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Mt. Healthy City School District
About This Guide
Index 3 4 4 5 6 7 7 8 8
Mt. Healthy Begins School Year in New Buildings
District Honors Transportation Supervisor
Lori Handler to Lead Mt. Healthy City Schools
2009-2010 Teacher of the Year: Jennifer Harry
Owls Athletics Off and Running into a New Season
District Awarded School Improvement Grant
Mentors Help Freshmen Adapt to High School
School Year Begins with New Schools, Backpacks and Supplies
Mt. Healthy to Ask Voters for Levy
The Mt. Healthy City School District guide provides residents of Mt. Healthy with useful information and stories about their community. The guide is published once a year.
On the Cover Top left: Fifth grade math teacher Shannon Raquet instructs students in her new classroom at South Elementary. Top right: Elementary students enjoy the new playground at South Elementary. Each elementary school has new state-of-the art playground equipment that sets a standard for safety, innovation and quality. Center photo: Carole Ellis, President of the Mt. Healthy City Schools' Board of Education, cuts the ribbon at North Elementary to celebrate the opening of the school this fall. The dedication ceremony followed a ribbon-cutting event at South Elementary. With her, left to right, are Board Member Emmett Kilgore, North Elementary Principal Jenni Moody, Superintendent Dave Horine, Board Vice President Don Wolf, Board Members Robert Lawrence and Steve Harness, Assistant Superintendent Lori Handler and North Associate Principal Mark Walden. Bottom left: The Mt. Healthy High School Marching Band performs under the lights at the season football opener at the Owls Nest stadium. Bottom middle: Choir teacher Everett Moore rehearses a song with students at Mt. Healthy Junior High School. Bottom right: Mt. Healthy High School's Fighting Owls return to the field as a Fort Ancient Valley contender.
Feedback The Mt. Healthy City School District guide is published by the Specialty Publications Department of The Community Press. Content is provided by the Mt. Healthy City School District. For questions or comments about this guide, or about the school district, contact Communications Coordinator Judy Ashton at 728-4445 or e-mail jashton@mthcs.org. For information about The Community Press publications published by the Specialty Publications Department, contact Editor Melissa Hayden at 248-7121 or by e-mail at mhayden@communitypress.com. Staff and students at Mt. Healthy's North Elementary sang the Star Spangled Banner as part of the National Anthem Project. The event was designed by the National Music Education Association as a way to teach the words and to recognize the day in history (Sept. 14, 1814) when Francis Scott Key wrote the famed song.
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Fall 2010
Mt. Healthy Begins School Year In New Buildings
Parents, students and the community walk over an Mt. Healthy logo on the floor in the lobby of the new South Elementary as they enter the building for a tour.
Visitors of the new schools roamed the hallways to check out classrooms and specialty areas like the music and art classrooms and the gym and media center.
Karen Bridge, a first-grade teacher at South Elementary, works through a reading activity with her students. Each classroom is designed with large windows to maximize daylight for improved student performance.
Fifth grader Jeremiah Parsons solves a math problem on the new interactive Promethean boards, a large interactive display that combines the simplicity of a whiteboard, power of a computer and front projection. Each classroom is equipped with the technology to engage students with vivid images, video and audio for active learning.
