The Experience Newsmagazine: June 2023

Superintendent’s Update

I am happy to be back with another edition of The Experience: TheOfficial Newsmagazineof Mariemont City Schools. We have had another memorable and momentous year in our school district.

As we work our way closer to Destination 2026, our students and staff are working smart, creating experiences and embracing growth in and out of our classrooms. And I am so proud of all the ways this has come to life this year; it is truly remarkable.

Our annual Camp Beyond summer experiential learning program for our elementary school students launched this year before the first day of school. This is always such a good time and gives our kids a chance to engage in fun, hands-on STEM, arts, wellness and music activities. Each year it gets better and better and in a few weeks we will welcome our rising first-fourth grade students to experience this summer’s Camp BEyond.

Continued on page 2

Annual End of Year Awards

Page 3

Where to find the Class of 2023

Pages 4

Page 6-7

Superintendent’s Update

(continued from front page)

The last issue of this newsmagazine in March was a deep dive into our strategic plan, Destination 2026, and how we are taking action each day. The 2023 State of the Schools video series, hosted by seniors Luke and Piper, shares from a student perspective what makes the Mariemont Experience distinct. In the coming school year, I am looking forward to telling more stories of what makes our offerings and opportunities ‘Distinctly Mariemont.’

One of the ways we are Distinctly Mariemont is through our continued academic success. Our district ranked first in Hamilton County, first in the region and fourth in the state in overall academic achievement. We also topped the county and region and ranked third in the state for early literacy achievement and were the only school district in the region that had every one of our schools scoring in the top 10 for academic achievement. Not only that but our staff also top the charts! Mr. Brian Sugerman was named the Most Outstanding Educator in Experiential Education K-12 by the National Society of Experiential Education.

On May 28, we gathered at Kusel Stadium to say one final goodbye to the Class of 2023. I am so proud of each and every one of our graduates. They are incredible representatives of the Mariemont Experience and like our alumni on pages 6-7, I have no doubt they will continue to be deep thinkers, active citizens and creative problem solvers in their future endeavors.

It was an incredible school year in the Mariemont City School District and I want to thank each and every student, staff member, family and community resident who played a role in our success. None of this is possible without your commitment and support of a Distinctly Mariemont education and experience for our students.

As we head into summer break, I hope you each have a safe, happy, and healthy summer – I will see you all next school year!

Treasurer’s Update

As we finish the 2022-2023 school year, I am proud to report that our district has had another strong fiscal year. A strong fiscal year is one in which we have accurately forecasted our finances and maintained our budgets that are focused on student experiences and growth. During a time of inflation, this is especially something to celebrate.

At the May Board of Education meeting, I presented the most recent update to our five-year forecast which shows the district in a stable financial position. This is a forecast that our fiscal team updates twice each school year and is a tool to predict our revenue, estimate our expenditures and identify potential financial challenges. For those curious about the ins and outs of the forecast, it is on the district’s website at mariemontschools.org/districtfinance.

This forecast also demonstrates that our district has been able to stretch the last operating levy much longer than initially anticipated. Careful budget reductions and leveraging federal and state grants have made this possible. The forecast projects sufficient funding to maintain the operations of our school district through the upcoming 2023-2024 school. This meansthe2018levy,originallyprojectedtolastfouryears, wasstrategicallystretchedtosix!

Mariemont City Schools prides itself on transparency and will continue giving regular updates on our finances as we remain committed to managing our resources with fidelity.

Tom Golinar Treasurer, CFO

Steven Estepp Superintendent

Shelley Komrska Named 2023 Award of Excellence Recipient

The Mariemont City School District Award of Excellence is awarded annually to an individual who exemplifies dedication to and support of Mariemont City Schools. Elementary and junior high art teacher, Shelley Komrska, is the recipient of the 2022-23 Award of Excellence.

Shelley has been a staple in the MCSD art department for 26 years, teaching elementary and junior high students in a variety of different art courses and mediums.

Together, with the Cincinnati/Kharkiv Sister City Partnership, she created a cross-cultural art show for students at MCSD and the Lyceum of the Arts School #133 in Kharkiv, Ukraine, to demonstrate the similarities and differences in the lives of students from across the globe. For three years, students from both schools had their artwork on display in the Mariemont community before traveling across the world for a second exhibit in Ukraine. While the war paused the show this school year, Shelley has continued her friendship and partnership with the people of Ukraine.

