Tri-Village March/April 2012

Kingsdale

3061 Kingsdale Center Upper Arlington, OH 43221

614.538.0762

Fish FryGo FisH! FridaYs

Fried Alaskan Cod Sandwich Mild, flaky, tender cod fillet, hand-breaded, crispy fried and served on a fresh baked roll. Comes with your choice of one side dish.

$8 ea.

Angling for seafood that’s quick and delicious? Stop by our freshly Prepared Foods Department any day in March (but ESPECIALLY FRIDAYS) to find your seaside favorites made fresh and flavorful!

Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes - Mildly sweet, delicate, 100% real jumbo lump crabmeat with just enough breading to hold it’s shape. $9 ea.

Mustard Dill Salmon - Fresh salmon, roasted and topped with a whole grain and Dijon mustard dill sauce. $8 ea.

Tilapia Romano - Flaky tilapia hand-dipped in Romano cheese batter and sautéed to golden brown perfection. $7 ea.

$5 OFF your next purchase of $40 or more at Kingsdale Market District® location.

Dr. Mark D. Pierce SPECIALIST IN

781 Northwest Blvd., Suite 202 Columbus, Ohio 43212 614-572-1240 • Fax 614-572-1241

www.cityscenecolumbus.com

Charles L. Stein

Kathleen K. Gill

Dave Prosser

Christa Smothers

Lisa Aurand

Garth Bishop

Duane St. Clair

Christopher Braun

Tyler Davis

Carly Kohake

Molly Pensyl

Gianna Barrett

Julie Camp

Pam Henricks

Lynn Leitch

Circulation:

Chief Executive Officer

President/Publisher

Chief Creative Officer

Creative Director Editor

Contributing Editors

Contributing Writers Advertising Director Advertising Sales Controller 614-572-1240

www.trivillagemagazine.com

The Publishing Group Ltd. also publishes: CityScene Magazine

www.CitySceneColumbus.com

Dublin Life Magazine

www.DublinLifeMagazine.com

Westerville Magazine

www.WestervilleMagazine.com

Healthy New Albany Magazine

www.HealthyNewAlbanyMagazine.com

Pickerington Magazine

www.PickeringtonMagazine.com

The publisher welcomes contributions in the form of manuscripts, drawings, photographs, or story ideas to consider for possible publication. Enclose a SASE with each submission or email laurand@pubgroupltd.com. Publisher does not assume responsibility for loss or damage.

Tri-Village Magazine is published bimonthly in January, March, May, July, September and November. Subscriptions are free for households within the ciity limits of Upper Arlington, Grandview Heights and the Village of Marble Cliff. For advertising information or bulk purchases, contact Molly Pensyl at 614572-1256.

No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publishers. Tri-Village Magazine is a registered trademark of The Publishing Group Ltd. Printed in the U.S.A.

MARCH 2012

March 1-31

Art Exhibit: Jean Weissman

Grandview Heights Public Library, 1685 W. First Ave., www.ghpl.org

Jean Weissman’s Art Quilts will be on display at this exhibit coordinated by the Grandview Heights/Marble Cliff Arts Council.

March 7

Wine & Canvas Adventure

6-8 p.m., Bravo, 1803 Olentangy River Rd., www.ladiesexplorerclub.com

This happy hour from the Ladies Explorers Club allows women to tap into their creative side. A local artist will lead the group in creating their own 16”x20” masterpiece. Art supplies will be provided; food and beverage are available for

APRIL 2012

April 1-30

Love Life: Fred Andrle & Karen

Snouffer

Grandview Heights Public Library, 1685 W. First Ave., ww.ghpl.org

Enjoy poetry and paintings by Fred Andrle and Karen Snouffer. On April 3, meet the artists themselves. Kenyon College Associate Professor of Studio Art Snouffer will discuss her paintings that were inspired by Andrle’s poetry.

April 2-9

Grandview Heights City Schools

Spring Break

April 8

Easter

April 8

Easter Candy Hunt

9:45 a.m., Thompson Park, 4250 Woodbridge Rd., www.uaca.org

Rain or shine, Thompson Park will host a dash to collect candy left by the Easter Bunny. Kids will be grouped by age to maximize the hopping good time. Candy will be handed out drive-through style in the parking lots in the event of bad weather.

purchase. Cost is $45 for Upper Arlington residents, $50 for non-residents.

March 8

Columbus Bicentennial Celebration

7 p.m., Grandview Heights Public Library, 1685 W. First Ave., www.ghpl. org, www.200columbus.net

Discuss Columbus’ fascinating past, present and future with Jamie Greene from 200Columbus.

March 8-10

Grandview Heights High School presents Oklahoma!

Grandview Heights High School,1587 W. Third Ave. 614-481-3620

Join us for this year’s high school musical. Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!

March 12 & 19

OSCAR Mania

6:30 p.m., Grandview Heights Public Library, 1685 W. First Ave., www.ghpl.org

In honor of the 84th Academy Awards, the Grandview Library presents a collection of outstanding Oscar winners, with more star power than you can aim a Hubble Telescope at. View Midnight Cowboy (1969) March 12 and Annie Hall (1977) on March 19.

March 16-25

Upper Arlington City Schools

Spring Break

March 17

St. Patrick’s Day

April 10

Trace Your Family History

7-8 p.m., Grandview Heights Public Library, 1685 W. First Ave., www.ghpl.org

Bring your laptop and experience an exciting way to reconnect and rediscover your family roots with the library’s Ancestry.com Library Edition service. Reference staffer Karen Thomas will demonstrate how to use the online service during the session.

