SEVEN HILLS The Buzz
March 16, 2012
A Brief Word from Chris Garten
Miami Valley Conference creates Dick Snyder Sportsmanship Award
Many of you had an opportunity to attend last Friday’s International Dinner & Family Night. What a wonderful occasion this has become!
Congratulations to Athletic Director Dick Snyder, whose significant contributions and example of character and sportsmanship were recognized by the Miami Valley Conference at the MVC All-Star Recognition Program at CCDS on March 4, 2012. League President Theresa Hirschauer announced the creation of the Dick Snyder Sportsmanship Award which will be given to one athlete from each league school “who displays character, integrity and sportsmanship during the season. Each winner is nominated by his/her respective Athletic Director.”
The families in attendance hailed from more than 50 countries of origin, and the food on offer satisfied the palates of six different continents. Booths for face painting, henna tattoos, and elaborate beadwork gave our youngest students plenty to explore. Then at the end of a very convivial evening, we were treated to a second feast, a host of music and dance performances representing a myriad of different cultural traditions.
The first Seven Hills recipient of the Dick Snyder Sportsmanship Award is senior Claire Duncan. In announcing the new award, President Hirschauer said, “Mr. Snyder is universally respected among athletes, coaches, athletic directors, and parents in Southwest Ohio for his integrity and character. This is our way of paying tribute to him.”
Special thanks to our diversity team and to the dozens of volunteers who worked so hard to provide this celebration of the rich cultural diversity of this community. It was a great night!
Some of his former students have been responding to Duke’s honor on the Seven Hills Alumni Group Facebook page. Check it out and post your comments!
Have a restful and restorative spring vacation!
Congratulations, Tim!
Chris Garten Head of School
Congratulations to varsity tennis coach Tim Drew, who was recently recognized by the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) and the Ohio Tennis Coaches Association (OTCA) with the Sportsmanship and Integrity Award for tennis in the state of Ohio. A very high honor!
Duke and Claire Duncan.
Inside this Buzz International Dinner & Family Night 2 Many academic honors Upper School News
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Middle School News
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Lotspeich News
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Fifth Grade Kindness Retreat Doherty News
Tim has been coaching boys and girls tennis and teaching science at Seven Hills for 23 years, achieving records of 260–125 for the girls and 313–86 for the boys. During his tenure, he has been named Miami Valley Conference (MVC) Coach of the Year 16 times and City Coach of the Year five times.
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Spring is filled with news of honors and special events at Seven Hills. Watch upcoming Buzzes for more news and photos!
International Dinner & Family Night
Seven Hills families came together March 9 to celebrate the rich diversity of our school community at the Fourth Annual International Dinner. Families enjoyed a wide variety of food and edu-tainment activities from different countries and cultures. Performances included Bollywood and Indian folkdances, a Chinese love song performed by members of Upper’s Chinese I class, Pamána dance troupe, a celebration of friendship by Upper’s Chinese II class, a presentation by Spanish teacher Megan Hayes, a Chinese dance presented by visitors from the Hua Xia Chinese School, and a Scottish bagpipe performance. Congratulations to Mary Inkrot-Schroder and Nate Gleiner, Co-Directors of the Equity and Justice Team, who organized the event! Many thanks to the divisional Parent Association volunteers and many faculty volunteers who made the event such a great success!
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Some of our students’ academic honors American Invitational Math Exam Two Upper School students have qualified for the extremely challenging American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME). To be eligible for the national exam, both students were required to take the American Mathematics Competition (AMC) test in their respective grade levels. Sophomore Brian Hu scored in the top 2.5 percent of the country on the AMC 10 test. Senior Izzy Arjmand scored in the top five percent on the AMC 12 exam. “It is great to see such creative, critical thinkers further exploring their passion for math and challenging themselves at the next level,” said Anne Ramsay, Math Department Chair.
