LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

Without fear or favor
Since 2004

Tag: Loveland City School District

  • [Video Archive) Bruce Maegly conducts Middle School Stage Band at the end of his teaching career

    [Video Archive) Bruce Maegly conducts Middle School Stage Band at the end of his teaching career

    by David Miller

    Loveland, Ohio – Watch this LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV VIDEO that was shot in the Spring of 2014 in the waning hours of Bruce Maegly’s teaching career. Maegly and the Middle School Stage Band entertained the young students at the Loveland Early Childhood Center just before his retirement. Maegly was one of the most all-time beloved Loveland school teachers who retired that week after 35 years.

    He was the founder of the Loveland Middle School Stage Band.

    Bruce Maegly

    The Stage Band started the first year Maegly taught in Loveland when he was approached by then, principal, Jack Wood about playing for a basketball tournament they were hosting at the old middle school. “So, I put up a sign on the bulletin board inviting people to come in,” Maegly said. They started by learning three pieces of music for the tournament and played three pieces over and over all day long. “The night of our performance someone came up and said, ‘Hey. What’s this group called.” Maegly’s answer was, “Uh… I don’t know…. Uh… The Stage Band.” He explained it was because that is where they were playing, “On a stage.” And, that’s how it started forty-one years ago and it’s still going on. Later, former Loveland High School principal, Tom Hausterman invited Maegly to start what would become the Jazz Band. Two years later there were two jazz bands at the high school.

    In 2012, Maegly was honored by the Hamilton County Education Foundation as a Teacher of the Year. At the time of the award, Loveland Middle School Principal, Chris Burke said, “Very few teachers have the ability to impact as many lives as Bruce Maegly does on a regular basis. Bruce leads hundreds of students on a daily basis to grow and achieve success. Teaching multiple periods of large group bands, in two different buildings, Mr. Maegly has the ability to reach more students on a daily basis than just about anyone in our district. When you add the fact that he expertly and skillfully engages these groups every day it not only makes him deserving of this reward but invaluable to Loveland.”

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    Goodbye Mr. Maegly from Loveland Magazine on Vimeo.

  • Apex Sock Monkey delivers new signs just in time for Easter

    Apex Sock Monkey delivers new signs just in time for Easter

    Cassie Mattia and David Miller at the Easter Food Drive.

    Promoted Post

    Loveland, Ohio – We wanted some shiny, bright new signs for our office and to have at our Easter Food Drive. Apex Imprinted Sportswear and Promotional Specialities delivered the signs days before the event even though we didn’t give them much notice.

    Apex is conveniently located in the West Loveland Historic District with plenty of free private parking at the rear of their office at 523 West Loveland Avenue. Give them a call at 513-677-0700 or shoot them an email at apexloveland1@gmail.com.

    At Apex, they provide assistance with theme creativity, layout and design, and the finest imprinted and embroidered items. They have access to over 600,000 promotional products and are dedicated to finding the ideal product for your promotional need.

  • [Video] Spring National Signing Day at Loveland High School

    [Video] Spring National Signing Day at Loveland High School

    by David Miller

    Loveland, Ohio – It was Spring National Signing Day on Wednesday at Loveland High School. Congratulations to the following Student-Athletes, who have committed to play their sport at the collegiate level.

  • Fine Arts Signing Day at Loveland High School

    Fine Arts Signing Day at Loveland High School

    Photo by Loveland Schools

    Loveland, Ohio – Fine Arts Signing Day at Loveland High School was a ceremony where students declared their intention to continue their academic pursuits in college.

    • Isabel Abrinica will be attending Miami University for Emerging Technology and Business Design
    • Alton French will be attending the Cleveland Institute of Music for Bassoon Performance
    • Aidan McCracken will be attending Otterbein University for Acting and Theater
    • Grace Nunn will be attending the University of Cincinnati-DAAP for Communication Design
    • Elisabeth O’Neill will be attending Ohio University School of Theatre for Production Design & Technology
    • Abby Richardson will be attending Kent State University for Fashion Design and Merchandising
    • Haley Zuch will be attending the University of Cincinnati-DAAP for Fine Art and Digital Media
  • Elizabeth Kelly, MD of Cincinnati elected as president of the Hamilton County Board of Health

    Elizabeth Kelly, MD of Cincinnati elected as president of the Hamilton County Board of Health

    Hamilton County, Ohio – Hamilton County Board of Health completed its annual reorganization at its April 11 meeting, electing Elizabeth Kelly, MD of Cincinnati as president of the board and Dan Meloy of Colerain Township as vice president.

    The five-member Board of Health is the governing body of Hamilton County Public Health. In addition to Kelly and Meloy, board members include Tracey A. Puthoff, Esq. of Anderson, Jim Brett of Whitewater Township, and Mark Rippe of Sycamore Township. The Board has the authority to adopt public health rules and regulations, which have the same status as law, and to enact policies within Hamilton County Public Health’s jurisdiction, including all of Loveland. The Loveland City School District also recognizes the Hamilton County Health District as its guiding agency.

