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.

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

The Lakota school district is still accepting junior high athletes who register and pay their fall sports fees by this Wednesday. The previous deadline to sign up this summer was June 29, which was more than two weeks earlier than the deadline last year.

Despite the early deadline and a high sports participation fee, which was raised prior to last school year, not a single junior high sport will be canceled this fall due to low participation numbers.

However, according to Lakota’s executive director of business operations Chris Passarge, the seventh grade football team at Lakota Ridge Junior School is in jeopardy of being consolidated with its eighth grade football team if participation numbers don’t increase by the new deadline.

Junior high girls’ and boys’ golf teams will continue to play together at the same tournaments, but against their same gender for the second consecutive fall. Also, the Lakota Ridge and Lakota Plains junior highs will combine its girls’ tennis teams for the second straight fall.

• The price of pay-to-play: Lakota to have highest fees in region next school year
• Enquirer database: Area high schools charging to play
• Information: Community Foundation’s athletic fund
• Which sports do you think should be cut to fund academics?

From the 2010-2011 school year to 2011-2012, fall athletic participation fell 14 percent at the junior high level largely due raised pay-to-play fees. Furthermore, the decrease in participation would have been greater if not for an increase in 7th grade and 8th grade cheerleaders – from 78 in 2010-11 to 106 in 2011-12.

Overall, the increased fees – from $200 in 2010-11 to $350 per sport, per athlete in 2011-12 – led to a drop off in fall student athletes from 753 participants in 2010-11 to 644 in 2011-12.

Last fall, while participation on the 8th grade football cheerleading squad grew 38 percent, the overall participation on the 8th grade football team fell 32 percent (from 168 student athletes in 2010-11 to 114 in 2011-2012).

Also last fall, in other sports, like boys’ cross country (down 46 percent), girls’ cross country (down 37 percent), girls’ golf (down 41 percent) and girls tennis (down 23 percent) all saw substantial losses in their participation numbers.

Official participation numbers for the 2012-13 fall sports season will not be known until after Aug. 1.

To sign up for a junior high sport, students can visit the Lakota Central Office, 5572 Princeton Road, in Liberty Township or register and pay online on the athletics page on lakotaonline.com through EZPay.

If a student athlete fails to make a team, a full refund will be given a few weeks after final rosters are set.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Chris Passarge, Lakota, Lakota cuts, Lakota East, Lakota elementary cuts, Lakota executive director of business operations, Lakota executive director of business operations Chris Passarge, Lakota high school cuts, Lakota junior high cuts, Lakota Local Schools, Lakota reductions, Lakota school levy, Lakota West

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.

Menchie’s West Chester location. Photo provided.

Menchie’s to open West Chester location next month – West Chester will have Greater Cincinnati’s second Menchie’s frozen yogurt location when it opens at 8177 Princeton-Glendale Road sometime in August. Owner and operator Jim Hach estimated last Tuesday that the store will open in mid-to-late August.

No Lakota junior high sports will be canceled this fall – Chris Passarge, Lakota’s executive director of business operations, told WestChesterBuzz last week that not a single junior high sport will be canceled this fall due to low participation numbers. The school district is still accepting athletes who register and pay fees by Aug. 1.

Lakota approves $40K ‘Community Conversation’ – The Lakota Board of Education approved a $40,000 contract last Monday with Citizens for Civic Renewal for a program called “Community Conversation” that will focus on community engagement. The board approved the program despite not having two of its five members in attendance. The contract begins July 17, 2012 and ends July 31, 2013.

Randy Oppenheimer. Photo provided.

Lakota appoints community relations consultant – The Lakota Board of Education, minus two of its five board members, unanimously approved the hiring of Randy Oppenheimer last Monday as a consultant to fill its open community relations position. Oppenheimer was approved by the school board Monday on the recommendation of Superintendent Karen Mantia, who was absent from the board meeting due to a death in the family.

Crazy Cardboard Regatta entertains thousands – According to MetroParks of Butler County officials, the third annual Crazy Cardboard Regatta at Voice of America Park on Saturday attracted thousands for the second straight year. The park system announced the attendance and estimated funds collected for “Paddle with a Purpose” last Tuesday.

Lakota West junior Gabby Blados. Photo taken by Adam Kiefaber.

Ex-Bengal’s daughter garnering collegiate interest – Despite not playing volleyball until her freshman year, Lakota West junior Gabby Blados is already attracting the attention of recruiters from some of the biggest college conferences in the country.