2012 Hauck Scholarships in Math/Science The Seven Hills School has awarded the 2012 Frederick Hauck Scholarships in Math and Science to sixth graders Natalie Choo and Michael Barresi, seventh grader Calvin O’Brien, ninth grader Pearce Kieser, tenth grader Andrew Ligeralde, eleventh graders Bethany Buck and Sara Johnson. World-renowned nuclear scientist and philanthropist Frederick A. Hauck established the Hauck Scholarships at Seven Hills in 1983 to recognize students who are demonstrating outstanding achievement and commitment in mathematics and/or science. Winning students entering grades 9-12 receive a one-year scholarship of $1,000 to be applied to the 2012-2013 tuition at Seven Hills Upper School. Winning students entering grades 7-8 receive a grant of $250 to be applied to tuition in an approved summer enrichment program.
Above, Bethany Buck, Sara Johnson, Andrew Ligeralde, Pearce Kieser. Natalie Choo, Michael Barresi, Calvin O’Brien
Ohio Jr. Classical League state honors in Latin Middle/Upper Latin teacher Brian Sebastian reported on our students’ results at the 2012 Ohio Junior Classical League state convention. “Our upper level Certamen team (Alex Baggott, Anne-Stuart Bell, Claire Romaine, John Rowe) made the State Final and finished third. We finished third out of 29 schools in Academic Per Capita (academic points divided by our 27 students); this was our second trophy (i.e., top three) in this category in three years and we had the highest Academic Per Capita of all the Cincinnati area schools.
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“We were eighth in overall sweepstakes (total points overall in graphic arts, creative arts, and academic contests). Of the seven schools who finished ahead of us, all but one had 39-54 students in attendance, so it speaks well of us that we racked up so many points with comparatively few students.” Congratulations to Brian and his Latin scholars!
Middle’s MATHCOUNTS honors The Middle School MATHCOUNTS team finished in second place at the chapter competition Feb. 25 at U.C., qualifying for the state competition. Individuals earned these places: Tigar Cyr, sixth place; Bennett Smith, 13th place; Alex Jiang, 15th place; and Matthew Clayton, 18th place. Alex Jiang also placed fourth in the Countdown Round. Team photo on page 5.
A look at what’s happening at Upper School
See page 5 for Middle School, page 7 for Lotspeich, and page 10 for Doherty MVC Female Swimmer of the Year Sarah Austin (pictured with Coach Robin Murphy) was honored at the MVC All-Star Recognition Program at CCDS on March 4, 2012. Also honored were Seven Hills’ MVC First Team selections: basketball, Lauren Weems; girls swimming, Sarah Austin, Carly Harten, Ellie Wilson, Leah Yuan; boys swimming, Jack Tyndall; and cheerleading, Jasmine Cline-Bailey. Pictured from left are MVC President Theresa Hirschauer, Sarah Austin, and Robin Murphy.
On Feb. 25, students from science teacher Linda Ford’s advisory group went to the St. George Food Pantry in Corryville to volunteer. Pictured are juniors Kyle Patel, Sara Johnson, and Leah Yuan bagging groceries for a family of five.
At right, our MVC champion freshman basketball team. Congrats to the players and Coach Greg Burkett.
Congratulations to both the boys and girls varsity soccer teams, who have been awarded the Team Academic Excellence Award by the Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association for maintaining a team grade point average of 3.0 through the season! Twenty-five stunning pieces of artwork—drawings, paintings, photographs, ceramics, and mixed media works—by 18 of Upper’s talented visual artists are on display at the Fifth Annual Student Art Show, “Inspired,” at the Kennedy Heights Art Center March 3–31. Photos of two of our artists are at right. For more information about the Center or the Show, go to http://www.kennedyarts.org/.
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Upper artists whose work is in the Kennedy Heights Art Show include Mason Duncan and Ian Hillenbrand.