Elementary students in the District began the 2010-2011 school year in two new buildings. North and South Elementary opened in August and the District celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at each school. The new buildings, which began in 2007 when residents passed a bond issue, were built to replace seven aging buildings and consolidate resources, saving taxpayers $1.8 million a year in operating costs. The Junior High/Senior High School opens in January, 2011. To unveil the new buildings, the District kicked off the school year with open houses and dedication ceremonies. Parents, students and the community liked what they saw. Parent Kelli Maiden whose daughter Jenna Kleiner attends third grade at North Elementary, was impressed. “It is beautiful,” Maiden said after the open house visit. “My daughter could barely sleep last night trying to contain her excitement to, in her words, ‘go to the most gorgeous school she has ever seen.’” The new buildings have stateof-the-art classroom technology, modern playground equipment, enhanced security and energy efficient environments that optimize learning. Gone are the days of chalk and blackboards. Instead, staff and students use interactive Promethean electronic whiteboards and interactive handheld devices called ActiExpressions that allow for students to respond to teacher queries in full sentences, numbers, symbols, math equations, true/false and more. Classrooms are also equipped with Blu-Ray DVD players and sound amplification and NEC 300 Lumen video projectors. Teachers have an option to use a sound system to amplify their voice, providing greater clarity in instruction. Staff and students also have the opportunity to use 1,250 new Dell 980 computers, 200 black and white Ricoh laser printers and printer/color copier workstations in each hallway. The new buildings were constructed with renewable and recycled materials known as “green” technology. They are environmentally friendly and have attained a gold level of LEED (Leadership in
Mt. Healthy City Schools opened two new elementary schools this fall. North and and South Elementary each have more than 1,000 students enrolled. Below, the new Mt. Healthy Junior/Senior High School opens January, 2011. Energy and Environmental Design) certification, meaning the design has met a certain number of environmental standards to reach the gold classification. The Ohio State Facilities Commission (OSFC) – which financed 71% of the District’s three new buildings – provided an additional $1.8 million dollars to help attain LEED certification. These standards translate into buildings that operate with an increase in energy efficiency, improved air quality and lighting. HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) controls allow building temperatures and lights to readjust when the building is unoccupied. Natural light (sunlight) is used as much as possible, as the new buildings have larger windows that reduce the need for fluorescent lighting and electricity in the classroom. Safety and security improvements are also noteworthy. All doors are electronically controlled and monitored. If a door is left open, an alert is dispatched. Security cameras monitor the new schools 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Site lighting keeps the parking lot and grounds lit for evening activities. The new schools also have up-to-date fire alarm systems and are fully ADA compliant. Several of the District’s elementary buildings have been torn down (Hoop, Frost, Duvall and New Burlington). At the former Hoop Elementary site on Compton Road, a new community baseball field, a new community baseball field is in the works. The varsity girls’ softball field will be built at the site of the old high school on
Adams Road. Work on this field will commence immediately following the demolition of the high school in the spring of 2011. The parking lot at Central Office has been revamped to accommodate additional visitors for easier enrollment access. This year, the winter break has been extended to nearly three weeks (school began a week earlier than usual) to allow for the move into the new Mt. Healthy Junior/Senior High School, 8101 Hamilton Ave. Winter break begins Dec. 23, 2010, and school resumes Jan. 10, 2011, in the new Mt. Healthy Junior/Senior High School. Several events are planned to honor the old and new high school. The last boys’ home basketball game will be played at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 28 in the old gym; 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 30 for girls. An opening ceremony for the new gym will be 7:30 p.m. Jan. 4, 2011, before the start of the boys’ basketball game. An alumni open house is slated for Jan. 15, 2011. Visitors will have a chance to tour the old school for one last time and see the new building from noon- 5 p.m. A donkey basketball game and closing ceremony of the old gym will be at 7 p.m. The new buildings, said Superintendent Dave Horine, took a great deal of planning and hard work by many and would not have been possible without community support. “Voters allocated the funds necessary for them to be built, and for that, we are extremely grateful,” he said. “We pledge to care for and maintain them so they remain a source of pride for years to come.”
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Mt. Healthy City School District
Lori Handler To Lead Mt. Healthy Schools Mt. Healthy’s Board of Education selected Lori Handler to be its next superintendent. Handler, 56, will replace Dave Horine, who retires January 31 – on his 58th birthday – after 33 years in the District. He was superintendent for 13 years. Handler has spent her entire Lori Handler, assis- career in educatant superintendent tion at Mt. soon to be superin- Healthy Schools, serving tendent. the District for 33 years. She began her career as a kindergarten teacher in 1977. She also taught grades three, four and six until 1989, when she became a curriculum coordinator. In 1994, she became director of elementary education, a position that she held until 2004. She then served as executive director of personnel/staff development until 2006, when she moved into her current role as assistant superintendent, a role she will hold until Horine’s retirement. She is a 1976 graduate of Bowling Green State University, where she received a bachelor’s degree in education. She obtained her master’s degree from Miami University in 1989, and concluded post graduate course work at Xavier University, 2004-2006. The Board credits Handler’s
DISTRICT LEADERSHIP With building consolidation comes a melding of resources, including an important District asset, that of our leadership. Principals from the five elementary schools have united to provide solid leadership at each of the District’s buildings. Together, they bring more than 200 years of education experience to the children of Mt. Healthy Schools.
REX RALPH CENTER
(*preschool only) 1310 Adams Road: 728-4685 Susan Heitner, principal and director of special services: 36 years in education; 35 in the District; other District roles include special education teacher, special services coordinator.
