TM

WINTER 2015

Official Newsmagazine of Mariemont City Schools

Focus on:

preserving& protectingour schools

* **Enriching the Educational Experience

T rad i t i on . Commun i ty . I n n o va t i o n .

The Experience

My focus every day is to make sure that Mariemont City School District students are receiving an excellent education and have outstanding experiences learning and growing.

I am grateful for the support our community showed at the ballot this past November in support of our operating levy. This support brings much-needed operating dollars to our schools. I am honored to be a part of such a wonderful school system and community!

As I am sure you are aware, the state of Ohio is currently working on the development of its biennium budget. This is legislation that we need to watch very closely. At the forefront for all of us is frustration with the continual shift of the tax burden to fund education to local property owners; but, at the same time, we all recognize the need to protect and preserve the well-rounded education that our children receive in the Mariemont City School District.

The burden to fund our schools has gradually been shifting more and more to local taxpayers in the past decade as state dollars have been reduced cumulatively in our school district to the tune of $3.2 million dollars in the last four years alone. And now, we are at risk of losing even more.

I have shared my concerns with state legislators. Additionally, I serve on the legislative committee for the Buckeye Association of School Administrators – a committee that has an important voice in decisions made at the statehouse. We also have legislative experts working on our behalf through various professional organizations with which we partner. If you would like to contact your state representatives, I encourage you to do so as well.

Because, at the end of the day, the funding from our state helps to fund the important academic programming that takes place inside and outside the four walls of our classrooms. Funding to programs like Warriors BEyond and Warriors Change the World, both of which you will read more about in this publication; and Destination 2026, the blueprint that will guide our curricular and academic decisions in the future to keep us standing as one of best school systems in the country.

As always, I appreciate your support of Mariemont City Schools.

Sincerely,

Steven EsteppSuperintendent, Mariemont City Schools

2

lett

er f

rom

th

e

sup

eri

nte

nd

en

tfunding our

leaders of

www.mariemontschools.org

today,scholars of

tomorrow

3

funding our

I am always grateful for the support our community consistently shows to our school district, and I am humbled by the overwhelming support we saw at the ballot in November. Thank you for your collective vote of confidence.

My goal has always been to provide strong fiscal management for Mariemont City Schools. I try to make the district’s financial information as transparent and available as possible, and I encourage you to review our annual financial report and the school district’s five-year financial forecast.

Recently, Governor Kasich released his proposed state budget, which would further reduce state funding to the Mariemont City School District by 21% over two years through additional reductions totaling $848,123 – 3% of the school district’s total operating budget. This big cut is largely due to the total elimination of Tangible Personal Property (TPP) tax reimbursement funds, which we have received from the state for years and accounts for nearly $1 million dollars in annual funding that we rely on and that our students deserve. TPP, which was a business tax on inventory, machinery and equipment, was once a direct source of revenue for school districts. The state replaced TPP with a broader based commercial activity tax (CAT), which is levied on business receipts and is collected directly by the state. A portion of this CAT is used to reimburse school districts for losses; however, this would be eliminated under the current budget proposal.

Mr. Estepp and I both agree that the state budget needs to give our schools an increase in per pupil funding to reflect the inflationary costs that we, like every other school district and business, have experienced and to offset the expenses associated with new state mandates. We also need to be held harmless from the loss of TPP tax reimbursement, which is why we have so many people and organizations advocating on our behalf, encouraging state leaders to consider revisions to the state budget proposal to preserve and protect the state funding allocations to our school district.

Unfortunately, the state budget proposal was not a surprise. I have been very clear that we should be bracing ourselves for a significant decrease in state funding – this assumption was built into the operating levy that we passed in November and the current school district budget we are using. But, this doesn’t make it right.

I am hopeful that our collective voice will persuade our state leaders to protect our funding as they work to finalize the budget before it is signed into law.

