The community frequently honors Cincinnati Public Schools' students and employees for their dedication and hard work. Below is a sampling of recent recognition.
A 3rd-grader at Sayler Park received an honorable mention in the 2008 PTA Reflections program, designed to provide opportunities for students to express themselves creatively and receive recognition for their efforts. Her creation was featured during the PTA annual state convention.
A senior at Walnut Hills was the recipient of the $2,500 National Merit Fifth Third Scholarship, a corporate-sponsored merit scholarship administered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. She was selected from finalists in the 2008 National Merit Scholarship Program. Her scholarship is renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study.
Molly Miller, a kindergarten teacher at College Hill, was named the Great American-Warm 98 Teacher of the Week. She was nominated by her assistant, Denise Obermeyer.
A group of 7th- and 8th-graders at Rothenberg was featured recently on Fox 19 news for a joint venture with the Wilks Scholar Foundation at Miami University designed to introduce students to environmentally friendly ways to do everyday things. The students built a solar oven as a natural way to heat food. Science teacher Tiffini Gray helped organize the effort.
Dave Dierker, CPS' athletic director, is the 2007-2008 inductee to the South Western Ohio Athletic Directors Association Hall of Fame.
Virginia Rhodes, principal of Aiken University, was named Environmental Educator of the Year by the Greater Cincinnati Earth Coalition. Rhodes and her staff created Ohio's first urban Environmental Studies school at Aiken University at the start of this school year.
A senior at Dater High was named Student of the Year by the Westwood Civic Association. She received the award for maintaining more than a 3.8 GPA, as well as for good behavior and a record of strong community service.
SCPA students competed in the German Day 2008 competition against 450 students from throughout the Tristate and took home the following awards: German I competition (3rd-place award for poetry recitation); German II competition (1st-place title in the poetry, conversation and reading categories; 2nd place for writing and grammar; 1st place for art/travel brochure design; 1st-place prize in conversation; 2nd-place prize in reading; the 3rd-place prize in grammar); German III competition (2nd place in the conversation category, 2nd-place prize in the public service announcement category); German 4 competition (first place in the writing category). Also, a 10th-grade student received the AFS Congress-Bundestag Scholarship to study in Germany for one year, valued at $9,500.
Glen Schulte, lead teacher at the Zoo Academy, was named Outstanding Science Educator of the Year by the Miami University Sigma Xi Chapter. Last year, Schulte visited Antarctica to study the world's southernmost insect. His journal article with details of the trip was published in the latest issue of the Journal of Polar Biology.
Taft Information Technology basketball coach Mark Mitchell was named Division II Coach of the Year and a senior was named Division II Basketball Player of the Year. In addition, the school's academic success was highlighted in a feature story in an issue of American Teacher.
Aiken College and Career, Dater High and Withrow International were among 11 high schools in the region to be recognized during the 2008 Cincinnati Human Relations and Manuel D. and Rhoda Mayerson Foundation Service Awards program. Each school was honored for providing positive human relations through community service.
The presidents of Northern Kentucky University, the University of Cincinnati and Xavier University honored Barbara James, a teacher at Riverview East, for exemplifying the best in classroom instruction and professional involvement with her school and community. She was recognized during a dinner and received a prize of $1,000 and a plaque noting her achievement.
Cincinnati Art Museum’s film schedule includes documentaries produced by students at Clark Montessori. “Student Short Docs” is a project involving nine teams of three to four students each. Teams learn about the characteristics of documentaries, analyze short films they like and then produce a 5-10 minute documentary about life in Cincinnati from the students’ points of view.
SCPA's Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Brian Siekmann, has been invited back to New York City to perform at Carnegie Hall on Saturday, April 12, 2008. This is the group’s second performance in the famed theater.
Four seniors from Dater High School, Shroder Paideia, Walnut Hills and Western Hills University are among 18 finalists for Straight “A” Student of the Year awards presented by National City Bank. The awards are given annually to one male and one female student who exhibit the straight A’s — Academic excellence, Athletic achievement and Active community involvement. Each winner will receive a $2,000 scholarship for college and a commemorative ring.
A senior at Withrow International and one at Walnut Hills are among 800 students nationwide who will share $2.6 million in National Merit Scholarships. The students became eligible for the awards when they took the 2006 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The students will each receive $2,500 to use next year for college.
Anna Hutchinson, a teacher in Hughes' CAMAS program, received a grant from the National Science Foundation to teach science to village teachers and students in Sharati, Tanzania.
She is part of an education team from the local group, Village Life Outreach Project, whose mission is to unite communities to promote life, health and education.
Ms. Hutchinson will teach science concepts that will encourage self-sustainability in Sharati.
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable ProgramStudents at Winton Hills Academy are getting the chance to sample fruits and vegetables from all across the globe thanks to a grant of more than $41,000 to expand the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program.
Each month, students get to eat fruits and vegetables from different continents. To promote the program, teachers and parents take turns wearing fruit and vegetable hats and costumes around the school.