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Tag: Loveland City School District

Meet the Council Candidates Night on Thursday, October 26

Photo not provided by Stephen G. Zamagias

Loveland Chamber and Loveland Magazine partner to bring you Meet the Candidates for Loveland City Council Night

Loveland Middle School Media Center

801 South Lebanon Rd.

Thursday, October 26 at 7 PM

Doors Open at 6:30 PM

by David Miller, Publisher

Will City Hall be demolished? One, two, or four-story? Who will be Loveland’s next Mayor? Who will be appointed to fill the remaining two-year term vacated by former mayor Mark Fitzgerald? Will pro-growth or slow growth protect our values and environment candidates be elected? Which candidates will be more transparent? Which candidates will have the best temperament when their actions are brought into question? Who will shorten your commute time? Who has the thickest skin and a pleasant disposition? Will new bosses be just like the old bosses?

What would you like to ask those who want a special seat of trust at City Hall for the next four-years?

I am pleased that Loveland Magazine can partner this year with the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance to bring the candidates for Loveland Council together in one room to face voters and their questions. Voters will have the opportunity to meet the candidates at 6:30 PM and at 7 PM the candidates will begin presenting their case and asking for your vote.

LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV will be broadcasting the forum “live” on Loveland Magazine’s Facebook page, so, people that cannot be at the forum to meet the candidates in person, can watch it wherever they are. Folks can watch on their smartphones, tablets, computers, or even on the widescreen of their smart TV in their family room. Organize your own watch party.

The forum will be rebroadcast on both our Facebook Page and at www.lovelandmagazine.com so folks can watch at any time leading right up to election day.

Residents can comment in “real-time” on the Loveland Magazine Facebook page during the live broadcast or afterward by watching the re-broadcast.

Judge Brad Greenberg is the Presiding and Administrative Judge for the Hamilton County Municipal Court.

At the Forum, residents will be putting their questions into a “hat,” and all questions will be screened for duplicates by Pastor Bill Hounshell. Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge and former Loveland Mayor Brad Greenberg will be the moderator for the evening and ask as many questions as time allows.

CeeCee Collins, President of the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance said, “I feel it is important to allow the residents and voters to meet and ask questions prior to going to vote on November 7. Our intent is to provide the community the opportunity to ask questions and make an informed choice when voting.”

There will be a similar Meet the Candidates Night for voters on, October 25, at 7 PM at the Loveland Middle School Media Center. The School Board Meet the Candidate Night will be moderated by former Board President Dr. Judy McClanahan.

The doors will open at 6:30 PM on both nights.

Oct 18, 2017
Peter Matuszak at Loveland High School named National Merit Scholarship Commended Student

Peter Matuszak honored by being named one of the best of the best academically in the nation

Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland City School District has announced that Loveland High School (LHS) Senior Peter Matuszak was named in the 63rd National Merit Scholarship Program as a Commended Student. Commended Students are named on the basis of a nationally applied Selection Index score.

“This recognition is a testament to the academic ability Peter Matuszak has shown; he is now a scholar who stands among the best of the best in the nation,” said Peggy Johnson, LHS principal. “We are thrilled for him, and sincerely congratulate him on this honor.”

Established in 1955, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) is a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance. It was established for the sole purpose of managing the National Merit Scholarship Program. Scholarships are underwritten by NMSC with its own funds and by approximately 420 business organizations and higher education institutions that share the NMSC’s goal of honoring the nation’s scholastic champions and encouraging the pursuit of academic excellence. Students qualify by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

Oct 16, 2017
Loveland Middle School Weekly Award Winners
7th Grade:
- Social Studies: Drew Partin
- Science: Eden Givens
- Math: Dylan Mayak
- English: Ben Kirlin
-8th Grade:
- Social Studies: Nicole Pedicini
- Science: Blake McDaniels
- Math: Adah Smolenski
- English: Mya Jordan
-Electives:
- Phys Ed./Health: Eva Dudeck
- Foreign Language: Annelise Dartnall
- Fine Arts: Tucker Wiseman
- Music: Kylie Eldridge
-Staff: Mr. Scott Sievering (English)

Accounting Plus LLC
Oct 12, 2017
Opportunities for Tiger Growth – The State Report Card

“It is my belief that the true value of any district cannot be limited to a simple grade on a standardized test.”

