Loveland Magazine

LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

Without fear or favor

Since 2004

Tag: loveland primary school

  • Important message from Fire Chief Billy Goldfeder about summer pool safety

    Important message from Fire Chief Billy Goldfeder about summer pool safety

    With pool season and 90 degree weather upon us in the Loveland Area we are resharing this story we first published in June of 2021. This story is still relevant and perhaps if your children watch it they to will become as Billy says, “Who’s watching the kids?” kind of kid – like six-year-old Holden Patrick Smith was.

     

    Loveland, Ohio – Billy Goldfeder of the Loveland-Symmes Fire Department said on June 3, 2021, “As the water fun season is upon us, we are taking this opportunity to recognize Holden for his actions, but to also aggressively take advantage of this incident to remind our Loveland-Symmes community, along with the greater Cincinnati area of the critical importance of water safety awareness and kids”.

    Goldfeder delivered this message immediately after Six-year-old Holden Patrick Smith was honored and became the youngest Loveland-Symmes firefighter for saving the life of his cousin. Read that story HERE.

    On Thursday, June 3, 2021 at 7 PM, the Loveland-Symmes Fire Department along with the Symmes Township Trustees recognized six-year-old Township resident Holden Patrick Smith. Holden just graduated from kindergarten at the Loveland Primary School a few days before.

    Holden’s quick actions and awareness in June of 2020 when he was five-years-old led to saving the life of his much younger cousin Magnolia Jane Smith-Camp.

    • The Loveland-Symmes Fire Department honored Holden with the “Citizen’s Life Saving Award”. 
    • Holden was also made an honorary Loveland-Symmes firefighter.
    • The ceremony was delayed due to the pandemic, but it was held on June 3rd, 2021. 

    Here are two videos of the ceremony that took place at the Loveland-Symmes Fire Station 61. One is the full ceremony and brief interviews with Holden, his grandmother, and his teacher. Watch as Goldfeder explains what Holden did.

    How to protect children when they are around water

    The first video is much shorter, but it best explains the message Goldfeder wanted embedded in parent’s and caregiver’s minds – how to protect children when they are around water. And, this is as you will see is a very important message for your child as well so that they will know what to do when someone is in trouble at the pool.

    Goldfeder asks, “Who is your designated watcher?” Goldfeder wants to know, “Who’s watching the kids?”

  • All Loveland schools now have “Project Adam” certification

    All Loveland schools now have “Project Adam” certification

    Loveland, Ohio – “Project Adam” Heart Safe Schools have now been established at Loveland Early Childhood Center, Loveland Primary School, and Loveland Elementary School. This certification indicates that the campuses have the procedures, tools, and training necessary to guarantee a prompt reaction in the event of an unexpected cardiac attack.

    The whole Loveland City School District now holds the classification, joining previously certified Loveland Intermediate School, Loveland Middle School, and Loveland High School.

    According to the district, Loveland is just the second district in the region to get district-wide Project Adam certification. Loveland said it was made possible by the building leadership and nursing staff. They also said they are lucky to have a great relationship with the Loveland-Symmes Fire Department and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

    In July of 2024, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed House Bill 47. The law required automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to be placed in every public and chartered nonpublic school in Ohio, as well as all municipally owned or operated sports and recreation locations.

    It also required schools to adopt emergency action plans for the use of automated external defibrillator devices (AEDs) and practice these plans quarterly, among other provisions.

    At the time Dewine signed the bill, Loveland High School Athletic Director Jayson Bruce told Loveland Magazine, “We have been extremely blessed to have been way ahead of this for many years here in Loveland. As a matter of fact, Loveland High, Middle and Intermediate schools are all certified as Heart Safe schools through Project ADAM. And as part of this certification, we had to create and execute plans to respond to heart emergencies. A huge part of these plans are the AED’s. Our High School and Middle/Intermediate school campuses are extremely well equipped with AED’s for not only the school day, but all of our athletic teams. The number one priority is and always will be safety. We are blessed to be able to provide access to AED’s to all of our sports teams.”

