The Cincinnati Observatory has designated Ridgeway Elementary School, 267 Wasserman Road, as one of 10 sites for Sidewalk Astronomy Night in recognition of International Astronomy Night, Saturday, April 20.
Anyone with an interest in astronomy is invited to come and study the stars through Ridgeway’s 8-inch telescope or bring their own and learn from fellow stargazers.
The event will begin at 7:30 p.m and a solar filter will be available so participants can explore the sun while waiting for the stars to come out, weather permitting.
The study of Hamilton is in the social studies curriculum for third grade, and that prompted Mayor Pat Moeller’s recent visit to Cleveland Elementary School.
“For first graders, it was mostly a question and answer session about Mr. Moeller’s job as mayor, Hamilton landmarks, and other topics,” said principal Pamela Rowe.
Pat Moeller joined Council in 2004 as Vice Mayor of the city and ran for Mayor in 2009.
According to his biography on the city’s web site, he believes his background in law and law enforcement, as well as his history of community involvement at volunteering, assists him in his civic duties. He attended Hamilton City Schools and graduated from Ohio State University and Chase College of Law. He is an attorney and former County Assistant Prosecutor.
Hamilton High School Band is hosting their first Color Guard and Indoor Drumline Competition on Saturday, March 13, at Garfield Middle School, 250 N. Fair Avenue in Hamilton. These units, as part of Mid East Performance Association are representing schools from all over the state of Ohio.
The event had been postponed from Feb. 6 due to weather.
Eleven Color Guards will begin competing at 6:20 p.m.
Five Drumlines will begin competing at 5 p.m. with awards presented at approximately 8 p.m.
Hamilton High School Indoor Marching Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of Bob Saurber, competes at 5:19 p.m.
Tickets are $9 adults; $8 students; $7 seniors; children under 6 free. Food will be available.
For further information, call Hamilton City Schools Fine Arts Department at 513-887-4816.
Here’s the story that I wrote prior to the event when it was first scheduled:
HAMILTON — The Hamilton High School Indoor Marching Percussion Ensemble — also known as the drumline — lets the marching band drummers bang out their own songs long after football season is over.
This weekend, was to host its own event, called the Color Guard and Indoor Drumline Competition, today, Feb. 6, at Garfield Middle School. But the event was canceled due to weather conditions. No makeup date has been scheduled.
According to director Bob Saurber, the Indoor Marching Percussion Ensemble is now in its fourth year.
“Education, naturally, is first,” he said. “I want to give drummers an opportunity for additional training and non-drummers a chance to play a percussion instrument.”
Any musician can benefit from percussion training, he said. Non-drummers — many of them woodwind players — make up about half of the ensemble.
The drumline’s competition piece is titled “Energy,” played out by 26 people, most of them marching to a choreographed routine while playing drums, with the rest playing mallet instruments and keyboards on the sidelines.
The marching is done on a large tarp, nearly the size of a basketball court, with a painting of electrons and planets by HHS alumnus Kevin Duncan. Band mother Heather Kleiner designed the Star Trek-ish uniforms color-coded by section to match the energetic painting.
“This is a very athletic activity,” Saurber said. “One of our four-year members told me he lost 25 pounds the first year. But they love it, and once they start, I keep them.”
Senior Josh Durham is one of four current members who also played in the premiere ensemble four years ago.
“Drumline is an extension of the band, and I can focus on percussion and highlight what I do,” he said. “It gives us a chance to show our stuff without any woodwinds carrying us along.”
Saurber said he has wanted to host a competition from the beginning, and has signed up 15 drumlines and 14 color guard ensembles for the event.
“Not everyone can host an event like this, but Garfield is a wonderful facility for a competition,” he said. “When the new arena is finished at the high school, we’ll be in even better shape and we hope to host championships there.”
The competitions are fast-paced events that give each group a mere nine minutes to perform, and that includes set up and teardown.
“We really have to drill them on that,” Saurber said. “They sometimes get so focused on getting set that they forget they have to play.”
A St. Jude Math-A-Thon was held during January and February at Ross Middle School to helps raise funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the premiere center for research and treatment of childhood cancer and other deadly diseases, according to principal Chris Saylor
By participating in the Math-A-Thon, RMS sixth grade Elite Team students supported the St. Jude mission of finding cures and saving children across the country and around the world. Individuals sponsored students participating in the Math-A-Thon by pledging an amount-per-problem or a one-time donation.
