’s front steps, into the chapel narthex in October where they were placed at each side of the chapel doors.

Jeff Suess, author of Hidden History of Cincinnati and Lost Cincinnati, wrote about them in a story for The Cincinnati Enquirer: He says: “The hand-tooled brass and marble pedestals fit perfectly at the entrance to The Summit’s gothic revival-style Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel.”

So this is the tale of a journey that took more than a century – from 1912 to 2017 – for two candelabrums which found their way into The Summit’s history. In the hands of a Summit alumna for more than 40 years, Pat says, “I must have been saving them for a very special place – The Summit.”

Leaders of Character Reception The city skyline served as a backdrop for the Leaders of Character Society reception on Sept. 6. The event recognized more than 220 people who are members of this group which sets the pace for the Annual Fund for Excellence.

Parents Wendy and Stanley Mambort.

Ne Ultra: None Higher Dawn and Dr. Robert C. Schiff Jr.

By Nancy Berlier Dawn and Dr. Robert C. Schiff Jr., two of the most generous benefactors in The Summit’s modern history, were given the Ne Ultra Award. Ne Ultra is a Latin term which means “none higher.”

Trustee and parent Sheryl Black. Parent Wendy (Sutphin) Ritch GMS ’86 and parent trustee Andrew Ritch.

Parents Mariana Belvedere, Ph.D. and Dr. Samer S. Hasan M.D.

Through the Robert C. Schiff and Adele Schiff Foundation, the Schiffs were lead contributors to the Aiming Higher campaign, have been generous to the Angel Donor Program and have given many other donations in recent years. They sent their three children to The Summit: Meredith (Schiff) Borchers ’02, Reed Schiff SMS ’01 and Austin Schiff ’04. During their years as parents, the couple spent many hours volunteering at the school. Dawn was on nearly every parent committee there was. Bob coached boys’ and girls’ soccer, baseball and boys’ lacrosse.

Head of School Rich Wilson praised the Schiffs and their children for investing their time, talent and treasure in The Summit and the community at large.

“The longer I am in this job, the more respect I have for families who bring up their children according to the ideals of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, who founded our school,” Mr. Wilson says. “The Schiffs believe in hard work, respect of others, joyfulness, self-confidence, compassion and care for the less fortunate.”

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The Summit Country Day School

Athletic Hall of Fame

Pro Soccer Player Austin Berry ’07 A defender on FC Cincinnati’s professional soccer team, Austin Berry ’07 was all-state firstteam and a Cincinnati Enquirer all-star at The Summit. At the University of Louisville, he was a two-time NSCAA All-American, Soccer America Most Valuable Player, College Soccer News AllAmerican and Big East Defensive Player of the Year. Named to the All-Big East first team in 2010 and 2011, he was on the College Cup AllTournament Team. The Cardinals were runner-up at the 2010 national championship.

The ninth overall pick in the 2012 Major League Soccer SuperDraft, Austin was 2012 MLS Rookie of the Year with the Chicago Fire. He was traded to the Philadelphia Union in 2014 and loaned to South Korea’s FC Anyang in 2015. An

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inaugural member of FC Cincinnati, he scored the game-winning goal in FC Cincinnati’s first game at Nippert Stadium and received the team’s Cincinnatus Award for outstanding leadership.

Serving as captain during the club’s first two years, Austin retired in early December and joined FC’s coaching staff.

“After my first visit to The Summit, I knew that was my high school,” Austin says. “The Summit was everything I needed to achieve my goals in life. The Summit’s athletic program was a perfect fit for me to develop as a soccer player.

The academics are top-notch and helped me earn a scholarship to play collegiate soccer. My classmates, teachers and all the people of The Summit helped make my time there so special.”

Professional Golfer Wes Homan ’02 Professional golfer Wes Homan ’02 still holds many of The Summit’s individual golf records.

He played golf at Xavier University for a year before transferring to Southern Methodist University (SMU) where he was an Academic AllAmerican and the team competed for a national championship every year. Graduating with a degree in finance in 2006 from SMU, he played amateur golf with great success, winning the 2006 Met and qualifying for two U.S. Amateurs.

He turned pro in 2008 and has worked his way up the pro-golf ladder, playing and winning on nearly all the tours in the world, eventually attaining his own Web.com tour and European tour card in 2015. He has qualified and played many events on the PGA tour including some

of golf’s biggest events like the Memorial Tournament, the Zurich Classic and The Honda Classic. He has competed against the world’s best golfers including the likes of Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson and Jordan Spieth.

“With great facilities and great coaches, playing sports at The Summit laid the foundation for my collegiate and professional careers,” Wes says. “I will never forget the support I received as well as the fun we had, on and off the course. Looking back, The Summit was a great place to grow as a person and an athlete.”

Summit Magazine 43

Eddie Maag ’02

Tiara Turner ’07

Eddie Maag ’02, offensive coordinator for The Summit boys’ lacrosse team, is a 2002 Summit alumnus and a lifer. He was a four-year starter on The Summit’s varsity lacrosse team, voted most improved player twice and team captain three times. He was named all-state and first team allconference three times. He was most valuable player in the 2002 Ohio All-Star game. He was also a four-year starter on the varsity football team.

Tiara Turner ’07 played basketball and soccer her sophomore, junior and senior years. A threeyear starter on the court, her strength and speed helped lead the girls’ basketball program to its first district appearance. She remains sixth in alltime assists. During her senior year, she led the soccer team in scoring and was the offensive most valuable player, first team Miami Valley Conference and All-Southwest Ohio.