She has literally left her mark on the Mariemont Elementary school building with a giant quilt of various local landmarks handstitched by students, an outdoor mural she orchestrated with local artist Cedric Cox and a life-size Van Gogh bedroom she created with fifth and sixth grade students.

She is constantly giving up planning periods to meet with kids who need mentoring, a listening ear or just love art. This year she used her planning period to meet with a group of fourth grade students to lead them through an analytical and interpretive process to study and critique art.

Her colleagues call her the “quarterback of the art department” and she was nominated for this award by students, staff and families alike.

Steve Spooner Named 2023 Friend of the

School Award Recipient

In 2015, the Mariemont City School District launched the Marie Huenefeld Friend of the School Award to recognize individuals in the community who make significant contributions to the school district with their time, service and/or expertise to create a better experience for students. At the June Board of Education meeting, Steve Spooner was officially recognized as the 2023 recipient of the Marie Huenefeld Friend of the School Award.

Steve and his family have been residents of the Mariemont City School District for 35 years. His five children (Michael 2005, Mary 2007, David 2009, Jane 2012 and Chris 2016) all graduated from Mariemont High School, completing a period of 24 straight years that he and his wife Terri had a child in our school district.

Over those two and half decades as a school district parent, Steve volunteered as a member of many support organizations, including the Superintendent’s Advisory

Council, the Mariemont Athletic Boosters, Kiwanis and WizKids, recently concluding his stint as the Kiwanis president.

And while he has been an integral member of all these groups, most of our school district community will probably recognize him for another role he serves, along the sidelines of athletic fields and arts performances.

Steve found a love for photography in high school and utilized a dark room in his parents’ house to grow his hobby. As a student he began taking photographs of Rocky River sports and selling them to local parents, beginning his foray as an accomplished photographer.

In 2007 he transitioned his skillset to Mariemont City Schools where he began attending sporting events, arts performances, graduations, youth sports, special events and more. Through his website mariemontstuff.com, he has made his thousands of images available to purchase, giving easy access to professional photography for any interested student and family member.

In addition to sharing his pictures with families, his work is often featured in district publications and in the student highlight banners hanging outside the arts and athletics wings of Mariemont High School, demonstrating his willingness to support our school district with his talent and time.

We are so thankful to Steve for his dedication to Mariemont City Schools and for helping to preserve these special memories for generations to come.

Where can you find the Class of 2023?

Akron University

Arizona State University

Auburn University

Augustana College

Bluffton University

Bowling Green State University

Butler University

Capital University

Carnegie Mellon University

Case Western Reserve University

Cincinnati State Technical and Community College

College of Charleston

Colorado State University

Denison University

DePaul University

Elon University

Florida Golf Coast University

Florida State University

Furman University

Georgia Institute of Technology

High Point University

Indiana University

Miami University

Mount St. Joseph University

Northeastern University

Ohio University

Otterbein University

Pennsylvania State University

Savannah College of Art and Design

Syracuse University

Texas State University

The Ohio State University

University of Alabama

University of Central Florida

University of Cincinnati

University of Cincinnati Clermont

University of Colorado Boulder

University of Dayton

University of Florida

University of Georgia

University of Iowa

University of Kansas

University of Kentucky

University of Louisville

University of Mississippi

University of North Carolina

University of Pittsburgh

University of South Carolina

University of Tennessee

University of Wisconsin

Villanova University

Virginia Polytechnic Institute

& State University

West Virginia University

Xavier University

Congratulations to the Mariemont High School Class of 2023!

On Sunday, May 28, 2023, Mariemont High School presented 132 seniors to the Board of Education for commencement ceremonies. Mariemont City Schools is proud of the Class of 2023 and wishes them well in their futures after high school.

The Class of 2023…

Will attend 53 different colleges and universities across 21 different states

Earned over $15 million in scholarships

Has 2 members enlisting in the military after graduation

Submitted 613 combined college applications

Was accepted to 141 different institutions

Will see 11 members pursuing employment opportunities after high school

Kelli Flanigan Named Substitute of the Year

Mariemont High School and Mariemont Junior High School substitute Kelli Flanigan has been named the district’s 2022-2023 Substitute of the Year by the Hamilton County Educational Services Center Comprehensive Substitute Solutions.