A tradition for more than 30 years, Math-A-Thon is a supplemental math program that raises much needed funds for the research and treatment of childhood diseases at St. Jude. Participating students receive a Funbook that is filled with math problems and puzzles. Students ask family and friends for pledges based on an amount-per-problem or a one-time donation. After students complete their Funbooks, they collect the pledges and donations from their sponsors, and all donations are sent to St. Jude.
RMS Elite team students have raised $1,131 this school year.
“A big congratulations goes out to them for working hard to help such a worthy cause,” Saylor said. “Over the past several years participating students have now raised a cumulative total of $8,613.”
Drew Davidson has always loved popcorn, and when his Aunt Karen gave him some flavorings to add some spice to his snacks, it not only took his cravings to new levels but inspired him to come up with some of his own.
So at the annual A Taste Of Excellence held Thursday, March 4 at Bridgeport Elementary, he had an opportunity to try out some of his best recipes.
“I found out that salt and pepper can make it spicier,” said the Ridgeway Elementary fourth-grader, “but I have my own special ingredients: A couple pinches of sugar and some garlic powder.”
The consensus: It’s pretty tasty stuff.
Dozens of students brought in their favorite foods to A Taste of Excellence, some of them family recipes with closely guarded secrets, to share with peers and their families for a quarter a taste. The event also featured displays of work from students in the gifted program, a silent auction of donated goods to raise money for purchasing technology and sending students on field trips, and performances by groups in the district’s fine arts programs, including the Hamilton High Jazz Band, vocal groups New Harmony and Elle, and steel drummer Andy Judd.
“It was a huge success and we were quite pleased with the attendance, participation and support of our parents in this venue to celebrate and showcase our gifted and talented students,” Qualls said.
At Ross Middle School, students can be dubbed “Regal Rams” as the result of nominations by teachers or other faculty members for displaying outstanding character on a regular basis.
“RMS is filled with students who do the right thing on a daily basis,” said principal Chris Saylor. “We want to let these students know that we notice them and appreciate the example they set for others.”
The following students were honored as Regal Rams for the months of January and February: Julie Adams, Elizabeth Bagley, Taylor Benge, Jessica Bennett, Kyle Burney, Tyler Caudill, Ashlee Chadwick, Elizabeth Chandler, Hayleigh Coppenger, Jared Cox, Hannah Daugherty, Collin Duncan, Andrew Dunn, Aaron Gillen, Mackenzie Gillen, Audrey Griffith, Caitlyn Hall, Sam Hall, Eric Henggeler, Kyla Keller, Megan Killip, Jacob Lomax, Lindsay Marcum, Kara Mize, Kaeli Morton, Logan Rogers, Bethany Salyers, Chase Sayers, Christy Schmitt, Linsey Strickland, Abby Tolson, Elisha Toney, Lexy Wiederhold and Zach Wurzelbacher.
After being rescheduled three times due to weather, the Ross Middle School Power of the Pen team was finally able to compete at the district tournament on Friday, Feb. 26, at Blanchester Middle School.
Power of the Pen is the school’s competitive writing club, which consists of seventh and eighth grade writers.
At the competition, writers are given three different prompts and are scored with a holistic rubric based on the creativity and quality of their writing.
Seventh grade team members include Olivia Meinzer, Carrie Vennefron, Brittany Welch, Audrey Schlembach, Nikki Schum, and Jackie Wesselman.
Eighth grader writers are Diane Hoffman, Tara Griffin, Erica Eppert, Samantha Walker, Carolyn Conrad, Emma Demopoulos, and Devon Swanson.
Hoffman and Vennefron qualified to compete at the regional tournament on Saturday, March 13, at Princeton Middle School.
“Elda’s safety patrol members keep students safe as they load the buses every evening,” said principal Debbie Johnsen. “These faithful members serve regardless of weather.”
