Newsletter Fall of 2010.indd - Mariemont City Schools

m ariemont
City Schools News
Fall 2010
A Publication for parents and the community
Mariemont City Schools
Earns Highest State
Rating - The Mariemont City
School district received the
top designation of “Excellent with
Distinction” on the 2009-2010
State Report Card issued by the
Ohio Department of Education.
The District has met 100% of the
measured performance indicators.
Every year since the inception
of the state report card
eleven years ago, Mariemont City
Schools has been rated an Excellent district and now has
achieved the most recent state designation.
Scholars of Today. Leaders of Tomorrow.
Congratulations, students, staff, parents and community!
mA Message from the Superintendent
2010/2011 is off to a great year as we celebrate eleven consecutive
years of being recognized as a School District of Excellence by the
State of Ohio. I wish to personally congratulate our students, staff,
and parents for achieving the state’s highest designation of Excellent
with Distinction! This honor is based upon incredibly high student
achievement as well as very high levels of individual growth for our
students. In addition, the district performance index score places
our district in 8th place out of over 600 school districts in Ohio. As a
district, we continue to focus on our mission of preparing the Scholars
of Today and inspiring the Leaders of Tomorrow!
The new school year marks several fi rsts for the Mariemont Schools
including: The fi rst year of the new all-day kindergarten program in
the school district. Our staff spent last year researching Best Practices
for kindergarten and planning for the successful implementation
of this new program for this year. The kindergarten program is off to
a great start and we are excited about the many opportunities that will
be provided to our youngest learners.
Mariemont High School will pilot a new schedule for semester exams
this year by moving the exam period prior to Winter Recess. This
pilot will give our staff, students, and parents an opportunity to evaluate
this issue and determine if transitioning to an exam schedule that
mirrors the university approach to exams will be benefi cial for our
students.
Mariemont Elementary School and Fairfax Elementary School have
merged under the new leadership team of principal Lance Hollander
and Dean of Students Dr. Jim Counts. The transition has gone very
well under the leadership of Mr. Hollander and Dr. Counts thanks to
many dedicated parents, students, and staff members who worked so
hard to make this change a success.
The facilities design process is moving forward and I encourage everyone
to visit our website frequently to view the progress of the school
designs. It is not too late to get involved in the process – please contact
myself or one of the principals if you want to join one of the teams working
on the designs of the new and renovated buildings.
We are currently reviewing the construction schedule as the building designs
progress. With a priority of adhering to our budget and being prepared
to welcome students in fall of 2012, we are slightly accelerating
the construction schedule for Mariemont Elementary and Terrace Park
Elementary. This adjustment will provide us with a necessary cushion
against the risks of weather delays which would cost us signifi cantly
in both time and money. We are now planning to have the modular
classrooms ready for students as they return from spring break on April
4. This will allow demolition work to begin six weeks earlier at those
sites. We will plan open houses early in March so that our community
members and parents may tour a new modular classroom.
I wish to thank our entire community for supporting our schools and
making education a priority. The strong partnership between schools
and community is directly responsible for our long history of academic
excellence. Please visit our schools by attending a concert, play, art
show or athletic competition and support our students as they exhibit
their Warrior Pride!

mA Message from the Board of Education
Another great year for Mariemont Schools is underway. Recently,
we received notifi cation that our district is one of a select few in Ohio
to be rated “Excellent with Distinction”. This honor is a tribute to the
dedication of the students, teachers and staff, volunteers, parents,
administration and leadership which make our district successful.
Thank you all for a job well done!
We are extremely grateful for the tremendous support from many
organizations including the School Foundation, PTOs, Kiwanis, Arts
Association, Alumni Association, Athletic Boosters and other groups
too numerous to list . Thanks to the tireless effort of scores of
volunteers and the support of our communities at the polls in May –
there are big plans for the future. Over the next several years, we
will witness signifi cant changes in Academics, Facilities and Financial
considerations.
Academics: Mariemont Schools will continue to push ahead with
rigorous, relevant programming and support to prepare students
with the “21st Century skills” they will need to succeed in a dynamic,
competitive global marketplace.
Facilities: You will continue to be updated on the facilities planning
and building process in the months and years ahead. We encourage
you to check the website frequently for the most current information.
We also encourage community members to continue to stay
involved in the process. These buildings will support the changing
and more technically focused educational programs of the future.
For the fi rst time in the history of our District, our junior high
students will be in a building specifi cally designed from the ground
up to support these critically formative, transitional years.
