WestChesterBuzz.com

Heather Schoell-Schroeder. Photo provided.

To let West Chester and Liberty Township residents catch up with the news that they need to know, WestChesterBuzz.com will list and link to all of last week’s top local stories every Monday.

Lakota East teacher charged with prom fund theft- A Lakota East High School teacher was charged last Monday with a misdemeanor count of theft in connection with missing money from the school’s prom fund. Heather Schoell-Schroeder, 45, of Liberty Township was charged after she and her attorney met with sheriff’s investigators.

Lakota high school softball teams eliminated from postseason – Both the Lakota East and Lakota West softball teams lost district semifinal games last Monday afternoon. The Firebirds lost to Northmont at Fairmont by the score of 5-1, while Lakota East fell to Fairborn at West Carrollton by the score of 3-2.

Suzanna Davis. Photo provided.

Lakota East names new principal- For second time this spring, the Lakota Board of Education voted unanimously to promote one of its associate principals to the position of high school principal for the 2012-2013 academic year. Suzanna Davis, who has served as the associate principal at the Lakota East Freshman Campus since Aug. of 2007, will replace Keith Kline, who is leaving at the end of the school year to take the assistant superintendent job in the West Clermont Local School District.

Lakota East honors student athletes with signing day event – Lakota East High School honored nine student athletes last Wednesday during its spring signing day event. Among those recognized include Jacob Landers (Baldwin Wallace College, wrestling), Ivan Thomas (Kentucky Christian University, football), Tyler Overberg (College of Mount St. Joseph, golf), Morgan Weinheimer (University of Mississippi, volleyball), Jeff Mundy Jr. (Kentucky Christian University, football), Tanner Lyons (Centre College, track and field), Aleth Pashi (Otterbein University, basketball), Jacqui Tackett (Mount St. Joseph, lacrosse) and Molly Blomer (Nova Southeastern University).

Lakota West students unveil new design for school website – After five months of work, Lakota West students showed off their new design for its official high school website last Wednesday in front of classmates, teachers and Lakota administrators in the high school’s theatre. The redesigned lakotawesthigh.com launched after the presentation made by students from Lakota West’s web design 2 class.

Police investigating dog hanging in West Chester – WestChesterBuzz.com reported last Wednesday that a local woman claims that she found her dog hanging by its neck from a tree in her yard in the 8900 block of Lesourdsville-West Chester Road on May 10. The West Chester Police Department is investigating the complaint reported by Sherry Faber on the morning of May 13, despite not seeing the dog.

Circle K suspect. Photo provided.

Police investigating a report of public indecency– WestChesterBuzz.com reported last Thursday that the West Chester Police Department is looking for a man, who entered a local Circle K Gas Station and exposed his genitals to the clerk on May 5, according to Crime Stoppers.

Gunman robs UDF in West Chester – The Cincinnati Enquirer reported last Friday that police were searching for a gunman who held up United Dairy Farmers, 8976 State Route 747, according to emergency communication reports. The suspect entered the convenience store just after 6 a.m., brandished a gun and demanded cash.

Moeller eliminates Lakota high school baseball teams from postseason – Twice last week, Moeller eliminated a Lakota high school baseball team from the postseason. On Thursday, Moeller defeated Lakota West by the score of 11-2 in the sectional finals. Then on Saturday, the Crusaders eliminated the defending Division I state champs in Lakota East by the score of 7-2 in the district finals.

VOA Museum opens its doors for tours – For the first time since December, the National VOA Museum of Broadcasting opened for tours this past Saturday and Sunday. There were a few public tours in late 2011 before construction forced the budding museum to close its doors. Prior to those tours, the museum had been closed to the public for two years.