Safety patrol members include Jordan Hodge, Logan Iams, Anna Perry, Adam McCandless, Sarah Stone, Lilly Wszola, Abby McCracken, Emma Trout, Aiden Jones, Allie Barger, Emma Finger, Michael Saylor, Josh Reid, Allison Becker, Emma Stidd, Hannah Jones, Adam Bosse, Tory Rolston, Nathan Henke, Brandt Courtney, LaRissa Frey, Zachary Smith, Reece Gordley, Sydney Lomax and Dalton Chandler.
Safety Patrol is monitored by Mrs. Wells and Mrs. Johnsen.
Badin High School students captured first place finishes in 12 categories in the recent DECA district marketing education competition at Miami University-Hamilton. Nearly 50 Badin students advanced to state competition, which will be held at the Convention Center in Columbus March 19-20.
“It really was an excellent showing,’’ said Joe DeAngelo, marketing education teacher at Badin and the co-moderator of the DECA program. “You always hope for the best in competition like this, and these students really out-did themselves. It was an outstanding day.”
First place finishers included:
> Senior Megan Abney, Apparel and Accessories Management.
> Seniors Alex Brown and Lindsay Fischer, Buying and Merchandising Management.
> Juniors Nate Evers and Max Tiesman, Travel and Tourism Team Management.
> Seniors Jennifer Fontaine, Lindsay Gaynor and Rachel Stenger, Fashion Merchandise Promotion Plan
> Juniors Adam Hartman and Miranda Lipps, Advertising Campaign
> Sophomore Colin Martin, Technical Sales
> Senior Allie Pickerill, Retail Management.
> Junior Zach Sander, Business Services Management.
> Senior Brad Spurlock and junior Martin Sunderhaus, Business Law and Ethics.
> Junior Jackie Turner, Principles of Hospitality.
> Junior Sam Wade, Principles of Finance.
“These students show a particular ability to make presentations and handle themselves well in front of people they don’t know,’’ DeAngelo noted. “That’s what successful marketing is all about.”
Second place pairings included the team of seniors Brian Gerbus and Alex Thomas, Travel and Tourism Team Management; juniors Nick Berens and Kevin Coffman, Sports and Entertainment Team Management; juniors Devon Cooke and Miranda Hoffman, Fashion Merchandise Promotion Plan; juniors Meg Ortman and Janea Van Natta, Hospitality Services Team Management; and juniors Casey Rotundo, Nikki Rotundo and Linh Dinh, Advertsing Campaign.
Other second place finishers included senior Matt Bayliss, Financial Analysis Team Management; junior Doug Frederick, Restaurant and Food Service Management; senior Dana Hammerle, Marketing Management; senior Drew Hampton, Accounting; junior Alex Hollowell, Principles of Marketing; senior Jim Janssen, Financial Analysis Team Management; senior Chase Lewis, Quick Serve Management; senior Patrick Listermann, Technical Sales; and senior Jake Woodward, Hotel Lodging Management.
Third place finishers were senior Andrew Cifuentes, Principles of Hospitality; junior Brandon Donahue, Restaurant and Food Service Management; junior Alex Exum, Sports and Entertainment Management; junior Michael Guidugli, Accounting; junior Nicole Hagan, Apparel and Accessories Management; junior Michelle Hunter, Retail Management; junior Kevin Keating, Food Marketing Management; senior Maria Salerno, Business Services Management; senior Michelle Seither, Quick Serve Management; and senior Matt Shamp, Marketing Management.
“We’re looking forward to the state competition,’’ DeAngelo said. “Our students have fun with this and have done well over the years. This is great experience for the world beyond high school.”
This year’s DECA International conference is set for April 24-27 in Louisville, Ky.
Michael Begovich and Jake Woodward, seniors at Badin High School, have been named finalists in the 55th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
“This is a tremendous accomplishment for each of these young men,’’ said Frank Margello, Badin principal. “They are outstanding students and this test success shows that they have what it takes to achieve at all levels beyond Badin High School.”
Begovich is the son of Joseph and Pamela Begovich of West Chester and a graduate of St. Julie Billiart School.
Woodward is the son of Robert and Brenda Woodward of Fairfield and a graduate of Sacred Heart School.
Finalists are now eligible for some of the $36 million in National Merit Scholarship dollars that will be offered in the spring. They are in rarefied air - as juniors, more than 1.5 million students took the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT), which serves as the initial program screen for the scholarship dollars. Less than 1 percent of those students are finalists throughout the country, and about 8,200 National Merit Scholarships are awarded nationwide.