NORTH ELEMENTARY 2170 Struble Road: 742-6004 Jenni Moody, principal: 30 years in education; 24 years in District as principal at Greener Elementary and coordinator of Duvall Family Resource Center (now Rex). Taught sixth grade at another school district. Currently resides on Mt. Healthy City Council. Mark Walden, associate principal: 18 years in education; six years in District as principal at Frost; 12 years as principal and teacher at other districts.
SOUTH ELEMENTARY 7900 Werner Avenue: 728-4683 Eugene Blalock, principal: 16 years in education; 14 years in District as teacher at North Middle School and principal at North Middle School and Duvall; two years at another district. Beth Hendricks, associate principal: 21 years in education; seven years in District as elementary principal. Previous experience as an educational consultant and as a teacher and principal.
longevity in the District as a standout among other candidates. “Lori’s years of service will give her the advantage as we work to
MT. HEALTHY JUNIOR HIGH 1917 Miles Road: 742-0666 Bob Kelly, Associate Principal: 39 years in education, 15 in District as principal at Frost, New Burlington and Mt. Healthy Junior High. Lincoln Butts, assistant principal: 13 years in District; two years as assistant principal and 10 years as a teacher at South Middle School (one year as student teacher at Frost and Duvall Elementary Lincoln Butts and Bob schools).
Kelly.
MT. HEALTHY HIGH SCHOOL 2046 Adams Road: 729-0130 D. Wayne Sawyers, principal: 33 years in education; five years as principal at Mt. Healthy High School. Taught for 17 years and was an administrator for 16 years in other districts. Brian McFee, associate principal: 14 years in education; four years as physical education teacher (two at high school, two at Frost Elementary); 10 years at Mt. Healthy High School, four as Dean of Students, three as assistant principal and Brian McFee, Karen three years as associate principal. Austin, and D. Wayne Karen Austin, assistant principal: 25 Sawyers. years in education; 20 years as a math teacher at Fairfield High School, five years as a school improvement consultant with Hamilton County Educational Service Center. New this year as assistant principal.
push for additional academic strides,” Board President Carole Ellis said. Handler, the first female superintendent in the District, looks for-
ward to her new assignment. “Mt. Healthy is on the verge of doing great things with new facilities and programming, and I am excited to move forward,” she said.
District Honors First Transportation Supervisor Mt. Healthy City Schools honored its first transportation supervisor by naming a side street that leads from the new bus garage after him. Hardwick Way, at the north end of Harrison Avenue near Adams Road, was unveiled before a crowd of about 75 friends, family and past and present bus drivers and District personnel. The sign honors the legacy of Clyde U. Hardwick and his wife Marion, long-time employees of the District. Clyde took over his father’s three-bus fleet in 1955. The three buses provided service to the district in the 1940s. When the District began to offer its own busing, Hardwick became the District’s first transportation supervisor in
1975, and the fleet eventually grew to 36 buses. He and his wife Marion, who was hired to drive a bus in 1979, were long-time drivers in the District. Both husband and wife retired in 1993. They both died in early 2000. Kevin Hardwick, son of Clyde U. Hardwick, Mt. Healthy’s first transportation supervisor, lifts great-grandson Austin Flannery,10, up to unveil a sign in his honor as Superintendent Dave Horine watches. A plaque hangs at the new bus garage that reads: “Dedicated to the loving memory of Clyde and Marion Hardwick for 38 years of service to Mt. Healthy City Schools. Far right, greatgrandson: Austin holds a photo of his great-grandfather at the dedication ceremony.