Financial: The coming years will be challenging because of the uncertainties
of the federal and state budgets and the decreasing support
for local education. Your District is on sound fi nancial footing.
We will continue our work of providing the very best opportunities
for our students while remaining vigilant and fi scally responsible to
our communities.
Be assured that our planning will continue to be the result of engaging
the communities to explore, discuss and gain consensus for
how the District can best develop the Scholars of Today and the
Leaders of Tomorrow. This is the “Mariemont Way” and is aptly
refl ected in a quote by Peter Drucker, global business expert,
“Effi ciency is doing things right, Effectiveness is doing the right
things.”
Thank you all for making this possible for our children.
Your Mariemont City Schools Board of Education
Ken White, President Dee Walter, Vice President
Peggy Braun Bill Flynn Marie Huenefeld
mFinances and Facilities
Financial News from District Treasurer/CFO
Natalie Lucas:
Thanks to the generous support of our residents last May, I am
pleased to report the successful sale of the district’s School
Improvement Bonds which were issued to facilitate the Facilities
Master Plan adopted last year. In preparation for the sale
of the bonds the district made a rating presentation to Moody’s
and Standard & Poor’s. We received an “Aa2” Rating from
Moody’s and an “AA” Rating from Standard and Poor’s. These
ratings, along with the ability to take advantage of two Stimulus
programs available to school districts, resulted in very favorable
interest rates.
The district went to market on August 18, 2010 with $11,135,000
of Qualifi ed School Construction Bonds and $28,665,000 of
Build America Bonds. The average interest rate received on the
bonds was 3.17%. Original debt service calculations had been
based on an average interest rate of 3.75%. This difference will
result in over $5 million in savings over the life of the issue to the
taxpayers of the district.
On another note, the Board of Education adopted the Fiscal
Year 2010-2011 Five Year Forecast at the September board
meeting. The major unknown in this forecast is what the state
will do with education funding in future state budgets. We
expect to see substantial decreases in future state funding.
The forecast can be found on the district website at
www.mariemontschools.org under Finance. Please feel free
to contact me with any questions you may have regarding this
forecast or any other items relating to the district’s fi nancing.
Welcome Facilities Project
Program Manager Kathy Ryan
As the Program Manager for the Mariemont
Facilities Project, I am very pleased to be working
with a school district that values the education of
their students, supports their staffs and is forwardthinking
in what our future facilities will provide. I am
Kathy Ryan, a recently retired educator for over 30
years in the Wyoming School District. I am the liaison for the Mariemont School District
working with SFA Architects and Turner Construction to ensure a successful completion
to the building projects.
There has been so much happening since I started in May. We have completed the
Schematic Development of the plans and are moving into the Design Development
phase. There are many weekly meetings with our architects and builders to discuss
more details as we look at the inside and outside our buildings. Asbestos Abatement has
taken place in some buildings to prepare for demolition and geothermal drilling has taken
place to look at the soil and ground under and around our buildings. Fairfax Elementary
provided a place for our fi re and police departments to practice training skills. Fairfax is
now in the process of being torn down to get ready for the new junior high; this process
has been tough for the people who have had much history in the building. It is always
hard to see some of our past change to make way for the future. The new junior high will
contribute a great deal to the Fairfax community and will certainly be a beautiful place for
our students to grow.
We have moved up our modular unit move-in date from the end of school in June to April
4, the day we return from Spring Break. This earlier move in will save us money, allow us
to have extra construction time and will ensure a smoother start in August of 2012.
Please check out the Mariemont Schools website (mariemontschools.org) for construction
information and for my Weekly Facilities Updates. And, I would like to say how much
I am looking forward to working with you to make the new facilities the top notch schools
that our children and the children of the future require.

Mariemont Elementary
Elementary Newsm
One Small Step , 4th Grade Recycling team
does their part with regular collections from
each classroom.
Terrace Park Elementary
The Preservation Foundation shares
the early history of the Mariemont
area with eager 3rd graders.
Walk-a-thon PTO Fundraiser premieres at
Mariemont Elementary, promoting school
community, fi tness and fun for all.
TPE 3rd grade artists paint fall blooms.
Shared news
Kindergarteners get into the beat
during a music special lesson.
Elementary students throughout the district
have been busy this fall. Special activities
and events have included:
Camp Kern for 6th Graders with MHS 12th
Grade Counselors * NEW - Full Day for
Kindergarteners * Warrior Football Fever at
Kusel Stadium * Will Hillenbrand’s Author
Visit * ERB (CTP4) Testing * Picture Days
* Music Mania * Vision/Hearing Screening
* Spanish Language Instruction * Builders
Club Service Projects * Goal Setting *
Reading Buddies * Enrichment Days
Students celebrate Constitution Day at TPE.