Posted in: Board of Education, Crime, News, Schools, Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Heather Schoell-Schroeder, Lakota East High School, Lakota East missing prom funds, Lakota East missing prom money, Lakota East principal Suzanna Davis, Lakota East prom, Lakota East softball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota East stolen prom money, Lakota West, Lakota West softball, Lakota West sports, National VOA Museum of Broadcasting, National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting, Suzanna Davis, VOA Museum, VOA Museum of Broadcasting, Voice of America Museum

Yosselin Villatoro, 6, uses her walker and hops on one leg as she heads in her home after a prayer vigil for her. The Liberty Township girl was diagnosed in December with osteocarsonoma, an aggressive bone cancer that started in the femur of her left leg that has spread to her lungs. Yosselin lives with her grandparents whose home is in need of rebuilding because of water severe water damage. The home has structural damage and mold. Photo shot Monday May 7, 2012 by Cara Owsley.

Sue Kiesewetter reports

A new house and a new start for young cancer patient Yosselin Villatoro can only be described one way.

“Her guardian angels are working overtime,’’ said Tammy Randall, Yosselin’s grandmother, with whom she lives. “God works miracles. He’s working through her, through the community.”

Since an Enquirer story about Yosselin ran Feb. 22, more community members and businesses have stepped forward to help the family.

• Story: Support overwhelms young cancer victim’s family

Instead of improving the home as originally planned by members of Springdale’s Vineyard Community Church, a custom home builder has offered to tear down the water-damaged house with its narrow hallways and uneven floors, which doesn’t accommodate Yosselin’s walker.

With the help of other contractors, construction workers and suppliers, the builder, who wishes to remain anonymous, will replace it with a new home on the same lot, by October.

The news came May 10, two days before Yosselin went into Children’s Hospital Medical Center to have three tumors removed from her lungs. Testing showed two active cancer cells remain in one of the tumors, but Yosselin is home again, sitting up and using her walker.

“It’s not the news we were hoping for, but she’s still doing wonderfully,’’ Randall said. “We’ll continue with the chemotherapy as planned and they’ll do another scan and see what happens in the next 3-4 weeks.”

In December, Yosselin was diagnosed with osteosarcinoma, an aggressive bone cancer that started in her left thighbone and spread to her lungs. In March doctors successfully removed 8 inches of her femur, replacing it with an expandable metal rod.

Finding out about the new house gave the family hope they would be able to leave their deteriorating home worsened by water flowing into the crawl space during heavy rains due to drainage issues.

“I cried, Keith (her husband) cried,” Randall said. “They answered my prayers. It will be so much better for Yosselin’s health.”

Plans for “Yosselin’s House” show a one-story, 2,100-square-foot brick and stone home with a two-car garage and porch, to be built, said Ashley Chance, who founded A Chance Foundation with his wife, Beth.

The non-profit foundation is partnering with the church group to oversee the project – the first undertaken by the four-year-old organization. So far, about 70 percent of materials and labor have been secured, Chance said.

The house will have an open floor plan to make it easier for Yosselin to get around with her wheelchair and walker. Three bedrooms are planned – a master suite for the Randalls and two large bedrooms with a bathroom between them for Yosselin and her 5-year-old brother, Freddy.

Besides building the house, contractors plan on doing site work to correct drainage issues from a channel near the house.

“The goal is to have the house built by early fall,’’ Chance said. “We’re also trying to collect donations to help pay off the family’s mortgage.”

As plans move forward on the house – drawings to submit for building permits should be completed in the next two weeks – the Randalls continue to focus on Yosselin.

“If we go anywhere with Yosselin,’’ Randall said, “we call the doctors first, and have her tested first to make sure her (white blood) cell count is high enough.”

Yosselin is looking forward to a December trip to Disney World in Florida, being arranged by the Make A Wish Foundation.

“When all this is over, we get to go to Disney World,’’ she said. “I get to have lunch with the princesses.”

Posted in: News, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Lakota, Lakota Local Schools, Lakota West, Lakota West High School, Lakota West High School web design, Lakota West web design, Wyandot Early Childhood School, Wyandot Early Childhood School Lakota, Wyandot Early Childhood School Liberty Township, Yosselin Villatoro

Lakota West students launched the redesign of lakotawesthigh.com May 16, 2012.

After five months of work, Lakota West students showed off their new design for its official high school website Wednesday in front of classmates, teachers and Lakota administrators in the high school’s theatre.