By Dr. Amy Crouse,

Our district mission is Preparing Students for Tomorrow, Today; our No. 1 district goal is Tiger academic growth. As such, our educational instructional leaders at every level – teachers in the classroom, principals managing the buildings and administrators specializing in Teaching & Learning at the Board Office – stay focused on measures of our performance. One data point we are equipped with to gauge performance is the annual State Report Card, which the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) released to the public Thursday, September 14.

I want to be clear that – as an educator with 20-plus years of experience serving students – it is my belief that the true value of any district cannot be limited to a simple grade on a standardized test which is what the ODE State Report Card reflects. We are in the business of whole student growth, which encompasses the complete student experience, to include academic, social and emotional development. I invite you to take a look at the way we do business through our Quality Profile Report – it is a complement to the State Report Card scores and will give you a more intimate view of what it means to be a Tiger.

Whether we agree or disagree with our state assessments, I do have a strong belief in accountability, and understand that the State Report Card is one tool of accountability that can be of value. The State Report Card grades districts and schools on six components – Achievement, Progress, Gap Closing, Graduation Rate, K-3 Literacy and Prepared for Success. Districts and schools received an A-F grade on each of the six components and most of the individual measures. While this – on the surface – sounds like a simple pass/fail – the explanations behind those letter-grade measures are much more complex.

In Loveland, we can celebrate a gain in the Gap Closing measure as all of our subgroups showed gains in reading, we made strides in the K-3 Literacy measure, and 20 out of 23 tested areas showed an increase in performance. While we will highlight our successes, we will not ignore the areas the State Report Card highlights as opportunities for growth.

One area we are focused on is our Progress measure

One area we are focused on is our Progress measure, which is an indicator of student growth. Our Board of Education made clear it was of paramount importance that we deliver on the expectation that every Tiger will demonstrate personal academic growth, which is the heart of our Growth goal for this school year. As such, entrenched in our building goals is increased time and focus for teachers to collaborate on: curriculum work planning lessons aligned to the state standards and vertically aligned to increase rigor for students as they progress through the grades; assessment work using student MAP data to meet students where they are and measure their individual growth; and, instruction work to improve student engagement and opportunities for their application of their learning. We feel strongly this focus will move the needle for us on Progress.

We feel strongly this focus will move the needle for us on Progress.

As always, I thank you for supporting our educational mission; I invite you to contact me directly should you have any questions or concerns regarding our State Report Card.

In service to our Tigers,

Dr. Amy Crouse

Dr. Crouse is Interim Superintendent of the Loveland City School District

Loveland Magazine

Published by David Miller

We are celebrating and proud to be a member of the Ohio News Media Association along with more than 250 Ohio daily and weekly newspapers including, The Columbus Dispatch, Plain Dealer, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal, Dayton Daily News, and The Toledo Blade. Loveland Magazine was the first “digital only member”.

Oct 12, 2017
2016 – 2017 Report Card for Loveland City School District
A message from the Ohio Department of Education:

Ohio School Report Cards give your community a clear picture of the progress of your district and schools in raising achievement and preparing students for the future. The information measures district and school performance in the areas most critical to success in learning. Ohio School Report Cards data shows educators, school administrators and families where their schools are succeeding as well as areas where they need to improve.

Schools and districts report information for the Ohio School Report Cards on specific marks of performance – called measures – within six broad categories or components. The components are Achievement, Progress, Gap Closing, Graduation Rate, K-3 Literacy and Prepared for Success. The Department gives letter grades on each of the six components and most of the individual measures. This will help give Ohio parents and schools an even more complete snapshot of the quality of education they are providing their children.

Click to read the Report Card for Loveland City School District
2016-2017 Ohio School Report Cards Data Spreadsheets

The spreadsheets below contains all district, school, community school, dropout recovery and prevention school, career tech school and third grade reading guarantee grades.

All Districts | Public Schools | Community Schools | Dropout Recovery and Prevention Schools | Career Technical Schools | Third Grade Reading Guarantee | 2017 Report Card Guide
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Oct 11, 2017
Photo Album of 2017 Homecoming Parade

Former Loveland School Resource Officer and Loveland Cop Fred Barnes was the Grand Marshall of the 2017 Loveland High School Homecoming Parade

Loveland, Ohio, The 2017 Loveland High School Homecoming Parade (Annual Candy Throw & Catch) hosted by the Loveland Athletic Boosters was held on October 5. These (© 2017 Loveland Magazine) photos were taken by Loveland Magazine along the parade route in the West Loveland Historic District.

