Harrison Elementary has ‘WalMart Winners’

By Richard O Jones | Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 04:56 PM

Ben Kincer, manager of WalMart store 3502, and his helpers Lisa and Angie From WalMart award teachers from Harrison Elementary with $100 gift cards. The teachers are (from left to right) Andra Surratt, Jamie Dickerson, Jacquie Kihm, Anne Kraemer, Beth Rudolph, Julie Rogers, Julie Bauer, and Lisa from WalMart. Sitting: Ron Plogman. Missing: Connie Bowling.

They were each permitted to use the card to make purchases for their classroom. Several bought rewards/incentives for the students, materials for the classroom, decorations, and additional supplies.

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Veteran’s Day activities

By Richard O Jones | Wednesday, November 11, 2009, 06:41 PM

When Homer Wilson turned 18 years old in 1943, the United States was so embroiled in World War II that he felt like he didn’t have a choice but to enlist.

“You automatically went in the service,” he told a group of sixth graders at Pierce Elementary yesterday, Nov. 11, as part of the Hamilton City School district’s Veteran’s Day celebrations. “You knew it was coming.”

He told them about his trip to Europe on a boat with 15,000 other soldiers and his first encounters with the enemy.

“We didn’t hate anybody and we didn’t want to kill any Germans,” he said, “but we were told it was them or you, so what would you do? They were just kids, too… and they didn’t want to kill us any more than we did them, but it was war time.”

In the afternoon, Garfield Middle School students gathered to hear from members of the high school’s R.O.T.C. program and winners of the schools’ essay contest.

Austin Malone won a $25 first-place prize in the essay contest for writing about his family’s military history.

“No matter whether you believe in war or not, our soldiers deserve respect for their courageousness and their service to our country,” he wrote.

Second place went to Corinne Crum and third to Tristen Chenoweth.

Linden Elementary students walked to the nearby St. Mary’s Cemetery to place flags on veterans’ monuments, and Sheli Zeller’s fourth grade class at Van Buren Elementary wrote letters to her husband’s platoon, currently serving in Iraq.

At the Freshman School, students brought in pictures of people they know who are veterans to create a picture wall, and Bridgeport Elementary students wrote thank you letters to veterans and posted them in the lobby.

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Pierce Elementary students embark on Antarctic study

By Richard O Jones | Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 04:14 PM

Miami University entomologist Richard E. Lee will embark on a journey to Antarctica in January, and he invited a group of Pierce Elementary students to join the project via the Internet.

Lee’s research expedition will take him to the Palmer Station, a research facility on the Antarctic Peninsula, to gather samples and do on-site research on the Beligica antarctica, a wingless insect that is the continent’s largest free-living land animal.

“They call Antarctical ‘a continent for science’ because there are no people living there and because Antarctica doesn’t belong to anyone,” Lee told the students in Mary Ann Richter’s Gifted Education class. “There are some territorial claims, but they’ve all been set aside and all of the scientists there share whatever they learn.”

The Palmer Station is one of 40 scientific stations on the continent, three of them run by teams from the United States. Lee has been going there annually since 2005 with a research team that includes graduate students and a different educator.

“Each year that I’ve gone down there I’ve taken a teacher with me,” he said. “We want to tell the school children what we’re doing because we’re there on a grant from the National Science Foundation.”

The research is in determining how the Beligica antarctica can live in extreme weather conditions. In addition to severe cold, the tiny insect can survive a dehydrated state and go for a month without oxygen.

Richter said that the students will work independently on projects related to global warming and communicate with Lee during his expedition. When he returns in February, he will re-visit the class.

“Students will in turn share information about their research and complete projects set up for them to do by Dr. Lee,” she said. “So it’s a show and tell for both sides.”

Pierce Elementary’s sixth grade gifted enrichment class — Rachel Lundley, Trey Smith, Kelsi Wenz, Jonathan Leece and Kristani Blanton (also pictured at the top) — heard from Dr. Richard E. Lee, a research entomologist from Miami University on Wednesday.

