WestChesterBuzz.com

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.

Beckett Park opens its west side after $2 million upgrade – The west side portion of Beckett Park officially reopened June 29 after a $2.09 million upgrade that included the construction of a new shelter, a “natural” playground, a small pond that can used as an ice skating rink in the winter and a 1.25-mile trail that loops around two newly enlarged lakes. Beckett Park is 150 acres and straddles Beckett Road near the Union Centre Boulevard intersection. WestChesterBuzz.com got its first look at the upgrade to the park last week.

Brad Lovell. Photo provided.

Lakota names four new principals- Lakota officials recently announced that the school district will be adding new principals to four different schools following approval by the board of education. New principals include Brad Lovell (Creekside Early Childhood), Christina French (Hopewell Elementary), Stacy Millburg (Lakota East Freshman – associate principal) and Jason Jackson (Lakota West Freshman – associate principal).

AK Steel to cut 2013 pension contribution – Bloomberg News reported last week that West Chester-based AK Steel Holding Corp., will cut its estimated 2013 pension expense by one-third, or $100 million, after passage of a transportation bill extension lowered some required contributions. The bill stabilizes the minimum annual contributions to fund defined-benefit pension plans, while raising premiums paid to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp., AK said.

Brennan Ryan. Photo provided.

Lakota West hires Brennan Ryan to lead wrestling program- The Lakota school district’s high school athletic department announced last Monday that it hired Brennan Ryan as its new head coach of the Lakota West wrestling program. Ryan, who has experience as a wrestling head coach at Roger Bacon and Madeira high schools, was hired to replace Tim Kessler.

Battelle for Kids honors 18 Lakota teachers – A total of 18 Lakota educators were recognized in late June for teaching excellence at the Ohio Educators Connect for Success Conference in Columbus, Lakota officials announced last Wednesday. Battelle for Kids honored the local educators as part of its “Celebrate Teaching” initiative that is used to find out what makes a teacher highly effective and how to best learn from their practices.

VOA Museum. Tony Jones/photo.

National VOA Museum gears up for tours – With the recent completion of some significant construction work, the National VOA Museum of Broadcasting announced that it will open for tours on the third Saturday of each month from 1 to 4 p.m. starting July 21.

West Chester Library breaks checkout record – The West Chester location of the MidPointe Library System broke its previous record for checkouts in a month this past June. The local library announced last week that it had 136,512 items checked out last month, trumping its old record set in July of 2008 by more than 4,000 checkouts.

List: Reach Out Lakota back-to-school supply needs – Reach Out Lakota released its supply list for its annual Back to School program last Wednesday. Currently, only a small percent of the needed supplies have been donated for the more than 450 registered children in the Lakota school district.

Jay Bruce. Adam Kiefaber/photo.

Photos: Jay Bruce signing in West Chester – Less than a week from the Major League All-Star game, Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jay Bruce took time for an autograph session at the Sports Gallery in West Chester Sunday. Hundreds of fans packed the local sports memorabilia shop to get a glimpse and have their photo taken with the two-time MLB All-Star.

Photos: Crazy Cardboard Boat Regatta in West Chester – Tony Jones of The Cincinnati Enquirer photographed one of West Chester Township’s largest outdoor events this past weekend. Additional photos from the community will be posted on WestChesterBuzz.com later this week.

Posted in: Board of Education, Business, Events, Government, News, Schools, Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: AK Steel, AK Steel West Chester, Beckett Park, Beckett Park project, Beckett Park West Chester, Brad Lovell, Brennan Ryan, Christina French, Cincinnati Reds player signings, Crazy Cardboard Regatta, Crazy Cardboard Regatta photos, Crazy Cardboard Regatta West Chester, Creekside Early Childhood School, Hopewell Elementary School, Jason Jackson, Jay Bruce, Jay Bruce Cincinnati Reds, Jay Bruce photos, Jay Bruce signing, Lakota, Lakota East Freshman Campus, Lakota Local Schools, Lakota schools, Lakota West, Lakota West Brennan Ryan, Lakota West Freshman Campus, Lakota West sports, Lakota West wrestling, National VOA Museum of Broadcasting, National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting, Stacy Millburg, VOA Museum, VOA Museum of Broadcasting, Voice of America Museum, West Chester business news, West Chester photos

Brad Lovell. Photo provided.