On Thomas More College’s women’s basketball team for a year before transferring to the University of Cincinnati, she served as The Summit’s varsity assistant basketball coach in 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13. After earning a master’s degree in criminal justice – analysis of criminal behavior, she moved to Columbus but has continued to support the Silver Knights as a scout and fan.

“As a Summit student-athlete and coach, I was surrounded by teachers, coaches, teammates and players who demonstrated a commitment to excellence,” she says. “It is still amazing to look back on the way sports brought everyone within The Summit community together to create memories and relationships that would last a lifetime. I am forever grateful to my family, teammates, faculty and staff of The Summit, and all of my coaches who played a role in fostering my growth as a student, athlete and person in one of the best experiences of my life.”

He graduated from Xavier University and received his MBA from the University of Cincinnati.

Coaching lacrosse at The Summit for 12 seasons, his tenure includes 2006 when the lacrosse team won the state championship. During his years, the team has been city champions three times, in 2006, 2011 and 2016, and made three state final four appearances. He also served as the football linebackers coach in 2007. His son, Will, is now in the Montessori program.

“Playing sports and coaching lacrosse at The Summit have truly been two of my great joys in life,” Coach Maag says. “The memories I’ve made and the relationships I’ve built from my time there are ones that I will always treasure. I’d like to thank Greg Dennis, my former coaches, teammates and players (former and current) for making my time at The Summit such a great experience.”

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Collegiate All-Stars These alumni are on college teams this year.

Baseball Connor McMurry ’17, Case Western Reserve University Mark Peterson ’15, University of Dallas Eric Terry ’15, Emory University Basketball Kiley Barnard ‘15, Berea College Malauna Campbell ’15, University of Charleston Alex Dahling ’17, Lincoln Memorial University Samuel Martin ’17, University of Cincinnati Meghan O’Brien ’17, U.S. Coast Guard Academy Tyrice Walker ’17, Mt. Vernon Nazarene University Antonio Woods ’14, University of Pennsylvania Cross Country & Track and Field Ellie Adams ’14, St. Louis University Sophie Adams ’14, St. Louis University Margo Dailey ’17, University of Tampa Tullus Dean ’17, Xavier University Shabnam Fayyez ’16, Earlham College Jodie Hutchins ’16, DePauw University John Murdock ’15, University of Cincinnati Grady Stuckman ’15, Franciscan University Adelaide Tsueda ’15, College of Woosterer

Soccer Cameron Belle ’17, Xavier University Janel Bond ’16, Webster University Isaiah Chapman ’14, University of Rio Grande Jessica De Jesus ’17, High Point University Matt De Jesus ’14, Carnegie Mellon University Rielly Dowling ’16, University of Rio Grande Addie Englehart ’14, Xavier University Christian Hay ’14, University of Cincinnati Bryce Hueber ’14, Ohio University Brendan Jones ’16, Thomas More College Gracie Kunkel ’16, Thomas More College Joey Kunkel ’13, University of Louisville Brandon Lorentz ‘13, Thomas More College Charlie Maciejewski ’16, Bowling Green State University Erik Sigman ’17, Drake University Addy Smythe ’16, Xavier University Austin Smythe ’15, University of Cincinnati Rachel Stines ’16, Franciscan University Volleyball Dana Thomas ’14, Oberlin College

Diving Emma Hellmann ’17, Pennsylvania State University Stewart Spanbauer ’15, North Carolina State University Field Hockey Claire Hellmann ’17, St. Louis University Football Michael Barwick ’14, Indiana University Andrew Bissmeyer ’17, John Carroll University Zairn Davis ’17, Urbana University Davionne Laney ’16, Seton Hall University Tyler Hannah ’15, Mount St. Joseph University Allen Waltz ’17, University of Dayton Lacrosse Sydney Beckmeyer ’16, James Madison University Isabella Yagodich ’17, Mercer University Rowing Dane Franke ’17, St. Joseph’s University Caroline Kranz ’16, Clemson University

Summit Magazine 45

Matt De Jesus ’14, Carnegie Mellon University

Class Notes 60s Mary (Foss) Brinkmeyer ’67, left, and husband Joe came back from their annual Sitka, Alaska fishing trip with a big accomplishment. Mary hooked the largest halibut of the charter season, a 170-pound, six-foot fish.

They had a great catch of coho salmon and halibut with the best weather they’ve ever experienced.

The class of 1965 hosted their class reunion in conjunction with a Baby Boomer Bash this fall at Moonlite Gardens. It was 46

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a packed house and a night full of reconnecting and dancing. Pictured L to R: Natalie (Verkamp) Schoeny ’65, Janet (Opp) Tepe-Geeding ’65, Paula (Bien) Yarnell-Sundermann ’65.

The class of 1967 hosted their reunion this fall at The Symphony Hotel.

After their dinner, the group went to experience Blink, one of the largest light, art and projection mapping events in the nation.

80s

The class of 1982 held their reunion this fall at Wurst Bar in Mount Lookout Square. Pictured: Mark Roma, Ben Maraan BMS ’78, Byron Foster ’82, Mollie (Hinckley) Carr ‘82, Nan (Kohnen) Cahall ’82, Greg LaFevers ’82, Anitsa (Karkadoulias) Zalants ’82, Walter McBride ’82, Stephanie (Novak) Roma ’82, Tina (Walter) Kroenke ’82, Scott Kroencke, Grace (Baluyot) Kerr ’82, Sanford Pauly ’82, Karen Talty ’82.

