WestChesterBuzz.com

The Community Foundation of West Chester/Liberty recently released the deadlines to apply for the Lakota Athletic Participation Fee Fund, which was created to assist student athletes in the Lakota school district with sports fees.

Junior high and high school students saw their athletic fees increase prior to the 2011-2012 school year when the Lakota Board of Education approved $10.2 million in cuts.

Athletic fees ballooned to $350 for junior high athletes – up from $200 in 2010-2011 – and to $550 for high school students – up from $300 in 2010-2011.

Due to this increase, the Community Foundation established the Lakota Athletic Participation Fee Fund. Through this fund, private donations can be made to cover half of the athletic fee assessed to students participating in sports within the district.

More than $6,500 was awarded in scholarship during the 2011-12 school year.

Deadlines for consideration during the 2012-2013 school year:

• Fall Sports: Students in grades 7-8 must apply by May 15, Students in grades 9-12 must apply by Aug. 17
• Winter Sports: Students in grades 7-12 must apply by Nov. 16
• Spring Sports: Students in grades 7-12 must apply by Feb. 15

Families interested in submitting an application for consideration must submit a letter to The Community Foundation of West Chester/Liberty indicating their desire for assistance.

The letter should include the name of the student athlete, school and grade level. The letter should also include a rationalization and insight into the family’s hardship, the benefit the students will receive from athletic participation and insight into the family’s ability to cover half of the athletic fee charged to the student. Families should also include documentation of other financial assistance being provided.

Send letters to:

The Community Foundation of West Chester/Liberty
Attn: Lakota Athletic Participation Fee Fund
5641 Union Centre Drive
West Chester, OH 45069

Applications will be reviewed by a selection committee of West Chester and Liberty Township residents.

A limited number of scholarships are available. Only one scholarship per student will be awarded in a school year.

Community Members who wish to support the Lakota Athletic Participation Fee Fund can make a donation payable to the Lakota Athletic Participation Fee Fund c/o The Community Foundation of West Chester/Liberty. For more information, call Melissa Benedict at 513-874-5450.

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

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

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.

Richard Hamilton is retiring after being principal at Lakota West for the past 13 years. Photo taken by Tony Jones.

Lakota to lose both high school principals- With the West Clermont school board’s recent approval of Keith Kline (current principal at Lakota East) as its new assistant superintendent, the Lakota school district will be entering the 2012-2013 school year with different principals at both high schools. Meanwhile, Richard Hamilton, who has served as the principal at Lakota West for the past 13 years, is retiring at the end of the school year in July.

Former Lakota East wrestler to compete in 2012 Olympics – About 10 years ago, Pliev had offers to wrestle at universities throughout the United States. He was coming off back-to-back state and national wrestling titles at Lakota East and seemed destined to accomplish his dream of becoming an Olympian. His journey, however, took a few unique turns.

Mandy Corrado, mother of twins Andrew and Luciana, found support after a miscarriage from the West Chester Mothers of Twins and More Club. Photo provided.

Mothers of twins grow special bond in West Chester– One of the largest mothers of multiples groups in the nation is right here in West Chester. The local twins club started in 1988 with six members. It has grown to more than 230 members today.

U.S. News ranks Lakota high schools among nation’s best – Lakota high schools made U.S. News & World Report’s list of top-ranked public high schools in the state and nation. Schools were awarded gold, silver or bronze medals based on a range of performance indicators, such as state proficiency standards and how well they prepare students for college. Both schools were among 93 Ohio public high schools to earn a silver medal.

West Chester firefighters have new pact – The West Chester Board of Trustees approved a three-year contract with the township’s fire lieutenants and firefighters last Tuesday. The contract affects 57 full-timers who are represented by the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 3518, and replaces a contract that expired at the end of last year.

AK Steel makes Fortune 500 list – AK Steel, which is headquartered in West Chester, was recently named to this year’s Fortune 500 list of America’s largest corporations. The company was ranked 381st on this year’s list and generated approximately $6.5 billion in revenue in 2011.