TPE October Events include
BOOtique and Pumpkin Festival
Mariemont City Schools
along with the Elementary
PTOs present
Will Hillenbrand
7th Guest in the Author/
Illustrator Visit Series Oct 12-14

m Mariemont Junior High School
Welcome to school
year 2010-11 at MJHS
included a successful
outdoor dance, 7th and
8th grade orientation and
a student school grounds
clean up effort.
Already the Digital Arts
students have been
blogging away, creating
galleries of their amazing
work. Check it out at
http://digitalart23.wordpress.com
We’ve got spirit, yes, we do! MJHS students show
off their Warrior spirit each day of Homecoming Week.
Congratulations to 7th grade clarinetist Ryan
Duever and 8th grade trombonist Julian Vanasse
for being selected to the Cincinnati Junior Wind
Ensemble at the College-Conservatory of Music.
Students are admitted by audition and are chosen
from schools throughout the tristate area.
Looking ahead:
MJHS Athletes/band night at
MHS Kuselstadium Oct 22 7pm
MJHS Girls and Boys sports are always a “kick” to
watch. For all Warrior sports information,
visit www.mariemontwarriors.com. For up to the
minute schedules, visit www.mariemontschools.org
and click on Calendar.
8th Grade Spanish students were treated to a true Mexican music
experience as they were serenaded by the Aztecas Mariachi Band.

Mariemont High School
m
Outstanding Scholar News at Mariemont High School
2010 National Merit Semi-Finalists - top 1% in nation on the 2009
PSAT are Andy Gorman, Hillary Purcell, Will Degerberg, Erin
Purcell and Conor Coyan.
MHS students from the Classes of 2010 and 2011 have set another record for the largest number of
AP Scholars in Mariemont High School history. 60 MHS students earned the designation of AP
Scholar by the College Board based on achievement on the college-level AP® Exams.
McKenzie Miller and Brennen Warner were named “National AP Scholars” by earning an average
grade of at least 4 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 4 or higher on eight or more of the exams.
2010 National Merit Commended Students - top 5% nationwide
are Emily Taylor, Stacy Purcell, Tim Purcell and David Finn.
Jordan Walter and Conor Coyan reigned over Homecoming
2010 as this year’s Queen and King.
The MHS fall play is coming your way!
NOISES OFF! a “play within a play” comedy.
November 19-21
Ticket info will be available at www.mariemontschools.org
27 students qualifi ed for “AP Scholar with Distinction” by earning an average grade of at least
3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on fi ve or more of these exams. MHS AP
Scholars with Distinction from the Classes of 2010 and 2011 are: Claudia Carrelli, Conor Coyan,
Charlotte Dietz, Elliot Faulk, David Finn, Kiley Flynn, William Foran, Carl Freeman, Anne Gaburo,
Laura Gardner, Nicole Gauche, Bryan Georgilis, Reed Gerberick, Andrew Gorman, Brian Henning,
Megan Holland, Catherine Kauffmann, Timothy Kuck, Laura Martin, K. McKenzie Miller, Kevin Nerl,
Elizabeth Peters, Virginia Rich, Katrina Slavik, Laura Smith, Brennen Warner, and Riley Webb.
9 “AP Scholars with Honor” from the Classes of 2010 and 2011 are: Audrey Askam, Taylor Bailey,
Christopher Finn, Alexander Goheen, Jason Lonnemann, Hillary Purcell, Timothy Purcell, Charles
Stewart, and Emily Taylor – all with an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and
grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.
“AP Scholars” are those students who received grades of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams.
The 24 Scholars are: Joel Beeby, Angela Bell, Margaret Deadrick, William Degerberg, Haley Fallon,
Taylor Fields, Joseph Fening, Alyxis Giordullo, Andrew Harris, Alexander Ljubisavljevic, Whitney
Lonnemann, Shelby Miller, Clarissa Moeller, Henry Molski, Emily Moreton, Theodore Murphy, Courtney
Parish, Erin Purcell, Stacy Purcell, Emily Richards, Sydney Riedl, Sarah Ries, Hannah Swords,
and Wes Woodruff.