Kathryn (Stahl) Harsh ’84 and husband Keith Harsh ’84 renewed their vows in the chapel for their 25th wedding anniversary on July 11. Kathryn and Keith’s daughters each read a reading from their wedding ceremony. The priest who married them, Father John Civille, was present for their vow renewal as well. Pictured: L to R: Maggie Harsh ’18, Elizabeth Harsh ’15, Kathryn Harsh ’84, Keith Harsh ’84 and Mary Frances Harsh ’14.

The class of 1987 hosted their 30-year reunion during Homecoming weekend on Sept. 23 at The University Club downtown. Front Row L to R: Holden (Critty) Wilson ’87, Annie (Buse) Bathalter ‘87, Shannon (Fullen) Nelson ’87 Second Row: Joe Bonadio (Spouse of Michelle Bonadio), Michelle (Schoeny) Bonadio ’87, Rachel (Flannery) Bollinger ’87, Kelly (Mathes) Adair ’87, Julie (Kelley) Back ’87, Pat Hickenlooper ’87.

Class Notes

90s David Thies ’90, right, a Hollywood producer and director, stopped by to visit Upper School social studies teacher Jeff Stayton during the summer for a quick tour of the school in between his travels. David regularly connects with and welcomes Summit grads who move to LA and enter the film industry. He recently won a Daytime Emmy and has completed a project with TMZ creator Harvey Levin interviewing famous figures like Mark Cuban and Benjamin Netanyahu.

Paul Kiley ’93 recently moved back to Cincinnati with his wife Margaux, 7-year-old daughter Harper and 5-year-old son Leo after living in Virginia the past nine years. His return to the Queen City coincides with his launch of Infinity Sales, which specializes in connecting inventors and manufacturers of great products to purchasing agents in retail channels across North America.

Paul recently participated as an invited speaker at The Summit’s 2017 Upper School Career Day. He and his family are excited to

reconnect with family and friends in Cincy.

David Faulk ’94 was the star of an Inc.com article in July in which he lent his top tips and expertise about how to be successful in the hospitality industry.

David has recently been courted for a potential television show about his trademark cultural belief. He is a chef and restaurateur and his Boca Restaurant Group will soon have a total of seven restaurants in four states, one of which is the Boca restaurant in downtown Cincinnati. He also has plans to open 11 more Nada restaurants that serve upscale Mexican food.

00s

Trenita (Brookshire) Childers '01 graduated from Duke University with a PhD in Sociology in May of 2017. Dr. Childers started a postdoctoral fellowship with the Sheps Center for Mental Health Services Research at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in

July of 2017.

Phil Schneider ’02, above, was hired as the director

Carrie Shoemaker ’96 and mother Alane Shoemaker ’68 live life on the edge. They travel together around the world and their most recent trips include exploring Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and whitewater rafting in Durango, Colo. Here is a photo of them plunging down the river on their trip out west. Pictured: Carrie at the head of the raft and Alane, on the rignt in the blue. of program operations for Volunteers of America of Greater Ohio in the spring of 2017, overseeing veterans services statewide. He and his wife Heidi welcomed the arrival of their son, Jack, on May 2. They currently reside in Anderson Township.

Rene Cheatham ’03 was inducted into Norwich University’s Athletic Hall of Fame this fall. Rene was a four-year standout on the men's basketball team for head coach Paul Booth.

He was a three-time Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) AllConference selection, concluding his career with first team honors as a senior. He averaged 18.8 points per game in his

final year and was named the team’s most valuable player. He finished his career with 1,450 points and 731 rebounds. Rene currently serves as the president of the Summit Alumni Board. Pictured: Rene, center, with his father, Rene T. Cheatham, and mother, Tonya TiptonSmith.

David Robertson ’05, former Summit soccer player, at age 30 is one of the youngest coaches to coach in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, the top youth league in the country. He has taken his teams to the national championships several times. Among many of his athletes is goalkeeper senior Mimi Stines. Last year, he was named Ohio Summit Magazine 47

Class Notes South Youth Soccer Competitive Girls Coach of the Year and Region II Competitive Coach of the Year. He was a finalist for the National Coach of the Year award. He has recently been promoted to CUP Girls assistant director of coaching.

Pictured: David and Cincinnati United Girls’ CUP team.

Lauren Carter ’09, above right, became engaged to Rob DiFrank in the summer. They are planning an April 8 wedding in Charlotte, N.C.

Christine Schiefer ’09, above, was one of four writers selected to participate in the 2017-2018 Nickelodeon Writing Program. The program offers aspiring television writers with diverse backgrounds and experiences the opportunity to hone their skills while writing for their live action 48

Winter Magazine 2017 - 18

and animated shows.

Participants have hands-on interaction with executives writing spec scripts and pitching story ideas.

10s Debha Amatya ’10 was recently awarded a National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Mental Health fellowship grant for his doctoral research at the University of California, San Diego.

Debha and his family no longer live in Cincinnati, but he makes a point to visit when he is in the area, saying that he owes a lot to the school.

Pictured: Debha, center, with his father Ramesh Amatya and sister Subha.

Matt Fry ’10 recently participated in the White Coat Ceremony at the University of Cincinnati

(UC) as he began his medical school career. His parents, Drs. Greg and Sheri Fry, attended and presented Matt with his white coat. The Summit’s College Counseling Director Maureen Ferrell attended the ceremony as well. Matt is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame. Through service work with Habitat for Humanity, being a hospice volunteer and spending the past year working at UC Health's Barrett Cancer Center with two oncologists, Matt solidified his passion for medicine and helping others. Pictured: Matt is congratulated by the dean.