Respectfully,

Tom GolinarTreasurer, Mariemont City Schools

our schools

letter from th

e

trea

sure

r

Winter 2015

today, andpreservingprotecting

4

If you were not able to attend the district’s 5th Annual State of the Schools Address in January, when we came together as a school district to celebrate last year’s successes while looking forward to our future, we’ve got you covered.

Below are some of the highlights from the address. You can also go to the district website > About > State of the Schools to watch the address in its entirety.

There are themes that really define who we are as a school district and where we are headed for the future:

Our community values a well-rounded education. We value excellence in arts, athletics and academics, and the work of our school district reflects this.

We want to make sure that our school district is — without question — one of the very best of all public and private schools in Ohio and beyond.

Thanks to conservative fiscal operations and the support of our community, our schools are in solid financial shape. This means that our schools can focus on education and academics.

Learning is happening everywhere, and the results of our students are outstanding.

On top of covering a lot of business and financial topics, Superintendent Steven Estepp recognized outstanding teachers and students; the Mariemont High School chamber ensemble orchestra sounded like a professional group; Mariemont High School student Josh Cook did an amazing job speaking in both Spanish and Mandarin; and the first grade class gave an adorable performance.

“Our challenge, while we navigate the future, is to ensure our students are ready, and that we do all of what we plan to do while maintaining our excellence,” said Mr. Estepp in his address. “Please know that, as a school district, our commitment to you is to do just that; and hopefully, with the innovative work I have shared with you tonight, you feel comfortable that we do have our hands on the wheel of this roller coaster of a ride that education everywhere is currently on.”

State of the Schools AddressAn Evening of Parent & Community Engagement to Showcase the Warrior Spirit

www.mariemontschools.org

5

–Steven Estepp, Superintendent

Our challenge, while we navigate the future, is to ensure our students are ready, and that we do all of what we plan to do while maintaining our excellence.”

Winter 2015

Mariemont City Schools Child Find Policy requires that all children below twenty-two (22) years of age residing within the district, who have a disability, regardless of the severity of their disability, and who are in need of special education and related services are identified, located and evaluated in accordance with all federal regulations and state standards.

For children, birth through age two, a disability means that a child has a behavior, cognition, communication, physical development, sensory development and/or social or emotional development deficit. For children ages three through five years of age, a disability means that a child has a documented deficit in one or more of the following areas: communication skills,

hearing abilities, motor functioning, social-emotional/behavior functioning or vision abilities. For school-age students, a disability means a person having one or more conditions such as autism, developmental handicap, hearing handicap, multi-handicap, orthopedically and or other health handicap, emotional/behavior handicap, specific learning disability, traumatic brain injury or visual handicap.

If you are aware of a child who you think may have a disability, please contact Tricia Buchert, director of student services at 513-272-7519.

Child Find Policy

5

6

Warriors BEyond Enriching the Educational Experience Through Warriors BEyond

Introduced at the State of the Schools address, Warriors BEyond will be the Mariemont City School District’s flagship program for student opportunities offered beyond the traditional curriculum in grades kindergarten through 12. There are four overarching pillars that define the Warriors BEyond offerings: enrichment activities, service learning, travel experiences and career opportunities.

Through this program, students will have the opportunity to explore interests, find passions and dig deeper into the school curriculum. This year, the district will implement the first two new experiences within the Warriors BEyond program.

Through a partnership with EF Tours, district 8th grade students will now have the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. to see firsthand all that they have learned in 8th grade US History. We have 89 students and nine staff members are going.

“I am thrilled that we are able to offer this hands-on, experiential learning opportunity to students,” said Molly Connaughton, Mariemont Junior High School principal. “This trip not only has a natural connection and extension to the curriculum, but is

a wonderful culminating activity for the students of the eighth grade.”