The redesigned lakotawesthigh.com launched after the presentation made by students from Lakota West’s web design 2 class. Improvements to the website include social media integration, introduction of a mobile platform, a featured news slider and a banner that includes outlines of both the high school and freshman campuses.

“Being able to work together as a big team and actually pull this together was a really great experience for myself and I am sure for everybody else,“ Lakota West senior Daniel Lewandowski said.

“Going from being able to find a template and start putting things together to now and to be finally finished, it feels really good.”

During the presentation, Lewandowski and his classmates commented that they wanted the redesign to have the feel of a college website. Their teacher, Todd Hummer, believed his students accomplished that goal among others.

“I think this site is a lot more visually appealing than the old site, it has a really modern touch to it,” Hummer said. “The featured content slider, which you see on a lot of the college sites these days, seems to be many of the kids favorite part. My personal favorite part is the banner and how it incorporates the main campus and the freshman campus. That was also one of our main goals.”

Besides those features, Lewandowski and his classmates agreed that the “simplified” new design makes it easier for online visitors to navigate through the website.

“A lot of work and a lot of time went into it and I am really proud of the final product,” Lakota West junior Scott Johnson said.

“This new website is a lot less cluttered and more simpler than the old website, making it much easier to find information. On the old site, you used to be able to click through six sections and find the same thing in two spots. It just wasn’t that easy to get around compared to the new one.”

For those interested, below is a screen shot of the old design.

Posted in: Events, School events, Schools, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: Daniel Lewandowski, Lakota website, Lakota West, Lakota West High School, Lakota West High School web design, Lakota West web design, Lakota West website, Lakota West website redesign, lakotawesthigh.com, Scott Johnson, Todd Hummer

For second time this spring, the Lakota Board of Education voted unanimously to promote one of its associate principals to the position of high school principal for the 2012-2013 academic year.

Suzanna Davis, who has served as the associate principal at the Lakota East Freshman Campus since Aug. of 2007, will replace Lakota East Principal Keith Kline prior to the 2012-2013 school year. Photo provided.

Suzanna Davis, who has served as the associate principal at the Lakota East Freshman Campus since Aug. of 2007, will replace Keith Kline, who is leaving at the end of the school year to take the assistant superintendent job in the West Clermont Local School District.

Davis also served as the assistant principal at the Lakota East Freshman Campus during the 2006-2007 school year. Prior to that, Davis served as an assistant principal at Deer Park Junior/Senior High School from Aug. 2003 to Aug. 2006.

The school board approved the appointment of Davis after Lakota Superintendent Karen Mantia made the recommendation, calling Davis “a perfect fit,” during the school board meeting Monday.

“She has a lot of experience in secondary education, she has had a great mentor, she is extremely professional and she is great with secondary kids,” Mantia said. “She is firm, but fair and innovative, so she is definitely the right fit.”

In her new position, Davis will oversee 2,700 students and 140 teachers between the Lakota East high school and freshman campuses.

She will be under a two-year contract that will include a base salary of $100,000. Kline, who was the Lakota East principal since 2007, had a salary of $106,844 in 2011-2012.

“I have had the opportunity to watch Lakota East evolve into a world-class high school, with an outstanding staff, engaged parents, a supportive community and the best high school students in the nation,” Davis said. “I look forward to continuing to build on that strong foundation.”

In April, the school board also approved the promotion of Lakota West Freshman Campus Associate Principal Gary Elgin Card to the position of principal at Lakota West High School. Card will replace current Lakota West Principal Richard Hamilton, who is retiring at the end of this school year.

Card’s two-year contract, effective Aug. 1, 2012, includes a base salary of $100,000. Hamilton’s salary during the 2011-2012 school year is $110,370.