More outstanding MHS Academic Stats - from 2009-10:
* Highest average ACT composite score in
MHS History - 26.2
* 93% passing rate on AP Exams
* Highest mean on SAT Reading, Writing & math (tie)
Fall 2010 at MHS has included “Board Games” Homecoming
2010 * The popular Physics 100’ Egg Drop Project *
Skyping with Civil War Historian * Visits by College Reps
from Across the Country * Ringing the Stadium Victory Bell
Congrats to MHS Chorus members chosen for
the 2010 District 14 Honor Choir: Taylor Bailey,
Chelsea Weaver, Madeline Richards, Kelly
Kauffmann, Braxton Stricker, Katie Wray and
Wes Carman.

m Faculty Pride
Above and Beyond
We salute our hard working staff, especially those who worked so
diligently preparing for moves to new classrooms and, in some cases, entirely
new buildings. A special thanks to all the staff volunteers who have
been and continue to serve on facilities planning teams. The district adds
its appreciation in advance to staff members at Mariemont Elementary
and Terrace Park Elementary who throughout the year will be strategically
planning their move into transitional modular classrooms in 2011. Our
staff members are the best!
New Faces and New Places
This year we have welcomed new employees to the district – and have
transitioned many current employees into new homes and new roles:
Mariemont Elementary
New Face: Denise Danielson – Aide; Matt Feist – 6th Grade
Teacher; Brian Nelson – Aide
New Place/Role: Gary Browning – 5th Grade Teacher;
Cindy Carrigan – Aide; Tami Croll – Music Teacher; Jim Counts
– Dean of Students; Jane Durr – Intervention Specialist; Betsy
Ecker – Library Aide; Missy Fields – Kindergarten Teacher;
Patti Hannahan – 1st Grade Teacher; Lance Hollander –
Principal; Peggy Kersker – Offi ce Aide; Mary Martin – 2nd
Grade Teacher; Liz McGahey – Kindergarten Music; Jan
Moreton – Aide; Ronnie Petru – Title I Reading; Becky Popolin
– 3rd Grade Teacher; Michelle Rich – Aide; Melissa Rupe –
Art Teacher; Neil Turner –Physical Education; Amy Uhl – 4th
Grade Teacher
Terrace Park Elementary
New Face: Teri Beall – Offi ce Aide; Megan Bimschleger –
Kindergarten Teacher; Sandy Blais – Special Ed Aide; Annette
Engel – Aide; Kristy Gulbin – Aide; Jean Nelson – Library Aide;
Rachel Obringer – Reading Intervention/Math Support Teacher
New Place: Sue Hendricks – Special Ed Aide; Lindsay
Merten – Kindergarten Teacher; David Sedivy – Intervention
Specialist
Staff Spotlight
Congratulations for outstanding achievements to:
Tom Crosby - MHS - Inducted this summer into the Ohio High
School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame
Some new additions to the staff community gather at New Staff Orientation.
Mariemont Junior High
New Face: Nancy George – Intervention Specialist; Wendy Long
– Guidance Secretary; Mindy Monterosso – Intervention Specialist;
Jeremy Willis – Math Teacher
New Place/Role: Amy Skinner - Counselor; Maria Waltherr –
Spanish Teacher
Mariemont High School
New Face: Dave Price – Spanish Teacher; Kim Richardson – Art
Teacher
District
New Face: Marguerite Evans – ESL Teacher; Brian Olsen –
Psychologist Intern; Kathy Ryan – Facilities Program Manager;
Mayita Sullivan – Elem Spanish Teacher
New Place/Role: Tricia Buchert – Pupil Personnel Director;
Holly McCormack – District Health Aide; Becky Wagner – TPE
Counselor & MHS Band Director
MaryBeth Khamis - MJHS/MHS - Selected as the Guest Conductor
for the Virginia R. Harpham Honor String Middle School
Orchestra at Morehead State University on Nov. 6
Luke Wiseman - MHS - Participated in a National Endowment
for the Humanities summer seminar in London examining
Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.
For Mariemont City Schools Faculty Profi les,
visit our website,
www.mariemontschools.org,
click on CONTACT, then TEACHER DIRECTORY.
A Salute to Faculty Leaders - At their September meeting,
the Board of Education recognized faculty leaders at each school for
the 09-10 & 10-11 school years.
From the K-6 Curriculum Council: Lauren Wolterman, Missy Fields,
Kevin Maness, Linda Wiley, Missy Fields, Mary Sexton, Mary Kay
Kroeger, Amy Uhl, Jim Counts, Jill Colaw, and Ann Muennich.
Grade Level Leaders at MJHS: Shannon Kromer, Amy Skinner and
Priscilla Elzey.
Department Chairs at MHS: Cheryl Toepfer, Maggie Kornreich,
Julie Bell, Mary Halsall, Amy Leatherwood, Terri Thomas, Bruce
Miller, Julia Lair, Janet Elfers and Emily Colpi.