Also, the Mariemont City School District will be represented at the Global Leaders Summit, an annual summit where students from all over the world gather to discuss and solve modern day, global issues. At this year’s summit, students will study innovation and the future of education, gaining insight into different education systems as they travel throughout Europe. At the culminating conference in Switzerland, students will examine how technology and globalization are changing the academic landscape with Sir Ken Robinson, one of the world’s foremost thought leaders on creativity and innovation. Mariemont High School juniors Will Hobart and Lindsey Harden and high school teacher, Julie Bell, were selected as ambassadors for our school district.

“The Warriors BEyond program speaks volumes for the innovation that defines and will continue to define our school district,” said Steven Estepp, superintendent. “This is the important work we must do as a school system if we are going to keep our students competitive with their peers around the globe.”

WARRIOR CLUBWARRIOR CLUBWARRIOR CLUB2 Warrior Way | Cincinnati, Ohio 45227

Get updates and more information at www.mariemontschools.org

Mark YourCalendarJanuary 135th Annual State of the Schools Address | 7pm | MJHSFebruary 26Night of Singing Choir Concert

7pm | MHSFebruary 28Annual Carnival4pm | Mariemont ElementaryMarch 4

Strings Extravaganza Orchestra Concert | 7pmMariemont ElementaryMarch 5Band Bash Concert7pm | MHS gym

March 10Sports Stag Fundraiser | 6pm 20th Century Theater in OakleyMarch 20-22: MHS Spring MusicalTimes vary | MHS

Staff SpotlightCheryl Toepfer The Mariemont City School District has countless excellent teachers; teachers that have made an invaluable impact on students; teachers that you never forget. Cheryl Toepfer is one of those teachers, and she will be retiring this spring after 26 years of service to the Mariemont High School community.

“It’s a hard place to leave. I’m going to miss the students very much. I feel like I have a different perspective on the world because of my interaction with all

of these lovely, mostly well-mannered, kind young people,” said Cheryl. “They write about their lives, and I get to catch a glimpse of that. They write about what they love, and it makes me feel like the world is a beautiful place.”

Cheryl teaches AP English Language & Composition, junior college-prep English and FOCUS, which is a guided

study class for juniors and seniors. Cheryl loves teaching and really finds

satisfaction when “kids anticipate that they won’t like a particular book or genre and then they do” but she is also

looking forward to “unstructured time” in her retirement, doing things like spending time with her grandchildren

and her children, and having time to do some photography, biking, traveling, reading and freelance writing.“Cheryl has been instrumental in the

development and implementation of a writing program that is the exemplar for high schools in our region,” said Dr. James Renner, principal of Mariemont High School. “Teachers like Cheryl Toepfer are one of the primary reasons

why Mariemont High School has been continuously recognized as one of the top high schools in the city, the state and the nation. Cheryl is a tremendous

asset to this school community and her absence, both professionally and personally, will be felt by many.”

Warrior Club

Community. Tradition. Innovation.

CLUBHOUSETHE

WINTER 2014

Save the Date for the Warrior Club Breakfast!

March 25 | 8:00 am | MJHS | Details to come

Exclusive to Warrior Club members, The Clubhouse provides you with insider news and stories about our school district and the people and programs that make it special. We have also included upcoming dates for some special school events – I hope to see you at some of these, especially the Warrior Club breakfast on March 25. As I have stated before, without you we would not be able to provide the excellent academic and extracurricular

programming that we do for our current students.

Thank you for everything that you do for our Mariemont City Schools, and please enjoy our inaugural edition of The Clubhouse!

Respectfully,

Steven Estepp

* For more school events, please visit the calendar on the district website.

Note from the Superintendent

662371 Mariemont Warrior Club NL_2a.indd 1

12/22/14 9:31 AM

7

Are you or someone you know interested in becoming a Warrior Club member? You must be age 55 or older and reside in the school district, with no children attending school in the Mariemont City School District. Our Warrior Club members obtain free admission to all regular season district home sporting events and arts performances and are invited to special events, like the Warrior Club

breakfast on March 25. Members will also receive a subscription to the Warrior Club newsletter, which includes updates, stories and insider information about the school district. Club membership is free.