Sue Kiesewetter reports

Four Lakota schools will be getting new principals following approval by the board of education.

Lakota High School graduate Brad Lovell is leaving his principal job at Smith Elementary School in the Milford Schools to become principal of Creekside Early Childhood School. He replaces Todd Petrey, who resigned to become superintendent of the Springboro Community Schools in Warren County.

• Lakota losing principals at high rate

Christina French. Photo provided.

A West Chester Township resident, Lovell also was an assistant principal in the Forest Hills Schools, and taught in the Wyoming Schools before going to Milford. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Miami University and a master’s from Wright State University.

Christina French is leaving Shawnee Early Childhood School to become principal at Hopewell Elementary School. She replaces Denise Hayes who resigned to become principal of Fairfield Intermediate School.

• Suzanna Davis named principal at Lakota East High School
• Elgin Card named principal at Lakota West High School

Stacy Millburg. Photo provided.

Before coming to Lakota a year ago, French was a teacher and then assistant principal at Fairfield East Elementary School. The Liberty Township resident holds a bachelor’s degree from Bowling Green State University and a master’s from Xavier University.

Both Lovell and French were given two-year contracts, effective Aug. 1, and will earn a base salary of $89,500 annually.

Lakota East assistant principal Stacy Millburg is moving to the school’s freshman campus as its associate principal. She replaces Suzanna Davis, who was named Lakota East principal following the resignation of Keith Kline. He was named assistant superintendent of the West Clermont Schools.

Jason Jackson. Photo provided.

Lakota West assistant principal Jason Jackson is moving to the school’s freshman campus as its associate principal. The move follows the appointment of associate principal Elgin Card to principal. He replaces Richard Hamilton, who is retiring after 13 years as principal.

Both Millburg and Jackson received two-year contracts, effective Aug. 1. Each will earn an annual base salary of $87,000.

Follow Lakota news on WestChesterBuzz.com

Posted in: Board of Education, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Brad Lovell, Christina French, Creekside Early Childhood School, Hopewell Elementary School, Jason Jackson, Lakota, Lakota East Freshman Campus, Lakota Local Schools, Lakota schools, Lakota West Freshman Campus, Stacy Millburg

Sue Kiesewetter reports

Todd Petrey is leaving the Lakota school district to become superintendent of the Springboro Community school district.

Todd Petrey. Photo by Tony Jones.

Petrey, 39, has been principal of Creekside Early Childhood School in West Chester Township the past three years. He was selected from a field of 22 applicants and begins work Aug. 1. He received a five-year contract and a base pay of $130,000 annually.

It will be the second time he has worked in the Warren County district of 5,700 students. Petrey served as the first principal of Dennis East Elementary School when it opened in 2006.

“We’re very excited to have Todd come aboard. He’s a very passionate and motivated individual,’’ said Scott Anderson, president of the Springboro Board of Education.

“He has history with us. He’s sharpened his skills … he’s bringing the best practices and experiences he learned at Lakota back to Springboro. We’re looking forward to his leadership skills taking us to the next level.”

• Report: Lakota losing principals at a high rate

Petrey is replacing Gene Lolli, who is leaving Springboro to become principal at Fairborn High School.

Petrey has also worked as a principal in the Princeton schools and a teacher in the Carlisle schools.

Petrey holds a bachelor’s degree from Miami University, a master’s from the University of Dayton and his took classes at Xavier University for his superintendent license.

He lives in South Lebanon with his wife, Maria, and son, Hayden.

Posted in: Schools |

Tags: Tags: Creekside Early Childhood School, Lakota, Todd Petrey

The Lakota school district recently released the dates, times and locations for the 2012-2013 Lakota preschool informational sessions.

