Cross Country Wins Regionals - Fort Thomas Independent Schools

Highlands Middle School Newspaper
Volume 5 Issue1 November
Cross Country Wins Regionals
By Sydney Ossege
L
ast year, the girls and boys team did
not have enough runners for a middle school team. This season they
have more than enough for two girls’ team
and two boys’ team. For the 2012 season
there is a new coach, Mr. Brian Alessandro. Coach Alessandro has gotten 30 new
runners for the boys and girls team. He
said, “I wanted to be coach because I love
this sport, and I want to share my knowledge and hopefully influence them the
way people influenced me with running.”
Coach Alessandro ran as a middle school
student, ran as a high school student for
Highlands, and ran at NKU when he was
in college. Now he is ready to put his success into the 2012 Cross Country team.
Coach Alessandro ran as an
eighth grader in track and ran cross
country as an eleventh grader. “In high
school, I just ran what I was told and raced
as hard as I could, every time,” he said.
He competed in many regionals and state
meets, but he never won gold medal at
state. He is very proud though, because
even when he and his 4X800 relay team
finished second at the state meet they still
beat the state record and have the record
still today for the school. He also ran track
and Cross Country at NKU when he was
in college. Coach Alessandro said, “I also
had confidence going in to any race that I
will win because running is an extremely
mental sport.”
This season there has been a
major change in runners from last year to
this year. Most of the new runners this
year like Addie Parris, eighth grader, said,
Above: Sydney Ossege, eighth grader, Karsen Hunter, seventh grader, Karli Baioni, sixth grader, and Chloe
Gastright, eighth grader, walk up to get their first place trophy.
“I run Cross Country to stay in shape and
compete.” Most of the new runners were
asked by Coach Alessandro to run Cross
Country after running track for him. Ian
Heithaus, eighth grader, said, “I get to
exercise, hang out with my friends, and
get medals all at the same time.” Most of
the new runners had Coach Alessandro
as a teacher and he just asked him or they
joined with their friends. Just like Coach
Alessandro many of the new runners like
Colt Parris, eighth grader, said, “If you
don’t put in the practice, the harder it will
be in practice and you won’t do as well in
meets.”
The team practices Monday thru
Friday starting at 3:30 at Highland Park.
“First we do a warm up run down to the
Dog Park and back.” Colt Parris said.
“Next we will stretch and then go do a
workout or go run outside of the park.”
Some days you just can’t practice with
either the heat or rain. Chloe Gastright,
eighth grader, said, “Practice may sound
boring, but it is actually really fun because
you get to be with your friends.” Some
days practice is either running a work
out or running out of the park and getting
in miles. Coach Alessandro said, “We
prepare for races through solid practices
on a daily basis. Just like anything else,
Continued on pg. 4
2
Staff
Peyton Anderson, Emily Buten, Josh Carter, Matt
Crockett, Lauren Epperson,
Payton Epperson, Lily Fennell, Andrea Holt, Emma
Little, Noah Moore, Kayla
Nehus, Sydney Ossege, Rebecca Pelle, Emma Petersen,
Chris Polly, Jodokus Sieverding, Corinne Smith, Dylan
Tierney, Alexis Wolfe
Advisor
Lisa Birkley
Behind the Blue is a publication by and for the students
of Highlands Middle School.
It is the goal of our staff to
report to you the school news,
opinions and current events
as accurately and professionally as possible.
We would appreciate any comments that would
help the journalism staff to
improve the final product.
We will correct any inaccurate facts in the following
issue only if they are called to
our attention.
We welcome any
letters to the editor as long as
they meeting the following
criteria: the maximum number of words is 250, and it
must be signed by the author.
We reserve the right to edit
any letter or grammatical errors. You may send us a letter
by placing it in Mrs. Birkley’s
mailbox or mail it to us at:
Highlands Middle School
2350 Memorial Parkway
Fort Thomas, KY 41075
Attn: Lisa Birkley
or
email: Lisa.birkley@fortthomas.kyschools.us
When Nature Calls, It Must Be Answered
By: Alexis Wolfe
T
ick, tock, tick, tock. The clock
is evil; it’s going slower on
purpose. Tick tock tick tock.
Many know the feeling when you absolutely need to go to the bathroom.
You cannot hold it any longer!
The general rule about
bathroom breaks is that students
need to get the bathroom during the
4 minutes between classes. However, getting from class to class and
changing books at lockers during that
four minutes is a challenge in itself.
A bathroom break is not in the equation. Add to this the fact that many
of the students are coming from the
high school. However, this is the
general policy. Teachers are permitted to make exceptions to the rule.
Bathroom policies shift
from teacher to teacher within the
middle school, but most teachers will
give students several passes a quarter
to leave class and go to the bathroom. Some students need more of
these passes than the amount given.
There are students that feel this is
unfair. Jackson Cody, eighth grader,
said, “It’s horrible because most of
the time I have no time after class.”
However, teachers do have reasons
for their policy.
The bathroom policy does
address some problems. Mrs. Patty
Ohntrup, eighth and seventh grade
social studies teacher, had some
concerns about free-style bathroom
privileges. “In the past there have
been discipline and vandalism issues with students being in the halls
without any supervision,” she said.
Mrs. Ohntrup gives students eight
bathroom passes per quarter, she
said, “That is almost one trip out of
the room per week per quarter, so
I’m hoping it is fair without being
too excessive. Also, when I was part
of team 8-2 that is what we allowed
the students, so I’m just continuing
with that number.”