    Bruce said that on the High School campus their trainers have an AED with them at all times. There is also an AED mounted on the outside of the team room at Loveland High School Stadium. At Loveland High School, they have AED’s mounted outside of the gyms and the workout facility. Bruce added, “We also have backpack units that go along with our teams that train or participate off campus, like cross country, etc.”

    The Loveland Middle and Intermediate school campus is very similar to the High School. “We have AED’s mounted directly outside of each gym. The trainer, who is at football practices and games, always has an AED with them. Since we have teams that practice off campus as well, we send them with AED’s,” Bruce said.

    The automated external defibrillator (AED) at the Loveland Town Clock (Loveland Magazine  2024 File Photo)

    Loveland City Manager Dave Kennedy told Loveland Magazine at the time that there is an AED at the Loveland Bike Trail next to the town clock at West Loveland Avenue and Railroad Avenue, Phillips Park, and McCoy Park. “We have cameras protecting the AED’s and if the alarms go off when accessed, the communication center will see them first hand.”

    Photos by Loveland Schools

    Project ADAM began in 1999 after the death of Adam Lemel, a 17-year-old Whitefish Bay, WI, high school student who collapsed and died while playing basketball. Adam suffered a Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA), in which ventricular fibrillation occurred, a condition in which the ventricles cannot pump blood into the body. Defibrillation, or an AED, could have saved his life. Adam’s parents, Patty Lemel and Joe Lemel, collaborated with Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin to create this program in Adam’s memory.

    In this video, learn a father’s perspective on the journey and importance of Project ADAM and the program mission to save lives.
    Project ADAM began in 1999 after the death of Adam Lemel, a 17-year-old Whitefish Bay, WI, high school student who collapsed and died while playing basketball after he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). Project ADAM (Automated Defibrillators in Adam’s Memory) aims to prevent sudden cardiac death through helping schools and communities implement life-saving programs to maintain a practiced CPR/AED program and people confident to take action.

    Implementing a Heart Safe School Program

  • Loveland Schools: 5 Stars in every category

    Loveland Schools: 5 Stars in every category

    Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland City School District received Five Stars in each category on the 2023-24 Ohio School Report Card. Only 18 school districts in Ohio received 5 Stars across the board, putting Loveland in the top 3% of Ohio public schools.

    Districts and schools receive an overall rating of 1 to 5 stars in half-star increments. The overall rating is comprised of five rated components. The College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness Component is report only and does not contribute to the overall rating on the 2024 Ohio School Report Cards.

    Click the image below to go to the Report.


    Click to read individual School reports:

    Loveland Early Childhood Center
    Loveland Elementary School
    Loveland Intermediate School

     

  • Loveland schools open Wednesday amid busing concerns

    Loveland schools open Wednesday amid busing concerns

    Loveland, Ohio – In his Superintendent’s Message sent out Sunday evening Mike Broadwater provided the dates students return to school, however, he also provided “urgent” information about possible skipped bus routes because of the District’s continuing bus driver shortage.

    “There is an urgent need for bus drivers for our district. Without additional drivers, we may be forced to skip some routes on some days because we are critically short-staffed. We are working to avoid this, but please create a backup plan for how your family would handle transportation in the event we are forced to limit bus service due to the driver shortage.

    “Loveland bus drivers receive paid training, health insurance, and retirement benefits. Follow this link to apply online, or call our Transportation Department at 513-683-3103. Please spread the word to your friends and neighbors about this great opportunity to help our Loveland City School District community.”

    The school buildings will have staggered start times again this year.

    • Students with last name A-L will have their first day on Wednesday, August 16
    • Students with last names M-Z will have their first day on Thursday, August 17
    • All students together on Friday, August 18, 2023.

    The staggered start allows students and instructors to begin the year with more one-on-one time with each other to set up technology and establish new routines.

    School Important Dates

  • Loveland Learning Garden – Summer Events!

    Loveland Learning Garden – Summer Events!

    Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland Learning Garden says that they are excited to invite kids to their garden and nature trail this summer for a variety of free events to connect with nature. Programs are tailored for 1st through 4th grades but siblings are welcome.

    At least 1 adult must be present with children attending. All programs are held on the campus of Loveland Primary and Elementary schools located at 600 Loveland-Madeira Road in either the garden located between the buildings or behind the school on the nature trail. The garden and nature trail are outdoor spaces for learning that are maintained by volunteers of Loveland Learning Garden.

    Please register for events of interest so they know how many to expect.

    If you have any questions, email info@lovelandlearninggarden.org or follow @lovelandlearninggarden on Facebook or Instagram.

    Learn more about the garden program HERE.

    Follow this LINK to see the full programming schedule.

  • Urgent! Loveland Community Needs School Levy Passed

    Urgent! Loveland Community Needs School Levy Passed

    Ellen Main, is a stay-at-home mom of two boys in Loveland Schools: one kindergartener and one first grader. Her family lives in the Belle Meade subdivision.

    by Ellen Main

    Loveland City School District has an operating levy on the May 2 ballot this year. Because Loveland has not passed a school levy in nine years, they are in desperate need of these funds to maintain their current high quality of education. If the levy is not passed, they will move towards State minimum services. Our students and future students deserve better than this. As a mom of two young Loveland students, I am witness to the outstanding and dedicated faculty, staff, and administration in our community. My experience at a recent school event illustrates this perfectly.

    Waiting anxiously for the show to begin, I looked around at all the other parents, siblings, grandparents, and other family members sitting in the Loveland Primary School gym and thought how grateful I am to live in this community. After the heartwarming show, during which the look of pride on my son’s face almost made me tear up, we walked through a gallery of children’s art—vibrant paintings, oil pastel drawings, and construction paper weavings covered the hallways from floor to ceiling. My son showed such confidence in finding his art on the walls and explaining it to his family. Then, he led us to his classroom (Ms. Miller, Room 9), where he showed us two beautiful books, one created by him (about koalas) and one created by his classmate, a biography about what makes my son special (my son created one about his classmate too). He proudly showed us all his work, which had an Australian theme (each class had a different country). All of this thanks to the hard work, energy and creativity of Lauren Alten (music teacher) and Kayla McClary (art teacher) as well as the classroom teachers, custodians, administration—too many people to mention.

    The “Around the World” Showcase is an example of what makes Loveland Schools such a special place to be. Music, theatre, art, athletics, physical education, robotics and so many other programs we may take for granted won’t be possible much longer if we don’t pass a school levy. Think about the most memorable and important moments of your elementary and secondary education—most likely they were made possible because of school levies being passed.

    I was lucky enough to have some extraordinary teachers in the Perrysburg School District in Northwest Ohio. My most memorable experiences had to do with music and theatre, which would not have been available without teachers having the freedom to use their creativity to benefit students both in the classroom and through extracurricular activities. Maybe yours have to do with sports, science club, art, student government, none of which would be possible without our talented educators, who would slowly be cut due to lack of funds. We cannot deny future generations these experiences.

    Right now, the employees at Loveland Schools are doing amazing work despite not having the money—92 percent of all Ohio school districts receive more money per student yet we are in the top 2 percent in the state on the Ohio Department of Education scorecard. We cannot keep the talented and hard-working people we have in Loveland Schools now if they feel stressed that they may lose their jobs or if the class sizes are so big they are spending all of their time managing student behavior rather than teaching.

    With the passing of the levy on May 2, we can keep not only our schools strong but our community as well. Voting yes for Loveland Schools on May 2 is a vote for our students and future students and also for the well-being of our entire community.

    _________________________

  • $461,000 awarded to improve Loveland Tiger’s safety

    $461,000 awarded to improve Loveland Tiger’s safety

    by David Miller

    Loveland, Ohio – Loveland City School District has been awarded nearly a half million dollars in the latest round of the Ohio K-12 School Safety Grant program. The state funding will support improvements to safety security upgrades across the district. 