Message from the Mariemont School Foundation
m
The Mariemont School Foundation (MSF) has begun
construction on an exciting new recognition and fundraising
initiative at the Mariemont High School entitled,
The Recognition Ring and Spirit Walkway Project.
The project involves the construction of a new sidewalk
comprised of personally engraved brick pavers
along the Mariemont High School auditorium turnaround
area (named the Spirit Walkway) as well as
a large Recognition Ring in the grassy area of the
turnaround that will be created in 2011 using bricks
reclaimed from each elementary school in the District.
These personalized pavers are a great way for you
to recognize the achievements of your child, other
individuals in the school district who have truly made
a difference to your child’s educational experience,
in memory of a special person or to celebrate your
family as a valuable member of the Mariemont School
District Community.
1) Donor Contact Information:
The Recognition Ring and Spirit Walkway
Project Has Begun Construction!
Order Your Brick Today!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Spirit Walkway” Engraved Brick Order Form
Name:_______________________________________________
Address:_____________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Telephone:___________________________________________
Email:______________________________________________
2) Engraving Information:
Up to 3 lines; 14 characters per line: all block letters & upper case.
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
Examples: JOHN M. SMITH JOHN & MARY THE JOHN SMITH
CLASS OF 2010 SMITH FAMILY
IN MEMORY OF
JOHN SMITH
THANK YOU
COACH SMITH
3) Payment Methods:
We are unable to offer the option to select the location of each brick.
a) Check made payable to the Mariemont School Foundation for $75.00 per brick. Please mail your completed Order Form to:
The Mariemont School Foundation, Brick Project 6743 Chestnut St., Suite 310 Cincinnati, Ohio 45227
b) Email info to: foundation@mariemontschools.org, then pay through PayPal on-line at http://mariemontschools.org/foundation/
OR
If you have any questions, please email us at
foundation@mariemontschools.org.
Thank You for Supporting the
Mariemont School District!

m ariemont
City Schools
6743 Chestnut Street
Cincinnati, Ohio 45227
Non-profi t Organization
U.S. Postage Paid
Cincinnati, OH
Permit 1082
m District News
Plan to attend
Mariemont City Schools
1st Annual
State of the Schools
Address by Superintendent of Schools Paul Imhoff
and District Treasurer/CFO Natalie Lucas
Wed, November 17 7:30 a.m.
R.G. Cribbet Recreation Hall
5903 Hawthorne Avenue, Fairfax
The one-hour presentation will include the most current information
on the district’s academic programs & achievement, fi nancial
reports and facilities progress updates. (A video of the presentation
will be accessible on the district website the following day.
www.mariemontschools.org)
For information on Mariemont City Schools’
free and reduced lunch program, go to
www.mariemontschools.org and fi nd listing
under Quick Links.
Mariemont City Schools
2010 Hall of Fame Honorees- The Mariemont High School
Athletic Boosters inducted four individuals into the Doc Kusel Athletic
Hall of Fame on September 3. The Hall of Fame Class of 2010 includes:
Tom Anderson (’83) State placer in the 100 breast stroke as well as an all
city performer and collegiate All-American; Brian Campbell (’81) All city
performer in football as well as a four year track letter winner; Ashley Mc-
Cracken (’06) 13 varsity letter winner in basketball, soccer, softball, and
track, earning All Southwest Ohio honors in basketball and soccer, along
with numerous other team and league honors; and the late Virginia Straley
Duvall (’58) - represented by her brother Denny Straley -, a standout
tennis player on the high school and Cincinnati Metro scene, as well as a
fi eld hockey and basketball letter winner;
Paul W. Imhoff, Superintendent
pimhoff@mariemontschools.org
Natalie S. Lucas,Treasurer/CFO
nlucas@mariemontschools.org
Board of Education Office 272-7500
Go Warriors!
Ken White, President
ken.white@kemira.com
Dee Walter, Vice President
dwalter@mariemontschools.org
Peggy Braun
pbraun@mariemontschools.org
Bill Flynn
bflynn@mariemontschools.org
Marie Huenefeld
mhuenefeld@aol.com
Board Members
The Mariemont Board of Education meets at
7:00 p.m., the third
Tuesday of each month at the
Mariemont Junior High
6743 Chestnut Street
Cincinnati, Ohio 45227
Betsy Porst Communications Coordinator
bporst@mariemontschools.org
Ralph Bischof, Printer
rbischof@mariemontschools.org