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. This week, we have decided to list all the top stories from May.

WestChesterBuzz.com also recently added a new video page. To view West Chester and Liberty Township related videos, visit westchesterbuzz.com/videos.

New Women’s Center – UC Health recently opened a new 26,000-square-foot Women’s Center on the campus of West Chester Hospital. The center, which officially opened May 18, offers a one-stop-shop health package for women.

Prank gone good – The senior prank typically is not done for a good cause, but that is what happened at Lakota East High School May 24. Seniors surprised their classmates, teachers and administrators that morning with a school pride message on Main Street, which is the school’s main hallway, made entirely out of canned goods. The 2,013 cans will now be donated to the survivors of the tornado that ripped through parts of Oklahoma City and its suburbs, as well as to Reach Out Lakota, a nonprofit that provides food, clothing and necessities to needy Butler County residents.

Liberty Center adds dining-theater complex – Weeks after Steiner + Associates delivered Dillard’s as its anchor tenant for Butler County’s largest proposed retail project, the developer of Liberty Center signed Cobb Theatres’ CineBistro, which will offer fine dining and drinks in six of its 16 theaters.

Spark releases 150th issue – Logan Aimone, executive director of the National Scholastic Press Association, admits that he has never heard of a 160-page student publication. But that’s exactly what 140 Lakota East High School journalism students were feverishly working on – the 150th issue of Spark Magazine, which was printed and released May 30.

Lakota school district to bring back some busing – Lakota is bringing back busing. Kind of. After moving to state minimum transportation two years ago, the school district announced May 30 that it will provide busing to all kindergarten and first grade students, beginning the 2013-2014 school year. Chris Passarge, the school district’s chief operations officer, said that the service can be provided at no additional cost.

OL Jarrett LaRubbio commits to UK – Lakota East junior offensive lineman Jarrett LaRubbio said the recruiting process was getting hectic lately but he knew the University of Kentucky was at the top of his list. On May 25, LaRubbio verbally committed to UK on his unofficial visit.

IED found near ‘haunted’ bridge – There was a scare near the Screaming Bridge on Maud Hughes Road in Liberty Township when police discovered an explosive device. Deputies and the bomb squad from the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, as well as Liberty Township Fire and EMS personnel, were called out to the scene around noon May 28. The Screaming Bridge, which is between Princeton and Milikin roads, is believed by some to be haunted.

Lip dub goes viral - Lakota East High School has already raised awareness and thousands of dollars for the Center for Spina Bifida Care at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, but that could only the be beginning as the school hopes its “lip dub” video goes viral and attracts the attention of Ellen DeGeneres. The video already has more than 84,000 views after being posted on YouTube a few weeks ago.

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

Tags: Tags: busing, CineBistro, Cobb Theatres, Cobb Theatres’ CineBistro, cuts, I-75, Interstate 75, Joe Hinson, Lakota Board of Education, Lakota busing, Lakota cuts, Lakota East, Lakota East High School, Lakota East lip dub, Lakota East senior prank, Lakota East seniors, Lakota East Spark, Lakota East Spark Magazine, Lakota Local Schools, Lakota reductions, Lakota school levy, Liberty Town Square, Liberty Township business news, Liberty Way, Liberty Way Interchange, Liberty Way project, Libertytown LLC, National Honor Society, National Honor Society Lakota East, reductions, school levy, Spark Magazine, Steiner + Associates, traffic, UC Health West Chester, UC Health West Chester Women's Center, West Chester Hospital, West Chester Hospital Women's Center, West Chester Women's Center

Logan Aimone, executive director of the National Scholastic Press Association, admits that he has never heard of a 160-page student publication.

But that’s exactly what 140 Lakota East High School journalism students are feverishly working on – the 150th issue of Spark Magazine, which will be printed and released Thursday.

“Its format is a little unconventional compared to other student news media,” Aimone said.

“A lot of schools have a high school version of their city newspaper, but I think the Spark takes its inspiration from the best of the weekly news magazines. There are not many other school magazines that are doing it as thoroughly as the Spark.”

Aimone’s organization, based in Minneapolis, provides journalism education services to students and teachers in the United States and other countries. It inducted Spark into its National Publication Hall of Fame in 2010. The NPSA, since 1997, has also awarded the magazine with 10 Pacemakers, which is presented to the top student publications in the nation.