During the sessions, parents will have the opportunity to learn about preschool curriculum, starting and ending times, classroom composition, application and registration process, tuition, special education information and Butler County’s hiring forecast.

Lakota and Butler County administrators will be available to answer any questions.

The Lakota preschool program will be going through the transition of consolidating its services with the Head Start program, operated by the Butler County Educational Service Center. By merging the programs, the district is saving an estimated $1.2 million in 2012-2013.

For details on the preschool budget reduction plan approved in March, go to www.lakotaonline.com/budget.

The informational sessions will be Monday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Creekside Early Childhood School, 5070 Tylersville Road; Wednesday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Shawnee Early Childhood School, 9394 Sterling Drive; and Thursday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Liberty Early Childhood School, 6040 Princeton Road.

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

Tags: Tags: Butler County Educational Service Center, Creekside Early Childhood School, Head Start program, Lakota, Lakota athletic cuts, Lakota cuts, Lakota East, Lakota Local Schools, Lakota preschool, Lakota West, Liberty Early Childhood School, Shawnee Early Childhood School

The Lakota school district recently released the dates, times and locations for the 2012-2013 Lakota preschool informational sessions.

During the sessions, parents will have the opportunity to learn about preschool curriculum, starting and ending times, classroom composition, application and registration process, tuition, special education information and Butler County’s hiring forecast.

Lakota and Butler County administrators will be available to answer any questions.

The Lakota preschool program will be going through the transition of consolidating its services with the Head Start program, operated by the Butler County Educational Service Center. By merging the programs, the district is saving an estimated $1.2 million in 2012-2013.

For details on the preschool budget reduction plan approved in March, go to www.lakotaonline.com/budget.

The informational sessions will be Monday, April 23 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Creekside Early Childhood School, 5070 Tylersville Road; Wednesday, April 25 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Shawnee Early Childhood School, 9394 Sterling Drive; and Thursday, April 26 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Liberty Early Childhood School, 6040 Princeton Road.

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

Tags: Tags: Butler County Educational Service Center, Creekside Early Childhood School, Head Start program, Lakota, Lakota athletic cuts, Lakota cuts, Lakota East, Lakota Local Schools, Lakota preschool, Lakota West, Liberty Early Childhood School, Shawnee Early Childhood School

Enquirer contributor Sue Kiesewetter reports:

Children living in the Lakota Schools who will be 5-years-old by Sept. 30 may begin registering for kindergarten for the 2012-13 school year Monday, Feb. 27.

All children will be registered at the Lakota Enrollment Center, 8735 Cincinnati-Dayton Road, in West Chester Township. It is open from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. It will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., on Feb. 29, March 7, 14 and 21.

Parents are asked to register their children by school attendance zones according to the following schedule:

• Wyandot: Feb. 27 through March 2
• Shawnee: March 5-9
• Creekside: March 12-16
• Liberty: March 19-23

Completed registration packets should be brought to the enrollment center when registering children. They can be downloaded from the district’s website, www.lakotaonline.com, or can be picked up at the early childhood schools.

Other documentation needed for registration is: child’s original birth certificate, guardian’s driver’s license or state identification, proof of residency, immunization records, and custody papers, if applicable.

For more information, call 513-682-4120

Posted in: Schools |

Tags: Tags: Creekside Early Childhood School, kindergarten registration, Lakota, Lakota Local Schools, Liberty Early Childhood School, registration, Shawnee Early Childhood School, Wyandot Early Childhood School

Cincinnati Enquirer Denise Smith Amos reports:

About half the nation’s public schools failed to meet federal No Child Left Behind progress goals, a national study showed Thursday, adding grist to federal policymakers’ arguments to give waivers to states to change the standards for “adequate yearly progress” in schools.

Ohio, which plans to apply for a waiver, did better than the nation: 60 percent of its schools met federal goals in the last school year, but half its districts failed to.

Lakota Local Schools, Cincinnati’s second largest school district, had nine of its 20 schools fail to make federal annual academic progress goals.