“It’s always been my goal to get a full ride to college,’’ Woodward said. “Being a National Merit finalist is a big thing.”
Woodward plans to attend either Ohio State or the University of Cincinnati - he has been accepted into the Honors Program at both schools - and major in Political Science, with a focus on globalization studies. He wants to go to law school after earning his undergraduate degree.
Begovich is still deciding between five potential schools — the University of Cincinnati, the University of Dayton, Ohio State, Rose Hulman Institute or Xavier University - and plans to study science or engineering.
“I still haven’t decided yet,’’ Begovich said. “I know that I have enjoyed every science that I’ve investigated.”
“Jake and Michael are motivated students who have done well at Badin,’’ Margello said. “They are as ready as any students in the country to do well in college and beyond.”
“I’ve just always liked school and tried my best,’’ Woodward said when asked about his motivation to do well. “Some students don’t like school. I’ve always enjoyed it.”
“Originally I did well because my parents wanted me to,’’ Begovich said. “As I became more aware of things, I wanted to do well to prepare myself for what was ahead. I’m proud of myself for being good at it. But I always want to try to do better.”
Begovich added that he thought he had a great chance to be a National Merit finalist based on his PSAT scores, “but you’re never sure. Nothing’s set in stone. I’m just glad that all the work I’ve put in over the years to do as well as I can in school has paid off.”
During the month of February the following students were recognized by New Miami Middle and High schools:
Students of the Month to recognize positive issues in class: Danielle Hensley-Spicer, sixth; Selena Stamper, seventh; Randy Lipps, eighth; Shelby Fowler, ninth; Austim Meacham, 10th; Jordan Winkler, 11th; Jacob Davis, 12th.
Academic Students of the Month to recognize leadership, grades and attendance: Darlene Grosse, sixth; Shelby Pruitt, seventh; John Gregston, eighth; Clay Williams, ninth/10th; Michelle Baker, 11th/12th.
Fine Arts Students of the Month McKayla Wallen, middle school; Scott Tritt, high school.
Senior of the Month for excellence and leadership in the classroom: Kelsey Koehler.
The following students won first, second or third place ribbons in the annual Hamilton Rotary Club Science Fair for grades 7 through 12, held Friday, Feb. 26 at the Wilks Conference Center, Miami University Hamilton.
Behavioral & Social Sciences, High School First (tie): Katherine Albrecht and Benedicte Kage, Memorization Games; Devin Collins and Lindsey Weissinger, Hyped Up Memory; Second Place: Alexis Bennett, The Effect of Gender on Left Brain and Right Brain;
Third: Matt Saylor and Mark Tuttle, Does the Nose Know: The effect of smell on taste.
Behavioral & Social Sciences, Middle School First: Samantha Combs, Garfield, The Effect of Music on the Time it Takes to Complete a Puzzle; Second: Anna Rhodes, The Effect of Chewing Gum on Math Test Scores; Third: James Brown, The Effect of the Number of Senses Used on Someone’s Ability to Perceive Taste.
Biochemistry, High School First: Rachelle Womer and Hannah Kinch, Vitamin C-Ya!
Biochemistry, Middle School First: Jared Calihan, Garfield, The Effects of Buttermilk on the Whey in Cheese; Second: Krishtyn Humphrey, Garfield, The Effect of Temperature of the pH of Orange Juice; Third: Jonathan Engel, Wilson, What type of storage can keep produce freshest longest?
Botany, High School First: Emily Tuck, Elodea Photosynthesis; Second: Shelbey Moore, What is the effect of pH levels of water on plant growth?
Botany, Middle School First: Brooke Hitchcock, Wilson, Fertilizer’s Effect on Height And Reproduction.
Chemistry, High School First: Madison George, Not-so-Stainless Steel; Second: Miranda Jackson, “To Acetone or Not to Acetone?”; Third: Elizabeth Ott and John Weislogel, pHantastic Drinks.
Chemistry, Middle School First: Abigail Miller, Garfield, The Effect of Different Amounts of Sugar on Grow Duck Growth; Second: Daniel Bui and David Reimer, Wilson, Potato Artillery; Third: Shyanne Luker, Wilson, Will using a black light have a significant affect on crystal growth?; Third: Jacob Proctor, Garfield, The effect of Mentos on amount remaining of Diet Coke.