Sara DesMarais ’13 graduated summa cum laude from the University of South Carolina. She is now pursuing her doctorate of physical therapy at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Brandon Lorenz ’13, a member of the Thomas More men’s soccer team, went to Costa Rica for two weeks during the summer where he had the rare opportunity to test his skills playing against professional teams. Brandon is a senior studying business administration.

Aaron Chow ’15, is studying engineering at the University of Michigan (UM). As a result of his

skills in 3-D printing, UM’s Kellogg Eye Center picked him to help upgrade the Aravind’s Eye System in Madurai, India. He was able to create a needle injector for intra ocular lenses that might have taken weeks to produce with injection molding. Using a 3-D printer, he can make them in just two days. Pictured: Aaron, left, with R.D. Sriram, director of Aravind’s Aurolab.

Rachel Wallace ’15, a student at Wittenberg University, was recently featured in their CoMMunity Leaders e-newsletter. Rachel was commended for her communications skills regarding her work with the many student organizations in which she is involved.

Currently, Rachel serves as the Student Senate president, the philanthropy chair of Gamma Phi Beta, a campus tour guide, a student leader fellow, a member of the Lesotho Nutrition Initiative and a member of the Inauguration Steering Committee. Pictured: Rachel with the Wittenberg mascot, Ezry the Tiger.

Class Notes

BIRTHS

Sabrina Jemail ’16, above, won the prestigious Barbara Farrelly Award for best writing of the issue for the University of Dayton (UD) fall literary magazine. Sabrina praises her Summit English teachers for giving her a significant advantage in her UD classes.

Jeannette (Holm) McElroy ‘05 and her husband Blaine welcomed their daughter Charlotte on Jan. 27, 2017.

Lindsay Botsford ’98, husband John Velasquez and son Jack welcomed little William into the family on Feb. 23, 2017.

Pictured: William and Jack.

WEDDINGS In the Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel

Ben Brinker ’05 and Katie Neal, Nov. 19, 2016.

Joe Sanzere ’02 and Martha Strebinger, May 19, 2017.

Robert Blum SMS ’04 and Alicia Maciag, June 3, 2017.

Elli McSwain ’09 and Zachary Kaegi ’09, July 2, 2017.

Thomas Noe ’13 and Jennifer Drout, July 15, 2017.

Sarah McBride ’12 and Tony Parton, Nov. 4, 2017

WEDDINGS Elsewhere Alejandra Valencia ’17, above, chose to experience a gap year to travel the world. She has had an extended stay in Colombia, but has traveled all over Greece and has France in her sights. You can follow all of Ale’s adventures and rich cultural exchanges by visiting her blog at alesgapadventure. wordpress.com.

Susan and Bret Miller, Upper School college counselor and Upper School science teacher, welcomed daughter Maris on April 8, 2017.

Philip Schneider ’02 and his wife Heidi welcomed their son Jack on May 2, 2017.

Luke Birk ’08 and Erin Fleenor, Aug. 20, 2016.

Pictured: L to R, Luke Birk ’08, Erin (Fleenor) Birk, David Wagner ’08.

Summit Magazine 49

Class Notes Thomas Bartlett van der Zee ’09 and Abigail Horn, Oct. 22, 2016.

Suzanna Anderson, mother of Abby Anderson ’15 and David Anderson (attd.), June 11, 2017.

Michael Grunkemeyer, husband of Tricia (Barton) Grunkemeyer ’65, brother-in-law of Andrew Barton ’52, Edwin Barton ’56 and Dennis Barton ’64, May 8, 2017.

Claire Miller, grandmother of Catlin Meyers ’05, June 11, 2017.

Ann McGrath ’46, May 10, 2017.

Grace Ayer, grandmother of Justin Ayer ’16 and Taylor Ayer ’16, June 15, 2017.

Alix Alway ’08 and Patrick Englehardt, June 17, 2017. Pictured: Christina Sanders ’08, Marie (Moeggenberg) Day ’08, Alix Alway ’08, Gretchen Schrader ’08, Jane Abbotsmith ’08.

Robert Arvin, father of Mara L. Arvin ’07, May 13, 2017.

IN MEMORY

Sharon Sales, former Montessori teacher, May 19, 2017.

Robert Herbert BMS ’79, son of Nancy Herbert ’50, Feb. 13, 2017.

Rosalie Glassmeyer, wife of Joseph Glassmeyer SBS ’56, sister-in-law of Cora (Glassmeyer) Ogle ’61, Mark Glassmeyer SBS ’62, Fidelis (Glassmeyer) Mattingly ’64, Liz (Glassmeyer) Spahr ’70, Feb. 20, 2017.

Sister Ann Carolyn Blackburn SNDdeN, April 10, 2017, a former Summit teacher.

Nancy Herbert ’50, mother of Robert Herbert BMS ’79, April 13, 2017.

Ernesto Perez, grandfather of Charles Perez ’17, April 14, 2017.

George Carr, husband of Patricia (Shiels) Carr ’60, brother of John Carr SBS ’60, Sue (Carr) Hobbs (attd.) and Charles 50

Earl Heine, father of Elizabeth (Heine) Durkin ‘77, Jennie Suzanne Heine ‘80, Julie (Heine) Bleh ‘82, May 2, 2017.