This school year Kelli has served two long-term intervention specialist substitute positions at both MHS and MJHS. She has an outstanding rapport with students and families alike. Her tremendous dedication to each position, student and learning community is known and appreciated. And her reliability and attention to detail have made her a stand out substitute within Mariemont City Schools.

“Kelli has been an extremely valuable member of our MJHS and MHS faculty this year,” said Mariemont Junior High School principal Rob Polca. “Her talent, commitment and caring demeanor have enabled Kelli to best serve our students, families and faculty. She has saved the day for us so many times this school year. We are grateful to have her within our learning community and I could not imagine not having Kelli’s positive influence this year.”

Congratulations to Kelli and thank you for your dedication to Mariemont City Schools!

A Look Back at the 2022-2023 School Year

Through the Decades, We Are...

The Mariemont Experience has been the foundation for our students for years. It is evident in the ways our students and alumni apply their Mariemont educational experiences in the lifelong pursuit of knowledge and personal growth and the courageous desire to impact the world around them. The success and achievement that follows is just as remarkable; in other words, it is Distinctly Mariemont.

Bennett Nestok, Class of 2009

Adjunct Professor in Computational Aesthetics at the University of Cincinnati

After graduating from Mariemont, I completed my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Design at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP). I then pursued a Master of Education program at Harvard University, specializing in Technology, Innovation, and Education.

In DAAP’s cooperative education program, I completed five full-time internships and was actively involved in campus activities such as TEDx, robotics, and drawing editorial cartoons for university publications. I was President of the Master in Design (MDes) cohort, presented at global conferences, and received awards for my thesis.

While at Harvard, I continued cartooning at various newspapers like MIT’s The Tech and The Harvard Crimson. I also became involved in We Gotta Run, a student organization aimed to encourage educators to pursue careers in politics. Additionally, I worked part-time at illustrious institutions such as the Harvard Creative Computing Lab and the MIT Media Lab.

I returned to my home turf and became the Creative Director of an app for a big corporation. Currently, I teach graphic design summer camps for the Digital Media Academy and work as an In Our Own Voice Program Leader for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

Becoming a Deep Thinker

My love for education stems from my unforgettable experience at Mariemont High School. The mind-bending classes and daily opportunities to gain new perspectives made my four years there intoxicating and fruitful. Mariemont High School shaped me into a lifelong deep thinker, and I am incredibly grateful for that.

Ryan Beth Wenstrup Moore, Class of 1988 Social Media Manager at Kroger

I lead social media and influencer campaigns across the Kroger Family of Stores. I work on everything from viral TikTok videos to brand tentpole campaigns and am truly loving bringing an iconic Cincinnati brand to life.

In the past 15 years, I have gained experience working on award-winning social media campaigns in the non-profit, public, and private sectors in both the United States and Europe. I am truly passionate about social media and I strive to make social media “social” by creating and managing strategic relationships between brands, influencers, and consumers/clients.

Carving My Own Path

From taking four languages at once to taking classes at Xavier University during my senior year, I was an active player in my educational path. The confidence and ownership I gained at Mariemont led me to become the first-ever undergraduate Women’s Studies major at the University of Cincinnati and continue to boldly follow my passions in my career.

James Cooperider, Class of 1954

Retired Human Resources Director and Consultant

After graduating from Mariemont High School, I joined the Air Force and received training in electronics and worked on communications systems for fighter bombers. While serving, I pursued night school and later transferred to The Ohio State University where I graduated with an Electrical Engineering degree, being part of only 20% who completed the rigorous program.

After five years as a design engineer, I pursued an MBA at Xavier University and earned a prestigious State of the Art Award in Amateur Radio Design. Shortly thereafter, I began a 30-year career in HR management.

My accomplishments were not limited to military service, my education, or my career. In fact, my greatest achievement is marrying my high school sweetheart, Carol, and fathering our four children; we now have 13 grandchildren. I also enjoyed using my expertise to serve on various Catholic, Christian, and community boards including as President of the local school board.

Top Notch Preparation

A great deal of usable information was put in my head at Mariemont and it showed its way out throughout my educational and professional journeys. At our 50th high school reunion, my classmates, many of whom studied in some of the finest universities in the country, generally agreed that Mr. Paul Trinkle, our History and Social Studies teacher, was the finest educator anyone had studied under at any level. It is hard to imagine other high schools were blessed with such excellence as Mr. Trinkle.

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