    “The safety of our students is our greatest responsibility, and receiving state support for our efforts will help tremendously. We appreciate Governor DeWine and the General Assembly’s dedication to the Ohio K-12 School Safety Grant program,” Superintendent Mike Broadwater said in a news release from the District.

    Loveland Superintendent Mike Broadwater

    The grant provides $461,250 to pay for security system improvements across the district. This grant will allow for the installation of additional security cameras and equipment. The grant will also provide funds for new safety technology on all district school buses according to the release.

    This is the fourth round of the Ohio K-12 School Safety Grant program. Of all school districts in Hamilton County, Loveland received the fourth-highest grant funding in this current round. Loveland also received $100,000 in the second round of the program, which was used to replace the public address system at Loveland Primary and Loveland Elementary Schools.

    • Loveland Early Childhood Center is earmarked for $65,225 in this latest round.

    • Loveland Elementary is earmarked for $50,000 in this latest round.

    • Loveland High School is earmarked for $100.000 in this latest round.

    • Loveland Intermediate School is earmarked for $97,625 in this latest round.

    • Loveland Middle School is earmarked for $98,400 in this latest round.

    • Loveland Primary School is earmarked for $50,000 in this latest round

    The Goshen Local School District received $400,000 in the latest round of school safety grants. The Great Oaks Career Campus in Clermont County received $100,000.

    There is a “Round Five” to be recommended in the coming weeks according to Governor Mike DeWine Ohio as part of the General Assembly’s House Bill 45.

    Indian Hill Exempted Village School District had previously been awarded $299,714, Sycamore Community Schools $93,824, and Little Miami Local Schools $200,000.


  • Volunteer with the Loveland Learning Garden and “Nurture Young Minds and Nature”

    Volunteer with the Loveland Learning Garden and “Nurture Young Minds and Nature”

    David Miller is the Editor and Publisher of Loveland Magazine

    by David Miller

    Loveland, Ohio – The mission of Loveland Learning Garden is to foster lifelong connections to the wonders of the natural world. Their mission statement says, “We believe in the benefits of immersing kids in the outdoors from a young age and the lasting impact of positive impressions with nature.” To support this, the non-profit creates and manages garden and nature-based programs on school grounds for elementary students. “Our garden and nature trail are used to enhance classroom study while allowing children an opportunity to experience nature, the satisfaction of growing their own food, and contributing harvest to the local food pantry.”

    Description

    The program in Loveland serves ~1,400 1st through 4th-grade students and has been a local and national role model for outdoor school garden and nature programs. Working in collaboration with school administration and staff, they offer a complete package of services that include:

    • Design and year-round maintenance of educational food garden and nature trail on school grounds.
    • A customized, age-appropriate curriculum aligned with both school and state requirements
    • A schedule of outdoor learning classes is provided for classroom teacher signup
    • Nature educators prepared to teach interactive lessons
    • A non-profit board overseeing results and building a sustainable operation with strong school and teacher partnership
    • Hands-on learning enhancing student understanding of science, math, social studies, health, and the natural world as they interact with their environment.
    • After-school enrichment programs and community events
    • Donation to the local food pantry and use of all food grown
    • Student discovery of plant cycles, garden habitats, food production, and fresh produce
    • Student connection and observation of change in nature

    The Learning Garden is on the search for Nature Educators to lead lessons in the garden and/or nature trail during the school day or as part of our afterschool program this fall. Here is the link to the Volunteer Match.

    Come volunteer with other like-minded people in the beautiful learning garden. No experience is necessary, the new garden manager will be there to guide you all along the way. Tasks may include transplanting, planting seeds, weeding, laying wood chips, compost management, etc. Meet at the garden located in between the Loveland Primary and Elementary schools on Loveland Madeira Road. The garden is in between the buildings when looking from the street side. Look for a garden shed with the Learning Garden logo, Bring your family and friends. Children are welcome, Feel free to leave early or come later as needed.