“It is definitely in the very top tier of student-produced magazines in the country,” Aimone said. “The kind of comprehensive coverage they do in each issue is really sophisticated, in-depth and interesting – and I think that is what sets the Spark apart. It is also what has earned the staff many, many awards.’’

Those other awards include six consecutive Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Crown awards, which are given to the top student publications in the nation. In addition, Spark has been ranked in the top 10 nationally by the Journalism Education Association 21 times and has been honored by the Ohio Scholastic Media Association as one of the state’s best publications 20 times.

To earn those honors, current and former students of the program have spent hours upon hours of their own time producing Spark. Now, the student-produced and student-funded magazine is working on its biggest project ever – its 150th issue.

“Most people, who aren’t in Spark, clear out of school at 2:39 (p.m.), immediately after the final bell rings,” junior Angela Ferguson said. “But every day after school and on the weekends this hallway (outside of the journalism classrooms) is absolutely packed.”

While completing last month’s 88-page issue and working on the upcoming 160-page issue, the magazine’s co-editor and chief, Jeff Back, decided to track how many hours he spent on the two projects. Back, a senior, determined that he spent up to 70 hours a week of his free time, in the afternoon and on the weekends, making sure the magazine will be ready for print.

“The grunt work has been more than I expected,” Back said. “Over spring break, I took home all 149 issues and scanned the covers. That was seven hours just on that. The amount of the work that has been put into it, organizing and getting everything from the past 21 years has been pretty phenomenal.”

The 160-page issue, which is about twice the size of a typical issue, will chronicle major events that have occurred at Lakota East and in the community since Spark released its first issue, Dec. 18, 1992. It will also include follow-up stories from past years.

“It is a huge project because they have so many people researching every issue and every year to find the most compelling story that we have had,” said Dean Hume, Spark adviser and Lakota East journalism teacher. “It is an organizational nightmare, yet they have done it.”

In addition to writing copy, designing graphics, producing online videos and laying out pages, Lakota East’s journalism students are also responsible for funding the entire production of the magazine through subscription sales and advertisements, without help from the school district.

Typically, each monthly issue of Spark costs between $4,500 to $4,800 to print. The 150th issue will cost close to $11,000 to produce roughly 850 copies for subscribers, as well as an additional 100 single copies that will be available to purchase through Spark staff for $10.

ABOUT SPARK

Adviser: Dean Hume, has led the program since it began in 1992

Staff: 140, including 37 editors

First issue: Dec. 18, 1992

History: When Lakota split into two high schools in 1997, seniors were able to pick what school they wanted to attend; 33 of the 35 seniors who were in the program followed Hume to Lakota East.

Publishes: Seven monthly issues on a $35,000 budget

Cost: Subscription costs average $20 (discounts to students and teachers)

Awards: 14 consecutive All-American ranks by the NSPA, 10 Pacemakers by NSPA, 12 consecutive Gallup awards from Quill and School, 21 times ranked in top-ten nationally by the JEA, and 20 times given top Ohio honors by the OSMA

Information: lakotaeastspark.com

Posted in: News, Schools, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: Lakota East, Lakota East High School, Lakota East Spark, Lakota East Spark Magazine, Spark Magazine

Lakota East senior Kaitlin Lange was named 2013 Ohio Journalism Education Association Journalist of the Year at the annual Ohio Scholastic Media Association state conference last week at Kent State University. Lange is the managing editor and a three-year staff member of Spark Magazine, an award-winning publication produced by high school students.

Lange is the sixth Spark journalist to receive the honor since 1998. Previous winners include Melissa Harris, Sara Thomas, Matt Faig, Betsy Brown and Sarah Massey.

In addition to the state honor, Lange is also entered in the JEA national Journalist of The Year competition in San Francisco in late April. There, Lange will be going up against seniors from 35 states. If she wins, she would receive a $5,000 national prize in addition to her $500 state award.

In this year’s OSMA state contests, Lange earned the only superior in first-person narrative, was part of in-depth teams that earned a superior and an excellent, had an honorable mention entry in news feature, plus a first place on the LEHS Spark broadcast team in the day-of video story competition.

“Covering all those school board meetings paid off for Kaitlin,” said Dean Hume, who serves as the magazine’s advisor and as a Lakota East journalism teacher. “She covers hard news and soft news with equal resolve and thoroughness.”

Lange, who is also a varsity cheerleader, is planning to study journalism at Maryland, Indiana or Ball State.

Posted in: News, Schools, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: Kaitlin Lange, Lakota East, Lakota East High School, Lakota East Spark, Lakota East Spark Magazine, Spark Magazine

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.