West Chester day care child abuser gets 80 years – Dan Horn reported that a Mason man will likely spend the rest of his life in prison for molesting boys at his mother’s in-home day care in West Chester and sharing photos of the abuse over the Internet. A federal judge sentenced Andrew Keith, 29, to 80 years in prison last Wednesday for producing and sharing child pornography.

Sectional tournament update: Lakota teams advance – The Lakota West baseball team, along with the Lakota East and Lakota West softball teams, won their postseason matchups in the sectional tournament last Wednesday. Both baseball teams also advanced to district semifinal games with wins last Thursday. All four teams will play in district semifinal games this week.

House Speaker John Boehner visited United Performance Metals in Hamilton May 11, 2012, to listen to the concerns of local small business owners. He also took a few jabs at President Obama. Photo taken by Adam Kiefaber.

Boehner listens to small business owners in Hamilton- House Speaker John Boehner Friday accused President Obama of being “AWOL for about eight months” as he campaigns non-stop for re-election. Boehner’s remarks came during a visit to United Performance Metals here where he listened to the concerns of local small business owners.

Lakota East teacher investigated over prom funds – A Lakota East High School teacher is the focus of an investigation by police in connection with missing funds from the Butler County school’s prom fund. The teacher, who resigned earlier this week, was not named by Lakota school officials in their released statement last Friday.

Fallen West Chester Marine to receive Purple Heart – The body of Marine Sgt. John Patrick “J.P.” Huling will return to his Butler County hometown Sunday as the latest recipient of the prestigious Purple Heart Award, military officials said last Friday. The Moeller High School graduate and bomb disposal specialist, 25, was shot in the chest and killed Sunday by someone, possibly a Taliban member, wearing an Afghan National Army uniform – a person supposed to be an ally of U.S. forces.

Posted in: Board of Education, Crime, Election, Government, News, Schools, Sports, Spring sports, Student achievements, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: 2012 Summer Olympics, death, Dr. Keith Kline, J.P. Huling, J.P. Huling death, John Boehner, John Boehner Cincinnati, John Boehner photos, John Boehner West Chester, Keith Kline, Khetag Pliev, Khetag Pliev 2012 Summer Olympics, Khetag Pliev Olympics, Khetag Pliev Team Canada, Khetag Pliev wrestling, Lakota East, Lakota East principal Dr. Keith Kline, Lakota East principal Keith Kline, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West principal Richard Hamilton, Lakota West sports, military, Richard Hamilton, Twins Club West Chester, U.S. Marine Sgt. John Patrick “J.P.” Huling, United Performance Metals, West Chester Fire Department, West Chester Mothers of Twins & More Club

Lakota West's Monty Boykins. Photo taken by Mark Ferland of ferlandfotos.smugmug.com.

Lakota West junior Monty Boykins added offers to play college basketball from Bowling Green, Kent State and Robert Morris earlier this month, according Lakota West head coach Sean Van Winkle.

Boykins also has seven other offers including Lehigh, Duquesne, Miami University, Eastern Michigan, Toledo, Kennesaw State and James Madison.

• Cincinnati Enquirer’s recruiting blog with Mike Dyer
• Monty Boykins video highlights

Boykins was a Division I honorable mention all-state this past season. He averaged 16.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals. He was first-team all-GMC.

As a sophomore, during the 2010-2011 season, Boykins averaged 12.5 points and 3.9 rebounds.

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Molly Blomer, Monty Boykins, ohio basketball recruiting, Ohio High School sports recruiting, Ohio preps recruiting, Ohio sports recruiting

Michael Conrad pitches in a regular season game in 2012. Photo taken by Tony Tribble.

The Lakota East and Lakota West baseball programs won their second round games in the Ohio High School Athletic Association sectional baseball tournament Thursday.

The Thunderhawks (15-12 overall, 10-8 in the Greater Miami Conference) defeated Turpin by the score of 2-0. Senior Michael Conrad, who finished with 13 strikeouts in the win, led Lakota East. Conrad will be playing baseball for the University of Cincinnati next school year.

Meanwhile, Lakota West (18-11 overall, 13-5 in the GMC) defeated Sycamore by the score of 7-4. Walsh University signee Zak Farmer earned the win on the mound and was 2-for-4 at the plate.