Winter Magazine 2017 - 18

Carr SBS ’65, and brother-in-law of Mary (Shiels) McCarty ’63, Elizabeth Shiels ’65 and Frances (Shiels) Egen ’67, April 16, 2017.

Nancy Allen Fahrmeier, grandmother of Anna Fahrmeier ’19 and Elizabeth Fahrmeier ’21, April 16, 2017.

Margaret Poore, mother-in-law of Neal Moser (attd), grandmother of Neal Moser SMS ’04, Sean Moser ’06, Christian Moser ’11, Colin Moser ’13 and Luc Moser ’16, April 18, 2017.

Roger Fry SBS ’54, brother of Linda Mallett ’55, Alan Fry SBS ’57 and Allison Montgomery ’57, May 2, 2017.

Joseph Hagn, grandfather of Kathryn Adam ’18 and Elizabeth Adam ’21, May 4, 2017.

Mary Brose, mother of Elizabeth (Brose) Jacobs Levin '69, Emily (Brose) Wilkins '73, Edward Brose III (attd.) and grandmother of Meredith Brose ’07, May 23, 2017.

Benjamin Turner (attd.), June 13, 2017.

Frances (Greiwe) Glaser, mother of Holly (Glaser) Dimasi '73, Hermina Glaser '76, mother in law of Patsy (McFarland) Glaser '74 and grandmother of Winifred Robertson (attd.), June 22, 2017.

Mary Krehbiel, grandmother of Grace Krehbiel ’32, June 23, 2017.

Rita (Senour) Conger '53, mother of Robert Conger BMS '72 and mother-inlaw of Elizabeth (Dorger) Conger ’77, May 24, 2017.

Thomas Klinedinst, Jr SBS ’56, brother of Charles Klinedinst SBS ’62, July 4, 2017.

Sister Jeanette DeBrosse, SNDdeN, (Sr. Mary Urban), a former Summit teacher, May 24, 2017.

Betty (Broeman) Klinedinst ’36, mother of Charles Klinedinst SBS ’62, Dec. 1, 2017.

Eileen Knight, grandmother of Erin (Arata) Roth ‘93 and Meghan Arata ’98, May 28, 2017.

Eleanor Heekin, mother of Stephen Heekin SBS '70, Karen (Heekin) Cassady '72, Anthony Heekin BMS ’75 and mother-in-law of Tom Cassady SBS '68, July 6, 2017.

James McInerney, grandfather of John Cummings ’00, May 31, 2017.

James Centner SBS '61, father of Anne (Centner) Behm '76, June 3, 2017.

Emily Thornburg, daughter of Upper School Director John Thornburg, July 11, 2017.

Class Notes Richard Rokosz, father of Nicholas Rokosz (attd.), July 12, 2017.

Joseph Stagaman, grandfather of Martha Napier SMS ’99, Michael Napier SMS ’03, Chloe Stagaman SMS ’06 and John Stagaman SMS ’09, July 15, 2017.

Harold Thornton, father-in-law of Lower School Director Kendra Thornton, Aug. 10, 2017.

Geoff Geppert (attd.), brother of Katherine Geppert (attd.),Aug. 18, 2017.

Thomas Fleming SBS ’46, father of Daniel Fleming '81, Mary (Fleming) Dettmer ’82, Kevin Fleming '83, Mary (Fleming) Miller ’85, Michael Fleming '88, brother of Sr. Rose Ann Fleming ’50, July 23, 2017.

Martin Brueggemann, father of Colleen (Brueggemann) Soppelsa ’86, Elizabeth (Brueggemann) Garibay ’90 and brother of former Upper School teacher Peggy Brueggemann, Sept. 7, 2017.

Mary Ann Sweeney, grandmother of Conor Sweeney ’32, July 23, 2017.

Colleen Flenner, mother of Lauren (Flenner) Speelman ’98, Sept. 16, 2017.

David Perry BMS ’72, brother of Daniel Perry ’84, July 28, 2017.

Barbara Bauer, grandmother of Cameron Belle ’17, Tyrice Walker ’17 and Kennidy Belle ’19, Sept. 18, 2017.

Paul Vogelpohl, grandfather of Noah Hudepohl ’19 and Magdalena Hudepohl ’21, Aug. 4, 2017.

William Latham, father of Patrick Latham BMS '79 and grandfather of Nicholas Latham ’18, Aug. 7, 2017.

William Rohde, husband of Joan (Schulte) Rohde ’47, father of Terri (Rohde) Tobler ’70, Carol (Rohde) Hinckley ’72, brotherin-law of Mary Anne (Schulte) Geoghegan ’42, Sue (Schulte) Kokenge ’43, Martha (Schulte) Johnson ’45, Virginia (Schulte) Wenstrup ’49 and grandfather of Whitney (Hinckley) Serr ’01, Blair Tobler ’02 and Hillary Tobler ’05, Aug. 14, 2017.

Omer Feldhaus, father of Ruth Feldhaus ’67, Marguerite (Feldhaus) Manegold '68, Robert Feldhaus SBS ’70, William Feldhaus BMS ’76, Mary Ann (Feldhaus) Zerhusen '77 and grandfather of Elizabeth Zerhusen (attd.), Sept. 18, 2017.

Charles Lyons, grandfather of Andrew Lyons ’12 and Christopher Lyons ’15, Sept. 26, 2017.

Ronald Morehead, father of Ronald Morehead ’89, Sept 29, 2017.