To find out more information visit the district website at www.mariemontschools.org > About > Warrior Club or call 513-272-7500.

Warrior Club

Winter 2015

WARRIOR CLUBWARRIOR CLUBWARRIOR CLUB2 Warrior Way | Cincinnati, Ohio 45227

Get updates and more information at

www.mariemontschools.org

Mark YourCalendarJanuary 135th Annual State of the Schools Address | 7pm | MJHSFebruary 26Night of Singing Choir Concert 7pm | MHSFebruary 28Annual Carnival4pm | Mariemont ElementaryMarch 4Strings Extravaganza Orchestra Concert | 7pmMariemont ElementaryMarch 5Band Bash Concert7pm | MHS gymMarch 10Sports Stag Fundraiser | 6pm 20th Century Theater in OakleyMarch 20-22: MHS Spring MusicalTimes vary | MHS

Staff SpotlightCheryl Toepfer

The Mariemont City School District has countless excellent teachers; teachers that have made an invaluable impact on students; teachers that you never forget. Cheryl Toepfer is one of those teachers, and she will be retiring this spring after 26 years of service to the Mariemont High School community.

“It’s a hard place to leave. I’m going to miss the students very much. I feel like I have a different perspective on the world because of my interaction with all of these lovely, mostly well-mannered, kind young people,” said Cheryl. “They write about their lives, and I get to catch a glimpse of that. They write about what they love, and it makes me feel like the world is a beautiful place.”

Cheryl teaches AP English Language & Composition, junior college-prep English and FOCUS, which is a guided study class for juniors and seniors. Cheryl loves teaching and really finds

satisfaction when “kids anticipate that they won’t like a particular book or genre and then they do” but she is also looking forward to “unstructured time” in her retirement, doing things like spending time with her grandchildren and her children, and having time to do some photography, biking, traveling, reading and freelance writing.

“Cheryl has been instrumental in the development and implementation of a writing program that is the exemplar for high schools in our region,” said Dr. James Renner, principal of Mariemont High School. “Teachers like Cheryl Toepfer are one of the primary reasons why Mariemont High School has been continuously recognized as one of the top high schools in the city, the state and the nation. Cheryl is a tremendous asset to this school community and her absence, both professionally and personally, will be felt by many.”

Warrior Club Community. Tradition. Innovation.

CLUBHOUSETHE

WINTER 2014

Save the Date for the Warrior Club Breakfast!March 25 | 8:00 am | MJHS | Details to come

Exclusive to Warrior Club m

embers,

The Clubhouse provides you wi

th

insider news and stories about

our

school district and the people

and

programs that make it special

. We

have also included upcoming d

ates

for some special school event

s – I

hope to see you at some of

these,

especially the Warrior Club

breakfast

on March 25. As I have

stated

before, without you we would

not

be able to provide the excell

ent

academic and extracurricular

programming that we

do for our current

students.

Thank you for everything th

at you

do for our Mariemont City

Schools,

and please enjoy our inaugur

al

edition of The Clubhouse!

Respectfully,

Steven Estepp

*For more school events, please visit the calendar on the district website.

Note from the Superintendent

662371 Mariemont Warrior Club NL_2a.indd 1 12/22/14 9:31 AM

Don and Peggy Keyes have lived in Mariemont for almost 40 years and have been strong advocates for the community and school system throughout that time.

Both of their sons attended school in the Mariemont City School District. Their son Todd found out about the Warrior Club benefits and thought it would be a great birthday gift for both of them because of their love for the community. Their grandchildren currently attend Mariemont City Schools, so they will enjoy attending various athletic and arts events for free using their Warrior Club cards!