Upper students earned top honors in the Cincinnati Regional Science Olympiad tournament on Mar. 3 at U.C. Blue Ash College. Physics teacher Dr. Lenore Horner said, “Olympiad student leaders for 2011-12 were Suhel Singh, Thomas Carlino, and Izzy Arjmand. The following medals were awarded for a sixth-place or higher finish: First Place, Protein Modeling—Leah Yuan, Grace He, Suhel Singh Third Place, Chemistry Lab—Sara Johnson, Leah Yuan Third Place, Fermi Question—Thomas Carlino, Izzy Arjmand Third Place, Sounds of Music—Leah Yuan, Grace He Third Place, Write It; Do It—Izzy Arjmand, Sara Johnson Fourth Place, Experimental Design—Izzy Arjmand, Michael Bain Sixth Place, Astronomy—John Larkin, Henry Head Pictured at left, our Science Olympiad teams. For the latest Upper School news, check out the online student publication, Canvass, at http://7hillscanvass.org/.
A look at what’s happening at Middle School
Congratulations to the Middle School MATHCOUNTS team, who finished in second place at the chapter competition Feb. 25 at U.C., qualifying for the state competition.
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Twenty-seven Middle School students and three faculty members traveled February 16–20 to the Newfound Harbor Marine Biology Institute on Big Pine Key in the Florida Keys. Over the course of the trip, students snorkeled near coral heads, swam with nurse sharks, kayaked near mangrove islands, dissected algae to discover the biodiversity of life living within the algae, and learned about near shore ecology. Students also visited The Turtle Hospital to learn about various species of sea turtles and what is being done to help them survive after being injured by boats, fish nets, water pollution, etc. Students were able to meet some of the
patients of the hospital. It was an amazing experience for everyone involved!
Science teacher Jennifer Licata told us, “Sixth graders are learning about nutrition as part of an integrated unit in their Physical Education and Science classes. One aspect of the unit involves students planning a two-day menu for their family including three meals and snacks per day. Students used a variety of apps on information of the items they chose to create their menu. Students also used the skills their iPads and various webthey are working on in math class related to proportions to calculate the nutritional sites to look up the nutritional information based on serving size and the amount they would actually eat.”
Middle’s outstanding Global Ed Day! This is a glimpse of Global Ed Day on March 9. Parents, alumni, and other guest presenters shared their cultures and expertise on global issues, and the day culminated with The Amazing Race’s international-themed team competitions. Students in Jennifer Licata’s sixth grade science classes got handson experience in their study of the circulatory and respiratory systems when Dr. Jill Russell demonstrated the inner workings of the heart and lungs of a pig. In addition to being the ornithologist who is working with the sixth grade bird study program, along with Dr. Dave Russell, Jill Russell, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of biology at the College of Mount St. Joseph. Seventh grader Shane DiGiovanna visited and talked with the Unit II students at Doherty as part of their Everybody Counts program on February 27. See page 10.
Note to parents The Buzz welcomes news of our students’ sports and other accomplishments outside of school. Email kathy.deubell@7hills.org. page 6
At far left, Cool Critters Outreach; at left, Mindy Moser Barber ’05 on “Concrete Canoes and High Wind/Earthquake Design.”
At right, parent Wendy Yip and “Wrapped Up in Japanese Culture”; at far right, parent Dotty Shaffer, M.D. ’83 with volunteer Middle Head Bill Waskowitz: “Acupuncture: East Meets West.”
A look at what’s happening at Lotspeich Second grade teacher Danielle Necessary said, “As part of the second graders’ study of measurement in math, students experimented with inches, feet, and yards by rotating through a variety of stations such as the ball toss, long jump, and box slide. Working in small groups, students completed the activity, measured their results, and some students even converted their measurements into other forms (such as from inches to feet). “Second graders also learned about one of the longest snakes in the world, the reticulated python. Using yarn, students worked together to measure the length of the python and predict how many times a reticulated python could coil around their body. Then they put their predictions to the test. Later, some students discovered how many reticulated pythons it would take to wrap around the perimeter of the classroom. So much fun!”
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Zak Morgan at Lotspeich!
A wonderful performance by fourth graders on recorders and more!