Francis Kelly, grandfather of Erin Kelly ‘00, Sarah (Kelly) Trautmann ’01, father-in-law of John Trautmann ’01, father of Upper School teacher Pat Kelly and father-in-law of Upper School teacher Sue Kelly, Oct. 6, 2017.

Howard Shisler, grandparent of Daniel Shisler '19, Oct. 8, 2017.

Gail (Ruddy) Brockman '55, daughter of Mary Eisenhardt ’33, mother of David Brockman Jr.

BMS ’73, Christopher Brockman BMS ’77 and Elizabeth (Brockman) Pritchard '79, Oct. 10, 2017.

Margaret (Hollmeyer) Fisk ’42, mother of Kathryn Fisk Derrick ’66, Barbara (Fisk) Hatch ’69, and grandmother of James Fisk ’03, Bradley Fisk ’12, Kyle Fisk ’14, Maggie Fisk ’16 and Eric Fisk ’19, Oct. 16, 2017.

Jerome Stoeckle, grandfather of Laura Schoettmer SMS ‘08, Henry Schoettmer (attd.), Oct. 13, 2017.

Kathy Volpenhein, motherin-law of Upper School teacher Ashley Volpenhein, Oct. 18, 2017.

Alumni News Please submit news about new degrees, new jobs, marriages, births and other notable passages in your life.

Go to www.summitcds.org/submityournews or contact Amanda Wood, Alumni Engagement and Gifts Officer, at wood_a@summitcds.org or call 513-871-4700 ext. 240.

Suzanne (Topmoeller) Mueller ’48, sister of Estelle Topmoeller ’43, Sept. 25, 2017.

Joseph Schaffer, grandfather of George Baker ’25, Henry Baker (attd.), Theodore Baker (attd.) and Beatrice Baker (attd.), Sept. 25, 2017.

Summit Magazine 51

Alumni Provide Professional Advice on Inaugural Career Day

By Leah Fightmaster Costello Some 21 alumni of The Summit Country Day School returned to campus on Oct. 11 for Career Day to share the successes they’ve experienced in their fields and offer their knowledge and experience to current students. Speakers represented a variety of professional backgrounds, such as law, nursing, medicine, marketing, business, finance, data analysis, science research and nonprofits.

Sisters Shelby (Busemeyer) McKee ’90 and Christy (Busemeyer) Parry ’92, founders and owners of the company KEYSOCKS, told their story which began when Shelby cut out holes in a pair of men’s kneehigh dress socks to wear with ballet flats to a chilly Cincinnati Bengals game. The keyhole cut in the front of the sock allows a woman to wear stylish low cut shoes without socks bunching. The pair created a prototype and launched their product, getting a big break on Good Morning America’s “Shark Tank Your Life with Daymond John” in 2015.

Although the “Shark Tank” segment gave Shelby and Christy much needed exposure, Shelby told students that she worked for two years to get the opening to the sock just right, improving their product and making it more viable. She said part of what kept her going was believing she had a product that women want, need and don’t have yet.

“In business, you have to follow your gut and believe in what you’re doing,” she told students during their presentation. “…When you find an idea, have passion and find a loop in the market, keep going.”

Shelby credits her academic success to the teachers at The Summit who helped her find the way.

Other alumni speakers echoed Shelby’s sentiments.

Pediatric cardiac ICU nurse and 2010 graduate Tess Akgunduz said when she left The Summit for college at Eastern Kentucky University, she felt prepared to properly manage her college studies and Division I soccer competition. As an Upper 52

Winter Magazine 2017 - 18

Sisters Christy (Busemeyer) Parry ’92, left, and Shelby (Busemeyer) McKee ’90, founders and owners of KEYSOCKS speak at The Summit’s Career Day.

School student, she was able to explore her varied interests and gain experience before she pursued a career.

In partnership with Upper School Director John Thornburg, Amanda Wood, The Summit’s alumni engagement and gifts officer, created the Career Day program.

“We have incredibly talented graduates all over the world who are passionate and committed to the success of their alma mater,” Ms. Wood says. “They are eager to offer support to students who walk the halls today.”

Although students attend The Summit to learn and grow academically, they also learn practically. They make connections and build relationships, an aspect of being part of The Summit community that is valued and encouraged. Alumni presenters told students that the relationships they made with teachers, classmates, staff members, coaches and others are part of who they are today.

“The Summit is not just a school, but the best networking system around,” Tess says.

Alumni participants were: Tess Akgunduz ’10, Ali Amend ’11, Andrea Bacho ’12, Chris Champlin ’09, Rene Cheatham ’03, Courtney Collins ’11, Rob Dziech ’88, Kyle Gundrum ’10, Garrett Hickey ’08, Jesse Hughes ’12, Grace (Baluyot) Kerr ’82, Paul Kiley ’93, Allison (Hiltz) Kropp ’93, Shelby (Busemeyer) McKee ’90, Ty Moore ’02, Paul Moran BMS ’90, Gaby Napier ’10, Christine (Busemeyer) Parry ’92, Kathy (Hilsinger) Penote ’93, Ben Savage ’98 and Ty Wahlbrink ’12.