Boehner releases statement on tragedy in Colorado – Speaker of the House and West Chester resident John Boehner released a statement last Friday morning in response to the tragedy that took place during a midnight premiere of the latest Batman movie.

Lakota footballers make local list of ‘players to watch’ – Cincinnati Enquirer recruiting reporter Mike Dyer mentioned four Lakota West football players among those to watch this season in the classes of 2013 and 2014. The only Lakota West senior mentioned in Dyer’s list of “50 area football players to watch in the 2013 class” was offensive lineman Kyle Meadows, who was ranked No. 5 among the list of athletes from throughout Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.

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

Tags: Tags: Crazy Cardboard Regatta, Crazy Cardboard Regatta West Chester, John Boehner, John Boehner Cincinnati, John Boehner statement on shootings in Colorado, John Boehner West Chester, Lakota junior high cuts, Lakota Local Schools, Lakota reductions, Menchie's, Menchie's Cincinnati, Menchie's West Chester, MetroParks, MetroParks of Butler County, Randy Oppenheimer, Randy Oppenheimer lakota, West Chester business, West Chester business news

Chris Passarge, Lakota’s executive director of business operations, said not a single junior high sport will be canceled this fall due to low participation numbers.

Passarge also said the participation numbers for this fall are down a little bit from last fall, but the school district is still accepting athletes who register and pay fees by Aug. 1. The previous deadline was June 29, which was more than two weeks earlier than the deadline last summer.

According to Passarge, the seventh grade football team at Lakota Ridge Junior School is in jeopardy of being consolidated with its eighth grade football team if participation numbers don’t increase by the new deadline.

Junior high girls’ and boys’ golf teams will continue to play together at the same tournaments, but against their same gender for the second consecutive fall. Also, the Lakota Ridge and Lakota Plains junior highs will combine its girls’ tennis teams for the second straight fall.

• The price of pay-to-play: Lakota to have highest fees in region next school year
• Enquirer database: Area high schools charging to play
• Information: Community Foundation’s athletic fund
• Which sports do you think should be cut to fund academics?

From the 2010-2011 school year to 2011-2012, fall athletic participation fell 14 percent at the junior high level largely due raised pay-to-play fees. Furthermore, the decrease in participation would have been greater if not for an increase in 7th grade and 8th grade cheerleaders – from 78 in 2010-11 to 106 in 2011-12.

Overall, the increased fees – from $200 in 2010-11 to $350 per sport, per athlete in 2011-12 – led to a drop off in fall student athletes from 753 participants in 2010-11 to 644 in 2011-12.

Last fall, while participation on the 8th grade football cheerleading squad grew 38 percent, the overall participation on the 8th grade football team fell 32 percent (from 168 student athletes in 2010-11 to 114 in 2011-2012).

Also last fall, in other sports, like boys’ cross country (down 46 percent), girls’ cross country (down 37 percent), girls’ golf (down 41 percent) and girls tennis (down 23 percent) all saw substantial losses in their participation numbers.

Official participation numbers for the 2012-13 fall sports season will not be known until Aug. 1.

To sign up for a junior high sport, students can visit the Lakota Central Office, 5572 Princeton Road, in Liberty Township or register and pay online on the athletics page on lakotaonline.com through EZPay.

If a student athlete fails to make a team, a full refund will be given a few weeks after final rosters are set.

Posted in: Fall sports, Schools, Sports, Youth sports |

Tags: Tags: Chris Passarge, Lakota, Lakota cuts, Lakota East, Lakota elementary cuts, Lakota executive director of business operations, Lakota executive director of business operations Chris Passarge, Lakota high school cuts, Lakota junior high cuts, Lakota Local Schools, Lakota reductions, Lakota school levy, Lakota West

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.

Robb Vogelmann, who was named the principal at Liberty Junior in 2009, was approved by the Lakota Board of Education as the school district’s new assistant superintendent June 25, 2012. Photo provided.

Lakota hires assistant sup- The Lakota Board of Education approved at its regularly scheduled meeting last Monday the hiring of a new assistant superintendent and a new open enrollment policy, which allows children of Lakota employees who don’t live in the school district to attend Lakota schools.

Butler-Warren Road project forces more closures – The Butler County Engineer’s Office reported last week that two separate closures will take place in July on Butler-Warren Road north of the Liberty Way/Mason Road intersection. The closures are affiliated with the third phase of the Butler-Warren Road improvement project.

Lakota concludes that it will not ask for a levy – The Lakota Board of Education concluded last Monday night at its regular scheduled meeting that it would not place a tax levy on the November ballot. All five of the school board members, the treasurer and Lakota’s superintendent agreed it wasn’t the right time to ask voters to approve a tax hike.

