WestChesterBuzz.com

The Community Foundation of West Chester/Liberty is currently accepting scholarship applications for the 2013-2014 school year for the Lakota Athletic Participation Fee Fund, which was created to assist student athletes in the Lakota school district with sports fees.

After the Lakota Board of Education made cuts prior to the 2011-2012 school year, athletic fees ballooned to $350 per sport for junior high athletes and to $550 per sport for high school students. Athletic fees for the 2010-2011 school year were $200 for junior high students and $300 for high school students.

The fall deadlines to apply are June 21 for grades 7-8 and Aug. 15 for grades 9-12. The winter sports deadline is Sept. 23 and the spring sports deadline is Jan. 24, for all grades. A limited number of scholarships are available. Only one scholarship per student will be awarded in any given school year.

The Lakota Athletic Participation Fee Fund was established by private donations to assist families, who display a need, by covering half of the participation fee assessed to students participating in sports within Lakota Schools.

Applications will be reviewed by a selection committee comprised of residents from West Chester and Liberty towships. Applications can be obtained online at www.wclfoundation.com/LakotaAthleticParticipationFeeFund.asp. Please submit completed forms to The Community Foundation of West Chester/Liberty, 5641 Union Centre Drive, West Chester 45069.

For more information call the Community Foundation office at 513-874-5450.

Posted in: Levy news, News, Schools, Sports |

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

Gail Allshouse. Photo provided.

The Lakota Board of Education approved the appointment of Allshouse Monday night. Her salary in her new role, which begins next school year, will be $89,500.

“Gail is an outstanding leader and educator,” said Karen Mantia, Lakota superintendent. “She is the right person to carry on the strong leadership that Clayton has provided at VanGorden.”

Allshouse graduated from Saint Leo University with a bachelor of arts in elementary education. She earned a master of education in reading in 1999 and a master of education in educational administration in 2005, both from Miami University.

She started her career in education as a fifth grade teacher at Donovan Intermediate School in Lebanon. At Lakota schools, Allshouse served as a reading specialist at Adena Elementary School from 1999 to 2007. Since then, Allshouse has been an assistant principal at Freedom, Adena and Endeavor elementary schools.

Clayton Ash, who is retiring as principal of VanGorden Elementary School, started his career in education at Lakota in 1981 as a sixth grade teacher at Liberty Junior School. He taught for 11 years at both Liberty and Woodland Elementary School before becoming assistant principal at Woodland in 1992. He was named principal at Liberty Elementary in 1999 and became principal at VanGorden in 2007.

Ash graduated from Bowling Green State University with a bachelor of science in elementary education. He also earned a master of education and administration from Miami University.

Posted in: Board of Education, News, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Clayton Ash, Gail Allshouse, Karen Mantia, Lakota Board of Education, Lakota Superintendent Dr. Karen Mantia, Lakota Superintendent Karen Mantia, Lakota’s VanGorden Elementary School, Superintendent Dr. Karen Mantia, superintendent Karen Mantia, VanGorden Elementary School

The Lakota Board of Education once again approved an inter-district open enrollment policy, which allows students the opportunity to apply to attend Lakota schools despite not living in the school district.

Information and applications will be made available no later than Wednesday. Applications are due, along with all required documents, by June 7. Applicants will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis.

As part of the enrollment process, families will need to complete and submit the following information:

• Open Enrollment Application
• District Registration Packet for the requested grade level
• Student’s original birth certificate
• Parent/guardian ID
• Proof of residency (current mortgage statement, current lease, or current real estate tax bill), and any custody documents
• For kindergarten students only: current record of immunizations.

For more information after Wednesday, visit Lakota enrollment center website on lakotaonline.com or call 513-682-4120.

The inter-district open enrollment was first made available last summer for the 2012-2013 school year. Previously, Lakota has not had the capacity to accept students who live outside the district because population growth had been so steep for so long.

More recently, the enrollment has been on the decline, as slightly more than 500 fewer students enrolled in the Lakota school district in 2011-2012 compared to the 2010-2011 school year. During that span, the district-wide enrollment went down 3 percent.