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Fall 2010
2009-2010 Teacher Of The Year: Jennifer Harry Teaching, to Jennifer Harry, is about creating a community. “When students feel like they are a part of a community and have friends, they treat each other with more respect and are less likely to get into arguments and fight with each other,” Harry said. Less conflict, she said, translates into more teaching. She’s been successful at turning the classroom into a place where students are not afraid to share thoughts and feelings, a place where students want to be. This success earned her the 2009-2010 Mt. Healthy City School District’s Teacher of the Year Award. The honor came with a plaque, districtwide recognition and a $1,000 check from the Board of Education. Jennifer Harry stands before the marquee at the Board of Education that bears a conThe award was a humbling gratulatory message on her teaching award. experience. “I am honored, especially when tories in the classroom, she credits This year marks Harry’s 13th you consider all the fine teachers I the relationships she’s formed with year as a teacher, eight of them in work with,” she said. colleagues in helping her to Mt. Healthy Schools. She has Harry’s passion for teaching taught kindergarten and first grade become a better teacher. was evident, particularly to parents in Mt. Healthy and enjoys the daily “I love my job and I cannot who noticed her love of teaching imagine doing anything else.” rewards - whether it’s a student instilled in their children an excite- sharing, a raised a hand from a Harry is a graduate of East ment for school. child who rarely participates, a first Carolina University, where she Harry, who teaches first grade at time reading, or a question asked earned a Bachelor of Science degree North Elementary, “goes out of her because curiosity has inspired them in elementary education. She way for the kids in her class,” said to want to know more – all power- received a Master of Science degree Bonnie Gundling, a grandmother in elementary education from ful moments and ones that she who nominated Harry for the Walden University, where she never takes for granted, she said. award. focused on elementary reading and “The best rewards are when a “When he moved here from literacy. parent thanks me for helping their Kentucky; he hated school,” She’s served on several school child and when I can see my forGundling said of her grandson. committees to increase parental mer students growing up and “But Mrs. Harry changed that and involvement and positive student being successful in life,” Harry that’s the reason she’s a great behavior. She and her husband are said. teacher.” Though she’s enjoyed many vic- the parents of 2-1/2 year old twins.
SCIENCE LESSONS SOAR TO NEW HEIGHTS Taking science to new heights, Mt. Healthy High School teacher Megan Poneris donned a flight suit and took to the skies to bring lessons back to her classroom. She and 30 local science teachers boarded a plane Sept. 14 to experience a zero gravity flight as part of the Northrop Grumman Foundation Weightless Flights of Discovery Program. The program, now in its fourth year, was launched with the goal of inspiring teachers, who would in turn motivate their students to pursue science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. Participants flew on a specially modified aircraft called G-Force One at Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International
Airport. The two-hour journey took them through a series of maneuvers to mimic the temporary weightlessness of space travel. The experience imitates how astronauts train for space flights. Teachers dipped, flipped, walked on the ceiling, played catch with a ball and played catch with one another, Poneris said. Prior to the flight, teachers attended workshops to learn about the physics of weightlessness and what to expect. They also hatched ways to share experiences that test Newton’s Laws of Motion with students back in their own classroom. Poneris will share her videotaped flight experience with students and perform experiments that compare activities in space against those on Earth.
AWARD NOMINEES Those nominated for the award
SARA WYNN Seventh grade health, Junior High
“…teaching is one of the most challenging and influential positions a person can assume in their life.”
JUDI NORTMAN Fourth grade, South Elementary
“I am always trying to help my students find their strengths, nurture those strengths and let them know I believe in them.”
BARB SCHERPENBERG Intervention Specialist, North Elementary
“I’d like to think that I’ve instilled in my students the belief that they have what it takes to be winners, provided they always do their best.”
DAVID BENTER Physical education, North Elementary
“The best part of the job is when a student gives me a hug.”
CAROL FREEMAN Counselor, Mt. Healthy High School
“It’s rewarding when students return to share milestones such as college graduations, career goals, or starting families.”
CHRISTINE WILLIAMS Third-grade teacher, North Elementary
“I do my best to inspire students, to let them know they are special and that they all have a talent.”
DON CUNNINGHAM Alternative education teacher, Mt. Healthy High School Mt. Healthy High School science teacher Megan Poneris poses in her flight suit prior to take off on the zero gravity flight sponsored by The Northrop Grumman Corp. The group of 30 teachers tested Newton's Law of Motion with the release of ping pong balls in zero gravity.
“Students have often asked me why I wear a tie nearly every day. I always tell them that a tie represents business and important occasions in our society and that they are my business and they are important.”