Lakota East’s Myo Baxter received an offer from Toledo to play basketball. The sophomore-to-be has a chance to be a “big time” recruit, according to head coach Wally Vickers. Photo taken by Joseph Fuqua II.

Toledo offers Myo Baxter – Toledo became the first, of what Lakota East boys’ basketball head coach Wally Vickers expects to be many schools, to offer sophomore Myo Baxter a scholarship.

Former Lakota teacher gets 15 years for child porn – Paul McKibben and Dan Horn of The Enquirer reported that a federal judge last Tuesday sentenced a former Lakota school district teacher to 15 years in prison for child pornography crimes.

Rialto Road Bridge in West Chester to be replaced – Butler County Engineer Greg Wilkens reported last Thursday that the Rialto Road bridge over Mill Creek in West Chester Township will be replaced, causing a closure that will begin July 9 and end sometime in October.

West Chester Fresh Market to create around 90 jobs – According to a public relations specialist that works for The Fresh Market, the new location currently being built in West Chester will bring approximately 90 new jobs to the area. Most of those positions will be filled at a career open house Wednesday, July 11, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Cincinnati North Hotel, 11320 Chester Road in Sharonville.

Video shows police striking patron with batons at West Chester bar – A Surveillance camera video released last Thursday from a West Chester bar shows police striking a man repeatedly with batons during an arrest in May. Police said he ignored their commands and took a fighting stance, but a Butler County grand jury this week declined to indict him in the incident and his attorney indicated West Chester Township is negotiating “a resolution.”

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

Tags: Tags: Butler County Engineer's Office, Fresh Market, Fresh Market West Chester, Lakota Board of Education, Lakota East basketball, Lakota Local Schools, Lakota reductions, Lakota school board, Lakota school levy, Midland Atlantic Voice of America Centre, Myo Baxter, Myo Baxter Lakota East, Voice of America Centre, Warren County Engineer's Office, West Chester business, West Chester business news, West Chester construction, West Chester jobs, West Chester road closures

Students who want to participate in fall sports at the junior high level in the Lakota school district must register and pay fees by this Friday, which is more than two weeks earlier than the deadline last summer.

Chris Passarge. Photo provided.

Chris Passarge, Lakota’s executive director of business operations, said the date was moved up since there won’t be any staff members at the junior high buildings in July.

It is not known if the early deadline is affecting the number of signups. Passarge doesn’t plan to look at the numbers until the June 29 deadline. He did say, however, certain sports could be consolidated or canceled if minimum participation numbers are not met.

Prior to the 2011-2012 school year, the school district raised junior high athletic participation fees from $200 to $350. The increased cost led to a drop off in fall student athletes from 753 participants in 2010-11 to 644 in 2011-2012.

Overall, fall participation fell 14 percent. The percentage would have been greater if not for an increase in 7th grade and 8th grade cheerleaders – from 78 in 2010-11 to 106 in 2011-2012.

• The price of pay-to-play: Lakota to have highest fees in region next school year
• Enquirer database: Area high schools charging to play
• Information: Community Foundation’s athletic fund
• Which sports do you think should be cut to fund academics?

While participation on the 8th grade football cheerleading squad grew 38 percent, the overall participation on the 8th grade football team fell 32 percent (from 168 student athletes in 2010-11 to 114 in 2011-2012).

Other sports, like boys’ cross country (down 46 percent), girls’ cross country (down 37 percent), girls’ golf (down 41 percent) and girls tennis (down 23 percent) all saw substantial losses in their participation numbers.

Only cheerleading and boys’ golf (up 20 percent) showed an increase of participation more than 2 percent.

To sign up for fall sports, students can register and pay online on the athletics page on lakotaonline.com through EZPay. If a sport is canceled or a student athlete fails to make a team, a full refund will be given a few weeks after final rosters are set.

Once the June 29 deadline passes, the school district will establish its junior high athletic teams. During the month of July, students can still try to sign up for one of the established teams at the Lakota Central Office, 5572 Princeton Road, in Liberty Township. In August, students can also attempt to sign up at their junior high building.

High school fall athletes will have to pay (fee of $550 per sport) no later than Aug. 31 after tryouts.

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

Tags: Tags: Chris Passarge, Lakota, Lakota cuts, Lakota East, Lakota elementary cuts, Lakota executive director of business operations, Lakota executive director of business operations Chris Passarge, Lakota high school cuts, Lakota junior high cuts, Lakota Local Schools, Lakota reductions, Lakota school levy, Lakota West