Jack in the Box to open first Ohio location Sept. 17 – A spokesperson with Jack in the Box confirmed last Thursday that its first Ohio location will open in West Chester on Monday, Sept. 17, at 9 a.m. The company has targeted Cincinnati and plans on adding more locations based on the belief that local consumers are already aware of the fast food chain.

Another case of whooping cough reported at Lakota school – Twice last week, the Butler County Health Department emailed Lakota parents, alerting them that a student had been diagnosed with Pertussis, which is more commonly known as whooping cough. On Tuesday, the email, which was also sent out in a letter, said a student from Lakota West High School had been diagnosed with the disease. Then on Thursday, the email alerted parents of a student at Endeavor Elementary.

Lakota East’s Spark Magazine is taking subscriptions – The award-winning Spark Magazine, run by students at Lakota East High School for the past 21 years, is currently accepting subscribers through Sept. 14. Through the years, Spark has covered topics that range from Lakota’s financial struggles to racial profiling.

Chamber changes speaker for Sept. 11 luncheon – Thomas Boat, dean of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and vice president for health affairs, will replace previously scheduled speaker Santa Jeremy Ono at this month’s West Chester ▪ Liberty Chamber Alliance’s luncheon on Tuesday. Ono, who began serving as UC’s president after Greg Williams’ sudden resignation Aug. 21, canceled to participate in meetings in Columbus that day, according to Boat.

The Spicy Olive opens in West Chester – Shauna Steigerwald of The Cincinnati Enquirer writes about The Spicy Olive, newly opened in West Chester, where customers can sample fresh olive oils and aged balsamic vinegars before they buy them.

11 years and heart transplant later, she’s a normal little girl – John Johnston of The Cincinnati Enquirer reported last week on Asia Werner, who recently won 11 medals at the Transplant Games of America and had a heart transplant in December of 2000. Without the donated heart, Asia, who was born with multiple heart defects, likely would have died within days, the doctor who performed the surgery said.

‘Game changer’ development coming to Liberty Twp. – Sheila McLaughlin of The Cincinnati Enquirer provided an update on Liberty Town Square, the $300 million retail, office, entertainment and residential project – the largest development to hit Butler County. The opening for the destination has been pushed back to spring 2015 from fall of 2014.

Posted in: Business, News, Schools |

Tags: Tags: cincinnati restaurant opening, jack in the box, Jack in the Box Cincinnati, Jack in the Box midwest, Jack in the Box Ohio, Jack in the Box West Chester, Lakota East Spark, Lakota East Spark Magazine, Lakota West, Lakota West High School, Liberty Town Square, Liberty Township business news, Liberty Way, Liberty Way Interchange, Liberty Way project, Libertytown LLC, Ohio Department of Health, Ohio Scholastic Media Association, Pertussis, Pertussis Butler County, Pertussis Lakota West, Pertussis Ohio, Spark, Steiner + Associates, The Spark, West Chester business, West Chester business news, West Chester jobs, West Chester restaurant opening, West Chester restaurants, whooping cough, whooping cough Butler County, whooping cough Lakota West, whooping cough Ohio

The award-winning Spark Magazine, run by students at Lakota East High School for the past 21 years, is currently accepting subscribers through Sept. 14.

Through the years, Spark has covered topics that range from Lakota’s financial struggles to racial profiling.

This year, readers will be able to read about new programs at Lakota, as well as the effects of budget reductions in the school district. The magazine also covers news within the local community, Lakota East sports and the latest in entertainment.

• Chinese students to learn English from Spark

“For 21 years, Spark has had a mission to inform and engage our audience of issues in the community through our in-depth coverage,” said Jeff Back, Spark editor-in-chief. “Spark is a chance for students in Lakota, their parents, and community members from West Chester and Liberty Township to stay in touch with what is going on in the Lakota school district.”

To subscribe to the magazine, fill out the subscription form on the Spark website or email Back at j.a.back2@gmail.com. Each $25 subscription will come with seven issues of this year’s magazine.

The student-generated publication has been honored 18 times with an All-Ohio ranking from the Ohio Scholastic Media Association and won the Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s Gold Crown award. It was one of 11 magazines in the nation and the only school from Ohio to win that distinction. Last year marked the fourth time since 2007 that Spark was honored with the Gold Crown.