Not only are there supervision issues, there is the disruption
of class. Mr. Mark Goetz, Principal,
said, “Students leaving and entering the
classroom cause a disruption for other
students and missing any class time means
missing content.”
Students have come up with their
own way of dealing with this policy. Donnie Adams, eighth grader, said, “I do have
time to get from class to class. I just go to
the bathroom before and after school.” Not
everyone can physically do that.
Mr. Jason Burgess, eighth grade
and high school drama teacher, said, “I
allow my middle school students to be
slightly late because I know a lot of times
that they are coming from the middle
school and that is a hike. The first couple
of days of the quarter, I am honest with
the students, and I tell them that I understand the difficulty getting to my class
in a short amount of time. Therefore, I
allow my students an extra minute to get
to my class. As long as they get to my
class quickly, I then allow them to go get
a drink of water or use the bathroom. It is
all about respect and understanding.”
Some teachers agree that students
should be permitted to use the rest room
during class if there is an urgent need.
Mrs. Angela Cochran, eighth grade math
teacher, allows students go when they
need to. She said, “If a student needs to
go to the bathroom, they need to go. You
should get there and get back as quickly
as possible.” She also said, “If it starts
getting abused, I may need to change the
policy.”
Restricting students from going
to the bathroom when they need to could
cause some medical problems. Postponing
the use of the rest room can cause infections and stretch the bladder. This in a
problem in itself. However, it is compounded when students avoid drinking to
cut down on the need to go. Students are
getting dehydrated. Dr. Wilson Morely,
The Division of Geriatric Medicine, St.
Louis University Health Sciences Center,
has been found that performance deteriorates in mildly dehydrated organisms.
This dehydration could affect a student’s
academic performance.
So while the policy has not been
changed, students are dealing with the
policy as best they can. Some teachers
understand and some are strictly following
the policy. It is apparent that this an issue
that needs further study so that there is
consistency and compassion.
Seven Through Twelve Campus Causes Problems
By: Emily Buten
F
In the end, both
high school student threw a milk carton at
ort Thomas Independent School
principals
believe that
her. She has also said that high school stuDistrict is one of the few disthe
benefits
of having
dents have called her names like midget or
tricts in Kentucky that has a high
a
shared
campus
and
teased her about being in middle school.
school and middle school that have
teachers,
far
outweighs
Mr. Mark Goetz, middle school
their own buildings, but share the same
a few negative encouncampus. This unique situation mixes all principal, and Mr. Brian Robinson, high
school principal, are doing everything they ters between the two age
students from seniors to sixth graders.
groups. Furthermore, the
can to make sure that this doesn’t happen.
The two schools share teachprincipals have done ev“Both schools ramped up supervision this
ers and facilities. Several times a day
year,” said Mr. Goetz. More teachers are in erything in their power to
middle school and high school students
ensure it doesn’t happen
the halls during class changes and before
crowd into the hallways. Some middle
and after school. The high school has also again. In fact, Mr., Robschool students have reported negative
inson said, “I love having
shortened the time between bell changes,
encounters with high school students.
middle school students in
so that the high school students only get
These reported incidents involving
the hall.”
four minutes between classes instead of
the high
It might
school
take
a
year
students
or
two
to
have been
get
used
to
few, but
sharing
the
enough
campus. It
to draw
is fairly new,
attention
and everyone
to the
is adjusting.
problem.
Whether it
is older kids
There
trying to
have
be funny or
been two
younger kids
reported
being intimiinstances
dated, the best
that high
thing to do is
school stutell someone
dents said
in authority
something
and let them
inaphandle the
propriate
Above: Moving through the crowded hallways, middle school and high school students try to get to class.
problem.
to middle In recent history, there have been some reports that middle school students were getting some unwanted
school
attention.
students.
Noah
five. The theory is that the students will
Moore, eighth grader, had a run in with
not have time to mess around with middle
a high school student in the stairwell.
school students. They will barely have
Moore was on his way to the high
time to get to class.
school for his 5th period class, Ge
As far as what happened to
ometry, when he bumped into a high
schooler with his backpack and then the Lorenz and Moore, “These instances are
isolated,” said Mr. Goetz.
high schooler said, “What are all these
Mr. Robinson has some advice if
**** five year-olds doing here?”
something does happen with a high school
In another instance Lily
student. He said, “Talk to a teacher; it’s
Lorenz, seventh grader, was walking
their job.”
through the high school to band when a
3
4
Cross Country Cont. page 1
Below: Addie Parris, Chay Rust, Brandon Walsh and Rebecca Pelle, eighth graders, prepare for the regional
preparation and hard work equal success.”
The girls and boys team went to the
Middle School Regionals at Scott on October 17, The girls’ team got first with 53
points over Ryle which scored 99 points to
get second. Coach Alessandro said, “I am
most excited about the fact that we have
such talented middle school runners who
will be able to run at the high school level
for the next four years.”
The girls and boys team are ready
to compete with all the new runners they
have. The new coach got a lot of new runners to run for him after seeing them in his
class or by track. Beth Ann Griffith, eighth
grader, said, “Cross Country is very fun.
I think if you enjoy running you should
join.”
Above: Sydney Ossege, eighth grader, runs in the
middle school regional meet. She received 1st place
overall.
Above: Ian Heithaus, eighth grader, tries to over take
a Villa Madonna runner at the Regional Meet. Ian
was first on the team for the boys and 31st overal1.
Above: Keeping pace with the leaders, Colt Parris,
eighth grader, finishes his meet with a 36th place.