WARRIOR CLUBWARRIOR CLUBWARRIOR CLUB2 Warrior Way | Cincinnati, Ohio 45227

Get updates and more information at www.mariemontschools.org

Mark YourCalendarJanuary 135th Annual State of the Schools Address | 7pm | MJHSFebruary 26Night of Singing Choir Concert

7pm | MHSFebruary 28Annual Carnival4pm | Mariemont ElementaryMarch 4

Strings Extravaganza Orchestra Concert | 7pmMariemont ElementaryMarch 5Band Bash Concert7pm | MHS gym

March 10Sports Stag Fundraiser | 6pm 20th Century Theater in OakleyMarch 20-22: MHS Spring MusicalTimes vary | MHS

Staff SpotlightCheryl Toepfer The Mariemont City School District has countless excellent teachers; teachers that have made an invaluable impact on students; teachers that you never forget. Cheryl Toepfer is one of those teachers, and she will be retiring this spring after 26 years of service to the Mariemont High School community.

“It’s a hard place to leave. I’m going to miss the students very much. I feel like I have a different perspective on the world because of my interaction with all

of these lovely, mostly well-mannered, kind young people,” said Cheryl. “They write about their lives, and I get to catch a glimpse of that. They write about what they love, and it makes me feel like the world is a beautiful place.”

Cheryl teaches AP English Language & Composition, junior college-prep English and FOCUS, which is a guided

study class for juniors and seniors. Cheryl loves teaching and really finds

satisfaction when “kids anticipate that they won’t like a particular book or genre and then they do” but she is also

looking forward to “unstructured time” in her retirement, doing things like spending time with her grandchildren

and her children, and having time to do some photography, biking, traveling, reading and freelance writing.“Cheryl has been instrumental in the

development and implementation of a writing program that is the exemplar for high schools in our region,” said Dr. James Renner, principal of Mariemont High School. “Teachers like Cheryl Toepfer are one of the primary reasons

why Mariemont High School has been continuously recognized as one of the top high schools in the city, the state and the nation. Cheryl is a tremendous

asset to this school community and her absence, both professionally and personally, will be felt by many.”

Warrior Club

Community. Tradition. Innovation.

CLUBHOUSETHE

WINTER 2014

Save the Date for the Warrior Club Breakfast!

March 25 | 8:00 am | MJHS | Details to come

Exclusive to Warrior Club members, The Clubhouse provides you with insider news and stories about our school district and the people and programs that make it special. We have also included upcoming dates for some special school events – I hope to see you at some of these, especially the Warrior Club breakfast on March 25. As I have stated before, without you we would not be able to provide the excellent academic and extracurricular

programming that we do for our current students.

Thank you for everything that you do for our Mariemont City Schools, and please enjoy our inaugural edition of The Clubhouse!

Respectfully,

Steven Estepp

* For more school events, please visit the calendar on the district website.

Note from the Superintendent

662371 Mariemont Warrior Club NL_2a.indd 1

12/22/14 9:31 AM

8

The Mariemont Elementary School 6th grade ExploraVision teams spent an afternoon at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center’s Genetics Lab. Ella Waltz, Alyssa Bach, Olivia Sullivan and Jackson Hacias created a futuristic proposal to develop a patch made of skin cells that have been engineered to identify cancer cells and then trigger an attack on the cancer cells. Their project proposal was submitted to the National Science Teacher Association’s Toshiba ExploraVision contest.

Proposal for Cancer Research

Five Mariemont High School students were named National Merit Semifinalists. Seniors Christopher Benson, Addison Shelley, Steven Hassey, Katie Gaburo and Andrew Grissom scored in the top 1% of the nearly 1.6 million students who took the test in 2013. Graham McCarthy was also recognized for his outstanding academic promise as a Commended Student, meaning he met the high academic standards on the qualifying test.

National Merit Scholars

Mariemont High School focuses on leadership qualities to help students understand what it takes to become a leader. Each month, one leadership quality is highlighted and teachers nominate students who have shown this quality during the month. For the month of February, the leadership quality was courage. The three students that were selected were Morgan King, Hadley George & Lizzy Geary.