Posted in: Board of Education, News, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Dr. Keith Kline, Elgin Card, Gary Elgin Card, Keith Kline, Lakota East principal Dr. Keith Kline, Lakota East principal Keith Kline, Lakota East principal Suzanna Davis, Lakota West, Lakota West Freshman Campus, Lakota West principal Elgin Card, Lakota West principal Gary Elgin Card, Lakota West principal Richard Hamilton, Richard Hamilton, Suzanna Davis

Sue Kiesewetter reports

A Lakota East High School teacher has been charged with a misdemeanor count of theft in connection with missing money from the school’s prom fund.

Heather Schoell-Schroeder. Photo provided

Heather Schoell-Schroeder, 45, of Liberty Township was charged after she and her attorney met with sheriff’s investigators Monday. The Lakota Board of Education is expected to accept her resignation at its meeting tonight, retroactive to May 7.

“Our investigation has concluded,’’ said Sgt. Monte Mayer, spokesman for the Butler County Sheriff’s office. “No other charges are pending.”

Administrators first learned money may have been missing when students arrived at the April 28 prom and had trouble getting in, according to district officials. When students complained to the teacher at least two were asked not to report her, according to a statement from the district.

School officials said the amount missing is about $800 and involved payment for 20 tickets, according to the statement. It is believed that Schoell-Schroeder encouraged students to pay her directly for prom admission instead of waiting in line to buy tickets in the lunchroom.

Even if the students had purchased tickets in the lunchroom, no paper ticket would have been issued because it was credited electronically. Schoell-Schroeder may have told the students to see her at the prom to gain entrance instead of going through the check-in process.

After conducting an internal investigation that began April 30, school officials turned over their information to the sheriff’s office.

Schoell-Schroeder has not been in the classroom since the prom. A substitute teacher has taken over her classroom duties.

Since then, a relative of the teacher has returned $160 to the district, officials said.

School officials are reviewing prom ticket sales to see if changes need to be made.

Posted in: Crime, Events, News, School events, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Heather Schoell-Schroeder, Lakota East High School, Lakota East missing prom funds, Lakota East missing prom money, Lakota East prom, Lakota East stolen prom money

The Community Foundation of West Chester/Liberty recently released the deadlines to apply for the Lakota Athletic Participation Fee Fund, which was created to assist student athletes in the Lakota school district with sports fees.

Junior high and high school students saw their athletic fees increase prior to the 2011-2012 school year when the Lakota Board of Education approved $10.2 million in cuts.

Athletic fees ballooned to $350 for junior high athletes – up from $200 in 2010-2011 – and to $550 for high school students – up from $300 in 2010-2011.

Due to this increase, the Community Foundation established the Lakota Athletic Participation Fee Fund. Through this fund, private donations can be made to cover half of the athletic fee assessed to students participating in sports within the district.

More than $6,500 was awarded in scholarship during the 2011-12 school year.

Deadlines for consideration during the 2012-2013 school year:

• Fall Sports: Students in grades 7-8 must apply by May 15, Students in grades 9-12 must apply by Aug. 17
• Winter Sports: Students in grades 7-12 must apply by Nov. 16
• Spring Sports: Students in grades 7-12 must apply by Feb. 15

Families interested in submitting an application for consideration must submit a letter to The Community Foundation of West Chester/Liberty indicating their desire for assistance.

The letter should include the name of the student athlete, school and grade level. The letter should also include a rationalization and insight into the family’s hardship, the benefit the students will receive from athletic participation and insight into the family’s ability to cover half of the athletic fee charged to the student. Families should also include documentation of other financial assistance being provided.

Send letters to:

The Community Foundation of West Chester/Liberty
Attn: Lakota Athletic Participation Fee Fund
5641 Union Centre Drive
West Chester, OH 45069

Applications will be reviewed by a selection committee of West Chester and Liberty Township residents.

A limited number of scholarships are available. Only one scholarship per student will be awarded in a school year.

Community Members who wish to support the Lakota Athletic Participation Fee Fund can make a donation payable to the Lakota Athletic Participation Fee Fund c/o The Community Foundation of West Chester/Liberty. For more information, call Melissa Benedict at 513-874-5450.