• Database: Local ‘No Child’ ratings
• Cincinnati Enquirer: Local schools fail ‘No Child Left Behind’ goals

Among those not meeting the federal goals includes Creekside Early Childhood School, Endeavor Elementary School, Independence Elementary School, Cherokee Elementary School, Heritage Elementary School, Liberty Early Childhood School, Union Elementary School, Wyandot Early Childhood School and Lakota East High School.

Besides Creekside, Endeavor and Independence, those same schools failed to meet progress goals in 2010.

Schools that failed to meet progress goals in 2010, but met them in 2011 includes Freedom Elementary, VanGorden Elementary School and Lakota West High School.

Posted in: Board of Education, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Cherokee Elementary School, Creekside Early Childhood School, Endeavor Elementary School, Freedom Elementary, Heritage Elementary School, Independence Elementary School, Lakota, Lakota East, Lakota East High School, Lakota schools, Lakota West, Lakota West High School, Liberty Early Childhood School, No Child Left Behind, Union Elementary School, VanGorden Elementary School, Wyandot Early Childhood School

Parents can learn more about Lakota Local Schools kindergarten program and sign out a registration packet during one its kindergarten information nights this week. Shawnee ECS and Wyandot ECS will each host an informative session this Tuesday, March 8, at 7 p.m., while Creekside ECS and Liberty ECS will each host its session this Thursday, March 10, at 7 p.m.

Then, on next Saturday, March 19, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., the school district will have its kindergarten registration day at the Lakota East Freshman Campus.

Parents will need the following items for registration day:

• Completed registration packet

• Driver’s license or state I.D. of residential/custodial parent

• Child’s original birth certificate

• Proof of residency—lease/rental agreement, deed, mortgage statement, purchase contract with custodial/residential parents’ names and signatures (no exceptions). Resident affidavits will not be accepted during spring registration

• Custody paperwork if applicable

• Immunization/Medical Records—If available, please submit during registration. School nurses will be available to review records and check for any missing immunizations. This information must be presented within 14 days after student’s first day of attendance or student will be excluded from school

• IEP/MFE (if applicable)

For more information, contact the Lakota Enrollment Center at 513-682-4120.

The Lakota East Freshman Campus is located at 7630 Bethany Road in Liberty Township.

Posted in: Board of Education, Events, School events, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Creekside Early Childhood School, kindergarten, kindergarten registration, Lakota East Freshman Campus, Lakota Local Schools, Liberty Early Childhood School, registration, Shawnee Early Childhood School, Wyandot Early Childhood School

Lakota Local Schools has opened up registration for its preschool program for the 2011-2012 school year. The preschool program began in 1990 and was developed to serve children three-to-five years old, who qualify for special education services.

There was an informational meeting about the program scheduled tonight, Jan. 11, at the Liberty Early Childhood School. That meeting, however, was canceled due to the weather.

Additional information about the program was provided in a press release.

The program provides a nurturing environment that supports the intellectual, academic, and social growth of young children. Each class is comprised of children with identified disabilities as well as children who are typically developing.

Lakota’s preschool is a two-and-a-half hour program that runs Monday through Thursday. Morning and afternoon sessions are offered.

Children must be three years old on or before Sept. 30, 2011 to be eligible. Children, who will be five years old on or before Sept. 30, 2011, are not eligible for the preschool program.

The program will be offered at Shawnee Early Childhood School, Creekside Early Childhood School and Liberty Early Childhood School.

Additional informational meetings are scheduled for Jan. 19 at Shawnee ECS at 7 p.m. and for Jan. 30 at Creekside ECS at 7 p.m.

Registration information and applications are currently available on the Lakota Local Schools website. This information is also available at Shawnee, Creekside, Liberty and Wyandot early childhood schools, as well as at all Lakota elementary schools.

Applications should be returned to Creekside, Liberty or Shawnee no later than Jan. 31. It is expected that the number of children applying will exceed the available vacancies, therefore a lottery to determine enrollment.

Posted in: Schools |

Tags: Tags: Creekside Early Childhood School, Lakota Local Schools, Liberty Early Childhood School, preschool, Shawnee Early Childhood School, Shawnee Elementary