Posted in: Schools, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: Lakota East Spark, Lakota East Spark Magazine, Ohio Scholastic Media Association, Spark, The Spark

Lakota East students Alexa Chryssovergis and Marissa Alsip report

For the 18th time in 20 years, the Lakota East High School student-generated magazine Spark received an All-Ohio ranking from the Ohio Scholastic Media Association, meaning it is one of state’s top scholastic publications.

Joe Dennis, a judge for the Ohio Scholastic Media Association’s contest, said Spark was “the best high school journalism magazine I have seen in the nation.

“That community is lucky to have a resource like Spark.”

The annual Ohio Scholastic Media Association awards took place at Kent State in April. During the two-day conference, 34 Spark staff members won a combined 70 writing and design awards.

Senior co-chief Devin Casey earned nine awards to lead all students, while East seniors Jenn Shafer and Sierra Whitlock and junior Ellen Fleetwood finished with three each. Jasmine Tuazon, Sean Lewis, Rachel Podnar, Natasha Rausch, Jeff Back, Christian Roehm, Irfan Ibrahim, and John Grasty all won two awards.

• Chinese students to learn English from Spark

“When you have that many different kids getting a top award, that means that everybody’s learning and everybody’s growing,” said Dean Hume, Lakota East journalism teacher and Spark advisor. “That’s the thing I’m most proud of. It reflects that everybody is contributing.”

The Spark also won the Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s Gold Crown award, which evaluates publications for an entire year. It was one of 11 magazines in the nation and the only school from Ohio to win that distinction. It was the fourth time since 2007 that Spark was honored with the Gold Crown.

Posted in: Schools, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: Lakota East Spark, Lakota East Spark Magazine, Ohio Scholastic Media Association, Spark, The Spark

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.

Chinese students to learn English from Spark – Administrators from a large Chinese school district have requested more than 100 editions of Lakota East High School’s student-generated magazine Spark after its high school principal visited the Liberty Township school last November.

Liberty Twp. intersection to close for most of the summer – Butler County’s fifth major roundabout will be constructed this summer in Liberty Township near Cherokee Elementary School. The project will require the intersection of Kyles Station and LeSourdsville-West Chester roads to close June 4 and remain closed most of the summer, reopening the week of Aug. 20, weather permitting.

Reds honor Lakota West freshman- More than 100 parents and classmates came out to Great American Ball Park last Thursday in support of Lakota West freshman Meggie Zahneis, who was named the honorary captain prior to the Reds game. The 15-year-old West Chester resident’s story captured the heart of Major League Commissioner Bud Selig, who in return offered her the job of being an MLB.com youth reporter prior to the 2012 season.

DV8 opens After-Hours on The Square – DV8 kicked off the 2012 season of the First Financial Bank After-Hours on The Square concert series in West Chester last Thursday. The concert series will continue at the same time, from 6 to 9 p.m., every Thursday night through Aug. 23.

West Chester mom on ‘Masterchef’ – Cake specialist and blogger Krystal Eggerding Mandap from West Chester Township will be competing in Fox’s “Masterchef” reality show for amateur cooks starting June 4. “Masterchef” will air 9 p.m. Monday and Tuesday this summer (Channels 19, 45), following Gordon Ramsay’s “Hell’s Kitchen.”

Lakota West raises more than $30K in Relay for Life – Lakota West raised more than $30,000 from its recent Relay for Life event at the high school. That money will be used to provide cancer patients with transportation and lodging at the Hope Lodge in Cincinnati.

Posted in: Events, News, Schools, Student achievements, Traffic |

Tags: Tags: After-Hours on the Square, After-Hours on The Square at Union Centre, Butler County Engineer's Office, concert, concerts, Hope Lodge Cincinnati, Krystal Eggerding, Krystal Eggerding Mandap, Krystal Mandap, Kyles Station Road, Kyles Station Road construction, Lakota East Spark, Lakota East Spark Magazine, Lakota West, Lakota West Freshman Campus, Lakota West sports, LeSourdsville West Chester Road construction, Lesourdsville-West Chester Road, Liberty Township construction, Liberty Township road closures, Masterchef, Masterchef FOX, Meggie Zahneis, Relay for Life, Relay for Life Lakota West, Spark, The Spark, West Chester construction, West Chester road closures

Administrators from a large Chinese school district have requested more than 100 editions of Lakota East High School’s student-generated magazine Spark after its high school principal visited the Liberty Township school last November.