Posted in: Board of Education, News, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Lakota, Lakota Board of Education, Lakota East, Lakota five-year forecast, Lakota Local Schools, Lakota open enrollment, Lakota school board, Lakota West

McKibben Demographic Research made a presentation this week to the Lakota Board of Eduction on the school district’s projected enrollment.

According to the study, Lakota’s enrollment is expected to go down by 1,040 students, or 6.1 percent, by the 2017-2018 school year.

“This isn’t a Lakota problem or a Cincinnati problem or an Ohio problem,” said Jerome McKibben, who presented the study to the school board on Jan. 28.

“We see this trend in successful suburban school districts all across America.”

Interesting statistics in enrollment study

Population in school district -

• Has increased from 74,433 in 2000 to 94,639 in 2010
• Is projected to grow to 100,516 by 2020
• Number of 10-14 teens is projected decrease from 8,266 in 2010 to 7,320 in 2020
• The median age is projected to go up from 36.9 in 2010 to 40.7 in 2020
• Ages 50+ are projected to go up from 26,729 in 2010 to 36,264 in 2020

McKibben noted that districts like Lakota have high graduation rates, high rates of students going to college, and high rates of graduates leaving their hometown.

“They don’t marry the boy or girl next door,” he said. “They marry the boy or girl in the next dorm.”

McKibben also said that the fastest growing household type in this area over the next ten years will be empty-nesters.

Posted in: News, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Lakota, Lakota Board of Education, Lakota East, Lakota enrollment, Lakota Local Schools, Lakota school board, Lakota school enrollment, Lakota West, McKibben Demographic Research

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.

Suzanna Davis, who is now the principal at Lakota East High School after being promoted from East’s freshman campus, addressed students on the first day of school Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012. Photo taken by Adam Kiefaber.

New to Lakota: School district adjusting to changes- New changes like further teachers cuts, shorter school days for high school and junior high students, a healthier food menu for students, a pilot program to see how personal wireless devices like cell phones could help in the educational process and an influx of new school principals were among the fresh topics in the school district, which opened for classes (grades 1-12) last Thursday.

West Chester ranked among the top 100 small cities – Money Magazine recently named West Chester as one of its best places to live in America. The publication ranked West Chester No. 97 in its top 100 list of small cities to live. It was the only city in Ohio to be recognized in the list.

The Fresh Market in West Chester, 7720 Voice of America Centre Drive, opened Aug. 22, 2012. It is the company’s sixth store in the state of Ohio and its third in Greater Cincinnati. Photo taken by Adam Kiefaber.

The Fresh Market opens in West Chester- Instead of cutting a ribbon to signify the grand opening of its first Butler County Fresh Market, the company celebrated by cracking a wheel of parmesan last Wednesday morning. The celebration didn’t end with a crack of the cheese, as the new West Chester location, 7720 Voice of America Centre Drive, also featured chef demonstrations, food sampling throughout the store and had drawings for Fresh Market gift cards.

Notorious sex offender caught again – Sheila McLaughlin of The Cincinnati Enquirer reported last week that one of the region’s most notorious sex offenders was out of prison seven months when he was accused of exposing himself to children again. One incident, in 2005, took place at Kohl’s in West Chester.

Lakota West’s Tyler Cross helmet comes off in what turned out to be a 46-34 Lakota West win against La Salle in the season opener Aug. 25, 2012 at Nippert Stadium. Photo by Joseph Fuqua II.

Mikel Horton carries Firebirds past La Salle in opener- After the game, Lakota West junior running back Mikel Horton said he wasn’t tired and was ready to go another quarter. A bold statement for the 6-1, 225-pound Lakota East transfer, who just rushed for 239 yards and two touchdowns on 43 carries in the 46-34 Lakota West win against La Salle late Saturday night in the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown.

Lakota East runs through Western Hills in opener – Senior running back Will Mahone rushed for three touchdowns in the first quarter, as the Thunderhawks cruised to a 42-7 season-opening win against Western Hills Friday night. In the first frame, Mahone scored on runs of 37, 2 and 27, as Lakota East jumped out to a 28-0 lead to begin the game.