Posted in: Board of Education, Levy news, News, Schools, Sports |

Tags: Tags: athletic fees, Community Foundation, Community Foundation WCL, Community Foundation West Chester/Liberty, Lakota athletic fees, Lakota Board of Education, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, WCL Community Foundation

To let West Chester and Liberty Township residents catch up with the news that they need to know, WestChesterBuzz.com will list and link to all of last week’s top local stories every Monday.

Richard Hamilton is retiring after being principal at Lakota West for the past 13 years. Photo taken by Tony Jones.

Lakota to lose both high school principals- With the West Clermont school board’s recent approval of Keith Kline (current principal at Lakota East) as its new assistant superintendent, the Lakota school district will be entering the 2012-2013 school year with different principals at both high schools. Meanwhile, Richard Hamilton, who has served as the principal at Lakota West for the past 13 years, is retiring at the end of the school year in July.

Former Lakota East wrestler to compete in 2012 Olympics – About 10 years ago, Pliev had offers to wrestle at universities throughout the United States. He was coming off back-to-back state and national wrestling titles at Lakota East and seemed destined to accomplish his dream of becoming an Olympian. His journey, however, took a few unique turns.

Mandy Corrado, mother of twins Andrew and Luciana, found support after a miscarriage from the West Chester Mothers of Twins and More Club. Photo provided.

Mothers of twins grow special bond in West Chester– One of the largest mothers of multiples groups in the nation is right here in West Chester. The local twins club started in 1988 with six members. It has grown to more than 230 members today.

U.S. News ranks Lakota high schools among nation’s best – Lakota high schools made U.S. News & World Report’s list of top-ranked public high schools in the state and nation. Schools were awarded gold, silver or bronze medals based on a range of performance indicators, such as state proficiency standards and how well they prepare students for college. Both schools were among 93 Ohio public high schools to earn a silver medal.

West Chester firefighters have new pact – The West Chester Board of Trustees approved a three-year contract with the township’s fire lieutenants and firefighters last Tuesday. The contract affects 57 full-timers who are represented by the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 3518, and replaces a contract that expired at the end of last year.

AK Steel makes Fortune 500 list – AK Steel, which is headquartered in West Chester, was recently named to this year’s Fortune 500 list of America’s largest corporations. The company was ranked 381st on this year’s list and generated approximately $6.5 billion in revenue in 2011.

West Chester day care child abuser gets 80 years – Dan Horn reported that a Mason man will likely spend the rest of his life in prison for molesting boys at his mother’s in-home day care in West Chester and sharing photos of the abuse over the Internet. A federal judge sentenced Andrew Keith, 29, to 80 years in prison last Wednesday for producing and sharing child pornography.

Sectional tournament update: Lakota teams advance – The Lakota West baseball team, along with the Lakota East and Lakota West softball teams, won their postseason matchups in the sectional tournament last Wednesday. Both baseball teams also advanced to district semifinal games with wins last Thursday. All four teams will play in district semifinal games this week.

House Speaker John Boehner visited United Performance Metals in Hamilton May 11, 2012, to listen to the concerns of local small business owners. He also took a few jabs at President Obama. Photo taken by Adam Kiefaber.

Boehner listens to small business owners in Hamilton- House Speaker John Boehner Friday accused President Obama of being “AWOL for about eight months” as he campaigns non-stop for re-election. Boehner’s remarks came during a visit to United Performance Metals here where he listened to the concerns of local small business owners.

Lakota East teacher investigated over prom funds – A Lakota East High School teacher is the focus of an investigation by police in connection with missing funds from the Butler County school’s prom fund. The teacher, who resigned earlier this week, was not named by Lakota school officials in their released statement last Friday.

Fallen West Chester Marine to receive Purple Heart – The body of Marine Sgt. John Patrick “J.P.” Huling will return to his Butler County hometown Sunday as the latest recipient of the prestigious Purple Heart Award, military officials said last Friday. The Moeller High School graduate and bomb disposal specialist, 25, was shot in the chest and killed Sunday by someone, possibly a Taliban member, wearing an Afghan National Army uniform – a person supposed to be an ally of U.S. forces.