    The Board of Health’s regular meeting schedule through March, 2023 will be on the second Monday of each month at 4 PM at Hamilton County Public Health, 250 William Howard Taft, Cincinnati, OH 45219. All meetings are open to the public.

    For more information about the Hamilton County Board of Health, including minutes of Board of Health meetings, visit www.hamiltoncountyhealth.org.

  • Ohio HB 616: This type of legislation and mentality must be met head-on and forcefully resisted and debunked

    Ohio HB 616: This type of legislation and mentality must be met head-on and forcefully resisted and debunked

    Aaron West

    by Aaron West

    At the beginning of each school year, I teach my students how to annotate. I want them to pay close attention to what they read, and I encourage them to ask questions about it. Today, I had to practice what I teach. I grabbed a highlighter and every teacher’s friend (a felt-tipped pen) all because of one proposed bill: Ohio HB 616.

    If you aren’t familiar, this bill copies and pastes direct lines from both Florida’s recently-passed ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill and a litany of other bills passed by certain legislatures attacking Critical Race Theory (which doesn’t exist in K-12 classrooms), “divisive” concepts, and anything that might make anyone feel “guilty.” 

    I have read all 18 pages of this bill and placed here for you two particular ones next to an open copy of my district’s Inclusion guide. I want to show you, firsthand, just how antithetical this is to the field of education. Culturally-responsive education that acknowledges students’ identities is best practice—and we will be at risk of losing our licenses and funding for it should this bill—or any similar form of it—pass. We will be targeted and discharged for doing what is actually right by the professional standards in our field.

    We will be targeted and discharged for doing what is actually right by the professional standards in our field.

    In this bill, you’ll find vague language that isn’t defined; the enabling of any citizen to personally report teachers, administrators, and superintendents for discipline; the threat of punishment for including diversity/equity/inclusion training for staff or students; and consequences for using any curriculum (including my own classroom library) that includes any “divisive” or “racist” (here meaning “non-white”) perspectives or concepts.

    Most personal to me, this bill needlessly includes language whose intention is to further alienate and marginalize LGBTQ+ youth. For the first twenty-six years of my life, I was afraid to admit that I was gay. Had my experience in school (and elsewhere) been different, more representative, that may have been different. I may have been healthier and felt like there was a place for me, my identity—as I was.

    I don’t know if this bill will make it through a committee or whether it will ultimately be passed, but here’s what I do know.

    • 19% of LGBTQ+ youth ages 13-18 reported attempting suicide at least once in 2021 (The Trevor Project)

    • Some form of this bill, and more of the like, will continue to crop up—in Ohio and elsewhere across the U.S.

    • This type of legislation, and really, these mentalities, must be met head-on and forcefully resisted and debunked.

    • We must continue to vote en masse. In every election—locally and otherwise. Vote for people who will not make a culture war of the most vulnerable lived experiences. Vote for your teachers, your medical professionals, your neighbors who are Black or gay or some other “divisive” subset. Inclusion at the elected level is an antidote to the misguided assumption that this is desirable or even acceptable to most.

    • It’s important to remember that one of the noblest goals of quality public education is to make space for all; it is about more seats at the proverbial table. This bill seeks to send a chilling reminder that—still, in 2022—so many must raise their voices as though to ask permission to simply exist or belong.

    If you live in Ohio, you can make your voice heard on this bill by contacting the following:

    – House Speaker Robert Cupp (R): (614) 466-9624

    – Caucus Minority Leader Allison Russo (D): (614) 466-8012

    – Other Ohio House Representatives

    – Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Loveland) Co-introduced HB 616 with Rep. Mike Loychik

    – Rep. Mike Loychik (R-Bazetta) Co-introduced HB 616 with Rep. Jean Schmidt

  • Loveland area students can apply now for Ohio Student Safety Advisory Council

    Loveland area students can apply now for Ohio Student Safety Advisory Council

    David Miller is the Editor and Publisher of Loveland Magazine
    by David Miller

    Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today announced the creation of the new Ohio Student Safety Advisory Council within the Ohio School Safety Center (OSSC). The student-led Council will work to identify school safety concerns and develop innovative solutions to address them. “School safety programs are designed to protect students, so it’s important that students are given the opportunity to be a part of the conversation,” said Governor DeWine. “Involving them in the process of identifying safety concerns and creating solutions will provide Ohioans with a new and important perspective for violence prevention.”  Findings from the student-based council meetings will be delivered to the Governor’s Ohio School Safety Working Group to generate statewide solutions and supports.

    “Being a member of this statewide council will enable students to ensure their voice is heard when it comes to school safety,” Ohio Department of Public Safety Director Tom Stickrath said. “They will learn more about student safety-related issues and help devise effective peer-driven solutions.”