“I was happy that Mr. Alessandro won coach of the
year,” said Parris.
Fifteen Minutes Does Make a Difference
By: Josh Carter
“
I’m not a morning person, so I
don’t really like starting school
earlier. But when I put things in
perspective, I realize that it’s no big
deal,” said Mrs. Dianne Yelton, sixth
grade English teacher. Mrs. Yelton is
referring to change in the start time of
of the middle school’s day. Everyone
starts fifteen minutes earlier, in order to
fix some scheduling problems.
The big question is, “Why did
the schedule have to change in the first
place?” In the past the high school and
the middle school share facilities, but they
were on a different bell schedule. The
high school started at 8:00A.M. and ended
at 2:45P.M. The middle school started at
8:15A.M. and ended at 3:00P.M. Most
students had at least one of their classes
in the high school, and some high school
classes were held in the middle school.
Last year, for example, if a
student took German as an eighth grader,
they had to start school at 8:00A.M.,
which was 15 minutes earlier than the
middle school’s start time. However,
this class ended 15 minutes ahead of the
middle school. The German students
reported to Mr. Kevin Nieporte, science
teacher, for those 15 minutes. Classes at
the beginning of the day were easier to
deal with than if students had class in the
high school in different hours of the day.
For this reason, many kids missed fifteen
minutes of class because their teacher had
a high school class fifteen minutes before
the middle school class was over.
Changing the schedule to match
Teacher Comes Back to Give Back
5
Education. He likes how much individual
attention he is able to give to each of the
students. He also said he enjoys teaching
middle school because he said, “It’s just
not the same teaching at other schools.
r. William Evans,
HMS is run so well, and the
a Highlands High
students are great!” Mr. Evans
School graduate,
said that he thinks the stuhas returned to the middle
dents are very self-motivated.
school where he went to
“You can give them someschool. However, instead of
thing to do, and they will put
being a student, Mr. Evans
their best effort into it.”
returns as a special education
Mr. Mark Goetz, printeacher. He is ready to put his
cipal, was impressed by Mr.
helpful personality to use with
Evans. He said that Mr. Evans
the eighth graders.
stood out at the interview
Before coming back,
because he wanted to teach so
Mr. Evans taught at Turmuch that he had changed cakeyfoot Middle School, and
reers to teach. He also thinks
Twenhofel Middle School.
Mr. Evans is a good Special
Mr. Evans said he is actually
Ed. Teacher because, “He
very comfortable teaching
cares about the students.”
here because he already knew
Outside of his job, Mr.
some of the teachers from
Evans said he enjoys cleanwhen he was a student. “I
ing, cutting the grass, and
Above: Mr. William Evans, teacher, works with several students in Mrs. Stephanie
wanted to do well,” he said,
cooking at his house in Fort
Ewald’s eighth grade math class. Mr. Evans helps any of the students in the class
“in front of all those people
who needs more explanation or extra help. Mrs. Ewald said, “I don’t know what I
Thomas where he lives with
who taught me.”
would do without Mr. Evans in my 6th period class. He really works well with all the his wife and their two English
One such teacher
students.”
bulldogs.
was Mr. Rob McCoy, English
By coming back to his
teacher, who taught Mr. Evans when he
old school, Mr. Evans said, “It has absofirm called Ipsos,” said Mr. Evans. He
was in eighth grade. He said, “He was
lutely been a positive experience.”
also took classes to become a nurse.
a very hard working student.” He abso
Mr. Evans finally found his
lutely believed that Mr. Evans would be a
true calling which was teaching Special
teacher based on how he was as a student.
By: Corinne Smith
M
the high school was a “no-brainer” for Mr.
Mark Goetz, Principal. He said, “Our new
school hours will synchronize the schedule and allow every minute of the day to
be utilized for instructional gains.” There
was a generally positive response to this
change from the teachers. Mrs. Debbie
Hamel, gym and health teacher, said, “It
went smoother than I thought.”
The teachers were not the only
people with opinions about the change.
The students also had a positive response.
Noah Tippenhauer, eighth grader, said
“The schedule was fine, and I’m not
tired.” He implied that the 15 minutes of
lost sleep in the morning didn’t make a big
Originally Mr. Evans started
working with kids coaching football. He
coached and worked in the business world
too. He considered a career in marketing.
“I was a project director for a marketing
difference.
The new schedule solves a significant problem. Some teachers had to send
their middle school kids to the SBDM
room for fifteen minutes every day after
lunch while they finished the high school
class they taught. Fifteen minutes may not
sound important but in reality, if you miss
fifteen minutes of school every day, that
adds up to 44 hours of missed education
during the school year.
When it is put in perspective,
most people thought it was a great change.
Dr. Dawn Laber, Assistant Principal, said,
“It was a great change! We share teachers
with the high school, and it was necessary
for us to be on the same schedule. The
kids were missing valuable class time and
we were not utilizing our teaching staff to
their full potential. Now we have the best
of both worlds.”
6
The Kick-Off Party Starts the Year off with a
F
rom eating
pizza and
playing corn
hole to dancing and
painting faces, the
Annual Kick-Off
party started off the
year. “Spending time
with friends, since I
didn’t know a lot of
people I got to meet
new people too” said
Addison Reynolds, sixth
grader. The Kick-Off
party is an annual event
for the students to enjoy
and have fun before the
first football game.
Most students had
comments about the kick-off
party. “It’s a place to hang out
with friends before the game
starts and have fun and free food,”
said Doug Buckler, eighth grader.