Earth & Space, Middle School First: Amanda Lahrmann, Wilson, Do shadow lengths differ each season?; Second:
Chase Engel, Wilson Junior 8, Cave Formation: How does the mineral content of water affect Cave Formation?
Engineering, High School First: Kyung Schreiber, Trusting Trusses; Second: Kenny Carroll and Kaitlin Hubbard, The Effect of Electrodes on Charge Dissipation.
Engineerin, Middle School First: Cameron Farmer, Garfield, The Effect of Energy Consumption on the Brightness of a Light Bulb; Second: Joey Hudson and Tristan Lauer, Wilson, Excellent, Does length affect distance?; Third: Jared Baker, Wilson, Motor Designs Affect On The Rate Of Spin.
Environmental Science, High School First: Alma Onate, Water Pollution and Seed Germination; Second: Emma Kirby, Water Filtration; Third: Dalton Marcum and Jake Wright, Garbage to Go!
Environmental Science, Middle School First: Gabby Smith, Garfield; Second: Halle Gudgell, Wilson, Does the room temperature affect evaporation rates?
Math and Computer, Middle School First: Cody Proffitt and Robert Dylan Smith, Wilson, How does your operating system affect your browser’s speed?
Medicine & Health, High School First: Lacey Prewitt, The effect of caffine on heart rate; Second: Cody Smith and Brooke Wallace, Why am I dizzy? Is it love?; Third: Kate Rice, The Direction of Eye Movement through Memory and Sensory Details.
Medicine & Health, Middle School First: Hannah Jones, Garfield, The Effect of Age on Balance; Second: Jamie Jones, Wilson, Differences Between Resting Heart Rates; Third Place (tie): Cheyenne Florence, Wilson, Music’s Effect On Heart Rate; Michael Stoll, Garfield, The Effect of Blood Sugar on Memory.
Microbiology, High School First: Colin Thrasher, Sickening Homes; Second (tie): Ali Hoskins and Alainna Jackson, Dirty Mouth?; Heather Jud, How Safe is that Sponge in your Kitchen?
Microbiology, Middle School First: Taylor Riggins and Caitlyn Rogers, Wilson, Which brand of bottled water contains the most Bacteria?
Physics, High School First: Amanda Kinsey and Cristie Margerum, Mobile Marbles; Second: Shawn Brown, Balloon Blowup; Third: Aaron Duerk and Matthew Lorance, How Much Pressure Can a Pop Can Hold?
Physics, Middle School Zachary Vaughn, Garfield, The Effect of Sandpaper and Petroleum Jelly on a Baseball Pitched; Jamie Reed, Garfield, The Effect of Tire Width on Speed of a Bike; Third (tie): Kyle Kershner, Garfield, The effect of the amount of air pressure in a basketball on the height that it bounces; Adam Kranbuhl, Garfield, The Effect of Weight on Distance Traveled.
Zoology, High School First: Delilah Jones and Tessa Woodrey, Stress Effects on Goldfish; Second: Laura Titus and Sabrina Wyrick, Effects of Stimuli on Dogs; Third: Cabral Christian and Matt Venerable, Focus on This.
Zoologoy, Middle School Lily Mann, Garfield, The Effect of Temperature on Mealworms; Second: Amanda Davidson, Garfield, The Effect of Water Temperature on the Breathing Rate of Goldfish; Third: Georgia Kinch, Garfield, The Effect of Different Types of Music on the Amount of Dogs’ Movement.
During the month of January, about half of the teachers from Ross Local Schools kept track of both the hours they spent on the job outside of school hours and how much of their own money they spent on school supplies.
They then translated that to canned goods. For every hour they counted, they chipped in a can. For every $10 they spent, they chipped in a can. They added up 1,986 hours and a little of $1,200 spent.
On Thursday, Feb. 25, they donated the results — 2,100 cans of food — to the Ross Community Church’s food pantry at the board of education meeting, according to Bill Buelsing, Ross High science teacher, who helped organize the donation.
“We didn’t want to just give them what we didn’t want in our pantries,” Buelsing said, “so we organized it into meals or things that people could put in their lunch boxes.”
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