Posted in: Board of Education, Crime, Election, Government, News, Schools, Sports, Spring sports, Student achievements, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: 2012 Summer Olympics, death, Dr. Keith Kline, J.P. Huling, J.P. Huling death, John Boehner, John Boehner Cincinnati, John Boehner photos, John Boehner West Chester, Keith Kline, Khetag Pliev, Khetag Pliev 2012 Summer Olympics, Khetag Pliev Olympics, Khetag Pliev Team Canada, Khetag Pliev wrestling, Lakota East, Lakota East principal Dr. Keith Kline, Lakota East principal Keith Kline, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West principal Richard Hamilton, Lakota West sports, military, Richard Hamilton, Twins Club West Chester, U.S. Marine Sgt. John Patrick “J.P.” Huling, United Performance Metals, West Chester Fire Department, West Chester Mothers of Twins & More Club

A Lakota East High School teacher is the focus of an investigation by police in connection with missing funds from the Butler County school’s prom fund.

The teacher, who resigned earlier this week, was not named by Lakota school officials in their released statement Friday.

According to Lakota officials, they “could not initially account for $800 in ticket sale proceeds from the Lakota East High School prom fund. The district has recovered $160 and officials “will continue to pursue the remainder.”

“We take all matters involving potential illegal activity very seriously,” said Lakota Superintendent Karen Mantia. “We acted with urgency to handle this situation appropriately. We are cooperating fully with the (Butler County) Sheriff’s office.”

Posted in: Crime, Events, News, School events, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Lakota East High School, Lakota East missing prom funds, Lakota East missing prom money, Lakota East prom, Lakota East stolen prom money

Various media outlets reported Thursday that the Butler County Sheriff’s Office has launched a criminal investigation this week after funds from the Lakota East High School prom went missing.

Middletown Journal staff member Denise Wilson reported Thursday evening that Lakota East Assistant Principal Stacy Millberg discovered that a teacher sold $760 worth of tickets in her classroom, but never placed the money into the prom account.

Wilson also reported that the Sheriff’s Office has identified a suspect, but has not filed any charges.

Meanwhile, FOX 19 reported that its was told by a fellow Lakota staff member that a teacher in the school district has resigned in connection with the missing prom money.

Local 12 was the first to report the story Thursday afternoon.

The Lakota East High School prom was held at the Savannah Center in West Chester April 28.

Posted in: Crime, Events, News, School events, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Lakota East High School, Lakota East missing prom funds, Lakota East missing prom money, Lakota East prom, Lakota East stolen prom money

Lakota East and Lakota West high school students will both participate in fundraisers this Saturday.

In the morning, Lakota East will host the Cool Jazz n’ Hotcakes breakfast. The event, which will feature performances from Lakota East High School jazz bands, will take place from 8 a.m. to noon.

Lakota East jazz band. Photo provided.

There will be raffle prizes during the breakfast that include an autographed guitar from Bootsy Collins, an autographed CD and picture from Wynton Marsalis and a Smoky Mountain Getaway.

Rosie Red (Cincinnati Reds mascot) will be there for pictures and Married with Microphones’ Chris and Janeen from 103.5 WGRR will be the masters of ceremonies.

All proceeds from the event benefit the Lakota East band programs.

Meanwhile, in the Lakota East parking lot, there will be a community garage sale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

In West Chester, Lakota West students are sponsoring a car wash in support of the American Cancer Society Relay for Life from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Walgreen’s on Union Centre Boulevard and 747. Refreshments will also be on sale during the event.

All proceeds will go towards the American Cancer Society.

Next weekend, Lakota West will host its second annual Relay for Life event from 4 p.m. Friday, May 18, until 10 a.m. Saturday, May 19. The event will be held for 18 hours on the track in the Lakota West football stadium.

For more information, visit www.relayforlife.org/lakotawest.

Posted in: Events, School events, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Lakota East, Lakota East jazz band, Lakota East jazz bands, Lakota East music program, Lakota Eastside Jazz Ensemble