Savannah Slaby, eighth grader, said,
“To add to the hours of
fun.” Another
pur-
Above: Rainey Singer, sixth grader, enjoys The Kick Off Party by getting her entire face painted.
Singer said, “It was fun, and I had an awesome time.”
Above: Mr. Collin Shadwell, art teacher,
paints sixth grader, Yazmine Akamine’s
face. Mr. Shadwell decided to share his
artistic talent with the students.
pose of the Kick-Off Party was to get
kids excited about game. “It’s to get us
pumped for the opening game,” said Paul
Tully, eighth grader. Whether it’s the
food, getting pumped for the game, the
Kick-off party seems to be a favorite for
most students.
At the Kick- off Party, there
were plenty of activities to enjoy. Students could get their face painted blue and
white or like a blue bird. They could play
a round of corn hole, or dance with some
friends. There was also plenty of pizza
and drinks. Lexi Goettke, eighth grader,
said, “I loved being there with my friends
dancing, hanging out, and having fun.”
“It was fun being able to mingle with
your friends and talk to kids that are
younger than you, but I do like high
school better,” said Corrine Carnahan,
freshmen. “The Kick-off Party is
something I won’t forget.”
The kick-off party started off
the year, with plenty of things to do,
people to talk to, and games to play.
It’s a safe and annual event for students to enjoy before the first football
game. “It was really fun, the best part
was dancing with my friends,” said
Andy Fields, eighth grader.
7
Left: Tyler
Braker, Taylor
Beyersdorfer,
eighth grader,
Morgan Coffey,
Rachel Ray and
Jane Ellen Jones
Dance on the
plaza during The
Annual Kick-Off
Party. The Radio
Station, Q-102
provided the
music and prizes
at the party.
Below: Phoebe
Murphy, Lexus
Ossege and Shelby Smith, seventh
graders, all had
their faces painted
by some of the
volunteers at the
party. This year
Highlands art students volunteered
to paint faces.
Above: McKenna Miller, sixth grader, dances with the
students. Her artwork was painted by the HHS student volunteers. Miller said, “The Kick-Off was fun and I enjoyed
going to it.”
Above: Keva Turner, Regan Silverton, Tianna Dooley and Ava Losey and
Hannah Winstol, sixth graders, were excited about the first football game of the
season.
8 Students Enjoy Playhouse
his home in the French country side in
order to become a Musketeer.
On the way he meets three
By Josti Sieverding
Musketeers Athos, Aramis, Porthos, and
he challenges all three to a dual but before
they could kill each other they chose to
magine it is the 17th century and the
fight their common enemy the Cardinal.
musketeers rule the land. Muske The idea to go
teers are the
to the play started
queen’s royal
before school
guard and do
ended last year.
whatever it takes
Mrs. Lisa Birkto uphold the
ley, eighth grade
kingdom’s honor.
English teacher,
On September
said “I called
19th, The eighth
about getting tickgrade students
ets to the play A
were treated
Christmas Carol.
to The Three
The sales manMusketeers, a
ager at Playhouse,
play based on the
recommended a
novel by Alexannew show, The
dre Dumas. The
Three Musketeers,
performance was
and I asked her to
at Playhouse in
reserve them for
the Park.
the eighth grade.
The
The play was a
play began
perfect match for
with a young
our curriculum.”
man named
The students
d’Artagnon. He
were studying the
is on his way
Above: Allison Wood and Lily Fennell, eighth graders, wait
to become a
in the lobby of The Playhouse in the Park to be seated. Fen- hero’s journey,
nell said, “It was a fun play and a good way to show what a
which is what
musketeer and
the play was all
ends up fighting hero is.”
about. Mr. Rob
the Cardinal who
is trying to gain power. D’Artagnan leaves McCoy, eighth grade English teacher,
said, “It fits perfectly
with our hero unit and
the hero’s journey.”
As with every educational trip Mr. Mark
Goetz, Principal, has
to approve it. “I agreed
because it plays into
the hero unit,” said Mr.
Goetz.
The students
who went and watched
The Three Musketeers
were impressed. “The
play was very action packet and very
dramatic at parts,”
said Colt Parris, eighth
grader, Brandon Walsh,
Above: The Three Musketeers at the Playhouse, seem to have a new face, Mr.
eighth grader, said
Rob McCoy. The eighth grade students enjoy the play on September 19.
“The play was better
I
than I thought it would be.” For both this
was their first time to Playhouse in the
Park. They liked the way the theater was
set up, and there really were not any bad
seats.
Upon their return from the play
the students had an inside picnic. They
brought a lunch from home, and the
PTSO provided bottled water with Kool
Aid packets and a Three Musketeer Bar
for dessert. “I thought the lunch was fun
because the eighth grade never gets to eat
lunch as a whole group,” said Mrs. Birkley.
The next day, the students
debriefed about the play. “We went over
the hero’s journey and how D’Artagnan
follows that journey,” said Mrs. Birkley.
She hoped that this play will help the
students with the hero unit, and gave them
an opportunity to learn outside the school
building.”
Above: Waiting to be seated, Sam Shelton, Wesley
Lewis and Dalton Powell, eighth graders, move
through the theater before the play. Lewis said, “It
was a good show, and I really enjoyed going.”
9
Student Spotlight on Equestrians
By: Noah Moore
W
hen Savannah Phillipps and
Nico Thom, eighth graders,
go to Equestrian practice, they
aren’t just horsing around. “Savannah and
Nico are diligent about their lessons to
constantly improve their discipline, which
will only help bring home the blue ribbons,” said Ms. Missy Jo Hollingsworth,
their trainer.