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

Tags: Tags: best cities to live, Best cities to live West Chester Ohio, Fresh Market, Fresh Market West Chester, Lakota, Lakota academic schedule, Lakota Bell Times, Lakota Board of Education, Lakota cuts, Lakota East, Lakota East High School, Lakota food, Lakota food options, Lakota Local Schools, Lakota reductions, Lakota school menus, Lakota West, Lakota West High School, Midland Atlantic Voice of America Centre, Money Magazine, Money Magazine West Chester Ohio, national news, reductions, Voice of America Centre, West Chester business, West Chester business news, West Chester jobs

Suzanna Davis, who is now the principal at Lakota East High School after being promoted from East’s freshman campus, addressed students on the first day of school Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012. Photo taken by Adam Kiefaber.

Morning traffic flowed fairly smoothly, according to both Lakota high school principals, as prior changes to busing in the state’s seventh-largest school district seemed like a distant memory on the first day of school Thursday.

New changes like further teachers cuts, shorter school days for high school and junior high students, a healthier food menu for students, a pilot program to see how personal wireless devices like cell phones could help in the educational process and an influx of new school principals were among the fresh topics in the district.

However, despite all the new changes, parents continue to be concerned with the lack of busing. According to Lakota West principal G. Elgin Card, it is still the biggest issue he hears about.

The busing cuts began in January of 2011 and additional cuts, which went into effect on the first day of school in August of that same year, officially left the district with state minimum busing.

“Back then, it was really concerning just because it was easier for a lot of us to take the bus,” Lakota East senior Claire Casper said.

“Now, I think everyone (students) has adjusted really well. It helps that they all have a certain route that they used to taking.”

• New to Lakota: Healthier food options
• New to Lakota: Wireless devices allowed in classroom
• New to Lakota: Shorter school days

Overall, cuts in recent years totaling more than $25 million – including just more than $10 million in reductions for the 2012-2013 school year – have forced the Lakota Board of Education to make some tough decisions.

Those decisions have naturally led to larger class sizes through teacher layoffs and fewer electives due to shorter school days.

“When they cut a lot of teachers that affected the students because the classes got bigger and a lot of us miss those teachers,” said Casper, when asked what was the most damaging cut recently made by the school board. (more…)

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

Tags: Tags: Lakota, Lakota academic schedule, Lakota Bell Times, Lakota Board of Education, Lakota busing, Lakota cuts, Lakota East, Lakota East High School, Lakota food, Lakota food options, Lakota Local Schools, Lakota reductions, Lakota school menus, Lakota West, Lakota West High School, reductions

Emma King hugs her mom, Mandy, before getting on the bus for first day of school at Adena Elementary last August (2011). Photo taken by Adam Kiefaber.

Local students in grades 1-12 will return to school this morning, as the Lakota school district begins its 2012-2013 academic year.

On the first day, students will have to adjust to a few changes including shorter school days for high school and junior high students, a healthier breakfast and lunch menu, as well as being allowed to use personal wireless devices for educational purposes.

• New to Lakota: Healthier food options
• New to Lakota: Wireless devices allowed in classroom
• New to Lakota: Shorter school days

As the Lakota community learns about the changes Thursday, WestChesterBuzz.com will interview the school district’s staff and students to find out what is being said within our local school walls.

Be sure to click on links provided to find out more about the changes and to visit WestChesterBuzz.com this afternoon for more on the story.

On another note, not all students begin class today, kindergarteners will have their first day next Tuesday, Aug. 28.

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

Tags: Tags: Karen Manita, Karen Mantia, Lakota, Lakota academic schedule, Lakota Bell Times, Lakota Board of Education, Lakota busing, Lakota cuts, Lakota East, Lakota East High School, Lakota food, Lakota food options, Lakota Local Schools, Lakota reductions, Lakota school menus, Lakota student focus group, Lakota Superintendent Dr. Karen Mantia, Lakota Superintendent Karen Mantia, Lakota West, Lakota West High School, reductions, Superintendent Dr. Karen Mantia, superintendent Karen Mantia

Students in high school and junior high will return to school this Thursday with different bell times than they had last school year.