Leadership Quality of the Month

Everybody Counts

Everybody Counts is dedicated to the empowerment and independence of people with disabilities, and a big part of that is educating everyone about disabilities and impairments. Terrace Park Elementary School students learned about different disabilities, such as learning differences, motor impairments, chronic conditions and visual impairments, and discussing ways we can all be more accepting of each other.

New Voices

Mariemont High School participated in “New Voices,” a collaborative photography project for our photography, video & journalism students. The students worked with the US Bank Boys & Girls Club of Cincinnati, with the teen youth of Avondale. During this nine-week long project our students met with teens from Avondale every Wednesday after school.

We participate in a Kindness Retreat in the 5th grade, a Courage Retreat in the 7th grade, and, starting this year, a Respect Retreat in the 10th grade. Hosted by Youth Frontiers, these retreats focus on empowering students and changing the way kids treat each other in every hallway, lunch line, classroom and life situation.

Retreats

Ch

eck

Us

Ou

t!

www.mariemontschools.org

9

The Mariemont Elementary School 6th grade ExploraVision teams spent an afternoon at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center’s Genetics Lab. Ella Waltz, Alyssa Bach, Olivia Sullivan and Jackson Hacias created a futuristic proposal to develop a patch made of skin cells that have been engineered to identify cancer cells and then trigger an attack on the cancer cells. Their project proposal was submitted to the National Science Teacher Association’s Toshiba ExploraVision contest.

Proposal for Cancer Research

Five Mariemont High School students were named National Merit Semifinalists. Seniors Christopher Benson, Addison Shelley, Steven Hassey, Katie Gaburo and Andrew Grissom scored in the top 1% of the nearly 1.6 million students who took the test in 2013. Graham McCarthy was also recognized for his outstanding academic promise as a Commended Student, meaning he met the high academic standards on the qualifying test.

National Merit Scholars

Thirteen swim team student-athletes competed at the High School State Swimming Tournament. MHS’s swimming & diving program had a record-breaking season, as the girls swim team placed 2nd in the Ohio Division II state meet. Go Warriors!

Swim Team Goes to State

This year, all MJHS students joined students all over the world for an Hour of Code during Computer Science Education Week. The Hour of Code is a global movement reaching tens of millions of students in 180+ countries.

Hour of Code

We participate in a Kindness Retreat in the 5th grade, a Courage Retreat in the 7th grade, and, starting this year, a Respect Retreat in the 10th grade. Hosted by Youth Frontiers, these retreats focus on empowering students and changing the way kids treat each other in every hallway, lunch line, classroom and life situation.

Retreats

Mariemont High School hosted two visitors from Liuzhou, China. As part of the Cincinnati Sister City Exchange, in partnership with the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Chen Yan Yi and Huang Yan Fei gave presentations about life in China and Chinese culture.

Visitors from China

Winter 2015

For more news stories, visit the school district website!

10

In the spirit of our Destination 2026 work, principals were challenged to create “ignition initiatives” this year — a push to think differently and develop unique experiences for students. Our elementary school principals chose to expand an ongoing project called “Warriors Change the World” in which both the students’ academic minds and their compassionate hearts are called to action.

Through the initiative, some of the elementary grades further developed their existing community service work; such is true with the kindergarten class. Part of the social studies curriculum in kindergarten focuses on exploring family, friendships and community; therefore, kindergartners’ contributions to “changing the world” is focused on developing relationships with the residents of Mercy St. Teresa.

R e t i r e d

kindergarten teacher Jane Concannon had been decorating the room doors at Mercy St. Theresa every December with student-created artwork for years. A few years ago, the rest of the kindergarten classes jumped in and started making valentines for the residents. Now all of six of the district kindergarten classes go to Mercy St. Theresa around Valentine’s Day to deliver their valentines and sing old favorites, like Daisy (Bicycle Built for Two), You Are My Sunshine, Take Me Out To the Ball Game, and Let Me Call You Sweetheart.