The two girls compete in three
to four events each week at horse shows.
The horse shows are “competitive, and it’s
a lot of pressure,” said Phillipps. “It takes
out of your social life. We practice four to
five times a week for four or five hours.”
They are in the American Quarter Horse
Association level of competition. “It is
harder than the 4H breed shows that we
did before. There are more people at this
level,” said Thom.
Each girl trains a great deal individually with her horse. Phillipps’s horse
is Mario, but his show name is Captive
Royalty. Thom’s horse is Asia, but her
show name is Hotjazzismyspecialty. “The
horses are fed regularly and given any
medication that they need,” said Thom,
“And we treat them well.”
At every horse show, the horses
need to be bathed, clipped, and schooled.
“There is a lot of preparation,” said Ms.
Hollingsworth. “Fake tails need to be put
in, manes need to be braided, and legs
and hoofs sprayed.” Their readiness and
training is crucial for them to place in the
competition. “The day of the show they
are schooled again to prepare for their
class, and sometimes I have up to ten
customers with me at the show. It has to be
very organized,” said Ms. Hollingsworth,
“It is a lot of hard work and sometimes
long nights getting ready for the next day’s
horse show.”
There are over ten events at a
horse show. Phillipps participates in show
jumping, hunter under saddle, and showmanship. Her type of riding is English
equestrian. She trains four or five times a
week at Saddle Lake Equestrian Center.
“Savannah has been showing longer than
Nico, so she has more experience and has
been to more shows and usually does extremely well at the shows. She’s quite the
handy little rider. Nico just started showing and has done extremely well.” Phillipps and her horse, Mario, are partners at
a show. They compete together and rely on
each other to do their very best. “It’s a lot
of pressure at shows,” said Phillipps. “We
get up at 5:00A.M. and practice, and show
all day. We finish at 1:00A.M., so it’s a
long day.”
Thom, who trains beside Phillipps at Saddle Lake, does hunter under
saddle and showmanship, as well as
Western pleasure and Western horsemanship. Thom said, “I think Asia is better at
English riding, but I do both.” They both
participate in Competitive equestrian,
rather than Rodeo. “I take two lessons a
week with my trainers Kiana and Amber,
but one or two times per week I train by
myself,” said Thom. A famous saying they
have is “Hurry up and Wait,” meaning,
“You’re really busy for four hours but for
one hour you have nothing to do.”
Being an equestrian takes time
and dedication to be competitive. “They
don’t have time to hang out, but I know
they love what they do, so I support it,”
said Rachel Greis, an eighth grader and a
friend to Phillips and Thom. There is nohorsing around for these two ladies. They
train everyday for hours.
Left: Nico Thom,
eighth grader, shows
her horse in Western
Showmanship. Nico
has been training
with her horse for
two years, and she
has been showing
in competitions for
one year.
Left: In good form,
Savanha Phillipps,
eighth grader, competes with her horse
in English jumping. Savannah has
been working with
horses since she was
six years old. Her
training has been at
Saddle Lake.
10
New Program Gives Girls Power
By Kayla Nehus
M
aria always sits by herself at
lunch. She never goes out to
play. No one invites her to hang
out or go to a party. Maria would love
to be part of a group, but no one will talk
to her or include her. This is exclusion is
a form of bullying. It happens more than
most would think. However, there is a
new organization called Girl Power that
might be the solution to this problem.
Mrs. Lori Maines, counselor,
said, “This is just something I felt would
be beneficial to help girls transition into
HMS better.”
There is a meeting every first
Wednesday of the month. Currently, there
are 26 groups each with an eighth grader
and a small group of four sixth graders or
two eighth graders with six sixth graders.
At every meeting they discuss one topic
like self-esteem, personal health, friendship, decision making, problem solving,
and stress management.
Mrs. Maines and Mrs. Terri D’Ambrosio,
social studies teacher, co-sponsor Girl
Power. Initially,
they brainstormed
what they
wanted to
accomplish
with Girl
Power.
They wanted the new sixth graders to be
usually have an activity to become more
able to reflect their inner confidence in
familiar with the group and then a topic
their everyday
is discussed.
choices. Also,
There
they hoped that
are guest
the girls would
speakers to
be able to make
talk to the
good decisions
girls about
while dealing
different
with peer prestopics. Betsy
sure during their
Sellers, sixth
middle school
grader, said
years. Girl Powher favorite
er can’t solve all
thing was her
the problems,
eighth grader,
but it can help
“My mentor
Above: Jordan Holthaus, Rainey Singer, sixth graders, Danielle
girls deal with
Lexi
Goettke
Turner, eighth grader and Carly Lorenz, sixth grader, listen to the
problems by hav- instrutions for today’s Girl Power Meeting. Most groups had 2-3 is great.”
ing some advice sixth graders and one eighth grader.