As part of the first graders’ yearlong study of nutrition, the students explore a different food group every month. This month, they tasted dairy products. Teacher Marilyn Braun said, “Each family sent in different dairy foods for us to try. We had a variety of cheeses, puddings, yogurts, etc. The children are always encouraged to try something new. After tasting the different foods, the children write a list of the foods they tried and mark the ones that were new for them. This list is taken home and shared with the family. We’ve already had tasting days for fruits, vegetables and grains. We’ll be tasting protein foods in April.”
Just a small sample of the wonderful art being created by our students in Jody Knoop’s art studio! See many more pieces of art in every hallway at Lotspeich!
Discoveries in chocolate!
The third grade reading students of Pegi Leonard shared everything they learned about the history of chocolate with Chef Jimmy Gherardi in a special chocolate workshop on March 6, and he was very impressed with the extent of their knowledge! Pegi Leonard said, “The students had read a non-fiction book, The Story of Chocolate, and a fictional story, Chocolate Fever, which introduced them to the history of chocolate and explored what happened
to one boy who ate too much chocolate. The students sampled xocolatl, a beverage made with powdered, unsweetened chocolate, then experimented with adding dried sugar cane juice or chili pepper. Chef Jimmy told the students about real truffles that come from under the ground and about chocolate truffles, and the students made their own chocolate truffles, including rolling them in ‘dirt.’”
Fifth Graders’ Kindness Retreat
Doherty and Lotspeich fifth graders participated in the high-energy, interactive Kindness Retreat, led by Youth Frontiers, in the Hillsdale Commons on Feb. 27. Doherty Unit III Coordinator Vaishali Sarbhoy told us, “The students danced and played games as a whole group and met in small groups to discuss topics like friendship, bullying, and ways that they could be
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kinder to each other. The students learned the importance of using the I.C.I strategy to (I)nterrupt the bullying by talking to the person being bullied, (C)ompliment the person being bullied, and (I)nvite them away from the situation. The fifth graders had a wonderful time getting together as a team to address these important issues.”
Helping with the Kindness Retreat activities were senior Alex Baggott; juniors Caroline Bonini, Jasmine ClineBailey, Brian Collette, Gloria Garcia, Henry Head, Allison Hills, Sebastian Hoar, John Larkin, Robert Seibel, Amanda Shepherd, Luis Visoso, and Leah Yuan. The Kindness Retreat was organized by Guidance Counselors Judy Arnold and Vicky Hausberger.
A look at what’s happening at Doherty At left, seventh grader Shane DiGiovanna visited and talked with the Unit II students as part of their Everybody Counts program on February 27. Shane explained his cochlear implants and how they work, and he answered many questions about the use of his hearing devices, as well as questions about his skin condition, epidermolysis bullosa.
Congratulations to third graders Wes Gardner (student on right) and Luke Malloy, who recently won First Place and Third Place respectively in the K–3 division in the Cincinnati Scholastic Chess Series. The adults in the photo are the two “Andy’s” (as they are known) who run the after-school chess program for Seven Hills: Andy Ward (left) and Andy Mackowiak. Kindergarten teacher Lindsay Pietroski said, “Have you ever had a time when you couldn’t make a rhyme? Not the children in Doherty Kindergarten. Students had fun with rhymes all week as they prepared for Dr. Seuss’ birthday. Classes read many classic Dr. Seuss books and wrote their own rhymes, too. Each child made his/ her very own Cat in the Hat hat and on March 2 sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to Dr. Seuss while eating green eggs and ham.” page 10
At right, parent Brad Walsh shared his knowledge of high speed video technology with teacher Patty Dawson’s class. Students learned about frames per second and the relation to speed of video.They participated in the decision making on speed during the different experiments and had the opportunity to have hands-on experience with the equipment. The demonstrations included the rupturing of several water filled balloons of various sizes and with water versus colored water. It also included the breaking of a pencil and the snapping of a snap-on style wrist watch on a student’s wrist. It was an amazing learning experience for the class.
Photos from Doherty’s Cultural Connections activities, including the pre-K “airplane trip” to Spain, will be in our next Buzz.