April 12

Ken & Mary

7-8 p.m., Grandview Heights Public Library, 1685 W. First Ave., www.ghpl.org

Once proclaimed the “Baron of the Banjo” by polka king Frankie Yankovic, Ken and his partner Mary will play a concert of accordion favorites with a few tenor banjo numbers sprinkled into the mix. This concert is part of the Music in the Atrium indoor concert series.

April 12

Film: A Night To Remember

6:30-9 p.m., Upper Arlington Main Library, 2800 Tremont Rd., www.ualibrary.org

Commemorate the 100th anniversary of the RMS Titanic sinking. The film A Night To Remember, which depicts the sinking of the Titanic, will be shown.

April 19

Books and Bagels @ UAHS

7 a.m., Upper Arlington High School, 1650 Ridgeview Rd, www.ualibrary.org

All Upper Arlington High School students are encouraged to stop by the UAHS Learning Center to pick up this month’s classic novel and join the morning discussion. Panera and UAPL are partnering up to encourage expansion of students’ reading repertoires.

April 24

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

7-8 p.m., Grandview Heights Public Library, 1685 W. First Ave., www.ghpl.org

The young actors of Imaginating Dramatics Company bring this Shakespearean tale to life. This show is for ages 5 and up.

April 25-June 15

Visual Rhythms

Upper Arlington Municipal Services Center, 3600 Tremont Rd., www.uaoh.net

March 23-25

Friends Book & AV Sale

Grandview Heights Public Library, 1685 W. First Ave., www.ghpl.org, 614-486-2951

Bargain books, CDs, DVDs, and more are on sale at the Grandview Heights Public library, downstairs in the Study Commons. Donations of old books, music and movies are welcome

March 28-April 20

High School Art at Concourse Gallery

Municipal Services Center, 3600 Tremont Rd., www.uaoh.net

Enjoy artwork from Upper Arlington High School and Wellington students.

From Kitchens to Closets

Remodeling to L ast a Lifetime. www.spacetransitions.com

New Showroom: Today ’s Organized Home 885 W. 5th Ave Fall

Paintings by Leah Gray and glass by Mary Ellen Graham are on display at the Concourse Gallery. Gray’s expressive paintings evoke nature’s visual rhythm. Graham’s glass is brought to the brink of collapse to bring out the vibrant colors that flow freely in this medium.

April 29

Ohio Governor’s Cup

Griggs Reservoir, 2933 Riverside Dr., www.uacrew.org

Cheer on the Upper Arlington crew at this annual competition, drawing crew teams from all over the state.

Save the Date

May 17

Discover the Dream

6 p.m., Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, 4850 W. Powell Rd., Powell, www.stjude.org

Support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at this event celebrating the hospital’s 50th anniversary. The banquet will feature food, cocktails and a silent auction, and will be hosted by Columbus’ own Jack Hanna. Tickets are $150 each or $2,000 for a table of ten.

Legendary Library

Upper Arlington’s Miller Park celebrates 70 years of public service

By Christopher Braun

Renovations of the historic Miller Park Library building occurred just five years ago, but the library is commemorating 70 years since the building was originally completed on Dec. 1, 1942.

Though currently a library, the building has also served many other purposes. The library was the first in Upper Arlington and was originally a part of the Grandview Heights Public Library system. A portion of the existing building was constructed in 1913 by Ben and King Thompson, the real estate developers who are responsible for much of modern-day Upper Arlington, to serve as the field house for the Upper Arlington Company, says Ann Moore, director of Upper Arlington Libraries.

The most recent Miller Park Library renovations were completed Feb. 5, 2007 and cost approximately $900,000 -- $700,000 of which was donated by the Upper Arlington Library Foundation. Many of the building’s exterior walls were left intact, though the floor plan was significantly enlarged from 1,600 to 3,100 square feet.

“There are a few of the same walls, but a lot has changed,” says Danna Armstrong, librarian at the Miller Park Library. “Everything has been moved from the basement to the first floor. The entire public service area has been moved to the first floor.”

The building’s basement is currently used for staff offices and storage.

Over the years, Miller Park Library, located in Old Arlington at 1901 Arlington Ave., has left a lasting mark on area residents who have frequented the facility with its vast collection of materials, as well as its fun and educational events.

“We’ve collected a lot of memories from area residents,” says Armstrong. “There are especially fond memories of the old basement where story time was held, which is now at the back of the library.”

The Miller Park Library features many resources for area residents both young and old. In addition to a large youth and adult catalog and Internet access, the facility also provides access to the Main Upper Arlington Library as well as the Lane Road Branch.

While the Miller Park Library is celebrating a major milestone this year, the library features many regular events each month, such as Babytime Storytime, where caregivers can learn songs, stories and rhymes that can aid in learning for newborns to 2-year-olds, and Sing-A-Story, where young children can join library staff for songs and stories.

Many Upper Arlington residents have grown up with the story times, youth programs and crafts during the library’s long history. It has provided many great learning opportunities for Upper Arlington area residents and brought local families together.

“People have memories of coming here when they were children, coming here after school then bringing their children,” Armstrong says. “A lot of people have grown up coming to this library. We have a whole lot of great memories we would like to share.”

Christopher Braun is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at laurand@pubgroupltd.com.

4th of July Parade Memories

Have great memories of the Upper Arlington 4th of July Parade? Want to share them with your community?

Send us pictures of your most memorable parade experiences. Show us your friends, your family and yourself having a great time celebrating America’s independence. Send your photos and stories to laurand@pubgroupltd.com.