There
from the older
are 37 eighth
girls who have been through it already.
grade mentors. These girls sit down with
Girl Power can also help the
their group and talk to them about their
teachers become more aware of the probproblems and express things about their
lems that the sixth grade girls run into.
school year. Lexi Goettke, eighth grader
Mrs. D’Ambrosio said, “Students seem
said, “I’m in Girl Power because when
to talk more freely with each other, rather
I was in sixth grade I would have loved
than adults.” The hope is that the sixth
to have mentor. I wanted to help the new
grade girls will confide in their eighth
sixth graders.” This is true for many
grade mentor, and that the mentors will be eighth graders. Maddi Tate, eighth grader,
able to help or tell an adult there is a prob- said, “I enjoy helping the sixth graders get
lem. Sixty percent of the sixth graders are
around the middle school and help them to
in Girl Power. Girls are offered someone
be not as scared.” Emmalee Kempf, eighth
to talk to, meet new people, and helps girls grader said, “I think Girl Power helps
transition into the Middle school. Gwen
because it gives them advice.” After the
Gorman, sixth grader, said, “I
girls spend 45 minutes with their group it
like Girl Power just the
is time for them to go.
way it is. I would not
Mrs. D’Ambrosio said, “After the
change anything.”
meeting, we received feedback
At the
from our mentors on what
meeting they
worked well and what could
be improved next time.” The
next meeting will use the
feedback as they jump into
another topic.
Maria now has a friend
to hang with, to eat lunch
with, and to talk with. In Maria’s case Girl Power helped.
She has a new friend, and
she loves her new school.
Right: Zoey Barth and Gwen
Gorman, sixth graders, decorate
Rachel Vinson, eighth grader
with make up. This was an
exercised in trust and imagination.
Take a Peek at the “Peak” Program
By Emma Petersen
“
At the end of the day, the most overwhelming key to a child’s success is
the positive involvement of parents.”
This is a quote by Jane Dee Hull, a politician. In elementary school parents are
everywhere. However, in middle school
parents are sparse. Two main reasons are
because the students don’t want them here,
and there aren’t many opportunities. Mrs.
Kelly Kelso decided to start the PEAK
Program to help raise the educational bar
for students. The PEAK Program enlists
the help of adults in the community to help
children with their school work in Reading
and Math.
The PEAK Program is a group of
adults and students who partner together
to work on the students’ goals. The name
PEAK was chosen because the school
liked the analogy of climbing to the peak
of a mountain. Mrs. Kelso started the
PEAK Program because she was doing
a parent leader fellowship called CIPL
(Commonwealth Institute for Parent
Leadership). Mrs. Kelso said, “I worked
with Mr. Goetz, Dr. Laber and the SBDM
to find an area that my project could
impact.” During this time the school has
just purchased an online program to help
students get a boost in Reading and Math.
Mrs. Kelso and the faculty decided to add
adult study
partners for
the students
when using
this online
program.
The
PEAK Program helps
students with
their school
Above: Mrs. Kelly Kelso, parent
work, homevoluteer and CIPL leader, gives
the adult volunteers instructions work, and
on the first day of the PEAK
studying for
program.
tests/quizzes.
The parents
are like cheerleaders for the students,
encouraging them on to reach their goals.
The parents help them in math by showing
Journalism Goes on the Air
By Chris Polly
“
I am always amazed with the quality
and creativity that flows through the
middle school. Most people do not
get to hear about the positive things going
on in our building. I am hoping to share
our stories with the community through
the news broadcasts,” said Mrs. Lisa Birkley, journalism teacher. The journalism
class will be producing video broadcast for
the school. They will feature what is going
on at our school and spreading it throughout the community.
“The broadcast will be shown
to the students in school and we will also
have it on Channel 20 so everyone can
see it,” said Mrs. Birkley. The broadcast
covers academics, sports, performances
and stories about individual students doing
extraordinary things.
“I think the broadcast is great
11
them different functions on their calculators, explaining how to do certain problems, and different methods to do math
problems. The parents help the students in
reading by helping them with words that
are difficult for them to understand, reading passages to them, and helping them
with writing pieces.
Mrs. Martha Coffman and Mrs.
Melissa Trimbach wanted to be involved
with the PEAK Program because they saw
the potential in paring a struggling student
with an adult for one to one instruction.
The teachers help by supervising the
parent/student groups by guiding them
through the computer programs for Math
and Reading.
Mrs. Kelso and her PEAK
participants have positively impacted the
middle school by starting a program to allow parents to help feel involved with the
school system. It is a win-win situation;
the students get support in Math and Reading while the parents get involved with
the school. The PEAK Program helps
students in many ways and gives parents
an opportunity to help with the school.
video because it is the way most of them
idea and a way to expand on the Media
learn. It is really about giving the stuclass we took in 7th grade,” said Joshua
dents 21st Century learning that they will
Carter, eighth grader.
need to be successful in the future. We
“I like the idea of the broadcast
have such a phenominal video production
a lot, and I think it will be a great way to
give the news to HMS students,” said Josti program at Highlands High School, and
I just wanted to give our middle school
Sieverding, eighth grader.
students a taste of what is to come,” said
“We have a new video camera
Mrs. Birkley.
and tripod. We have two licenses for
Final Cut Pro X.,”
said Mrs. Birkley.
The Final Cut Pro
will help edit the
broadcast and make
it look realistic. The
PTSO purchased the
editing software, and
The Fort Thomas
Educational Foundation gave a grant for
the video camera and
the tripod.
“I wanted
to give the students Above: Emily Buten, Kayla Nehus, Emma Little, Lily Fennell and Rebecca Pelle,
eighth graders, watch as Josti Sieverding, eighth grader, tries out the new video
some background
camera. The journalism students will be broadcasting the news to the middle
and experience with school in the second semester
12
From Toddlers to Teenagers, Dancing Is a Lifetime of Preparation
In addition, the girls dance at
many events during the year. One of
these events includes basketball games.
The girls dance at three basketball games
each month alternating between boys and
girls eighth grade games. They also have
three competitions: KDCO, NKCCA and
JamFest. In addition to the competition,
the team performs for charity and school
events. The dance team performed for the
and have been dancing since they were
two or three years old. “I have been dancing all my life, and there is nothing more
fun,” said Katie Buecker, seventh grader.