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Mt. Healthy City School District
Owls Athletics Off And Running Into A New Season Mt. Healthy High School kicked off its athletic season this year with a field makeover at the Owls Nest stadium behind the high school. Over the summer, the District replaced the grassy field with artificial turf to overcome a problem when inclement weather made the field unplayable. Maintenance costs to upkeep the field were high, so the Distirct allocated bond issue funds to pay for the upgrade. Bond issue funds by law can only be used for facility improvements. The move is expected to save the District $30,000 a year. Mt. Healthy’s Athletic Department dedicated the revamped field – which also sports the new Owl logo - at its first home game against Roger Bacon. Channel 9 meteorologist Larry Handley, who attended Mt. Healthy, was a
A new 25-foot inflatable Owl is perched Scott Ungerbuehler was recognized for on the field at home games in celebra- his 35 years of coaching football at Mt. Healthy High School. tion of the renovated Owls Nest facility. part of the opening dedication ceremony that also included a 25-foot inflatable Owl to greet fans and the team in the end zone. A special tribute was given to retired teacher and coach Scott Ungerbuehler for his devotion to
MT. HEALTHY ATHLETICS UPCOMING EVENTS Oct. 1: Elementary Night and Athletic Hall of Fame Induction: Owls vs. Northwest, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 15: Homecoming. Owls vs. Talawanda, 7:30 p.m. Parade: 6:30 p.m. Oct. 29: Senior Parent Night. Owls vs. Norwood, 7:30 p.m. Athletic Event Hotline: 728-7653
TICKET PRICES $6 for adults; $4 for seniors at the gate $4 for all Mt. Healthy students (presale at the high school for FAVC games only) The 2010-11 family pass for all home junior high and high school games are on sale now at the high school athletic office. Cost is $180 for a family of
four (age 6 and over). An individual pass for the entire school year is $80, good for all home events. A season pass for one fall or one winter sport is $30. To purchase a pass, call the athletic office: 728-7648.
ATHLETIC BOOSTERS The Athletic Boosters meet the first Monday of the month at 7 p.m. at the high school. The group is currently selling engraved bricks to be placed at the athletic field. Cost is $45 for three lines of 16 characters each. If interested in this tribute, contact Sue Bitter at 7023332. Proceeds from the brick fundraiser benefit the athletic department.
district athletics. Athletic Director Tina Tuck presented him with a crystal plaque to recognize his 35 years of coaching football. Ungerbuehler, who graduated from Mt. Healthy in 1971, is an assistant coach in charge of offensive and defensive lines. He taught math at Mt. Healthy High School for 30 years before retiring in 2005. He coached baseball and continues to coach bowling and track. He married his high school sweetheart Donna, also a Mt. Healthy graduate who taught second grade at Jane Hoop Elementary before retiring in the 2007-2008 school year. Tuck said Ungerbuehler has a positive outlook and is an asset to the team. “Scott is one of those coaches that does a lot of the behind-the-scenes work and never gets the recognition he deserves,” she said. “Every athletic director should have a Scott Ungerbuehler on their staff; he is that good at what he does.”
ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME INDUCTION Mt. Healthy High School will induct two alumni into its Athletic Hall of Fame at the Oct. 1 football game. The alumni will be honored at half time with a plaque as the announcer reads his/her athletic accomplishments. A plaque with a photo and biography will hang in the high school near the athletic department, joining 39 other athletes since the inception of the program in 2001.
This year’s recipients are: Tom Weirick is a 1960 graduate who excelled in two sports: baseball and basketball. Weirick was an AllLeague performer for 3 years in both sports, as well as an All-City athlete in both. In baseball, he led the team batting average and defensive average. In basketball, he was a leading scorer and received a full basketball scholarship to Ohio University. He went on to coach basketball at Xavier University, University of Idaho, and Robert Morris College in Chicago. Tom passed away in 2002; his sister Cindy will accept the award. Kevin Keller graduated in 1968 and shined in football, wrestling and track. As a stand out wrestler, he had a season best record of 19 wins, two losses, and one tie, an accomplishment that earned him First-Team All League, All City and an All State qualifier. He ended his high school athletic wrestling career with 58 wins, 20 losses, and one tie. He also went on to wrestle in college and later coached wrestling at Mt. Healthy and Roger Bacon.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Volunteers are needed to work bingo from 5:45- 10 p.m. at the high school on Wednesdays. To volunteer, call Athletic Director Tina Tuck at 728-7650. Bingo proceeds are used to fund athletic equipment and events.
The Owls football team make their way onto the field at the start of the season opener on Aug. 27 against Roger Bacon.
TWO SENIOR ATHLETES MAKE VERBAL COLLEGE COMMITMENTS Two Mt. Healthy senior athletes have made verbal commitments to play sports in college. Defensive lineman Joel Heath made a verbal commitment to play at Michigan State University, and Jonessa Moore verbally committed to play basketball for Ball State University in Muncie, Ind.