THE VILLAGE OF

MARBLE CLIFF

Council Members are Proud to Serve

The Village of Marble Cliff, population 576 as of the 2010 census, has a Mayor/Council form of government. The Mayor and six Council members are elected to four-year terms. In November 2011, Kendy Troiano and Rob Sterneker were reelected to serve four more years on Village Council. Both say they have enjoyed their past service to Marble Cliff and look forward to their new terms.

Kendy Troiano was born in Springfield and moved from Columbus to Grandview Heights in 1974. She graduated from Grandview Heights High School, where she met Sam Jr., son of longtime Grandview Heights Service Director Sam Troiano Sr. The high school sweethearts married in 1978. Sam Jr. and Kendy have lived on Cardigan Avenue in Marble Cliff since 1990, where they raised their son and daughter.

Kendy’s accounting and human resource studies at Franklin University prepared her well for her current job as Human Resources and Benefits Director at the Clark Grave Company. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, reads “voraciously” and watches any type of sports, especially the Blue Jackets and football.

This will be Kendy’s first full term on Council. She previously filled two remaining years of a Council vacancy. “It was time to give back to the community that had given me so much. There were no children at home and Sam Sr. had retired from Grandview,” she says. “I really enjoy talking and listening to residents and bringing their thoughts to Council. Our government is so ‘open door;’ anyone can talk to anyone at anytime. And neighbors look out for each other.”

As a Council member, Kendy leads the Village’s Block Watch efforts and has coordinated the Village’s holiday party. “I really enjoy the community atmosphere and feel my job as a Council member is to create a positive opinion of Marble Cliff,” she says.

Robert “Rob” Sterneker was born and raised on a farm in south-central Kansas and earned his Business Administration degree from Kansas State University. Upon graduation, his first job with the Maytag Corporation was to work the southern Ohio sales territory. “I came to Columbus with that assignment in 1990 and met Grandview resident Stacey Smith. We married in 1994 and have lived in the Grandview area ever since,” Rob says. Rob and Stacey moved to Cambridge Boulevard in Marble Cliff seven years ago and are the proud parents of five sons, ages 8-16. Rob worked for Maytag for 18 years before joining Bosch Siemens Home Appliances as District Manager, responsible for Ohio and northeast Indiana. He uses his spare time to coach youth sports and helping Stacey make sure the boys are in the right places at the right times.

Rob first ran for Village Council in 2007. “My father was a County Commissioner in Kansas and I knew it was good to be involved in the community. Serving on our Council makes me aware of where our tax dollars are going,” Rob says. “I feel my business background can be helpful to Council. We need to continue to increase our economic development efforts and fill our vacant office buildings with new businesses. Marble Cliff borders great communities and is part of a fine school system. My family and I really appreciate the safety and feeling of this small community.”

Eyes, Ears and Noses of the Village

Every community has its share of owners walking their dogs each day and Marble Cliff is no exception. Marble Cliff dogs and their owners enjoy well-maintained sidewalks, neatly-groomed tree lawns and the camaraderie that comes with this daily activity. Over the years, dog walkers have helped the Village and Grandview Police by reporting possible problems that might need to be addressed.

Longtime resident Dale Johnson has been one those “reporters.” He and his dog, Ginger, a Leonberger, accumulated more than 5,000 miles walking the Village regularly each morning and late afternoon for the past 12 years. Sadly, Ginger passed away in late December. In her lifetime, Ginger

had a seven-year career in pet therapy and became a national superstar, according to Dale. He says she loved the “work.” By his estimates, Ginger had more than 13,000 resident contacts at 23 rehab hospitals and nursing homes in central Ohio. Ginger will be missed by Jamie, Heidi, Jackson and all of her Village friends.

Dale Johnson and Ginger

Kendy Troiano and Robert Sterneker

Founder of Local Company Spearheads 200Columbus

ACP Visioning+Planning Principal Jamie Greene shares his passion for Ohio’s capital city

By Carly Kohake

Columbus is turning the big 2-0-0 and Jamie Greene is glad to be a part of the momentous occasion. Originally hired to work with the newly formed Bicentennial Commission in 2007, Greene has gained more than just another line for his already-extensive resume.

“Community leaders, including Mayor Coleman and the Bicentennial Commission, saw the opportunity to use this moment in time for more than marking an historical milestone,” Greene says. “They saw an opportunity to create a platform for greater community engagement that could lead to a more robust civic infrastructure, one of the key attributes of a prosperous and sustainable community.”

And Green and his company, ACP Visioning+Planning, Ltd., are working hard to capitalize on that opportunity. ACP has bases in both Grandview Heights and New York City. The firm “helps communities – cities, counties, regions – realize their potential through deliberate civic engagement and rigorous technical analysis on topics of growth and development.”

Though ACP has worked with many clients across the country, Greene says that the company “loves being in Grandview, especially our location. In many ways, it represents an ideal community.”

When it comes to Columbus’ bicentennial celebration, 200Columbus, the enthusi-

astic spirit with which Columbus has welcomed the project astounds Greene. “My firm has worked in many other large markets around the country and I have never seen a greater collaborative spirit than we find in Columbus today,” Greene says. Green, program manager for the Bicentennial Commission, says his hope for the celebration is that it betters Columbus locally and globally. “The goal for 200Columbus is a community that is more inspired, proud and engaged in their progress and the increasing vitality of Columbus,” he says. “This will lead to a community that is better recognized locally and globally as one of the best places to live and work.”