    To be eligible for the Council, students must:

    • Be entering grade 11 for the 2022-2023 school year.
    • Submit a completed application and nomination letter, which must be submitted together to OhioSchoolSafetyCenter@dps.ohio.gov prior to the May 6, 2022 deadline to be considered.  
    • Agree to serve a one-year term and attend monthly virtual meetings and one in-person meeting in Columbus.

    Two students from each of the five school safety center regions will be selected for the Council.

    Students will have the opportunity to be involved in additional events both in-person and remotely throughout their term. Those selected should plan on spending no fewer than 10 hours per month on group activities/work. 

    Council members will develop strategies to encourage their peers to actively engage in maintaining a safe school environment and will be an advocate for students’ overall well-being. Students will work directly with the regional school safety liaisons from the OSSC to organize events, focus groups, and trainings in their regions to help highlight student success and safety best practices at various schools. These members will also act as a sounding board for the Governor’s Ohio School Safety Working Group and OSSC on student marketing campaigns and projects to ensure a student voice is represented.  

    Candidates chosen to move forward with the process will be asked to attend a virtual interview. The OSSC plans to announce the student council member selections at the end
    of May. 

    Additional information can be found on the OSSC website.

  • [A Video Archive] Celebrating the Black women of Loveland, Ohio

    [A Video Archive] Celebrating the Black women of Loveland, Ohio

    David Miller is the Publisher and Editor of Loveland Magazine

    by David Miller

    Loveland, Ohio – On Sunday, March 20, the First Missionary Baptist Church on Main Street invited Loveland native and historian Larry Hamilton, Jr. to lecture on the historical importance of the Black Women of Loveland. The occasion was to honor International Woman’s Day and Women’s History Month.

    Hamilton now lives in Piqua, Ohio. He is a retired high school teacher and a member of the Loveland Schools Foundation “Hall of Fame”. He is the author of three books and graduated from Loveland High School in 1967.

    Larry Hamilton

    Hamilton taught courses in African American History, World Studies, and Current Events at Piqua High School. His tenure of teaching African American History for 30 straight years may be the longest consecutive period of teaching the subject at a predominately white high school anywhere in the country. He was selected for Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, was awarded the Ohio Tri-County NAACP’s Martin Luther King Outstanding African American Award, as well as the state of Ohio’s MLK Cultural Awareness Award in 2005.

    In his talk, Hamilton traces the path of African American women from slavery to their migration to Loveland. Hamilton presented slides of “Bill of Sale of Slaves” and an appraisement inventory from court proceedings of May, 1855 that lists Elizabeth (age 60) as “old woman worth nothing”.

    Loveland Magazine attended the Sunday morning service that was devoted to Hamilton’s presentation to record the event so this important history lesson could be archived on our pages. As Hamilton said, “Our Black history is Loveland’s history.”

    At the end of the service, Deanna Todd, who is the Assistant Principal of the Mason Middle School sings the Lift Every Voice and Sing, the Black National Anthem.

    View slides used in the Hamilton’s lecture Video

    Right click an image to open a new tab and see a larger view

    To learn more about Black History in Loveland

    These LOVELAND MAGAZINE HD VIDEOS are from a conversation between Paula Oguah, and Larry Hamilton about the early history of the Loveland Predestinarian Baptist Church (LPBC). The conversation took place in the Loveland Magazine TV Studio.

    This STORY and accompanying videos represent 3 months of study, interviews, and research into the chronological record of this historic Loveland landmark.

    Hamilton a native of Loveland is a retired teacher of African American History, World Studies, and Current Events who now lives in Piqua, OH. His family was intimately involved in the founding of LPBC and the construction of the church building. He is the author of Lucy’s Story – Right Choices But Wrongs Still Left, the historical account of his great-great-grandmother — a slave during the Civil War, who later lived and died in Loveland. Hamilton was a baptized member of LPBC and his grandmother Esther Hannon Hamilton taught his Sunday school class.

    Oguah is “Forth Generation Loveland” and a former resident, livied only one block from the Church. She travels often to Africa, and was an attorney with a private practice in Loveland. She grew up in Loveland, and her familiy, the Cobbs, were also intimately involved in the earliest of the Church’s history. Oguah’s family at one time was considered a backbone of the Loveland social and business community. Oguah’s great-grandfather Dennis Cobb reportedly helped lay the stone foundation to the church, and she was married in the church.

  • In Search of the Grail: The Story of a Women’s Movement in Loveland, Ohio

    In Search of the Grail: The Story of a Women’s Movement in Loveland, Ohio

    Changing things that look impossible to change.

    by David Miller

    Loveland, Ohio – In 1940, an international movement of women got on a boat. The last boat before Hitler invaded Holland. They made it to America, “by an eyelash” in April of that year.

