WestChesterBuzz.com

Alex Mark was one of 31 fourth graders to earn a perfect score

Alex Mark. Photo provided.

Heritage Elementary fourth grader, Alex Merk, recently received a perfect score in the first of three meets for this year’s WordMasters Challenge™—a national vocabulary competition involving nearly 150,000 students annually.

Merk earned a perfect score of 20 in the December meet. Nationally, only 31 fourth graders achieved a perfect score. Other students at Heritage Elementary, who achieved outstanding results in the meet, include third grader Kylee Simmons.

The annual challenge, supported by Lakota’s Gifted Department, was accepted by 669 Lakota students this year. The students were coached in preparation for the WordMasters Challenge™ by Heritage teachers, Noelle D’Arcy-Wilson (fourth grade) and Vickie Copley (third grade).

The WordMasters Challenge™ program is administered by a company based in Indianapolis, Ind. Further information is available at the company’s website, www.wordmasterschallenge.com.

Posted in: News, Schools, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: Alex Merk, Alex Merk Heritage, Heritage Elementary, Heritage Elementary School, WordMasters Challenge

Cincinnati Enquirer photographer Tony Jones recently visited Hopewell and Heritage elementary schools to watch their annual field days.

The field days usually signify the end of the school year, as all Lakota schools will have their last day next Thursday, May 31.

For more West Chester and Liberty Township photos, there are many other events captured on our Flickr photostream and more West Chester and Liberty Township related photo galleries on our Photos page.

Also, remember to share your photos through the Photos page.

Posted in: Events, News, School events |

Tags: Tags: Heritage Elementary field day, Heritage Elementary photos, Heritage Elementary School, Heritage field day, Hopewell Elementary, Hopewell Elementary field day, Hopewell Elementary photos, Hopewell field day, Lakota photos

Heritage Elementary School is hosting a special reception for retiring principal Marco Pangallo from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday in the school’s media center.

Marco Pangallo is retiring from his position of principal at Heritage Elementary School. Photo provided.

Pangallo has been the school’s principal for the past 16 years and has served in the Lakota school district for 23 years. He has also served as the assistant principal at Liberty Elementary from 1989 to 1994 and as the principal at Adena Elementary from 1994 to 1996. He began his career in education in 1980 as a fifth grade teacher at Milford South Elementary.

“He has been a most calm source of encouragement and stability to students, parents and teachers especially during these past years of difficult change in the district,” Heritage parent Elizabeth Bruggen wrote in an email to WestChesterBuzz.com.

“The Heritage parent group wanted to show our appreciation for all of his work in our community by putting on this reception. He has touched many, many families in the West Chester and Liberty area in such a positive way.”

Pangallo is also known for his musical prowess (singing and guitar) and has serenaded students around the holidays and performed in the local band Acoustik Buca.

Heritage Elementary School is located at 5052 Hamilton-Mason Road in Liberty Township.

Posted in: Schools |

Tags: Tags: Adena Elementary, Heritage Elementary School, Liberty Elementary, Marco Pangallo, Milford South Elementary

Heritage Elementary School is hosting a special reception for retiring principal Marco Pangallo next Thursday, March 22, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the school’s media center.

Marco Pangallo is retiring from his position of principal at Heritage Elementary School. Photo provided.

Pangallo has been the school’s principal for the past 16 years and has served in the Lakota school district for 23 years. He has also served as the assistant principal at Liberty Elementary from 1989 to 1994 and as the principal at Adena Elementary from 1994 to 1996. He began his career in education in 1980 as a fifth grade teacher at Milford South Elementary.

“He has been a most calm source of encouragement and stability to students, parents and teachers especially during these past years of difficult change in the district,” Heritage parent Elizabeth Bruggen wrote in an email to WestChesterBuzz.com.

“The Heritage parent group wanted to show our appreciation for all of his work in our community by putting on this reception. He has touched many, many families in the West Chester and Liberty area in such a positive way.”

Pangallo is also known for his musical prowess (singing and guitar) and has serenaded students around the holidays and performed in the local band Acoustik Buca.

Heritage Elementary School is located at 5052 Hamilton-Mason Road in Liberty Township.

Posted in: Schools |

Tags: Tags: Adena Elementary, Heritage Elementary School, Liberty Elementary, Marco Pangallo, Milford South Elementary

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

The West Chester Symphony Orchestra will perform a free holiday show titled “A Halloween Spooktacular!” at the Muhlhauser Barn tonight, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m.