    Upcoming Opportunities

    You can help students navigate the nature trail
    • Come help us make kids smile outdoors! Aug 22 – Oct 28. An outdoor hands-on nature education program. Loveland Learning Garden offers interactive lessons in our schoolyard garden and nature trail to 1st-4th graders during the school day. Classroom teachers signup to bring their students outside to learn and our Nature Educators take over. We offer lessons on weekdays in 40-minute slots between the hours of 9:30-3:30pm.
    • Help in garden!! (No experience necessary) Aug 19, 4:00 PM – 07:00 PM. Come volunteer with us in our beautiful learning garden! No experience necessary, our new garden manager will be there to guide you all along the way. Tasks may include transplanting, planting seeds, weeding, laying wood chips, compost management, etc. Meet at the garden located in between the Loveland Primary & Elementary schools on Loveland Madeira Rd. The Garden is in between the buildings.
    • Help in garden!! (No experience necessary) Aug 17, 4:30 PM – 07:30 PM. Come volunteer with us in our beautiful learning garden! No experience is necessary, Our new garden manager will be there to guide you all along the way. Tasks may include transplanting, planting seeds, weeding, laying wood chips, compost management, etc. Meet at the garden located in between the Loveland Primary & Elementary schools on Loveland Madeira Rd. The Garden is in between the buildings .
    • Help in garden!! (No experience necessary)Aug 7, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Come volunteer with us in our beautiful learning garden! No experience necessary, our new garden manager will be there to guide you all along the way. Tasks may include transplanting, planting seeds, weeding, laying wood chips, compost management, etc. Meet at the garden located in between the Loveland Primary & Elementary schools on Loveland Madeira Rd. Garden is in between the building whenDate Posted: July 25, 2022
    • Help in garden!! (No experience necessary) Aug 27, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Come volunteer with us in our beautiful learning garden! No experience necessary, our new garden manager will be there to guide you all along the way. Tasks may include transplanting, planting seeds, weeding, laying wood chips, compost management, etc. Meet at the garden located in between the Loveland Primary & Elementary schools on Loveland Madeira Rd. Garden is in between the building whenDate Posted: July 25, 2022
    • Help in garden!! (No experience necessary) Aug 26, 4:30 PM – 07:30 PM. Come volunteer with us in our beautiful learning garden! No experience necessary, our new garden manager will be there to guide you all along the way. Tasks may include transplanting, planting seeds, weeding, laying wood chips, compost management, etc. Meet at the garden located in between the Loveland Primary & Elementary schools on Loveland Madeira Rd. Garden is in between the building whenDate Posted: July 25, 2022
    • Help in garden!! (No experience necessary)Aug 20, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Come volunteer with us in our beautiful learning garden! No experience necessary, our new garden manager will be there to guide you all along the way. Tasks may include transplanting, planting seeds, weeding, laying wood chips, compost management, etc. Meet at the garden located in between the Loveland Primary & Elementary schools on Loveland Madeira Rd. Garden is in between the building.
    INFO@LOVELANDLEARNINGGARDEN.ORG

    Read this story by Cassie Mattia and watch this video LM published in August of last year

    How to Get Involved With The Loveland Learning Garden!

    by Cassie Mattia

    Loveland, Ohio – Would you like to make a difference and give back to the community? Local non-profit, The Loveland Learning Garden, provides the opportunity for anyone to volunteer to help teach local students about the environment, or maintain the vegetable garden, the flower garden, and the nature trail!

    Read on…

    Check out the video below as Laurie Flanagan explained how you can help the Loveland Learning Garden!

    Here are some photos provided by the Learning Garden to show you what a wonderful program you can be involved in.

    Follow the Loveland Learning Garden on Instagram and FaceBook.

    Email to: INFO@LOVELANDLEARNINGGARDEN.ORG

  • Loveland parents: “Hey all, It’s time to take our combined effort and show our Superintendent and School Board what is important.”