One of the kindergarten teachers overheard one resident tell another, “I am going to hang these valentines up and I may never take them down!”

“As the residents sang along, smiled and held tight to their valentines, we knew we would be coming back every Valentine’s Day!” said Missy Fields, kindergarten teacher at Mariemont Elementary School. “When Warriors Change the World began to take form, Mercy Saint Theresa seemed like a natural fit. We have seen our students grow more comfortable with each visit, and they love doing the projects. We truly hope to be making a change for both our students and the residents.”

So far the kindergarten classes visited on Grandparents Day to perform their “Turkey Song” and in December the students made door decorations for the residents. Their plan is to make a spring project to share with their new friends.

Said one student, “This was the best thing we’ve ever done.”

The Best Thing We’ve Ever Done

www.mariemontschools.org

11

In recent years, Maker Spaces have been appearing in many libraries. Mariemont High School librarian Emily Colpi was inspired to start something similar at Mariemont High School.

“Libraries of all kinds are re-thinking what the space can look like now that they no longer need to be the warehouse for books. One of the ways we have been inspired is that MakerSpaces are gathering places for minds and creativity. Now the library is not only the place where you get the stuff, but it can be the place where you make the stuff,” says Colpi.

The two goals Mrs. Colpi has for Maker Monday are hands-on learning and collaboration. She feels that these types of learning are the most helpful to students, especially with such a structured school day.

“We have a unique situation in that we are really small, and yet we offer a lot of amazing opportunities. One of the things I’ve noticed is we have all of these really bright students with cool ideas but really busy school schedules. One thing I think Maker Space can do is provide flexibility for big thinkers,” said Mrs. Colpi.

Some of Maker Monday’s projects include working with the 3D printer, sewing tech gloves, creating stop action animation and making the library stairs into a big piano. Maker Monday will also be bringing in more professional speakers to discuss topics of interest with the students.

“I very much appreciate the information and skills taught during Maker Mondays, and the access to tools and technologies I would not have otherwise,” said Logan Urbanski, Mariemont High School student.

You can access Ms. Thier’s full article in The Warpath, the high school’s student-run publication, at www.warpathonline.org.

Maker Mondays: Do You Want to Know How to Make…

Winter 2015

By: Hunter Thiers

The Mariemont Junior High School 7th grade class found an impactful way to incorporate learning with compassion while thinking globally. In Tom Amlung’s science class, the students study geology, ground water, its quality and the importance of clean and safe drinking water. As part of the unit, they also discuss why safe drinking water is scarce worldwide.

“In an effort to help students reach beyond their borders, I proposed the idea of creating our own Warrior Water Project, in which students would be helping to bring safe drinking water to communities across Africa,” said Mr. Amlung.

As part of The Water Project, which is an organization working to provide clean, safe drinking water to the nearly 1 billion people who suffer needlessly without it in the developing world, the students were challenged to make water their only beverage for two weeks; track the money that would have gone toward other beverages; give it their very best to reach the goal of $23 each; and bring in their savings at the end of the challenge.

The students set a $3,000 goal and have raised $1,061.95 for the Warrior Water Project. This money helps to sponsor the building of a wellhead in Africa. Added to that, The Water Project will inform the students of the exact latitude and longitude of the water well.

“This project helped students reach out beyond their own four walls and challenged them to make a difference in our global community. Our students gave to others by giving up and using that to change lives across the world,” said Mr. Amlung. “I am very proud of what we were able to accomplish, and I believe participation in this project made important changes in the hearts and minds of our students!”

If you would like to make a donation, please visit www.thewaterproject.org/community/profile/thomas-amlung.