The event will feature special guests including the choir from Heritage Elementary.

The orchestra and choir will perform Halloween-themed music. The choir from Heritage will perform “Scooby Doo” and “Ghostbusters.”

People attending the show are encouraged to dress up in costume.

The Muhlhauser Barn is located at 8558 Beckett Rd. in West Chester.

Posted in: Events, Recreational events, School events |

Tags: Tags: Halloween, Heritage, Heritage choir, Heritage Elementary School, Holiday, Muhlhauser Barn, West Chester Symphony, West Chester Symphony Orchestra

The West Chester Symphony Orchestra will perform a free holiday show titled “A Halloween Spooktacular!” at the Muhlhauser Barn Thursday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m.

The event will feature special guests including the choir from Heritage Elementary.

The orchestra and choir will perform Halloween-themed music. The choir from Heritage will perform “Scooby Doo” and “Ghostbusters.”

People attending the show are encouraged to dress up in costume.

The Muhlhauser Barn is located at 8558 Beckett Rd. in West Chester.

Posted in: Events, Recreational events, School events |

Tags: Tags: Halloween, Heritage, Heritage choir, Heritage Elementary School, Holiday, Muhlhauser Barn, West Chester Symphony, West Chester Symphony Orchestra

Heritage Elementary will have its 12th annual walk-a-thon Friday, Sept. 24, during the school’s lunchtime recess.

All funds collected from the event this year will go toward needed gym equipment including soccer goals and playground balls, additional play aways and books for the school’s library, art supplies, and items for the school’s music department.

Heritage Elementary students brought home a pledge cards earlier this month in order to collect pledges from parents, relatives and neighbors.

The Heritage PTA is hosting the fundraiser and is offering prizes to encourage participation.

Every child who brings in money will be entered in a raffle for special prizes and individual prizes will be awarded to those raising the most money. There are also class prizes. The class collecting the most money will receive a pizza party and the class with the most students returning pledges will win an ice cream party.

For information on how to donate money and/or prizes contact Michelle Wiles at twiles3@cinci.rr.com.

Posted in: Events, School events, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Heritage, Heritage Elementary School, walk-a-thon

Heritage Elementary will have its 12th annual walk-a-thon Sept. 24 during the school’s lunchtime recess.

All funds collected from the event this year will go toward needed gym equipment including soccer goals and playground balls, additional play aways and books for the school’s library, art supplies, and items for the school’s music department.

Heritage Elementary students will be bringing home a pledge card soon in order to collect pledges from parents, relatives and neighbors. The completed card and monies collected will be due back in just a few weeks.

The Heritage PTA is hosting the fundraiser and is offering prizes to encourage participation.

Every child who brings in money will be entered in a raffle for special prizes and individual prizes will be awarded to those raising the most money. There are also class prizes. The class collecting the most money will receive a pizza party and the class with the most students returning pledges will win an ice cream party.

For information on how to donate money and/or prizes contact Michelle Wiles at twiles3@cinci.rr.com.

Posted in: Events, School events, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Heritage, Heritage Elementary School, walk-a-thon

Threshold Church and Starbucks will be heavily involved in collecting food items for Reach Out Lakota this August.

Threshold Church is sponsoring two food drives to benefit Reach Out Lakota. The drives will help stock the food pantry’s shelves during the summer months when supplies typically run low.

Community members are invited to donate non-perishable food items, personal care items and cleaning supplies on Sunday, Aug. 1 and Sunday, Aug. 8 from 12-2:30 p.m. at Heritage Elementary School, 5052 Hamilton-Mason Road. Some items most needed include cereal, pancake mix, canned soups and stews, pasta and sauce and canned meat. Other needed items are listed on www.reachoutlakota.org.

Starbucks locations on Union Centre, 9244 Floer Drive, and Tylersville, 7783 Cox Lane, will also be collecting items for Reach Out Lakota during July and August. Customers can bring in non-perishable food items, personal care items and cleaning supplies to one of those locations.

Reach Out Lakota is a non-profit organization whose mission is to assist individuals and families in the Lakota School District by putting help and hope into their hands during times of need through their food and clothing pantries. Threshold Church meets Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. at Heritage Elementary School.

Posted in: Business, Events, News, Schools |

Tags: Tags: food drives, Heritage Elementary School, Reach Out Lakota, Starbucks, Threshold Church