Greene recently led a session at the 2011 TEDX Columbus event that explored the need for the community to get on board with the city’s bicentennial celebration. In his talk, Greene explained that Columbus has so much to be proud

of that there wasn’t a need to create anything new for the celebration. He and his team simply had to find ways to highlight the amazing and unique attributes that Columbus already has, that may have been forgotten about and reveal them to the entire community. Greene admits coordinating all of the events can at times be stressful, but it also offers many great rewards that he would not have gotten if he had not been a part of this project. “The inspiration that comes from working with so many talented, smart and caring human beings that comprise our community,” Greene says is his favorite part. “The goodwill and determination is palpable. It all continues to be a great privilege.”

Carly Kohake is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at laurand@pubgroupltd.com.

HEIGHTS

News & Information from the City of Grandview Heights

She’s a Doll (Maker)

Retired kindergarten teacher Nancy Kukla shares her crafty ways

THe LiBrAriAnS AT the Grandview Heights Public Library welcome Nancy Kukla warmly whenever she strolls in. There’s always something for them to talk about.

Kukla, who retired from her position as a kindergarten teacher in Grandview Heights City Schools in 2004, never turns down a chance to help the library however she can – whether that means creating the ornaments for the library’s annual Christmas tree or donating a doll for use during story time.

Kukla, 71, grew up in Chicago and attended college in Milwaukee, where she studied to be an occupational therapist. But post-graduation, she initially decided that working with children wasn’t her calling. “I thought, ‘I can’t deal with this.’ I wanted to work with old people,” Kukla says.

After spending a year in Ireland with relatives, Kukla returned to the U.S., desperate for a job. “When I came back, I needed a job now, so I started teaching school because it was in a day when practically any warm body would do,” Kukla says.

At her first teaching job in suburban Chicago, she was in charge of 50 kindergarten students every morning and afternoon – all by herself.

“But I really liked doing it. I wasn’t surprised that I liked doing it, but it was just convenient,” she says. She stuck with teaching after she married her husband, Michael, and they moved to Cambridge, Ohio.

She took a brief hiatus from teaching when the couple moved to Grandview Heights in the late 1960s because their children were young. Michael had a job at The Ohio State University.

(Maker)

It wasn’t long before they’d purchased a home on Second Avenue, where the still couple lives.

“The collection of stuff in this house is unreal,” Kukla says.

She picked up a part-time job at Ohio State, but fell back into teaching quite by accident.

“I used to volunteer (in the schools) when my kids were young,” Kukla says. “I’d been in Ireland visiting my family one summer and I’d just come home ... and the phone rang and somebody said, ‘It’s for you.’”

It was a representative from the school district asking Kukla to help out with a new child care program. “After a few years, I told the guy at OSU, ‘I can’t do two jobs, and I like the other one better,’” Kukla says.

Soon, she was teaching morning kindergarten. It was an ideal arrangement for the mother of four, since she could be home by the time her children were back from school. When they were older, she switched to afternoon kindergarten. It was a job she kept for 20 years.

“I love children’s books. I loved doing literacy-linked things, and I loved doing the art end of it,” Kukla says of her time in the classroom. “Grandview parents and Grandview kids are absolutely magnificent. You couldn’t ask for better families and nicer kids.”

Her former students, now grown, approach her at summer concerts and on the street, and she always enjoys seeing them.

Now, her days are filled with sewing and playing with her grandchildren, and several times a week, she makes her way to the library to pick up a few new reads.

In January, Kukla brought the children’s librarians a special treat -- a twoended doll with three faces. One side is Little Red Riding Hood. Flip her upside down, and tucked inside the skirt you’ll find her granny. The wolf’s pointy face is hidden under granny’s cap. “The kids are going to love this,” one librarian says. “Thank you, Nancy.”

“If there’s ever a book you need dolls for, let me know,” Kukla says. “I’ve been making dolls for 40 or 50 years now.”

They ask for a frog with clothes to accompany the book Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London. Coincidentally, Kukla already has a frog with clothing. The stuffed animal was a class pet of sorts. Students would take turns carrying him home and with them on vacations, and writing in a journal about his travels. The frog and his accoutrements, packed in a suitcase, had been sitting in a corner of Kukla’s house, waiting for a new home. She was happy to donate him to the library.

She has several more dolls in process -- some only as far as the idea stage. A Miss Muffet doll (tuffet and all) is waiting for a hairdo, and Kukla is daydreaming of making the Three Little Pigs. They

could be used for illustrating both the traditional tale and Jon Scieszka’s retelling from the wolf’s perspective, The True Story of The Three Little Pigs.

“Things like that make stories more than something that’s just printed,” Kukla says. “Some children have a difficult time turning what they read into something … they can relate to. Anything you can do to encourage kids to read is super.”

Already, Kukla has been brainstorming ideas for next year’s library Christmas tree. The 2011 ornaments were snowmen shaped like stars and took her seven months to finish.

“I saw a snowman that holds a candy cane … I might do a cardinal, too,” she says. “I plan to live until I’m 72 – or until I get the ornaments finished.”

Kukla is a member of the Grandview Heights/Marble Cliff Arts Council and the Grandview Civic Association, and she doesn’t mind that both groups meet at the library. She’s there at least once a week, anyway.

Lisa Aurand is editor of Tri-Village Magazine. Feedback welcome at

laurand@pubgroupltd.com.

By Tyler Davis Photography by Lisa Aurand

Turning Over Some New Hops

Zauber Brewing Co. brings craft beer to the Grandview Yard area

WiTH THe reCenT installation of the Yard, Grandview seems to be the place for burgeoning businesses in the Columbus area. One of these new enterprises is Zauber Brewing Company, a newly opened brewery in the Grandview Heights area.