Due to the more than $10 million in cuts made by the Lakota school board this past March, the school day will be 34 minutes shorter for high school students and 30 minutes shorter for students in junior high.

At the high school level, on the main campuses of Lakota East and Lakota West, the day won’t start until 8:05 a.m. Last year, the school day began at 7:30.

Meanwhile, on the freshman campuses, the day will begin at 7:50 a.m. this year, as opposed to the 7:15 start it had last school year.

At the junior high level, the school day will begin at the same time (7:30 a.m.) as it did last year. However, the day will end at 2 p.m., which is a full 30 minutes earlier than it did during the 2011-2012 academic year.

• New to Lakota: Healthier food options
• New to Lakota: Wireless devices allowed in classroom

The change in the morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up times are not expected to increase traffic, according to Lakota officials.

“We are not anticipating much, if any impact on transportation with the bell time changes,” Lakota’s executive director of business operations Chris Passarge said. “However, we need to get through the first couple of weeks to evaluate the changes and determine if there are opportunities to improve.”

While grades 1-12 report for their first day Thursday, kindergarten students will have their first day next Tuesday, Aug. 28.

To be best prepared for the 2012-2013 school year, Lakotaonline.com has links for student supply lists for every early childhood, elementary and junior high school. High school students will receive their supply lists from their teachers on Thursday.

School hours – starting and ending times – for 2012-2013

High Schools
Lakota East High School 8:05 a.m. – 2:40 p.m.
Lakota East Freshman School 7:50 a.m. – 2:25 p.m.
Lakota West High School 8:05 a.m. – 2:40 p.m.
Lakota West Freshman School 7:50 a.m. – 2:25 p.m. (more…)

Posted in: Board of Education, News, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Lakota academic schedule, Lakota Bell Times, Lakota Board of Education, Lakota busing, Lakota cuts, Lakota reductions, reductions

Students in high school and junior high will return to school next Thursday, Aug. 23, with different bell times than they had last school year.

Due to the more than $10 million in cuts made by the Lakota school board this past March, the school day will be 34 minutes shorter for high school students and 30 minutes shorter for students in junior high.

At the high school level, on the main campuses of Lakota East and Lakota West, the day won’t start until 8:05 a.m. Last year, the school day began at 7:30.

Meanwhile, on the freshman campuses, the day will begin at 7:50 a.m. this year compared to 7:15 last school year.

At the junior high level, the school day will begin at the same time (7:30 a.m.) as it did last year. However, the day will end at 2 p.m., which is a full 30 minutes earlier than it did during the 2011-2012 academic year.

While grades 1-12 report for their first day Aug. 23, kindergarten students will have their first day Aug. 28.

To be best prepared for the 2012-2013 school year, Lakotaonline.com has links for student supply lists for every early childhood, elementary and junior high school. High school students will receive their supply lists from their teachers when school begins next week.

School hours – starting and ending times – for 2012-2013

High Schools
Lakota East High School 8:05 a.m. – 2:40 p.m.
Lakota East Freshman School 7:50 a.m. – 2:25 p.m.
Lakota West High School 8:05 a.m. – 2:40 p.m.
Lakota West Freshman School 7:50 a.m. – 2:25 p.m. (more…)

Posted in: Board of Education, News, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Lakota academic schedule, Lakota Bell Times, Lakota Board of Education, Lakota busing, Lakota cuts, Lakota reductions, reductions

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.

Mellow Mushroom in West Chester set to open on Labor Day – The owner of the Mellow Mushroom in West Chester said last week that his restaurant is looking to hire more than 100 employees and is targeting Labor Day, Sept. 3, as its opening date. The location of the Mellow Mushroom is in the former Rafferty’s at 9238 Floer Drive and Union Centre Boulevard.

Portion of LeSourdesville-West Chester Road reopens – The Butler County Engineer’s Office reported Tuesday that LeSourdsville-West Chester Road has reopened. A portion of the road, .6 mile north of Cherry Lane Farm Drive/Lyonhil Drive and ten feet south of Beckett Ridge Boulevard, had been closed since July 23.