• OHSAA baseball Cincinnati regional tournament bracket

With the victories, Lakota West and Lakota East will both advance to district semifinal games to be played at 5 p.m. next Thursday, May 17. The Firebirds will face Moeller (19-5 overall, 9-1 in the Greater Catholic League) at Milford High School, while Lakota East will face Harrison (20-4 overall, 14-0 in the Fort Ancient Valley Conference) at Kings High School.

If both teams win their district semifinal matchups, West will play East at 11 a.m. at Western Hills High School next Saturday, May 19.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Lakota East, Lakota East baseball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West baseball, Lakota West sports, Michael Conrad, Michael Conrad Cincinnati, Michael Conrad Lakota East, Mike Conrad, Ohio high school baseball playoffs, ohio high school sectional baseball playoffs, sectional playoffs, Zak Farmer

The Lakota West baseball team, along with the Lakota East and Lakota West softball teams, won their postseason matchups in the sectional tournament Wednesday.

Led by sophomore Grant Schuermann, who finished with 11 strikeouts, the Lakota West baseball team shutout Amelia by the score of 9-0.

Lakota West's Michael Seaman jumps in the air to celebrate a run with a teammate during a 7-0 win against Lakota East April 30. Photo taken by Amanda Davidson.

The win advances the Firebirds (17-11 overall, 13-5 in the Greater Miami Conference) to the next round where they will face GMC foe Sycamore (10-15 overall, 8-10 in the GMC) at 5 p.m. Thursday at Lakota West High School.

During the regular season, West and Sycamore split the two-game series. Both games were decided by only one run – West winning at home April 23 by the score of 12-11, but losing on the road April 25 by the score of 1-0.

• OHSAA baseball Cincinnati regional tournament bracket
• OHSAA softball Cincinnati regional tournament bracket

Meanwhile, the Lakota East baseball team (14-12 overall, 10-8 in the GMC) had a bye this postseason and will face Turpin (16-9 overall, 9-7 in the Fort Ancient Valley Conference) at 5 p.m. Thursday at Lakota East High School. Turpin won its first-round game, 4-3, Wednesday against Western Brown.

In softball, both Lakota East and Lakota West advanced with convincing wins in the second round. Lakota East defeated Troy by the score of 12-3, while Lakota West defeated Middletown 10-0.

Lakota West (23-5 overall, 16-2 in the GMC – GMC champion) will face Northmont (22-3 overall, 10-0 in the Greater Western Ohio Conference – GWOC central division champs) at Fairmont High School at 5 p.m. Monday in a district semifinal matchup.

The Thunderhawks (22-7 overall, 15-3 in the GMC – GMC runner-up) will also play in a district semifinal game at 5 p.m. Monday when they face Fairborn (19-8 overall, 6-4 in the GWOC) at West Carrollton High School.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Lakota East, Lakota East baseball, Lakota East softball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West baseball, Lakota West softball, Lakota West sports, Ohio high school baseball playoffs, ohio high school sectional baseball playoffs, Ohio high school sectional softball playoffs, Ohio High School softball playoffs, sectional playoffs

With the West Clermont school board’s recent approval of Keith Kline as its new assistant superintendent, the Lakota school district will be entering the 2012-2013 school year with different principals at both high schools.

Keith Kline. Photo provided.

Kline, who has served as the principal at Lakota East since 2007, will serve as the assistant superintendent of administration and personnel at West Clermont. Kline will replace current Assistant Superintendent Al Delgado.

His responsibilities will include recruitment, employee hiring, retention and evaluation, contract negotiations and employee grievances, and liaison to the teachers union.

In his new position, Kline will have the salary of $123,746. This year, Kline’s salary at Lakota East was $106,844.

The job opening for Lakota East principal was posted on lakotaonline.com May 1. Like Kline, the new principal will oversee both the Lakota East main and freshman campuses. Combined, the two schools have approximately 2,700 students.

The job description lists a salary of $91,000-to-$118,000 based on experience. The date of employment is Aug. 1.

Meanwhile, Richard Hamilton, who has served as the principal at Lakota West for the past 13 years, is retiring at the end of the school year in July.