Zauber, which began brewing in late February, is operated by brewmaster Geoff Towne. Towne has been involved in the brewing industry for more than eight years and has worked across the country. He has always hoped to one day open his own brewery, and with the financial support of family members and private investors, he is finally beginning to realize his dream.

“The idea of micro- and nanobreweries is becoming much more trendy,” Towne says. “It’s also really big in Columbus. There’s already a strong base of microbrewers here.”

For Towne, central Ohio is the perfect region in which to start a microbrewery, get it off the ground and have it evolve

into a career – and, hopefully, a profitable business.

Like other recent arrivals to the Grandview business scene, Towne found the location for his brewery through patient real estate searches. After two years of looking for a place with adequate space and a number of customization options, he settled on Norton Avenue, just north of the new Grandview Yard area, as the home for his fledgling brewery.

On top of the demographics and emerging business atmosphere, Towne also narrowed down his choice for Zauber Brewing Co.’s location because of his plans for the future. “I chose this specific area because of the inexpensive rent, and with it being so close to Fifth and Third, it will meld with the

Geoff Towne

Yard project as it inevitably expands,” Towne says.

As a newcomer to the central Ohio microbrewing community, Zauber Brewing Co. will develop beers in order to create a type of beer garden. German-oriented beer, lagers and pilsners, as well as more complex options like Belgians, will someday fill the Zauber Beer Garden. “Industry beers shoot more for lighter beers,” says Towne. “This company wants to play on the edges a little, and give people more options away from the normal beers.”

Phase 1 of the company’s plan is to open for business by selling kegs to local restaurants, bars and businesses. Some of the local establishments Zauber plans to supply include Woodlands Tavern in Grandview and a number of bars in the Short North. Once the brand has been on the market for about six months, Towne plans to begin phase 2 of his company’s evolution by opening the Zauber Beer Garden sometime in July or August.

Towne graduated with a degree in fermentation science from University of California Davis. This program is one of the few in the world designed to hone the skills a brewer will need in the beer industry. Following an international exam, Towne was finally given the title of brewmaster. He has also worked for the Great Lakes Brewing Co. in Cleveland and the Samuel Adams Brewery Co. in Cincinnati.

For more information about Zauber Brewing Co. and its products, visit Zbeers.com.

Tyler Davis is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at laurand@ pubgroupltd.com.

Some Like it ’Bot

Long-tenured robotics program teaches Grandview students valuable skills

FOr THe 16TH TiMe, students at Grandview Heights High School have spent their winter building a better ’bot.

The school’s FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics team – known officially as FIRST Robotics Team 128, and colloquially as the Botcats – was born in the 1996-97 school year, making it the oldest high school robotics program in central Ohio.

This year’s team has a total of 28 students. Its workers must be tireless. National FIRST Robotics Competition officials in January announce the task the robots must complete. Once the announcement is made, team members meet every night during the school week and all day on weekends, holidays and snow days to get their robot ready for competition. They have six weeks to design, build and program, and sometimes they work for 40 hours or more per week.

Students are involved in every step of building the robot. They figure out how a robot can complete the given task and build mock-ups. They narrow down multiple suggested designs to the best one available. They do all the construction. They pre-program every action the robot takes. They even have to find their own parts.

“We’re pretty much a nickel-and-dime operation,” says team coordinator Sue Godez. Godez, a former Grandview high school physics teacher now living in southeast Ohio, has been advising the team since its inception. Adult mentors provide support, but the students are the driving force – learning about computer programming, motors, physics and other technological aspects, all skills that may benefit them later in life.

“It kind of introduces you to math, sciences and technology,” says junior Andy McCauley.

Juniors Zach Clemens (left) and Andy McCauley craft parts for their robot.

“I know how to program in C, which is a really common (computer) language,” says Chase Douglass, a junior who has been part of the district’s robotics program for seven years.

The students also learn more general skills like team-building, time management and compromise. They even need to learn about budgeting, as each team must submit a bill of needed materials and then order them.

“As far as I’m concerned, FIRST provides a better educational value than any other extracurricular activity in any school district,” Godez says.

This year’s goal: program a robot to cross a field, pick up balls and shoot them into hoops at three different levels, then balance sets of teetering bridges, all in the span of two minutes. The team competes against other teams to complete its tasks, then has 10 minutes for the “pit crew” to make adjustments and repairs before being thrown into another matchup.

Last year, the team was tasked with picking up tubes and extracting balls from them. The Botcats’ ’bot used a pin to come down and clamp the tube, a pneumatic to lift it and a winch and pulley system to remove the balls.

Thanks to the school district’s credit flexibility program, Botcats team members can now receive science class credit for being part of the team, earning a full credit and letter grade for their participation.

And high school is not the only level at which enterprising Grandview students can create their own robots. The district has 10 FIRST Lego League teams in its elementary and middle schools, with a total of almost 70 members,

helping prepare students for the big leagues when they get into high school.

All told, more than 16 percent of Grandview’s student population is involved in a robotics program.

The program provides the students a preview of what they may face in college if they continue to pursue science and engineering, a valuable opportunity.

“It’s definitely given me an edge on the things to come in my college career,” says senior Gen Ritz.

The team has seen numerous members go on to use the skills they’ve learned in robotics to further their careers, Godez says, and is sometimes fortunate enough to have alumni come back as team mentors.

“We have a lot of kids who’ve become engineers,” she says. “We have medical doctors, we have attorneys.”

This year, the Botcats will head to the regional competition in Pittsburgh from March 8-10. The national championships, where the team may square off against 600 others, are March 26-28 in St. Louis.