    The Grail from Loveland became a voice in the United Nations.

    After watching the video below and in the spirit of Grailville’s past of venturing into the seemingly impossible, as the Publisher of this newspaper I have made an executive decision to go “all in” with an attempt to inform Loveland residents about the imminent destruction and erasure of the artifacts of a great cultural event of our local history.

    Grailville was the home of the National Grail movement in the United States; the symbolic heart of the movement.

    Will we allow the Grailville farm to be plowed under or will we choose new furrows planted in a way that continues to grow our future as a community?

    Screen shot from The U.S. Grail, a lay movement

    If we lose these artifacts, it will be by choice and not that we didn’t know – or know better.

    Will the City Historic Preservation and Planning Commission, the City Tree and Environment Committee, the City Planning and Zoning Commission, the City Council and City Manager, the City Comprehensive Master Development Plan Committee, the City Arts Commission, and Drees Homes stand in support or indifference of the bulldozers without acknowledgment of these, artifacts?

    Will they act out of ignorance or no comprehension of enlightenment? Will our future have value? Will Loveland’s legacy contain important worth? Preserving these artifacts can be value-added.

    Screen shot from The U.S. Grail, a lay movement

    A choice for each resident – Follow the Holy or Follow the Folly.

    We will no longer be able to say, “I didn’t know.”

    For sure, expressions of dismay about the impact of 200 plus homes at Grailville and the resulting strain on City services, overcrowding of already inadequate roads and schools, etc., are legitimate, however, so is the destruction of these intrinsic artifacts expressed in this video. A quality life whether for the individual, the collective community, or our grandchildren can be one filled with the remnants of the culture that made it so rich.

    Screen shot from The U.S. Grail, a lay movement

    This 2006 film by my friend Barbara Wolf, a Cincinnati filmmaker, for The U.S. Grail, a lay movement – explores the journey of those women seeking to transform the world as a matter of personal call and communal action.

    Our communal action in this present day is what?

    The Grail in the U.S. and in Loveland is not defunct by any means, read more HERE and HERE.

    Screen shot from The U.S. Grail, a lay movement

    Will we let a Kentucky home builder know they are proposing plowing under the footprints on this good earth and artifacts of an international movement of peace, gentleness, justice, and tranquility?

    We all have faith.

    Important artifacts, our seed crops, are about to be plowed under.

    Will our horizons call each other by name to respect these artifacts?

    More reading…

    Why is Grailville important? A look at the Grail founding in Loveland

    David Miller –  Mar 30, 2022

    [VIDEO] With public outpouring, has tide turned on Grailville?

    David Miller –  Mar 22, 2022

    Planning and Zoning Commission to hear from public on re-zoning Grailville

    David Miller –  Mar 8, 2022

    An open letter to City Hall by the Mullins: Grailville decision…

    Guest Column –  Mar 2, 2022

    Drees submits application for 209 homes at Grailville

    David Miller –  Jan 31, 2022

  • LIFE Food Pantry has expanded their “Financial Assistance” program

    LIFE Food Pantry has expanded their “Financial Assistance” program

    LIFE is a faith and community supported organization that provides food, financial assistance, and programs to those experiencing hardship.

    by Linda Bergholz

    Linda Bergholz

    As we approach the end of winter (fingers crossed, no more snow dances!) we want to thank our supporters who got us through the post-holiday season.

    So many exciting things are happening at the LIFE Pantry. We have a new delivery ramp in the back, a scholarship program ready to launch, and we are looking to expand our Financial Assistance program. To that end, did you know that we have a Financial Assistance program?  Most likely not, as the vision most have is “Oh, they do food” – which we do well, but food insecurity is just one part of the bigger picture for our families. The domino effect of “my car broke down so I lost my job so I can’t pay my rent and I have an eviction notice” is devastating for these families. We offer financial assistance for rent, utilities, medical bills, and various other needs that are considered on an individual basis. The piece we are planning to add is for auto related needs such as car repair, new tires, license plates, gas cards. It’s vital to help:  if our clients can’t get to work, they don’t earn a paycheck, they can’t pay the bills. It’s a crucial part of independence for our families and a piece toward breaking that cycle of poverty.

    Looking toward spring, we will be launching our annual Feed the Hungry campaign, LIFEsavers.  We are thankful for our current monthly subscribers who allow us to better plan for expenses. The event will run April 18th through May 21st.  Look for our signs around town, and updates on our website and Facebook page. Please consider donating, either one time or continuing support. No amount is too small – even $5 a month provides a Tiger Weekend Food Bag for one of our little folks!

    Blessings abound and you, our supporters, are a huge part of those blessings. Stop in and see what we do – then sign up to donate, volunteer, and spread the word!

    Sincerely,

    Linda Bergholz,

    Executive Director
    LIFE Food Pantry