Heath was named First-Team All State by the Associated Press, as well as First-Team All FAVC Scarlet Division and was an Enquirer Division II-VI First-Team All Star in his junior year. He led the FAVC in defense, averaging 207.8 yards, 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
As a junior, Moore was named First-Team All League, First-Team All City and Southwest District. She also made honorable mention All State. She led the team in blocked shots, scoring and rebounding.
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Fall 2010
District Awarded School Improvement Grant South Elementary has been awarded a School Improvement Grant (SIG) by the Ohio Department of Education to raise student achievement. The SIG grant is funded at more than $3 million for three years, beginning this school year. Based on the success in implementing the plan, the ODE will allocate additional funding -- $1,300,000 in year one, $1,100,000 in year two and $900,000 in year three. The ODE requires the District to spend this money on new innovative initiatives; the District is not permitted to use the money to resolve budget issues. The District plans to improve student achievement by building a solid and sustainable Response To Intervention (RTI) model. The proposed plan aligns with both District and Building Improvement Plans. Major elements of the plan are Tier 1 and 2 academic interventions; two intervention teachers; an “assessment center” to screen new students; extended learning time; staff professional development; and resources to enable community
REPORT CARD IMPROVEMENTS Mt. Healthy Schools received good news on its 2009-2010 State Local Report Card Rating. New Burlington Elementary reached the Excellent category, making it the first school in the District to ever reach that rating. Jane Hoop Elementary also advanced to the Effective level as a result of a new growth model. Superintendent Dave Horine said he was pleased with the progress made by these two schools and looks forward to the trend continuing. “These rating improvements reinforce the hard work and planning of the staffs and students at both school,” Horine said. partner agencies to work in schools with students and families. The plan incorporates elements of two research-based school improvement models recommend by the ODE and U.S. Dept. of Education – the Turnaround Model
and the Transformation Model. The ODE identified 358 Ohio school buildings as eligible to apply for the SIG grant. Because the new South Elementary School carries Jane Hoop’s state identification number and since Jane Hoop was eligible for the grant, the new South Elementary School was awarded the grant. An application could not be submitted for North Elementary, as the ODE decided to assign New Burlington’s state identifier to North and New Burlington was not an eligible school to apply for the grant. Superintendent Dave Horine said implementation of the grant at South Elementary can be a learning tool for North Elementary, too. “The lessons learned over the coming years through the diligent work of the South team will benefit North as well,” Horine said. “To the extent permissible by grant guidelines, we will include North staff in learning opportunities to further the work at North Elementary.” Horine hailed the grant writing team of Karla Berger,
executive director of elementary and secondary education, and Karen O’Connell, state and federal programs director, as well as district/building personnel and community partners, including Hamilton County Educational Service Center, University of Cincinnati, Xavier University and the Hamilton County Family and Children First Council. Through a highly competitive process, the ODE reviewed about 200 grant applications. Mt. Healthy was one of 42 funded, with the highest overall rating of all grants funded. The District was also awarded a second federal Race To The Top Grant for $728,969.14 to further advance its initiatives in raising student achievement. Discussions are under way on how best to implement this funding. As with the SIG grant and other grants awarded to the District, funding cannot be used to help solve current budget problems. Grant money must be used to implement new and innovative strategies to increase academic achievement.
Mentors Help Freshmen Adapt to High School A new program at Mt. Healthy High School this year pairs incoming freshmen with upperclassmen for a successful start in high school. The Freshmen Mentoring Program joins one junior or senior with a group of six freshmen to help with the transition to high school and beyond. Mentors are teacher-recommended students who are among the top in their class. They have shown significant improvement and are good at helping others stay (or get) on the right track, said Megan Poneris, a science teacher who oversees the program. The program provides an onSeniors Jajaun Laster, seated, and Shannon Veasley, clad in mentor designated going orientation to high school green T-shirts, lead a group of freshmen to create a poster as part of the first-day academic resources and clubs, activities for ninth graders. through faculty advisors, counselors and upperclassmen mentors. green T-shirts. They meet with Dominican Republic and speaks “It’s helpful to hear from anoth- their groups four times a year in fluent Spanish, is excited to be a er student how important it is to part of the program. He feels he is the morning during an extended do well your first year of high advisory period, or if special needs making a difference in promoting a school,” Poneris said. “They can or issues arise. Mentor participants successful high school experience. also share mistakes they’ve made “I think it’s a great program that also gain community service hours like how important it is not to blow for their input. can help freshmen ease into high off your freshman year because it school life and not just jump into it Gilberto Brito, a senior, is a really counts.” mentor who requested to be paired alone,” Brito said. “I wish I would Mentors – 50 in all - are identihave had an experience like this with all Spanish-speaking freshfied from their specially designed when I was a freshman.” men. Brito, who was born in the
Tyree Elliott holds up a Class of 2014 sign that he and his group made as part of a team-building activity on Aug. 18, the first day of school for freshmen. Science teacher Megan Poneris, who oversees the Freshmen Mentoring Program, stands in the background.