The Botcats have enjoyed great success over the lengthy existence of their program, making it to the finals of FIRST’s National Division in 2001 and taking top honors in the Pittsburgh Regional Division in 2006.

Garth Bishop is a contributing editor. Feedback welcome at laurand@pubgroupltd.com.

Mentor John Sgueglia helps junior Chase Douglass program the ‘bot.

Senior Nick Levitt (left), sophomore Zach Brannan (center) and junior Alex Cochran (right) work on the robot’s tubing and electrical components.

Graphical Hospital

By Duane

UA grad creates the new look of Nationwide Children’s Hospital

Clair

UPPER ARLINGTON HIGH School

graduate Wes Kull has been living in New York City for nine years, but he’s leaving a permanent mark in central Ohio.

Kull is the lead graphic designer for the new wing of Nationwide Children’s Hospital that will officially open in June.

For a long time, Kull thought his future would be spent playing sports, but by the time he was a senior playing outfield on the Upper Arlington High School baseball team, he realized his interest in them had waned.

“I realized sports are not my calling,” Kull says. He found he greatly enjoyed art, particularly graphic art, while he was taking high school art classes. He taught himself Adobe Photoshop while pursuing a new hobby. His parents, Mike and Suzanne Kull, were astonished.

“I’m an only child and they don’t know where I get it,” Kull says of his ability and interest in art.

During his senior year of high school, Kull split his days between UA and the art school at Columbus City Schools’ Ft. Hayes Career Center, learning the basics of his newfound love for computer graphics. He altered Super Bowl logos, cars and musical instruments and designed a CD cover and label for a friend’s band.

By the time he graduated in 2003, Kull had amassed a portfolio of work and was accepted at Pratt Institute, a highly regarded art school in Brooklyn, N.Y. Soon Kull was offered an internship at Ralph Applebaum Associates Inc., which bills itself as the largest interpretive museum design firm in the world.

Once he’d earned a bachelor of fine arts degree, Kull was hired full-time by RAA to

work on a wide range of projects for the company.

He works with a team, and in his time as part of that team, it has produced an artistic wall-mounted world press freedom map in the Newseum in Washington, D.C.; displays entitled Pompeii: Life and Death in the Shadow of Vesuvius and Dead Sea Scrolls: Life and Faith in Biblical Times in Discovery, a Times Square museum; a display about John Lennon at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in New York; and an artfully designed tour book of the Los Angeles State Historical Park.

Kull’s hand is all over the environmental graphics and displays in the new Nationwide Children’s Hospital wing. Two floors of the new building were opened quietly in January, months ahead of the planned completion in June, when Nationwide Children’s will become the second-largest children’s hospital in the U.S.

Kull and two others on his team, led by an art director, have created graph-

Wes Kull

Left: One of the 460 private patient rooms in the new hospital. At 300 square feet each, the rooms are double the size of rooms in the original building.

Center: Throughout the Atrium, children will discover larger-than-life animals handcrafted by carousel carvers from Mansfield, Ohio.

Right: Kull used coordinating colors in his “way finding” designs to help direct visitors to their destinations.

ics that fit an overall theme for the interior –both functional and whimsical. The whole building involved “a big team of people,” Kull says.

As soon as the four-year project came in the door at Applebaum, Kull volunteered for it. In addition to the invaluable experience of creating a look for a children’s hospital, he knew it would give him a chance to see his family and friends more often than once or twice a year.

Overall, the idea of the design is to make Children’s less like a traditional hos-

pital – without interfering with the work that the staff and physicians have to do. Interior design, Kull says, can be distracting if it’s too colorful or if it doesn’t create a comfortable atmosphere.

His main role was wall graphics, including “way finding” – the use of colors and artwork to direct visitors to their destinations. The pastel color-coded wall designs and paths on each floor add to the brightness created by large windows in halls and reception areas.

Part of Kull’s effort included incorporating 18 large wooden animals – including rabbits, frogs and owls made by Carousel Works in Mansfield – into the plan. The creatures add a feeling of friendliness and comfort for patients and families. Additional animals and nature scenes are displayed in dioramas in niches along hallways where young patients can see and enjoy them. All these efforts – including several large green fiberglass trees – contribute to bringing the outdoors inside.

But if there’s any departure from traditional hospital décor, health codes must be considered. Aquariums, for example, “are a kind of tricky thing” so there’s only one in the emergency room and none in other areas, Kull says. “Hospitals have to be hospitals.”

And Kull hasn’t given up on sports –at least as an outlet for his artistic bent. He has two websites, one a compilation of all his projects and awards over the years, wes-kull.com. Another is gridironleague.com, which Kull describes as “a

work in progress,” where he has posted his version of logos for all the National Football League teams.

The next step in Kull’s career will be coming home for opening ceremonies at Nationwide Children’s Hospital to see in person the work that more than 1 million patients a year will appreciate for many years to come.

Duane St. Clair is a contributing editor. Feedback welcome at laurand@pubgroupltd.com.

By Carly Kohake

School Centennial

Edison Intermediate Middle School celebrates its 100-year anniversary

There’s a new centenarian in town.

Originally built in 1911 and opened in fall 1912, Edison Intermediate Middle School in Grandview Heights is preparing to celebrate its 100th birthday in style.

“Grandview was experiencing phenomenal growth and development that was taking place at that time,” says local historian Tom DeMaria. “The city was being served by a four-classroom school house.”

After Grandview Heights was incorporated as a village in 1906, it experienced exponential growth, leading to the need for a significantly larger school, DeMaira explains.

“It was originally called the Grandview Public School, and in 1930, an additional elementary school was added on to the west side, which was when they renamed it Edison,” DeMaria says.