“I love to express myself through my
t three years old most little girls
dances,” said Lily Hennigan, sixth grader.
are learning how to color or use
The dedication goes further than
a fork and spoon, but some girls
just the dancers. Their coach, Ms. Watwere learning how to do their first dance
son, helps them through every step of the
step. Fast forward eight or nine years, and
way. Coach Watson started working with
those little girls are the
younger dance students
dance team.
as a dance teacher at her
The dance
studio in seventh grade.
team was founded in
“My dance team brings
2010. Last year the
me so much joy and
Dance Team placed first
excitement to my life,”
in pom, a type of dance
said Coach Watson. She
involving pom-poms,
started dancing at Pearand were grand chamman Dance Studio and
pions in the Northern
continued her dancing
Kentucky Cheerleading
at La Dance Studio her
Coaches Organization
freshman year of high
(NKCCA). In JamFest
school. “I have always
Nationals they placed
loved teaching and
second place in pom
Above: Molly Wiefering, Audrey Gray, Addie Parris, Katie Buecker, Corinne Holmes, Beth Ann
learning new choreogand second place in hip Griffith, Lydia Erickson, Mallory Hill, Sophia Manyet, Amanda Broering and Lily Hennigan, perraphy,”
she said. Coach
hop. At Kentucky Dance form with the rest of the middle school dance team at the Annual Kick-Off Party.
Watson used to volunteer
Coaches Organization
Buddy Walk to raise awareness for chilat Brighton Center with her best friend and
(KDCO) State the girls placed second in
dren with Down’s Syndrome. They were
help children who wanted to take dance
hip hop. This is quite a list of accomplishalso a part of the middle school’s Kick-off
classes but couldn’t afford them. This will
ments for such a newly formed team.
Party. They are scheduled to perform
be her third year coaching the dance team
The dance team works hard and
at the Fort Thomas Christmas Walk in
and “Time flies when you’re having fun!”
are dedicated to what they do. “I love
December.
Said Coach Watson.
watching the girls succeed and realize that
The girls win at competitions
Whether these girls were from
all the hard work they put into their dances
because they work hard all year to achieve Manyet, Le Dance, or Kaleidoscope they
will pay off at competition!” Said Coach
that goal. They practice two times a week
have all come together to form one dance
Kat Watson.
team.
By Emma Little
A
“Lettuce”Take a Look at the Lettuce
By:Matthew Crockett
I
t all started with a myth about lettuce
which “Lead us” to Chile’ and to the
federal government. Whether it’s the
lettuce, fruit, or other vegetables, school
lunches have many regulations and tough
rules. The federal regulations dictate
what students are served in the cafeteria.
The myth of the lettuce was
based on the rumor that Thursday was
the best day to eat salad because that was
the day they switched the old salad for
the fresh salad. After some investigation,
the rumor was found to be false, but there
was much more to the story.
The statement is nothing but a
complete myth, “With the fresh produce,
we rarely ever have to use leftovers,” said
Ms. Gina Sawma, the cafeteria manager. The truth is that some of the
fresh produce is imported from foreign
countries. While some is purchased locally, a great deal of our salads come from
countries like Chile’ and perhaps Brazil.
These countries have a very long growing
season, and are the opposite of the United
States growing season.
Ms. Sawma said, “All food is fresh produce.” The fresh produce was traced back
to two companies. “The imports we get for
our fresh produce from are Ellenbee Leggett, which is a local company, and GFS,”
said Ms. Sawma. In the winter months
most of the fresh produce comes from out
of the country. For example, the grapes
served in the cafe are grown in Chile’.
The laws behind the food serving
sizes are called the “Hunger Free Kids
Act of 2010.” The laws state that there is
a half a cup of fruit, three quarters to one
cup of vegetables, one to two servings of
grains and meats, and one cup of milk.
New Volleyball Coach Inspires Players
By Lauren Epperson
B
In the players’ eyes, Angela is an
awesome coach. Hayden Ramsey, eighth
grader, said, “I love our new coach! She
works so well with all the girls on the
team. She is so nice and encouraging. She
never puts you down and she makes me
want to go to practice!” Ramsey also said,
“She helped us work together as a team.”
Brett Wright, seventh grader, said, “She
has made us work harder and think about
what we have to do in the long run.” According to the girls, Angela has helped the
kids work together and get along. There
urned by Angela! The middle
school varsity volleyball team was
ignited by their new coach, Angela
Kohrs. Burned by Angela was her catchphrase for the season.
With a new coach came new
techniques and a new personality. “She is
strict but nice. She is hard on us, but she
makes practice and the games fun,” Said
Olivia Culyer, eighth grader.
Coach Angela had
some thoughts about her
players. She said, “I think
the strongest thing on our
team is our team chemistry.
Everyone seems to get along
with each other and enjoy
each other’s company. This
season has been so fun and
you girls always crack me
up! Skill wise, I think our
strongest advantage is our
defense. We have worked
very hard in practice to
become better passers and Above: Coach Angela Kohrs encourages her players Emma Delagrange,
Hayden Ramsey and Lauren Epperson, eighth graders, during their last
you can really see it paygame of the season. Ramsey said, “It was fun playing our games five days
ing off in games.” Being a week.”
the new coach, Angela
are also some thoughts on how the season
has been working very hard at making her
is going.
team become a flaming wall of defense to
Coach Angela, and her team,
their opponents. Angela’s view about her
team is similar to the kids’ view about her. thought the season is going pretty well.