Legacy Families Alumni parents and grandparents were invited to join their students for our annual legacy photo shoot. Each year, this photo showcases the multigenerational families that make education at The Summit a part of their family tradition. Current legacy students include: Montessori Lily Arling ‘30, Anna Baker ‘30, Gabrielle Chavez ‘30, Emery Cosgrove ‘30, Samuel Hauser ‘30, Owen Lee ‘30, Hadley O’Brien ‘30, Crosley Price ‘30, Natalya Wangler ‘30, Eliza Jane Wilson ‘30, Clara Dobbs ‘31, Elliot Fox ‘31, Evan Fox ‘31, Henry Fraser ‘31, Hunter Heekin ‘31, Piper Kropp ‘31, Russell Roth ‘31, Aiden White ‘31, William Ahouse ‘32, Liam Bonilla ‘32, Aiden Grawe ‘32, Violet Haunschild ‘32, Robert Heidt ‘32, Edward Maag ‘32, Hassan Moctar ‘32, Rory Newton ‘32, Genevieve O’Brien ‘32, Grace O’Brien ‘32, Victoria Plattner ‘32, Billie Price ‘32, Hudson Ragland ‘32, Robert Ragland ‘32, Lillian Shroyer ‘32, Kyler Torch ‘32, Julia Tranter ‘32, William Vollmer ‘32, Gavin Wangler ‘32, Amelia Wilson ‘32, Xavier Zawaideh ‘32, Fatima Kaukab ‘33, Frederick Stagnaro ‘33 and Alyssa Shroyer ‘34.

Lower School Haley Baker ‘26, Jillian Chavez ‘26, Devlan Daniel ‘26, Paige Kropp ‘26, Jasmine McCarter ‘26, Charles Ritch ‘26, Shareef Zawaideh ‘26, Rowan Cosgrove ‘27, Dillon Fox ‘27, Barbara Heekin ‘27, Aliviah McCarter ‘27, Peter Misrach ‘27, Abigayle Penote ‘27, Chloe Ragland ‘27, John Reynolds ‘27, Patrick Williams ‘27, Adeline Wilson ‘27, Jack Baker ‘28, Miles Butler ‘28, Finley Chavez ‘28, James Heekin ‘28, Dallas Parker ‘28, Caroline Reynolds ‘28, Holly Stagnaro ‘28, Henry Ahouse ‘29, Robert Johnson ‘29, Anne Marie Misrach ‘29, Nolan O’Brien ‘29 and Walker Williams ‘29.

Middle School David Becker ‘22, Andrew Cavallo ‘22, Keelan Daniel ‘22, Oren Jenkins ‘22, Sarah Joseph ‘22, Gregory LaLonde ‘22, Lily Lippert ‘22, John Penote ‘22, Margaret Ragland ‘22, Andrew Ritch ‘22, James Stahl ‘22, Matthew Sutton ‘22, Luis Valencia ‘22, Michael Butler ‘23, Katie Conway ‘23, Conlan Daniel ‘23, Shelby Gottenbusch ‘23, Gwen Hellmann ‘23, Lucas Schneider ‘23, Katherine Stagnaro ‘23, Mia Cavallo ‘24, Cecilia Chavez ‘24, Grant Desch ‘24, Ronald Joseph ‘24, Kathryn Kelly ‘24, Benjamin Penote ‘24, Mason Butler ‘25, Christian Francis ‘25, Carleigh Gottenbusch ‘25, Finn Kropp ‘25, Annette LaLonde ‘25, Holland Lippert ‘25, Wayne Lippert ‘25, Kira Njegovan ‘25, James Reynolds ‘25, Anna Sanders ‘25, Michael Stagnaro ‘25 and Charlotte Thompson ‘25.

Upper School Francis Bohlke ‘18, Meghan Byrne ‘18, Courtney Chamberlin ‘18, Margaret Harsh ‘18, Robert Kerr ‘18, Scott Kinross ‘18, Eric Kroencke ‘18, Nicholas Latham ‘18, Maxwell Rowitz ‘18, Mary Towell ‘18, Diego Vallota ‘18, Caroline Walter ‘18, Samantha Crew ‘19, Luke Desch ‘19, Kieran Dowling ‘19, Eric Fisk ‘19, Hannah Gottenbusch ‘19, William Pauly ‘19, Alexandra Ragland ‘19, Mikayla Roma ‘19, Isabella Saba ‘19, Jacob Schneider ‘19, Martha Seltman ‘19, Caroline Vallota ‘19, Victoria Walton ‘19, Robert Wilson ‘19, Lucia Castellini ‘20, Katherine Chamberlin ‘20, Robert Headley ‘20, Elizabeth Jones ‘20, William Jones ‘20, Derrick Kinross ‘20, John LaBar ‘20, Catherine LaLonde ‘20, John McDowell ‘20, Benjamin Schmerge ‘20, John Schmerge ‘20, William Simpson ‘20, Sarah Sutton ‘20, Jackson Thompson ‘20, Sophia Zaring ‘20, Gabriella Castellini ‘21, Mary Anne Drew ‘21, Elizabeth Dziech ‘21, Gates Flynn ‘21, James Gerdsen ‘21, Sarah Hopple ‘21, Nicholas Pauly ‘21, Sydney Ragland ‘21, Elizabeth Ritch ‘21, Caitlyn Roma ‘21, Owen Rowitz ‘21, Mary Saba ‘21, Kayla Vaughn ‘21, Lindsay Vaughn ‘21 and Charles Wilson ‘21.

Summit Magazine 53

In Memoriam Joseph (Jay) H. Clasgens II pre-SBS ’37 (1923-2017) The patriarch of a four-generation Summit family which dates back to The Summit’s earliest years, Joseph “Jay” H. Clasgens II died peacefully on Oct. 8 at the age of 94.