The original school, with its eight rooms, served as an elementary school for grades one through eight.

“There was a 350-seat auditorium that showed Paramount News reels to the community. There was no TV, no computers – entertainment focused on plays,” says DeMaria. Now, “the old auditorium was reconfigured and sectioned off, then renovated and now serves as a library for the school.”

Originally only serving 200 students, Edison now houses 420 students, building principal Bob Baeslack says. This was made possible by the four different additions to the school throughout its 100-year existence.

Edison marked 100 years in October 2011 with a special meeting held at the school, at which the Grandview Heights/Marble Cliff Historical Society presented a program on the school’s history.

“It had pictures, the history of principals, and even community members who attended the school were there and gave testimonials,” Baeslack says.

Carly Kohake is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at laurand@pubgroupltd.com.

Vickie Jean Murphy

Two great bundle options

Offer expires April 30, 2012 and is available to new residential customers. $60.00 per month bundle includes any two: 2Mbps Internet, Basic Cable with one Digital Adapter or Essential Phone. $80.00 per month bundle includes 2Mbps Internet, Basic Cable with one Digital Adapter and Essential Phone. Bundle prices guaranteed until January 1, 2014. Prices and price guarantees exclude taxes, fees (including, as applicable, regulatory and franchise fees, regulatory recovery fees, line charges, carrier fees and access fees and charges), cost recovery charges, surcharges, excises, program related fees (such as universal service, telecom relay services for the visually/hearing impaired, rights-of-way access, and programs supporting the 911/E911 system), additional equipment, installation, service call charges, and usage-based charges (collectively, the “Separate Fees and Charges”). To receive certain services you must lease a WOW! modem at $5.00 per month. Digital equipment is required on every TV to receive WOW! Basic Cable. TVs with built-in QAM digital tuners do not need WOW! digital equipment to receive WOW! Basic Cable. Additional Digital Adapters are available at $2.00 per month. A customer equipment discount is available to customers who supply their own CableCARD enabled device in connection with a bundle of WOW! services that combine video service and equipment into a single fee, including a bundled offer of multiple services. Actual Internet speeds may vary. Offers not valid with any other discount. Offers and services subject to change without notice. Please see WOW!’s complete terms and conditions or call WOW! for further information regarding services and offers. Smiles are complimentary and may be offered without notice. © 2012 WideOpenWest Finance, LLC.

Backyard

Brush-Up

Get your outdoor spaces ready for spring with these tips

AS THE WEATHER WARMS up, you and your family may be feeling the itch to get back outside, but that means the patio and porches need to get ready for outdoor living once again.

Whether you have put a lot of currency, consideration and time into your patio or porch, or have just now decided to join the outdoor-living world, here are some techniques to use when getting you outdoor space up to par. Experts in landscaping, hardscaping and outdoor furniture share their opinions, pointers and tips for getting your patio or porch ready for spring.

Power Wash to Perfection

Mark Ciminello – owner of Ciminello’s Inc., a local landscaping and garden center – tells his customers they first should get rid of surface grime by using a power washer.

“Most patios are lower maintenance than decks; (if there is) any mold or if the patios are dirty, what they need is a good power washing,” Ciminello says. “If you do power wash, you may need to re-sand the joints, which will help with weeds over time.”

A power washer can also be a big help in dealing with the hard stains that may occur in outdoor life, says Archie Suttles of Oakland Nursery. A serious stain should be washed off right away.

“If they drop wine or fruit juice, it can stain (the porch or patio) really badly,” Suttles says.

Restore Outdoors

Restorative maintenance work offers a variety of ways to keep your outdoor spaces looking good year after year.

Re-sanding keeps weeds out and helps with the overall structure of the patio, Ciminello says.

Ciminello warns homeowners of a bigger problem if the patio has been neglected: The patio or edge pavers may need to be re-leveled if they have settled.

“Power washing is purely cosmetic,” he says.

Sand on Hand

One little-known product that Ciminello recommends is polymeric sand, which helps prevent weeds from growing in hardscapes.

Photo courtesy of Ciminello’s Inc.

The special sand sticks to stone or other sand particles because of the organic materials and creates a glue to prevent water from seeping through. It also keeps pavers from moving.

To apply the polymeric sand in any patio, the existing sand needs to be washed out of the paver joints with a power washer.

Furniture Facts

When it comes to outdoor furniture, Bob Fortin, of Fortin Ironworks in the Tri-Village area, suggests sprucing up outdoor space by thinking of it as an extension of indoor space. Fortin Ironworks offers the Summer Classics line of outdoor furniture which, like many newer patio furniture lines, would look just as at home inside as it does on the back porch or in the garden.

“The Classics brand can now put anything inside your home, outside your home. There are baker’s racks and hutches, lamps and outdoor lighting that are completely outdoor safe,” Fortin says. “We love custom orders and having designers get involved. Customers can pick

fringe, cord, embroidery, and it’s all completely usable outdoors.”

Though it looks like indoor furniture, today’s high-end brands are designed to withstand the elements. For example, cushions are designed to be outdoors, so homeowners need not worry about rain; they only need to be brought inside for winter storage.

When you’re buying outdoor furniture, Fortin suggests looking closely and asking how the product was made.

“Once you really get educated on what to look for, you will notice dramatic differences in how things are put together,” Fortin says. “Once you know what to look for, you can spot the lesser quality brands from the better quality brands.”

Carly Kohake is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at laurand@pub groupltd.com.

By Christopher Braun

Olive You

Treat your olive oil with care to make the most of its health benefits

LOOKING FOR A TASTY, healthful solution for sautéing vegetables? Look no further than olive oil, one of the current darlings of the culinary world.