“They want to use the Spark to teach English in their curriculum, what better compliment could you get than that?” said Dean Hume, Lakota East journalism teacher and Spark advisor. “The administrators can say we use this publication to help our teachers teach our students proper grammar, how to write, how to use syntax, how to generate mood and tone, and how to report the news.

“I think it is a grand slam in the 9th inning with two outs for the English department.”

Well before Chinese school administrators requested copies of the award-winning publication, principal Yuan Ye of Jingman No. 1 High School in the Hubei Province of China visited Lakota East to learn more about the educational system in the United States.

During his visit, the principal, who comes from a very test-driven educational system in China, was fascinated by the creativity of the students.

“He was very intrigued about what was going on in our classrooms in particular to the creative and thinking ‘outside-the-box activities’ and how we move our students to be thinkers and not just memorizers,” Lakota East principal Keith Kline said.

“The Chinese are trying to focus more on critical thinking skills, creativity and teamwork and want to get away from their test-driven structure, which is huge for them. It is interesting because our country seems to be going in the opposite direction.”

Kline saw the Chinese educational system firsthand when he visited Yuan Ye’s high school in April. He reported back about the emphasis placed on tests, the length of the school day and the work ethic displayed by the students.

In order to get into Jingman and other high schools, Chinese students must pass a test in the 9th grade. Then, in the 12th grade, students must pass another exam to determine where they can go to college. Failure on either exam leads to an early introduction to the job market.

Chinese high school students also experience longer school days, which begin at 6 a.m., and progresses until an 11:30 lunch, picks back up at 2:30 and lasts until 10 p.m. The only evening students are away from school is Sunday, after they’ve completed mandatory study tables.

“Over there, the work ethic of their students and their society as a whole is much more elevated than it is here,” Kline said. “If I could marry their work ethic with our instruction there would be no stopping us. They are trying to get to where we are instructionally and once they do, that will certainly be a challenge for us as a country.”

During Kline’s visit in China, he showed Yuan Ye the article Spark junior reporter Mohinee Mukherjee wrote about the Chinese educator’s visit. The Chinese school district than decided that Spark could help teach its students the English language and about American teenage culture.

“It is incredible. I get chills just thinking about it,” sophomore Amanda Weisbrod said of the Spark being used as a study tool in China. “We are globally recognized now, not just nationally. To think that some of our stories are going to be read by people from all around world is just really, really awesome.”

While China looks to add some creative courses, students at Lakota East warn against a switch to a more test-driven approach in the United States.

“I am not a big fan of standardized tests. I hate them and I am pretty sure every student here hates them,” junior Emily Chao said. “If we did move towards standardized tests, we would become robots. We would literally just sit there and do stuff, and not to do it well.”

Sophomore Angela Ferguson, whose mom is Chinese, agreed with Chao and her fellow classmates.

“Obviously the Chinese are doing something right by going off their test scores and how it has affected their economy. At the same time, I think that it is placing their students at a real disadvantage because they are learning, but they are not growing,” Ferguson said.

“Schools are always talking about how we could be like China because they are doing so well, but I think if we continue with that mentality it is not going to lead us anywhere good.”

Posted in: Board of Education, News, Schools, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: Dr. Keith Kline, Keith Kline, Lakota East principal Dr. Keith Kline, Lakota East principal Keith Kline, Lakota East Spark, Lakota East Spark Magazine, Spark, The Spark

The Spark, a magazine produced by Lakota East High School students, will host a Lakota Board of Education candidate forum this Wednesday from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Lakota East Main Campus Theater.

Five candidates are currently running to fill two, four-year seats: Julie Shaffer (photo), Mark Etterling, Lucas Hall, incumbent Lynda O’Connor and former board member Jamie Green.

All five have agreed to attend the forum.

Community members are encouraged to participate by sending questions for the candidates to lehs.spark@gmail.com or to the Spark’s twitter account, @LakotaEastSpark. Audience members can also submit questions before the forum begins.

Lakota East High School is located at 6480 Lakota Lane in Liberty Township.

Later in the month, the West Chester/Liberty Chamber Alliance will sponsor another “Meet the Candidates” forum for the school board candidates. That event will take place Oct. 21 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Lakota central office.

The Lakota central office is located at 5572 Princeton Road in Liberty Township.

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

Tags: Tags: Jamie Green, Julie Shaffer, Lakota Board of Education, Lakota East, Lakota East High School, Lakota East Spark, Lakota East Spark Magazine, Lakota school board election, Lucas Hall, Lynda O'Connor, Mark Etterling, school board, Spark, The Spark