Mr. Clasgens began attending The Summit in first grade and graduated from eighth grade in 1937 in an era before The Summit Boys School was founded and before the Upper School became co-educational.

His mother, Marie (Verkamp) Clasgens, was a 1905 graduate – making her one of the earliest students in the school, which was founded in 1890.

His wife Patricia “Patty” (LeBlond) Clasgens, was a 1938 Summit graduate. They sent all five of their children to The Summit. The Clasgens family is related directly or by marriage to the Fisk, Harding, LeBlond, Leighton and Verkamp Summit families.

Jay and Patty Clasgens were also generous benefactors of The Summit. After their son Michael died at age 10 when he fell from a cliff in Utah’s Canyonlands area, the couple established the Patricia and Joseph H. Clasgens II pre-SBS ’37 Scholarship. Since 2004, the scholarship has been awarded to 10 Summit students.

In Michael’s memory, the scholarship is given to students who exhibit a cheerful, positive spirit, who is a good friend to others and is a leader who shares his God-given gifts with others.

Mr. Clasgens received degrees from Cornell University, University of Cincinnati and the U.S. Naval Academy, serving as a lieutenant in the Navy. He was president of the J. & H. Clasgens Company, a family business 54

established in 1862 in New Richmond, Ohio. He followed stock market trends and was interested in real estate ventures. His faith was important to him, and he supported many charities. He loved boating and travel. He and his wife visited 139 countries on six continents.

In addition to his son, Mr. Clasgens was preceded in death by his wife and sister, Marcia Clare. He is survived by his son Joseph H. Clasgens III SBS ’62 (Nataly) of Portland, Ore. and Rancho Mirage, Calif.; and his daughters Marcia Anne Clasgens GMS ’63 of Prescott, Ariz.; Truka Fisk ’68 (Jim) of Cincinnati; and Cynthia Clasgens ’66 of Sarasota, Fla., his eight grandchildren, Marcy (Graham) and Jimmy Fisk ’03, Jeannette (Nate), Michael and VJ Clasgens, and Emilie, Cate and Seth Wilson, as well as his three great grandchildren, Harlie and Grayden Galloway and Olivia Singsen.

Save The Date March 1, 2018 • A Knight in Paris 6 to 10 p.m.

In place of the annual Summit Auction gala, we invite Summit alumnae and mothers of current students and/or alumni to attend a fashion show at the Kenwood Country Club.

Sponsored by The Summit Parents Association, proceeds benefit the school’s tuition assistance program.

For more information, contact Conky Greiwe at greiwe_c@summitcds.org.

May 4-6, 2018 ALUMNI REUNION WEEKEND

May 4-6, 2018 • Reunions For classes ending in 3s and 8s, contact your class representatives to inquire about your class reunion details.

May 6, 2018 • Campus Day

Alumni Mass & Awards Noon Alumni, Summit families, students and friends are invited to attend the annual Alumni Mass in the Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel.

Immediately following Mass, we will honor the winners of this year’s alumni awards.

Art Show 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

All are welcome to attend the Campus Day art show featuring artwork from Summit students displayed throughout Flannery Gym and the Lower School Atrium.

Sept. 14, 2018 HOMECOMING Alumni Hospitality Suite 5 to 7 p.m.

Alumni are invited to come back to campus and enjoy a spirited atmosphere before they head to the football game.

Celebrating New Traditions I am pleased to tell you that we had a very successful fall season. We welcomed more than 115 alumni and friends back to campus for the alumni Homecoming festivities and on Oct. 11 we hosted the Upper School Career Day featuring 21 alumni speakers. Thank you to all those who reconnected with one another and the school this fall.

In an effort to establish a dedicated Alumni Reunion Weekend on which we can build for years to come, we are asking our alumni to shift their reunions to take place in the spring. This adds another alumni celebration to our calendars, in addition to Homecoming events, where graduates are honored and welcomed home.

We invite class reps from years ending in 3s or 8s to begin planning their class reunions for the weekend of May 4, 2018, capping off their plans with the annual Summit Alumni Mass on May 6 at noon in the chapel.

For easy planning, refer to the Reunion Planning Toolkit link on the www.summitcds.org/alumni webpage.

If you would like to have your class reunion on Sunday before the Mass here at the school, your alumni association can offer you space on campus and light brunch bites. Please contact me before Feb. 28, 2018 to secure this option for your class.

We are excited to help you celebrate, commemorate and participate in your Alumni Reunion Weekend!

In Summit Spirit,

Amanda Wood Alumni Engagement and Gifts Officer Summit Magazine 55

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A wide range of opportunities and experiences at The Summit this summer will broaden learning, sharpen skills and let kids have fun. www.summitcds.org/ summer

VISIT THE SUMMIT Montessori Information Sessions (18 months - K) Feb. 8 and Mar. 6 8:30 a.m.

Parent Preview Day (Grade 1 - 8) Jan. 30 • 8:30 a.m.

RSVP required. Please call (513) 871-4700 ext. 261

March 1, 2018 • 6 to 10 p.m.

In place of the annual Summit Auction gala, we invite Summit alumnae and mothers of current students and/or alumni to attend a fashion show at the Kenwood Country Club. Sponsored by The Summit Parents Association, proceeds benefit the school’s tuition assistance program.

The Knight Vision Auction is the annual fundraiser for The Summit, with the proceeds benefitting the school’s tuition assistance program. The online auction opens Feb. 22 and closes March 4. To register for bidding and to learn more, go to www.summitcds.org/auction