Olive oil is hailed for its monosaturated fatty acids and its low levels of saturated fat. And for those looking to go dairyfree, it’s an easy substitute for butter in almost any situation.

But no one in the Tri-Village area loves olive oil more than Nathan Laslow, coowner of the Oilerie. The idea for a local olive oil shop arose after Laslow’s parents visited the Hilton Head, S.C. location of the Oilerie, where they fell in love with the concept. Laslow himself visited shortly after and sealed the deal on opening up a store of his own.

While the Oilerie may be a new experience for Columbus residents, the idea of owning part of a franchise is not new to Laslow, whose father is a Burger King and Donato’s franchisee.

“My father, being a franchisee, kind of gave me education on business around

the dinner table,” says Laslow. “That’s helped out a lot.”

The Oilerie, 1409 Grandview Ave., opened its doors Oct. 1. It is owned by Laslow and his mother, which contributes to a friendly, family-owned atmosphere. The local shop is the sixth of seven Oilerie stores to open up in the United States, so the chain still has a small business feel, despite being a national franchise.

“Our franchise owner and founder is not just opening up a bunch (of shops) just for the sake of opening them,” says Laslow. “There’s sort of a family feel even within the franchise. It’s a good organization to be a part of.”

In the olive oil world, freshness is king. The oils featured at Laslow’s shop get their start from a third-generation producer in Italy, Laslow says.

The olives, gently raked from the trees to ensure that only the properly ripe olives are picked, are harvested early in the season. Overly-ripened olives produce more oil of a lower quality.

After the olives are picked and washed, they are turned into a mash – leaves, stems and all – which is placed into a centrifuge and spun at high speeds, extracting the oils. Extra virgin olive oils are cold pressed, as adding hot water during the extraction process pulls out lower quality oils from the olives. Because exposure to light and oxygen causes a breakdown

in taste and in health benefits, the oils are shipped in vacuum-packed stainless steel containers.

The store’s oils come from the freshest harvest. Because the oil is best when fresh, it is best to avoid buying more than one needs in a short period of time, and to store it at room temperature away from a hot stove and in a dark place. The refrigerator is an acceptable location as long as condensation is not allowed to mix with the oil, which will increase the rate of spoilage.

The Oilerie offers 33 types of oils and vinegars, but Laslow has a suggestion in mind.

“I like the garlic (olive oil) a lot,” says Laslow. “I use the garlic on a lot of different things. It’s really nice on pasta, I make garlic mashed potatoes with it, you can even just drizzle it over a nice steak after you take it off the grill. It’s really multipurpose.”

Christopher Braun is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at laurand@ pubgroupltd.com.

Nathan Laslow

inGreDienTS

• 2 large cucumbers, sliced

• 1/2 tsp. Curt’s Table Spice

• 1/4 cup slivered onion

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar

• 1/3 cup Dill EVOO

• 1 Tbsp. Garlic EVOO

• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

• Dill weed or celery salt, optional

DireCTiOnS:

Place sliced cucumbers and slivered onion in a large bowl. Season with Curt’s Table Spice and toss to mix. In another bowl, whisk together the sugar, white balsamic vinegar, Dill EVOO, Garlic EVOO and Dijon mustard. Pour dressing over cucumbers and onions, tossing to coat. Garnish with sprinkle of dill weed or celery salt, if desired. Let stand for 30 to 45 minutes before serving.

Children’s Books

It’s Back to School We Go!: First Day Stories from Around the World

By Ellen Jackson

In easy-to-read text, Jackson’s book describes what the first day of school might be like for a child in Kenya, Kazakhstan, Canada, Australia, Japan, China, Peru, Germany, India, Russia and the United States.

Adult Books

What a Day it Was at School!

By Jack Prelutsky

The popular poet answers the question, “What did you do at school today?” When your science homework eats your dog, you spend lunch dodging flying food and your backpack weighs a thousand pounds, you know you’ve got a great answer.

Teacher Appreciation Day

By Lynn Plourde

While her classmates bring in apples, make drawings, pick dandelions and clean the blackboard, Maybella Jean Wishywashy cannot decide how to show their teacher how much she is appreciated.

The Teacher’s Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts

By Richard Peck

In rural Indiana in 1904, 15-year-old Russell’s dreams of quitting school and joining a wheat threshing crew are disrupted when his older sis ter takes over the teaching at his one-room schoolhouse af ter mean old Myrt Arbuckle “hauls off and dies.”

Push Has Come To Shove: Getting Our Kids the Education They Deserve (Even if it Means Picking a Fight)

By Dr. Steve Perry

Perry, seen regularly on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, shares his brash, irreverent and bold assessment of today’s schools, teachers, students and principals, and reminds us of what is at stake when we fail to educate our students.

Once Upon a River

By Bonnie Jo Campbell

Sixteen-year-old Margo Crane, a modern day Annie Oakley, traverses the Stark River in Michigan to find her mother. Armed only with her rifles and her knowledge of the river, she encounters many dangerous situations and endures physical hardships.

The Love Goddess’ Cooking School

By Melissa Senate

Holly is determined become an Italian cooking teacher worthy of her grandmother’s legacy. This fun chick-lit novel includes old-world cooking superstitions and explores the mess we can create in our lives and kitchens.

When I Was Puerto Rican

By Esmeralda Santiago

This rich memoir explores the joys and challenges of a young Puerto Rican girl’s daily life. When her mother takes off to New York with all her children, Esmeralda, the oldest, must learn new rules and a new language, and eventually takes on a new identity.