Paulette Grady. Photo provided.

Paulette Grady named principal at Cherokee Elementary- The Lakota Board of Education approved the appointment of Paulette Grady to principal of Cherokee Elementary School during a special meeting last Monday. Grady had previously served as Cherokee’s assistant principal and will replace Jennifer Forren, who left to take an administration job in the Loveland school district.

West Chester Fresh Market to open Aug. 22 – A public relations specialist, who works for The Fresh Market, announced last Tuesday evening that its new West Chester store will open Aug. 22. Jordan Worrall of BRAVE Public Relations said there will be a “large-scale grand opening event” when the business, 7720 Voice of America Centre Drive, opens its doors at 9 a.m. that day.

Local athlete featured in Cincinnati Children’s ad – This summer, Cincinnati Children’s has been airing an advertisement featuring 2011 Lakota West graduate and now Michigan volleyball star Lexi Dannemiller, who went Children’s for rehab on her knees. Lexi’s mom, Maria, who was also interviewed for the commercial, discussed the experience with WestChesterBuzz.com.

Black Cherry Chocolate Chip is Graeter’s ‘Mystery Flavor’ – Graeter’s revealed its latest “mystery flavor” last Wednesday. The new flavor is … Black Cherry Chocolate Chip. According to Graeter’s Facebook page, it is all natural black cherry flavored ice cream loaded with black cherries and its signature dark chocolate chunks.

Joe Morgan talks baseball in West Chester – There to interact with fans and help publicize his new Honda dealership in Monroe, Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan visited the Sports Gallery in West Chester last Thursday night for an autograph session. While at the event, the senior advisor of the Cincinnati Reds talked about the current team.

Swine flu confirmed at Butler County Fair – The Centers for Disease Control confirmed last Thursday that nine of 10 suspected influenza cases at the Butler County Fair have tested positive for the H3N2v swine flu. That puts Butler County in the lead for confirmed H3N2v cases so far this year throughout the country.

Suspect, who is being described as a heavy set male with a European accent, used credit cards he stole from lockers at West Chester fitness clubs to purchase electronics, police say. Photo provided.

Suspect wanted for stealing credit cards from local gyms – The West Chester Police Department is looking for information to help identify a suspect, who is wanted for taking credit cards out of lockers at local fitness clubs in West Chester. The suspect, who is being described as a heavy set male with a European accent, was able to get into locked lockers at both Urban Active and LA Fitness in West Chester on July 21 and 22.

Music retailer opening at Bridgewater Falls in late August – A music retailer featuring guitars, amps, drums, keyboards, microphones and more is expected to open in the Bridgewater Falls Lifestyle Shopping Center in late August. Play on This! specializes in music wares and wearables and is the nation’s only authorized retailer for Two Old Hippies merchandise.

Returning starters primed for fast start for Lakota East – With nine returning starters on offense, including a junior quarterback who was a backup at this time last summer, Lakota East head coach Rick Haynes feels that his team should get off to a fast start in 2012. WestChesterBuzz.com previews the season, as summer practice officially began last week.

Expectations are high at Lakota West – The Firebirds are hoping to return to the postseason after it has suffered back-to-back losing seasons. The main question heading into the season, however, is who will be the quarterback? WestChesterBuzz.com previews the season, as summer practice officially began last week.

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

Tags: Tags: Butler County Fair swine flu, Cherokee Elementary School, Fresh Market, Fresh Market West Chester, Graeter's mystery flavor, Graeter's West Chester, H3N2v swine flu Ohio, Joe Morgan, Joe Morgan Cincinnati Reds, Joe Morgan signing, Lakota Board of Education, Lakota East football, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports, Lexi Dannemiller, Mellow Mushroom, Mellow Mushroom West Chester, Michigan volleyball, Paulette Grady, Paulette Grady Cherokee Elementary, Play on This, Play on This Bridgewater Falls, University of Michigan volleyball, West Chester fitness club thief