Also the laws are changing the grains to
whole grain, and lowering the protein portions. The grains in these laws have been
switched to two ounces for young and
three ounces for high school. The minimum for the new school rules set is one
ounce of protein per meal. Also because of
these new guidelines there are now at most
schools on average 334 pounds of uneaten
whole food in a single day. So not only are
we getting more fruits and vegetables but
mostly we’re wasting them.
From Chile’ to federal laws everything in our schools across the U.S has
changed. What are they doing with these
laws? Why did they make these laws? Will
they complete their goal? These questions
may never be answered.
13
Angela says, “I think we started off the
season super-strong. I don’t think we have
played our best volleyball yet and I can’t
wait to see that!” Also, Emma Delagrange,
eighth grader, said, “I think our season is
going good, since we are in a higher division we play better teams and it’s good for
us.”
With a new coach, the varsity
volleyball team is burning up the competition. “My main goal for our team is to
play and BEAT a team that has beaten us
already this year. I am totally confident
that we can win all of our games on the
schedule and go into the end-of-season
tournament strong!” Said Coach Angela.
Above: Lauren Epperson and Emma Delagrange,
eighth graders, get ready in between points. Delagrange said, “I liked being with all my friends, and I
will miss it very much.”
14 New Restaurant Serves Traditional Food
The BIG Taste Test
1= worst 5 = best
By: Payton Epperson
F
rom Fort Thomas to Lebanon, Mio’s has been serving the
Cincinnati area since 1975. Mio’s is a neighborhood pizza
place filled to the brim with live music, hot food, and hungry customers. Being a new business in town, residents are just
getting to know all that Mio’s has to offer.
The first Mio’s opened in the fall of 1975 in the Hyde
Park, Ohio with only an 1100 ft. room seating twelve people!
Now the Hyde Park Mio’s seats 200 including all three floors of
their restaurant. That’s a total of almost 4500 square feet! The
recipes are right and at atmosphere is good.
The Fort Thomas Mio’s is a franchised restaurant, which
means potential owners can purchase the right to open a Mio’s.
With the purchase of a franchise, the owner gets to use all the
recipes, logo’s, advertising and food suppliers. However, each
Mio’s is unique because each owners brings his or her own flare
for each Mio’s Pizzeria.
Mio’s serves pizza, hoagies, calzones, salads, and wings.
Mr. Allen Harless, CEO, said, “The Fort Thomas community
has been great. The city officials have been good to us. We feel
welcome here and are looking forward to serving the community
for years to come.”
Before Mio’s opened to the general public, it trained
its staff by inviting groups of people to come in. After the Mio’s
crew was ready, it opened to the public on March 28, 2012. Mr.
Mark Fowler, President, said, “We’ve enjoyed becoming a part
of the Fort Thomas landscape.” Since the opening the young
restaurant has been a popular spot for families to eat after sports
tournaments, after school, or just on a Friday night. Mr. Kevin
Nieporte, eighth grade teacher, said, “It always looks busy to me,
especially on the weekends.”
In fact, Mio’s is starting to spread to the greater Cincinnati area. “We now have a new Mio’s under construction in
Clifton,” said Mr. Harless. Also, Mio’s is trying to lease a building in Fort Wright, Ky. Soon, the rest of the Cincinnati area will
be in on the trend. “We like to open stores in neighborhoods,”said
Mr. Harless. Mio’s doesn’t just have pizza; they have live music,
a banquet room, and tables on which little ones can draw. Griffin
Huber, seventh grader, said,” They have good food and awesome
live music. I liked to sit outside.”
The current location of Mio’s has had a long history of
restaurants. It started off as Warner’s, then Pergola’s and now
Mio’s. The big draw for this location has always been the patio.
However, when the weather turns cold, the patio closes. Mr.
Fowler is concerned that customers will not come inside for a sit
down dinner. “We love our patio, but first and foremost we are a
full service restaurant. We just hope that people will come inside
and see how warm and welcoming our dining rooms are.”
Mio’s has grown tremendously since 1975. Mr. Fowler
said,” Our restaurant is designed to be a “homey,” Italian dining
pleasure.” Mr. Fowler invites everyone to come in and try the
dining room for a change.
Ceasar Salad- 4: Very fresh, not
overbearing
Cheesy Breadsticks-5: Very
flavorful, crisp on outside and
soft on inside.
Saratoga Chips - 5 - Fantastic
with BBQ sauce or Blue Cheese
Steak Hoagie-3: Very average. Good bun, steak and
cheese were little dry.
Fajita Calzone-4.5: Fresh
vegetables, served with salsa
and sour cream. Fantastic combination that gives the unique
spin on Calzone. The small is
plenty for one person.
Meat Sauce Lasagna- 4:
Three thumbs up; meat and
sweet sauce. Served with
Regular salad-4.5: Fresh,
great ranch and TO DIE FOR
creamy garlic.
Stuffed Cheese Pizza-3.5:
Very “doughy” crust, a little
goes a long way. Three cheese.
Must be really hot to get best
taste. Try adding some fresh
veggies. It makes for a better
blend.
Southern BBQ wings-4:
Chicken is tender; sweet not
spicy with some tangy flavor.
Cooked crisp, but not tough.
Also served as Hot Sauce,
Southern BBQ Sauce, Teriyaki
Sauce or Golden BBQ Sauce
Apple Turnover-5: Icing on
top. For those old enough to remember McD’s fried apple pie,
this is similar, but better. Plenty
to share with everyone.