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Hamilton students receive HFSO grants for music lessons

By Richard O Jones | Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 03:13 PM

Hamilton High School musicians Alma Onate, trumpet, and Sarah Stumpf, flute, are among 10 area students receiving the 2009 Jack and Audrey Confer Scholarships for Musical Instrument lessons awarded by the Hamilton-Fairfield Symphony Orchestra.

Each award amounts to $100, and is to be spent on private lessons only.

Winners will be awarded onstage at the HFSO “Majesty of Christmas” concert on Saturday; December 12 at 7:30 p.m.

Each family will receive three complimentary tickets for this event. Details are at the HFSO website, www.hfso.org and additional tickets may be obtained there for $10 each.

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Ross Middle School students get PIE awards for breakfast

By Richard O Jones | Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 10:56 AM

On Tuesday, Nov. 2, Ross Middle School held its first PIE Awards Breakfast to recognize students who had made Progress In Education during the first quarter, according to principal Chris Saylor.

Family members and school faculty honored students who made improvements in the areas of grades, behavior and attendance. Each award recipient received a certificate and actual pie.

Since success requires the effort and support of the family, students were encouraged to share the pie that evening as a family in celebration, Saylor said.

Recipients included (front row) Wesly Weitzel, Emily Schaffer, Bethany Salyers, Nick Lorenz, Hunter Wurzelbacher, Kyle Burney, Michael Marks, Saige Sparks, Samantha Baird, Adrianna Beard, (back row) Phillip Frankenfield, Spencer Dreske, Keegan Friend, Bobby Luessenhop, Michael Galligan, Kyle Elliott, Jenna Waldroff, Justin Garcia and Jeff Lucas. Not Pictured: Tyler Estridge, Paige Finn, Anthony Inderhees, Season Johnson, Dakota Ramirez and Garrett Sheehan

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Wilson students celebrate Mondays

By Richard O Jones | Tuesday, November 3, 2009, 01:30 PM

From assistant principal Keith Millard:

“At Wilson seventh grade building (the old Adams elementary) we have been celebrating Mondays all quarter long as a way to build school spirit and unity. For our seventh grade group photo, we had the students spell the word Monday on the front lawn.”

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‘Regal Rams’ named for September and October at Ross Middle School

By Richard O Jones | Tuesday, November 3, 2009, 01:27 PM

Each month, RMS teachers and staff nominate students to receive the Regal Ram Award for outstanding character.

Regal Rams display exemplary character on a daily basis, said principal Chris Saylor. These students serve as role models to all in the RMS community. At a reception, winners receive a certificate and a copy of their teacher’s nomination. Students sign a poster that is displayed in the front hallway of the school, alongside previous month’s honorees.

The following students were honored as Regal Rams for the month of September: Eric Allgeier, Brandon Armstrong, Ben Beebe, Travis Benton, Destiny Blanton, Cayley Boian, Lexi Boze, Bailey Combs, Kayla Curry, Stephanie Dragan, Tanner Floyd, Kyle Garrido, Nick Goins, Sarah Hogeback, Dana Johnson, Caleb Jones, Jack Kluener, Chris Laflin, Brandon Lawson, Brooke Luther, Justin Macke, Samantha Madden, Alex Maurits, Britany Mitts, Shannon O’Toole, Justin Parsons, Emily Schaffer, Brandon Shanks, Daniel Sheehan, Alex Skelton, Rebecca St. John, Brianna Stewart, Madison Taylor and Casey Wagonfield.

The following students were recognized as Regal Rams for the month of October: Caleb Ake, Hannah Bailey, Staci Barrow, Brendan Blair, Bree Boggs, Caitlyn Brucker, Gary Buschard, Crystal Butterfield, Alex Cary, Abby Engel, Blake English, Dustin Foley, Keegan Friend, Allie Gabbard, Caleb Goodwin, Lindsay Gottlieb, Jacob Heheman, Olivia Hey, Katelin Hueber, Olivia Jones, Abby Kruzel, Madison Lewis, Carissa Osborne, Anthony Perry, Tommy Reid, Anna Rentschler, Shelby Riley, James Sandlin, Nikki Schum, Monica Schwab, Layne Shields, Angel Taylor, Trenton Trice, Zach Wells and Jenna Wright.

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