Building a Well in Africa

12

IMPO

RTA

NT IN

FOR

MA

TION

13Winter 2015

As always, we encourage all alumni to stay in touch! The best way to do so is by emailing mhsalumni@mariemontschools.org with your name and current contact information, along with any news you would like to share. In addition, you can sign up for the district newsletter on the homepage of the district website.

HeyAlumni!

Social MediaThe district regularly uses social media outlets to disseminate information as well as post pictures and announcements. Below are the links to the social media pages for Mariemont City Schools:

You can also follow Superintendent Steven Estepp on Twitter (@Estepp), Instagram (SEstepp) or on his blog on the district website.

The district also has an app, available to Apple and Android users. The app is called “Mariemont CSD” and the district uses push notifications to announce any urgent news, so please click “OK” when prompted about push notifications for our app.

Did you tweet about your child’s Warrior Change

the World project? Or what about the college to

which your teenager just got accepted? Include

#MariemontExperience in your post or tweet if you’re

posting a feel-good story about your or a loved one’s

involvement with the Mariemont City School District.

We’d love to track these highlights and include them in

future publications!

@MariemontSchool Mariemont City Schools

1414

March

March 20-22: MHS Spring Musical “Singing in the Rain”March 27: End of 3rd Quarter, Early DismissalMarch 30-April 3: Spring Break

AprilApril 6: No School for StudentsApril 18: FAB Affair (7pm, Indian Hill Winter Club)April 21: Board of Education Meeting

(7pm, Mariemont Elementary School Cafeteria)

www.mariemontschools.org

Upcoming EventsPlease reference the district website calendar for more dates and activities.

WarriorsRULE!

1515

May

May 1-2: MJHS Play “Murder by Indecision” (MHS)May 4-8: Staff Appreciation WeekMay 5: 4th Grade Try-It Night (4-7pm, MHS)May 12: Open House & Art Show (7pm, Mariemont Elementary School)May 13: Open House, Art Show & Book Fair (7pm, Terrace Park

Elementary School)May 15-17: 6th Grade Play “Cinderella” (Mariemont Elementary School)

Winter 2015

WarriorsRULE!

Want the inside scoop? Catch the Mariemont Minute! Released monthly, each video segment focuses on something new or innovative happening in the district. Hosted on Warrior Watch, the district’s YouTube-like platform, you can access these short, informative videos via the district homepage.

Check us out!

2 W

arri

or W

ay |

Cin

cinn

ati,

Ohi

o 45

227

TM

Mariemont City School DistrictSuperintendent: Steven Estepp2 Warrior WayCincinnati, Ohio 45227Phone: 513-272-7500Fax: 513-527-3436 Mariemont High SchoolPrincipal: James Renner, PhD1 Warrior WayCincinnati, Ohio 45227Phone: 513-272-7600Fax: 513-527-5991

Mariemont Junior High SchoolPrincipal: Molly Connaughton3847 Southern AvenueCincinnati, Ohio 45227Phone: 513-272-7300 Mariemont Elementary SchoolPrincipal: Ericka Simmons6750 Wooster PikeCincinnati, Ohio 45227Phone: 513-272-7400Fax: 513-527-3411

Terrace Park Elementary School Principal: Linda Lee723 Elm AvenueTerrace Park, Ohio 45174Phone: 513-272-7700Fax: 513-831-1249

ww

w.m

ari

emon

tsch

ools

.org

SCHOOL CONTACT

INFORMATION

Vis

it t

he

dis

tric

t h

omep

ag

e to

su

bsc

rib

e to

dis

tric

t n

ews,

vie

w

the

late

st M

ari

emon

t M

inu

te v

ideo

or

rea

d t

he

sup

erin

ten

den

t’s b

log

.

To g

et t

he

late

st u

pd

ate

s, “

like”

us

on

Fa

ceb

ook

an

d f

ollo

w u

s on

Tw

itte

r (@

Ma

riem

ontS

choo

l).

Find

us

on

and

Board of EducationBill FlynnMike GaburoMarie HuenefeldDee WalterKen White