MENTORS NEEDED Mt. Healthy Schools kicked off its mentoring program in September with a breakfast and celebration of moving the program into new elementary schools. The mentoring program, overseen by retired teacher Linda Urso, seeks new mentors. For those interested in becoming a mentor, please contact Urso at 385-8127, or e-mail her at readerlu@hotmail.com.
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Mt. Healthy City School District
School Year Begins With New Schools, Backpacks And Supplies Thanks to the generosity of two business partners, Mt. Healthy’s elementary students began the school year with new backpacks and supplies. The Hillman Group of Springfield Township donated 2,000 black backpacks stuffed with supplies, so students could kick off the school year on the right academic track in new schools. Each student was given a new black backpack with the MH Owl logo printed on the front pouch. To avoid ownership confusion, identification cards were fastened to each. Hillman representatives presented the bags to staff before the
start of the school year. Each student received one either at open house or on the first day of school. “We hope to continue the relationship as we look for future opportunities to partner with Mt. Healthy Schools,” said Kevin Prock, human resource manager and a graduate of Mt. Healthy Schools. As teachers readied their rooms for the new school year, Sysco Cincinnati, LLC, a distributor of food products in Evendale, delivered about 20 boxes of supplies and 1,000 computer headphones as part of their Sysco Gives Back Program.
Sysco Cincinnati LLC President Bill Cartier, left, personally delivered school supplies that employees from his company donated to North Elementary at the start of the school year. Helping to make the delivery are Kevin Amend, director of finance, Jess Allman, marketing associate, and Tim McCormick, sales support specialist. Mt. Healthy Schools Superintendent Dave Horine, far right, was there to greet and thank them for their generosity. Members of the The Hillman Group - left to right, Kevin Prock, human resource manager, Daniel Griszmer, an international buyer and Glen Hamann, director of human resources - show off the new backpacks they donated to students at Mt. Healthy’s North and South Elementary schools.
Mt. Healthy To Ask Voters For Levy Facing a deficit next school year, Mt. Healthy Schools’ Board of Education voted to place a 7.65 levy on the November ballot. The District has not received additional tax dollars for operating costs since November 2003, though held steadfast to a promise of making those levy dollars last for three years. In reality, those dollars were stretched for seven years. Through consolidation of eight schools into three, the District will save taxpayers $1.8 million annually, but annual expenditure growth has remained at two percent each year over the last five. Proceeds
from the bond issue, passed in 2007 to build new schools, by law can only be used for new schools and facility improvements. Superintendent Dave Horine said the District is losing $332,000 in taxes because of the Duke Energy tax appeal and must pay an additional $250,000 annually to the Hamilton County Board of Developmental Disabilities for educating district students with significant disabilities. The district’s Citizens Financial Advisory Committee met July 19, and came to a consensus on the size of the levy, making a recom-
mendation to the Board. The advisory group is comprised of six community members and a board member. The Superintendent, Treasurer, Assistant Superintendent, and Executive Director for Administrative Services also sit on the committee. f the levy passes, the District’s budget will increase in revenue by a little over 3.5% for the next two years. After that, the District’s revenue side of the budget will once again be flat lined and additional revenue increases will not occur unless the state finds dollars to do so. Because of cost reduction meas-
ures, expenditures have increased at a rate (less than 2%) far less than inflation over the past four years. The District does not plan to spend the entire 3.5% increase it would receive from the levy in the first two years. Instead, the District will continue its practice of stretching dollars and seeking cost containment opportunities. Horine said that “the District remains committed to continue to manage our budget in a responsible way for the years to come.” The levy is estimated to cost the owner of a $100,000 about $114 per tax bill.