Oct 10, 2017
Loveland school resource officers are now approved to carry firearms

“Loveland City School District Board of Education adopts new policy to further strengthen school security.”

Loveland, Ohio – A Press Release from the Loveland City School District:

Recognizing that ensuring the safety of staff and students is of the utmost importance, and recognizing that school safety can be enhanced through the use of school resource officers (SROs) who can carry weapons while on duty at school – at the September 18, 2017, Loveland Board of Education Business Meeting – in a unanimous vote – Board Members approved a resolution establishing a new policy for SROs. The policy authorizes the Board to grant permission to individuals serving the district in the SRO position to carry firearms on school premises.

“This issue came about due to the retirement of Fred Barnes from the Loveland Police Department. When Officer Barnes worked officially with Loveland Police, he was armed – even as he served our district as a school resource officer. Due to his retirement serving in that capacity and rehire by the district – we knew we needed to address this. The district worked closely with the Loveland Police Department in the development of this plan that will both address this current situation and continue to enhance the security we provide to our students and staff,” said Loveland Interim Superintendent Dr. Amy Crouse. “I thank our Board of Education for taking action to allow our school resource officers to be fully equipped to respond to any crisis situation.”

Specifically, the Board can now authorize any employee or independent contractor serving in the position of School Resource Officer to possess a firearm on property of the Board provided that the individual has satisfactorily completed an approved basic peace officer training program, unless the person has completed twenty years of active duty as a peace officer, and that the individual completes an annual firearms requalification program approved by the executive director of the Ohio peace officer training commission.

Individuals authorized by the Board to carry firearms must attend and complete any necessary training required by law and any additional training which may be required by the Board before such individuals may carry a firearm on school premises. Certification of completion must be provided to the Board.

Any person not specifically granted permission by the Board is strictly prohibited from carrying firearms or other deadly weapons on school property except in accordance with Ohio law.

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Oct 5, 2017
School District says: “A promise maintained”

By Brett Griffith,

At the September 18 Board of Education Business Meeting, it was time to once again revisit our five-year financial forecast – a tool we use twice each year (fall and spring) to anticipate both the financial stability and future needs for the district. You have heard me say this before, and I will say it again now – as the chief financial officer of the Loveland City School District, I want you – our investor – to know that it is of the utmost importance to both our Board of Education and my team to operate in a fiscally conservative manner while maintaining excellence for the students we serve. I am pleased to report to you that the district has maintained financial stability – as promised during the last levy campaign.

I am pleased to report to you that the district has maintained financial stability – as promised during the last levy campaign.

To provide you with relevant history, the Loveland City School District passed a 5.6 mill operating levy in May of 2014; passage of the levy provided our team an opportunity to invest in and enrich the excellent education we provide by enhancing the classroom experience for the 4,700 students we serve. Those investments included one-to-one technology for students in grades five through 12, the addition of a tuition-based all-day kindergarten option, a five-year commitment to investigating and purchasing the best instructional materials by subject annually – district-wide, development of more robust offerings at our high school, and strategic investment in classroom instruction district-wide through Innovative Instructional Grants. None of these investments could have happened without your support, and – as always – we offer a sincere thank you to those who believed in our mission and continue to support our district. Our expectation is that the money from that levy will continue to fund the district – as promised – until 2018.

Our expectation is that the money from that levy will continue to fund the district – as promised – until 2018.

At this time, our five-year forecast projections show a need to be back on the ballot in the future for an operating levy; this information was shared with our Board of Education to consider during the Business Meeting. At this time there has been no discussion regarding any specifics, but as those discussions progress, the district will provide timely updates to you. Additionally, the Board is considering future needs regarding our facilities which were brought to our attention by community members who spent a good portion of the 2016-17 school year working with district staff to identify these needs for our district and research current best practices at surrounding districts. While any upgrades to facilities would be separate from an operating levy, it is important for you to understand that the Board is considering how to address both issues. Again, as those discussions advance the district will keep you informed on the latest.

As I have expressed to you before, I feel it is my privilege to serve our Tiger Family by ensuring our team prepares students for tomorrow, today while maintaining the fiscal health of our operations. I invite you to contact me directly should you have any specific questions about our district finances. My door is always open.

Brett Griffith is & CFO of the
Loveland City School District

Accounting Plus–Bingaman Accounting and Tax Service, LLC is a tax preparation, payroll and bookkeeping company locally based in Loveland, OH.