    Loveland parents: “Hey all, It’s time to take our combined effort and show our Superintendent and School Board what is important.”

    Loveland, Ohio – Loveland parents Leah Marcus and Becca Moates say, “Hey all, It’s time to take our combined effort and show our Superintendent and School Board what is important.” They wrote a template letter, a petition, with the help of who they call a super IT friend to solicit support to help them protect school children, teachers, and the community by performing the following COVID 19 related steps.

    1. Read the below letter.
    2. Open your email client and start a new email by clicking this link.
    3. Copy the contents of the below template and paste it into the body of the email message. 
    4. Add your name and additilal comment to the bottom of the document.
    5. Share your voice by hitting send.

    Moates adds, “I can’t stress enough how important it is as a community for us to come together around this. Our healthcare systems are drowning and we are hurting our most vulnerable if we don’t act.”

    Dear Superintendent and School Board Members,

I am writing as a resident of the Loveland City School District to urge you, our Superintendent and elected School Board members, to maintain the all staff and PreK through 6th grade universal indoor masking requirements, scheduled to end January 18, 2021. I am also writing to request that the current universal indoor masking requirement be expanded to include students in grades 7 -12.

This request is being made in consideration of the recent COVID-19 Omicron variant case surge, which has been shown to be more transmissible and contagious than previous variants.

The Ohio Department of Health, the Ohio Department of Education, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and locally, the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, recently provided clear guidance for universal masking in schools and in the community. Universal indoor masking, in addition to vaccination and boosters for those eligible, are strongly recommended as the best tools, especially when used in tandem, for mitigating the spread of COVID-19 and the current variant.

The pandemic also continues to take a toll on our children’s and educators’ mental health. Since the pandemic began, rates of psychological distress among young people, including anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders have increased substantially. There is much to be done and each of us has a part to play. Supporting the mental health of youth will require a community effort to address challenges, strengthen the resilience of young people, support their families, and mitigate the pandemic’s mental health impact.

As a resident of the Loveland City School District, I am asking that you consider the following actions:

1. Maintain universal indoor masking for all staff.
2. Maintain Universal indoor masking for all students Pre-K through Grade 6.
3. Expand universal indoor masking requirements to include students in grades 7 - 12.
4. Identify a threshold for educator and/or student absence at which the district will move forward with a remote learning plan.
5. Increase the frequency with which you report to the public student and educator absences as well as individuals positive for COVID.
6. Create and promote safe, positive, and affirming school environments which are inclusive and supportive of student’s social, emotional, and cultural needs.
7. Provide key administrative, educator, and paraprofessional staff with the necessary training to recognize signs of changes in mental and physical health among students.
8. Provide Mental health gatekeeper training so that staff and peers take appropriate action when needed.
9. Support the mental health of all school personnel, including providing competitive wages, time off, access to well paid substitute teachers, regularly assessing staff well-being, and integrating measures to help personnel maintain their own empathy, compassion, and ability to create positive environments for students.

As superintendent and elected school board members, your roles include the evaluation of district operations, interpretations of public health policies, and health service delivery.

My role as a district resident is to help our district leadership identify the areas in need of protection, prioritization, and planning to keep Loveland City School District safe and in school: Universal Indoor Mask Requirements and adequate Mental Health Support for Students and Staff. 
 
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References for Information:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/omicrons-effect-wont-be-as-mild-as-hoped1/
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-coronavirus-cases-hit-record-high-2021-12-29/
https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-12-17/kansas-city-hospitals-are-full-again-omicron-has-arrived-and-doctors-are-begging-for-your-help
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/pdfs/mm7046a4-H.pdf
https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/omicron-propagates-70-times-faster-than-delta-in-bronchi-study-69540
https://www.med.hku.hk/en/news/press/20211215-omicron-sars-cov-2-infection
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/12/28/health/chicago-childrens-hospital-surge-doctor-vaccines/index.html
https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-youth-mental-health-advisory.pdf
https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/our-youth-are-struggling-with-mental

    If you choose, please go to the original post: https://theweis01.github.io/?fbclid=IwAR05yFIugYOv7X3FjgC2wfho59WggZB7-_75SPbS777LcLykpWTBDXqDINE

  • Local Interactive Garden Changes the Lives of Loveland Students!