Richard Hamilton is retiring after being principal at Lakota West for the past 13 years. Photo taken by Tony Jones.

Hamilton’s plan in retirement, which was announced in December of 2011, is to return to coaching.

Next year, he will help coach the Lakota East and Lakota West varsity swimming programs. He has also coached swimming at Glen Oak, Wooster and Princeton high schools, as well as served as an assistant coach at Southern Illinois University.

In April, the school board voted unanimously to promote Gary Elgin Card, associate principal at the Lakota West Freshman Campus, to the position of principal at Lakota West. Card’s two-year contract includes a base salary of $100,000.

This year, Hamilton’s salary was $110,370.

Posted in: Board of Education, News, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Dr. Keith Kline, Elgin Card, Gary Elgin Card, Keith Kline, Lakota East principal Dr. Keith Kline, Lakota East principal Keith Kline, Lakota West, Lakota West Freshman Campus, Lakota West principal Elgin Card, Lakota West principal Gary Elgin Card, Lakota West principal Richard Hamilton, Richard Hamilton

Rachel Richardson reports:

Lakota high schools made U.S. News & World Report’s list of top-ranked public high schools in the state and nation.

Schools were awarded gold, silver or bronze medals based on a range of performance indicators, such as state proficiency standards and how well they prepare students for college.

The magazine evaluated more than 21,000 public high schools across the nation; 242 Ohio schools made the rankings.

Lakota East High School ranked 42nd in the state and No. 1,068 nationally. Lakota West came in at 60th in the state and No. 1,281 nationally.

• Lakota East High School ranking
• Lakota West High School ranking

Both schools were among 93 Ohio public high schools to earn a silver medal. Nineteen Ohio schools earned gold medals.

Walnut Hills High School earned the survey’s top state ranking. Indian Hills High School ranked No. 3 and Wyoming High School was No. 4.

The survey found the best school in the nation to be the School for the Talented and Gifted in Dallas, Texas.

Posted in: News, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Lakota East, Lakota East High School, Lakota West, Lakota West High School, Ohio's best high schools, U.S. News & World Report's list of top-ranked public high schools

Lakota West offensive lineman Kyle Meadows (#75) prepares to block in a game against Winton Woods in 2011. Meadows currently has 16 scholarship offers to play college football. Photo taken by Adam Kiefaber.

Lakota West junior offensive tackle Kyle Meadows recently received an offer to play football at the University of Kansas, according to Lakota West coach Larry Cox.

The offer is one of many that lineman has received in 2012. Other offers include Louisville, Ohio University, Youngstown State, Toledo, Pittsburgh, Akron, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, West Virginia, Northern Illinois, Florida State, Purdue, North Carolina State and Kentucky.

• Cincinnati Enquirer’s recruiting blog with Mike Dyer
• Lakota West football news from WestChesterBuzz.com
• Lakota West OL Kyle Meadows video highlights
• Story: Local lineman overcomes injury and picks up college offers

In late April, Meadows admitted that he was leaning towards attending Florida State. However, he also said that is still listening to all schools.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Akron football, Florida State football, Florida State football recruiting, Illinois football, Kyle Meadows, Kyle Meadows Florida State, Kyle Meadows football recruiting, Kyle Meadows Lakota West, Kyle Meadows video highlights, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports, Louisville football, N.C. State football, Northern Illinois football, Ohio football, Ohio football recruiting, Ohio High School sports recruiting, Ohio preps recruiting, Ohio sports recruiting, Ohio State football, Pittsburgh football, Purdue football, Toledo football, West Virginia football, Youngstown State football

During a focus group session at the Lakota Central Office Thursday, it was the students teaching Lakota administrators on how to better run the state’s seventh-largest school system.

The student-led focus group was the first of four sessions with Lakota officials, as the school district looks for more effective ways to educate its students.

“Students will tell you the truth and that is what we are looking for,” Lakota Superintendent Karen Mantia said. “We want to make sure we are responsive school system in meeting their needs. In order to do that, we need to ask them.

“This is just the tip of the ice berg.”