Oct 5, 2017
Loveland graduate Ryan Mangan and Pocket release second album and Delusion music video

Pocket released their first music video on Tuesday

by David Miller,

Loveland, Ohio – Loveland 2016 graduate Ryan Mangan and his alternative rock band, Pocket, released their second album in August. The Things You Think At Night is available on Apple Music, Spotify and Amazon Music. Mangan self-produced, wrote and performed nearly the entire album. In collaboration with Loveland senior and Loveland Magazine writer, Sam Smith, Pocket released their first music video on Tuesday.

The Delusion music video is a mix of live action, digital and practical VFX and 3d computer renderings. The video tells a story through hands, statues and falling actors.

2017 Loveland graduate, Jacalyn Parsley is featured in the music video Delusion

The video was shot over the course of only two days on a shoestring budget and with almost no crew. The Delusion music video stars 2017 Loveland graduate, Jacalyn Parsley and was produced with help from Loveland High School seniors Ricky Vilar and Stone Taul.

“Delusion is about all the unwanted anxiety that comes when you’re falling for someone. You start to wonder if they like you back, if they feel same. After a while you kind of just get to this point of ‘let’s stop thinking about this stuff, I’m not going to figure it out right now’,” Mangan explained.

Sam Smith is a photographer, videographer and writer for Loveland Magazine and award-winning independent film producer

The video is largely based around looping, long exposure stop-motion sequences created with a device called a Pixelstick. The Pixelstick works by “scanning” across individual pixels of an image in succession and are captured by moving the device laterally in a long exposure. Smith created images and sequences that were loaded onto the tool, and then it was moved laterally hundreds of time, displaying slightly varied frames. This created the illusion of movement and a holographic-like effect that is easier seen than described. Smith said, “Yeah, it was two months of spending most of my free time editing since it was so effects heavy.”

In the studio shooting Delusion

“Honestly I don’t know much about videography, but I had seen some videos that Smith had done before and he’s just flat out amazing with that stuff,” said Mangan. He gave Smith some ideas for what he wanted the video to be like, and then he took it from there and beyond, is how Mangan described the collaboration.

Ryan Mangan

Mangan is now a sophomore at pursuing music production. His band’s first EP, L’Appelle Du Vide, can be found here.

“The video goes past my wildest dreams honestly. Shooting was a lot of fun as well, I’ve never done anything like this before so seeing it come from the start to the end was a very cool process,” Mangan said.

“Shooting the music video was an incredible experience. It was a lot of run-and-gun, shooting from the hip and making things up as we went along,” said Smith who added, “It was a pretty ambitious project for our resources, so we tried to embrace the flaws and go for a little bit of a low-fi look.” Smith said it was his first time doing something like this and he felt that he was able to put a lot of his own style and aesthetic into the piece. “Working with Ryan was wonderful– he gave me a great song and pretty much total creative freedom. I’m really excited to see where his career goes,” Smith explained.

In addition to being a photographer, videographer, and writer for Loveland Magazine, Smith is president of the Loveland High School Film Club, Overture Award recipient and has had work shown at festivals such as NFFTY, AAHSFF, Vidcon and Nashville Film Festival.

The video is available on the Pocket Youtube Channel. Keep up with Mangan’s new releases on Spotify, Apple Music, and Twitter. You can follow Smith’s work on Instagram and Vimeo.

Sample other songs on The Things You Think at Night:

Oct 4, 2017
Loveland City Schools to hold focus group sessions for superintendent search

Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland City School District’s Board of Education is in the process of searching for a new school superintendent. The vacancy is the result of the resignation of Chad Hilliker, that was effective on July 31, 2017. At that time, Dr. Amy Crouse took over as interim superintendent for the district, and she continues to lead in that capacity. The Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA) is assisting the Board with the search.

The Board has scheduled a Community and Staff Listening Session for OSBA consultant Steve Horton to meet with staff and community members to review the hiring process and receive input on Oct. 18, from 7 until 8 PM at the Loveland Intermediate School Media Center, 757 S. Lebanon Road, Loveland, Ohio 45140.

The conversation will focus on the following three topics:

(1) Major issues facing the district for the next three to five years;
(2) Performance expectations for the next superintendent; and
(3) Personal and professional qualities to be sought in the next superintendent.

In a statement from the District, “Horton will provide the Board of Education with a detailed report of the conversation which will help the board to develop a detailed profile of the ideal candidate, to enhance their understanding of perceived future challenges and opportunities facing the district and to assist them in setting specific criteria for the screening, selection and evaluation of candidates.”

Oct 3, 2017