    Local Interactive Garden Changes the Lives of Loveland Students!

    by Cassie Mattia

    Loveland, Ohio – Now more than ever is the time to encourage our youth to both protect and benefit from our ever-changing environment! This is exactly what local non-profit, The Loveland Learning Garden, aims to achieve.

    The Loveland Learning Garden, located at 600 Loveland-Madeira Road (Loveland Primary and Loveland Elementary school grounds), dedicates everything to giving kids the opportunity to form “lifelong connections to the wonders of the natural world.” The non-profit outdoor education program not only strives to build awareness and community support but also maintains vegetable and flower gardens, as well as a nature trail used for hands-on learning. The 1st-4th grade students involved are able to get an interactive experience, through a 20-week curriculum (taught by “Garden Educators” during the school day in the Spring and Fall), with nature while still adhering to the academics they are being taught in class. Seeing how food is grown, tasting fresh produce, and harvesting food that is eventually donated to local non-profit LIFE Food Pantry are just a few things students are able to get involved in at the Loveland Learning Garden.

    Board President, Laurie Flanagan, believes that exposing the over 1,200 Loveland students that the outdoor education program serves to the environment at an early age will leave a lasting impact of positive impressions with nature.

    “We’re instilling a love of nature, joy, and wonder in discovering the outdoors and influencing the growth of the next generation of people who care for our environment,” Flanagan said, “We have a diverse volunteer base of ages and backgrounds and welcome everyone! For example, we have students from the LHS National Honor Society, Tigers in Service, and the LHS Environmental Club who have helped us, University of Cincinnati students, workgroups, church groups, students from neighboring school districts, local parochial schools, and many individuals from across the Cincinnati area.“

    The Loveland Learning Garden operates using dedicated volunteers so gaining new talent is vital to keeping the non-profit education program running. “In order to successfully sustain our program, we seek people who want to share their talent and ‘dig in’ to join us by taking on leadership roles on our board or owning pieces of work that make the organization run,” Flanagan explained, “Our committees include education, communications, garden and trail maintenance, volunteer recruitment, and grants/fundraising.”

    During the months of March-October volunteers are heavily needed in order to maintain both the garden and nature trail. If you or your organization would like to volunteer email the Loveland Learning Garden.

    Here at Loveland Magazine, we found the Loveland Learning Garden to be both interesting and inspirational so we decided to meet Laurie Flanagan, Melanie Simon, and Jen Banzinger at the garden for an on-camera tour. To see just what the Loveland Learning Garden is all about watch the video below!

    The Loveland Learning Garden will be a part of the 2021 Great Outdoor Weekend sponsored by Green Umbrella. On September 25th from 9 AM-1 PM, the Loveland Learning Garden will be holding a scavenger hunt for kids ages 4-10. For more information click the above Great Outdoor Weekend link!

    To stay informed on all the latest Loveland Learning Garden updates you can visit their Instagram and/or Facebook.

    Loveland Learning Garden History
    The foundation for Loveland Learning Garden was planted in 2002 as a floral garden on grade school grounds thanks to the vision of a grandmother who wanted to share the joy of picking fresh flowers with children. With the addition of vegetable gardens and a nature trail in the woods behind the school, Granny’s Garden School grew to be one of the most comprehensive school garden programs in the country and was recognized as a model for nature-based education training. In 2016, the founder retired while a new group of leaders, believing in the value of the program to students and the community evolved the nonprofit to its next iteration. Today, with new energy and a refreshed identity, the Loveland Learning Garden operates with strong, collaborative school partnerships, diverse leadership, community involvement, and a continued passion to educate and inspire children to the lifelong benefits found through nature. 

    For more local inspirational stories stay tuned to the Loveland Salad With ME, Cassie Mattia!