After the discussions with students, Mantia said that he hopes to extend an invitation for future focus groups with teachers and eventually with the community.

Among the topics covered, during the two-hour student focus group, included what ways students learn the best, how technology plays a role in their learning, what skills do they think they need to know for their future and what changes need to be made to the school system.

Lakota West senior Melody Stewart shares her opinion during a student focus group at the Lakota Central Office May 3, 2012. Photo taken by Adam Kiefaber.

“Anything that could help us with our studies should be allowed,” Lakota West senior Melody Stewart said. “If that means going on Facebook to get something, then we should be allowed to do that. If you abuse that privilege than it should be taken away, but for educational purposes we should be able to go online and search for what we need.”

Stewart, who played volleyball in the Lakota school system and will continue her athletic career at Northern Kentucky University, also thought that the school system should focus on having more extracurricular activities.

“If I didn’t play volleyball, I don’t think that would be as involved in the school today,” Stewart said. “I think these activities help students feel connected to the school district. I believe we should get students more involved and have more extracurricular activities so they can have that connection and feel what I felt.”

Another Lakota athlete, who still has two more years of high school before he graduates, worries about the change in the academic schedule when the high schools move to six-period days in the fall.

“Next year is going to be a lot harder because we only have six periods,” said Lakota West sophomore Malik Grove, who has played varsity football, basketball and bowling. “You still need to earn enough credits. I will still need another foreign language and a fine arts class. I only have two years left to get those in order to get into to a good college.”

Meanwhile, Stewart hopes Grove and other future graduates will receive the same education she received while at Lakota.

“When I leave, I don’t want to see the school district go down the drain. I want them to keep improving,” Stewart said. “My experience at Lakota was great. I feel that I am very prepared for the future and I want other students who come up to feel the same way.

“I really hope that this meeting will give the school district a lot of information to keep improving our studies … because I believe there are many things that we can to do, to better prepare students for college and the workforce.”

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

Tags: Tags: Karen Manita, Karen Mantia, Lakota, Lakota cuts, Lakota East Sports, Lakota Local Schools, Lakota preschool, Lakota preschool program, Lakota reductions, Lakota school levy, Lakota student focus group, Lakota Superintendent Dr. Karen Mantia, Lakota Superintendent Karen Mantia, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Malik Grove, Malik Grove Lakota West, Mel Stewart, reductions, Rich Hoffman, school levy, Superintendent Dr. Karen Mantia, superintendent Karen Mantia

Lakota West graduates Grant Hunter and Josh Chichester will both have the opportunity to prove to the Cincinnati Bengals that they are worth a roster spot.

Lakota West grad Josh Chichester catches a touchdown pass for Louisville during a game against the Cincinnati Bearcats Oct. 24, 2009. Photo taken by Ernest Coleman.

Hunter, who played linebacker at Butler, was among one of the 14 college free agents that the Bengals signed Wednesday. While Chichester, was one of the three players with local ties who were invited to try out at next weekend’s, May 11-13, rookie minicamp.

Last season, at Butler, Hunter led his team in sacks with 10 and in tackles for loss with 15.5. During the NFL Draft process, Hunter worked out for the Bengals and the Indianapolis Colts.

According to a story posted on the Butler University official athletic website, Hunter almost didn’t answer the Bengals’ phone call when he noticed it was a 513 area code and thought that it was a telemarketer or an automated sales call.

“It turned out it was the linebackers’ coach from the Bengals, and I think I was speechless for about five minutes,” Hunter told butlersports.com. “I just remember saying thank you over and over again. It was probably one of the happiest moments of my life.”

Meanwhile, Chichester, who worked out for the Bengals and the New England Patriots before the NFL Draft, caught 97 passes for 1,253 yards and 11 touchdowns during his four-year career as a wide receiver and tight end at the University of Louisville.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Cincinnati Bengals, Cincinnati Bengals college free agents, Grant Hunter Bengals, Grant Hunter Butler, Grant Hunter NFL Draft, Josh Chichester, Josh Chichester Bengals, Josh Chichester draft, Josh Chichester football, Josh Chichester Louisville, Josh Chichester NFL Draft, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports