The “Gold Key” painting by Loveland Junior Ronan Wolfer
Loveland, Ohio – Congratulations to the following LHS Art Students for their record amount of awards in the 2025 Scholastic Art Awards. All Gold Key Awarded artwork will now be judged at the National level.
Receiving Gold Key Awards: Piper Schaeffer (Portfolio), Ronan Wolfer, David Lorek, Bella Rogers, Jackson Manly, and Andrew Sichak.
Receiving Silver Key Awards: Andrew Sichak (Portfolio), David Lorek, Harrison Hentz, Sohani Gauniyal, Madeline Spencer, Jackson Manly, Logan Shiverski, and Ronan Wolfer.
Receiving Honorable Mention: Cameran Cook, Chase Dahlke, Brooke Freytag, Harrison Hentz, Luke Jacobs, David Lorek, Jackson Manly, Cass McKnight, Brooke Morris, Bella Rogers, Norah Schmidt, Logan Shiverski, Andrew Sichak, Madeline Spencer, and Ronan Wolfer.
The annual Scholastic Art and Writing Awards are the nation’s longest-running recognition initiative for creative students (grades 7-12) and the largest source of scholarships for young artists and writers. The Art Academy of Cincinnati (AAC) is producing the Regional Scholastic Art and Writing Awards of Southwest Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana on their urban campus in historic Over-the-Rhine.
The Exhibition Opening is Friday, February 7th from 5PM until – 8PM. The Exhibit is open to the public and continues thru February 16th, 9AM until 9PM at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, 1212 Jackson Street in Cincinnati.
The most recent state budget made changes to allow more students to be fed at no cost, but the battle to quell child hunger is still ongoing in Ohio.
The budget bill passed last year provided more than $4 million in funding to allow any students qualified for reduced-price of free breakfast and lunch can get the meals at no cost for the 2023-2024 school year.
The programs that are still attempting to help stem the flow of student hunger are seeing the struggles that inflation has on the cost of food, and Katherine Ungar, senior policy associate with the Children’s Defense Fund of Ohio, said the stigma of the income-based school food programs is still a barrier.
“It’s creating these categories that can create that stigma,” said Ungar.
Ohio has taken strides to help in the future by pledging to use federal dollars to establish a summer program that will give low-income families with child of school-aged children “grocery-buying benefits” while schools are closed, according to the USDA, who estimates more than 29 million children nationally could benefit.
“During the summer months, we estimate almost 1 million kids … lose access to meals,” Ungar said.
CDF-Ohio researched the whole-child impacts of categories like housing, health care and food insecurity. In fiscal year, 2023, the group’s annual data profiles showed an increase in the state’s students who were eligible for reduced-price or free school meals and considered “economically disadvantaged.”
The number of kids qualifying for the no-cost or low-cost lunches, for which any student in a household with up to 185% of the federal poverty line is eligible, when from 46.6% in the 2021-22 school year to nearly 50% in the 2022-23 school year.
This new summer benefit will be eligible to about 837,000 Ohio children, according to Ungar, and the economic impact of the benefit could bring $150 million into local economies.
The Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program (EBT) gives eligible families who apply pre-loaded cards with $40 per child per month. The EBT program works in conjunction with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, Women, Infants and Children (WIC) funds and other nutrition assistance efforts.
But the program can only be used if eligible families apply. Children who are certified as eligible for free or reduced-price meals at school would be eligible for the Summer EBT as well, but still have to apply through the same process as the free-or-reduced-lunch application.
“We know there are families who qualify but have not completed the application form,” Ungar said. “Some families may not think they’re eligible, but it’s important that anyone who could be eligible applies, so that those benefits can get to the people who need them.”
A similar program was available during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the USDA found that the program decreased “children’s food hardship” by 33%, and took between 2.7 and 3.9 million out of hunger across the country.
According to research by the Center for Community Solutions, the pandemic EBT program brought Ohio children an estimated $2.2 billion in nutrition assistance between Spring 2020 to Summer 2023, the end of the pandemic program.
SUSAN TEBBEN
Susan Tebben is an award-winning journalist with a decade of experience covering Ohio news, including courts and crime, Appalachian social issues, government, education, diversity and culture. She has worked for The Newark Advocate, The Glasgow (KY) Daily Times, The Athens Messenger, and WOUB Public Media. She has also had work featured on National Public Radio.
Loveland, Ohio – “Don’t be afraid to put yourself first sometimes and get the help you need if it’s needed,” mental health advocate, Elly Steinbrunner said when asked what encouraging message, she wanted to send to those struggling with their mental health.
On my latest episode of “Table of Discussions” I invited Gina Marek, creator of the Fave Five App, Tori Morrison, who started a non-profit called the Ben Morrison Memorial Fund, and Elly Steinbrunner, a former member of the Loveland Hope Squad to my table to talk about Mental Health Awareness Month.
During the episode, Gina and Tori talk about how losing their sons to suicide encouraged them to advocate and educate those in the community about mental health. In this Loveland Magazine TV interview, both Gina and Tori offers advice about suicide prevention, eliminating the stigma of depression, and mental illness. Since the conception of the Fave Five app and the Ben Morrison Memorial Fund, Gina and Tori have been able to provide a wealth of information for parents, caregivers, and peers.
Elly, who recently graduated from Loveland High School, shared her perspective on why mental health struggles are climbing so rapidly among her generation and how being a member of the Loveland High School Hope Squad allowed her to not only help so many young people, but also educate her peers about mental health.
Join me, Gina Marek, Tori Morrison, and Elly Steinbrunner as we talk about Mental Health Awareness on my latest episode of “Table of Discussions! Watch as these three impactful women offer life-saving tips to those families and youth struggling with the mental health crisis.
“It’s totally free, no-nonsense, and took less than three minutes to start adding my trusted friends who I would want to contact if I needed help. The people in my life who I would trust with my life,” Loveland Magazine Managing Editor David Miller said after downloading Gina Marek’s My Fave Five app to his iPhone.The Ben Morrison Fund
The Ben Morrison Memorial Fund is committed to providing scholarships to graduating seniors from Loveland High School. We are dedicated to erasing the stigma of mental health struggles, opening conversations, and offering lifelines to help save lives of young people in crisis.
The Ben Morrison Memorial Fund is at 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Fed id 86-2896878.
The HOPE Squad program is a school-based peer support team that partners with local mental health agencies. Peers select students who are trustworthy and caring individuals to join the Hope Squad. Squad members are trained to watch for at-risk students, provide friendship, identify suicide-warning signs, and seek help from adults.
HOPE Squad members are NOT taught to act as counselors but are educated on recognizing suicide warning signs and how to properly and respectfully report concerns to an adult. Once invited to be a HOPE Squad member, students must get a permission form signed by their parents and go through training.
Goal:
Hope Squads seek to reduce self-destructive behavior and youth suicide by training, building, and creating change in schools and communities.
Objectives:
Train:
Hope Squads will train students and staff in schools to recognize suicide-warning signs and act upon those warnings to break the code of silence.
Hope Squads will train students and staff to identify adolescents with undetected, untreated, or emerging mental disorders.
Build:
Hope Squads will build positive relationships among peers and faculty in schools to facilitate acceptance for students seeking help.
Hope Squads will build strong relationships with local mental health agencies and communities while educating students, parents, and school staff about available community mental health resources.
Change:
Hope Squads will work to change the school culture regarding suicide by reducing stigmas about suicide and mental health.
Hope Squads will work to change community perceptions of mental health by creating awareness about suicide and the tools available to prevent suicide.
Columnist Cassie Mattia is a resident of Historic Downtown Loveland and the Public Relations Coordinator at Butler County Board of DD. Cassie was awarded the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance 2021 Young Business Professional of the Year. She is the President and Publisher of Loveland Magazine.
The office of Federal Student Aid of the U.S. Department of Education has released this information about extending COVID Emergency Relief Flexibilities for students, borrowers, and parents until least through Sept. 30, 2021.
At the U.S. Department of Education (ED) office of Federal Student Aid, we are actively monitoring the coronavirus/COVID-19 emergency.
COVID Emergency Relief Flexibilities Extended At Least Through Sept. 30, 2021
We will continue to update this page as more information becomes available.
On March 20, 2020, the office of Federal Student Aid began providing the following temporary relief on ED-owned federal student loans: suspension of loan payments, stopped collections on defaulted loans, and a 0% interest rate.
On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) became law, providing for the above relief measures on ED-owned federal student loans through Sept. 30, 2020.
On Aug. 8, 2020, the COVID-19 emergency relief measures were extended on ED-owned federal student loans through Dec. 31, 2020.
On Dec. 4, 2020, the COVID-19 emergency relief measures were extended on ED-owned federal student loans through Jan. 31, 2021.
On Jan. 20, 2021, the COVID-19 emergency relief measures were extended on ED-owned federal student loans through Sept. 30, 2021.
Below, we have answered questions about these COVID-19 emergency relief measures and the resulting flexibilities for federal student loans. You will also find answers to questions about preparing for payments to resume.
Check out related articles! We’ll add links here as we publish articles.
NOTE: You do not have to pay to get 0% interest or suspended payments for your student loans. Some companies may charge a fee to give you repayment help for federal student loans during the COVID-19 emergency. These companies are not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education (ED). Learn more about avoiding student loan scams.
Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland-Symmes Fire Department offers a summer Internship program that provides Bachelors’s Degree-seeking students in a fire science-related program. This is an opportunity for students to gain knowledge, training, and experience related to their field of study. The program offers many opportunities through hands-on training and responding to runs to set up an individual for a successful career path.
You can obtain more information about the Internship program by calling Firefighter Trey Foust at (513)-583-3001 or email at tfoust@lsfd.org.
Columnist Cassia Mattia is a resident of Historic Downtown Loveland
by Cassie Mattia
Loveland, Ohio – Veteran’s Day this year was another one for the books as fully uniformed St. Columban students marched down Oakland Road to the Loveland Veterans’ Memorial, located at the corner of Riverside and West Loveland. In honor of St. Columban’s Annual Walk for Local Veterans dozens of 7th and 8th-grade students from St. Columban School gathered around the Loveland Veterans’ Memorial with local veterans as a service was conducted in their honor.
During the Veterans Day service, some students were seen holding American flags while others stood up to speak about Veterans Day and what it meant to them and their families. Veterans from all over joined the St. Columban 7th and 8th-grade students as they discussed their experiences with the students and assisted in pinning up beautiful blue ribbons in representation of Loveland’s veterans.
Loveland Magazine was lucky enough to capture on camera both the inspirational and patriotic moments that occurred at the St. Columban’s Veteran’s Day walk and service! Click below to take the Veteran’s Day Annual Walk with the 7th and 8th-grade students of St. Columban!
Loveland teacher motivated by former student and war hero
Mihaela Manova
by Mihaela Manova
Loveland, Ohio – Students, may not know what goes on in their teacher’s lives, but the impact that they give is indisputable. Good or bad in behavior or teaching, the students not only take new knowledge from them every day but a mindset. Julie Powers, or Mrs. Powers, as her math classes call her, is not just a regular teacher who comes in, educates, and goes home to only complete the same cycle every day.
Her drive to teach is not motivated by a sum of a paycheck, but the kids themselves that come in every day. The evidence? Ask any student that has sat in her class, any person who has talked to her about their day and of course her close bond with the local and national hero, Seth Mitchell.
Teaching at Loveland High School, Julie Powers has encountered many students in her career and has had a close relationship with the Loveland High School Senior class of ‘97. One of the students she met was hero Seth Mitchell, a student with not only a good heart but a genuine soul towards the people around him. After high school, he joined the U.S Marine Corps and fought for our country in the Iraq-Afghanistan War where he was killed in action.
Loveland High School Math Teacher Julie Powers
Since his passing in 2009, his family and friends have organized the Captain Seth Mitchell Hero 5K every Fall in memory of his life. The proceeds collected during the race are given for scholarships for 12th-grade students at Loveland High School and are helping other people out, just like Seth.
I recently sat down with Mrs. Powers and asked her about herself, the teaching profession, and Capt. David Seth Mitchell.
I know that the Seth Mitchell Race happened a couple of weeks ago, what kind of thoughts did you experience during it?
I had surgery before the race this year, so I didn’t walk, and I’m a walker. I didn’t even get on the trail. Instead, I stayed back with some of the other people that graduated with Seth, who are now adults and who have kids and families. They graduated in the 90s and seeing them 20 years into the future is really kind of cool.
If you look at Seth and how he lived his life and what he wanted to do with his life, he didn’t miss a beat. He went after his goals and he worked hard to achieve them.
It was really neat to just talk to them and at the same time it makes me a little bit sad because you can’t do that with Seth. He’s gone, and he can’t live that part of his life. But I think the hardest part of losing someone so young is feeling like they’re never going to get to this accomplished or have this experience, have a significant other, have children if they wanted to or travel the world.
If you look at Seth and how he lived his life and what he wanted to do with his life, he didn’t miss a beat. He went after his goals and he worked hard to achieve them.
Can you tell me about the class of 97’?
They were amazing people when they were in high school and are even more amazing now as adults. They are some of the most giving, selfless individuals that I met back when they were sophomores. Some of them I taught in 8th grade in Algebra 1 Honors and Algebra 2 Honors and then Calculus, so I knew the group pretty well and being their advisor for Student Council, I got to work with a core of them for almost four years.
It’s hard for me to explain to you the personality or the feeling of the class.
I have never done another student council class after them because that class just meant so much to me and I knew so many of them so well, not even just the student council kids. It’s hard for me to explain to you the personality or the feeling of the class.
Those kids had blurred boundaries, (for example) just because you were in Show Choir didn’t mean that was your only identity. It was the class that I’ve never seen before, it didn’t matter what their ‘thing’ was, many of them had many ‘things’ going on with their lives.
You don’t normally have the kids that are on the big athletic teams, doing Student Council and then going out and saying “Let’s go build floats out of chicken wire, tissue paper, and glue!” So when the last day came for them in May 1997, it wasn’t like the last few years. Oh are they going to do anything crazy!? It wasn’t like that at all.
The bell rang and they all kind of just strolled out of their classes, not running, screaming, and yelling; they were in the hallway being happy and sad at the same time, because it was their last time together as a class.
And you don’t see that type of reaction often, and it wasn’t that Seth was the only person; he was in the group that was just that special. I could name so many names in that class that could just go out of their way to be amazingly nice. There weren’t any little cliques and it just wasn’t like that.
Can you tell me about being an educator and the politics that surround this role?
I never thought about politics until I was in my 30s. I was like, “My vote won’t count.” and I didn’t think it did, as an educator, there were more things that affected me. That’s what pulled me into it. Seeing the current Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, we should not put somebody in this department who has never worked in a public school, ever, and who sends all their children to private schools while being a millionaire. Someone who is in charge of education needs to be a former educator, not a business person.
That’s just beyond what I can stand. I would look at the people running for office and I literally would just look at their platform on education and what they thought about it. My take on education has been pretty consistent but it has also changed a bit.
Especially after last year, I volunteered to teach a lower Algebra class and I did it on purpose. I learned a lot about the amount of poverty that is in Loveland. I had drawers full of food for these kids. I now see that as a society we need to take care of the family unit in families that are impoverished because we’re missing the boat.
What are their lives like when they go home after school?
Not only supporting them through schools, not only getting them free and reduced lunches, but if we don’t support them from preschool to kindergarten, it’s all gone. What are their lives like when they go home after school? And the kids in grade school, is there no one there to watch them? What kind of problems do they have? Do they have one parent, two parents?
If we don’t look at that part of it and spend money trying to support the people that don’t have anything, I don’t think we’re going to get anywhere with education. I think there are more critical issues that happen that can even affect the classroom.
If I can show these students by my actions that there is another adult in this building who cares about them as people, I will have succeeded. Now whether or not we get math done is a separate issue, because the first thing that had happened was, they had to learn that they could trust another adult. Some of them have very few, if any, adults that they can trust because they’ve been taught by all kinds of experiences that they can’t and so that was my goal for the class.
We teach students not subjects.
Do you think social media influences people in our society right now?
If you look at our society we are a little bit like a microcosm. Look how polarized our society is now with just politics. I’m not taking sides but I’m just saying, they can’t find a middle ground no matter which side you are on.
Like you just talked about social media, Instagram promotes stuff for fundraising and that’s good, that’s necessary. That’s what social media’s for, to use it in a good way but I also think that it pushes people into boxes more.
I’m sorry I don’t post on social media because my life is boring, I don’t want people to know everything, I’m not interesting, I don’t want people following me. I even told my husband, “You will not post my picture on Facebook!”
Books vs Video Games
Think about when you read books (depends on what kind of books you’re reading ) but the more books you read the more it makes you think. Then okay, so playing video games or reading some books? Which one is going to open your mind which one is going to have you thinking?
And even if you’re not thinking about the book when you read it, sometimes you might be driving and be like ‘Huh, that’s interesting what that one person did…’ and it makes you process stuff again and again, but when playing a video game, your game is done when your battery finishes.
What embodies Seth?
I mean he definitely was someone who would always be very “other” sensitive, like in a classroom. If he saw somebody that was down even if it wasn’t one of his best friends, he would still reach out, quietly, and not make a big deal out of it. He would be like, “How are you doing? Are you ok?” The picture of him in the main lobby with a smile on his face and the gun on his back is the same smile I saw him with everyday.
Captain David Seth Mitchell was killed on October 26th, 2009 at age 30 while on a mission he volunteered for when two helicopters collided while supporting combat operations in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. He was a 1997 Loveland High School graduate and President of his Senior Class. (Learn more: Keep Captain Seth Mitchell’s memory alive)
I know that he struggled a little bit, there were some times in high school for Seth that were a bit dark and challenging and he had to go through some stuff, but his faith was very important to him, so that made a big difference. Even with that, the time I remember during the years that he was here, he just was someone who worked so hard.
It didn’t matter if math did not come easily to him and it didn’t, in fact, the day after his parents found out (of his passing) his mom immediately said to me, “Oh Julie, Seth was never very good at math.”
I told her, “It made no difference at all because it was what kind of a worker he was. It was that work ethic that made Seth who he was, he wouldn’t give up, and that he would just keep on trying.”
By the end of our long talk, I got to know Mrs. Powers more than I could ever imagine, making me think that some teachers are not just here to educate you, but also to support you throughout the years. Educators like Mrs. Powers need to be praised not only for the work that they do but for their dedication to their students. Students will see and appreciate any teacher who stimulates, encourages and reaches out to them.
I would like to say thank you to Mrs. Powers for her support in her student’s lives.
At Community Meeting #2 on November 28, students shared their needs as they relate to the Loveland Schools facilities.
A ballot issue is expected in November 2019.
Community Meeting #3 is on January 23
A news release from the Loveland School District
On November 28, the Loveland City School District held the second Building Tiger Nation Community Meeting, with over 100 members of the Tiger Family and greater Loveland community in attendance. In a presentation of the results of the educational facility evaluation conducted over the past six months, a panel of students and teachers shared their personal experiences regarding the implications of the current school facilities on teaching and learning at Loveland.
“It was very powerful to hear directly from the ‘experts’ on their impressions and experiences, and see the correlation to the hard data collected during the evaluation process,” said Superintendent Dr. Amy Crouse. “Some of the needs we heard about are recurring themes throughout the district, while others are specific to certain building and campuses. Taking into account enrollment projections and the fact that we can’t provide all the programming we wish to due to space limitations today, our buildings compromise our students’ educational needs.”
Community members toured the “gallery” and learned about specific needs in the various school buildings.
The educational facility evaluation, which has been part of the assessment phase in the master planning process, focused on five main areas and how the school facilities currently perform in each: whether there is adequate academic square footage; building navigation (taking into account hallways, circulation spaces within the buildings, as well as parking and traffic patterns); the potential for expansion of buildings at the various campuses; how the buildings serve students and staff in terms of health and wellness; and whether the buildings and learning spaces are inspirational and relevant for today’s students.
“It’s like a square peg trying to fit in a round hole,” said Cincy Rack, third grade teacher at Loveland Elementary School. “The biggest, single challenge every year is ‘how am I going to make my space work?’”
Loveland High School Sophomore Anna Colletto spoke of navigation issues and a particularly difficult area in the overcrowded hallways: “Students trying to get upstairs are struggling, students trying to get to their classes are struggling, and students trying to get into their lockers are struggling. It takes two to three minutes just to get through that portion of the hallway, which takes up our five-minute break to get to the next class.”
The meeting was the second in a series to inform the Loveland community about the facilities master planning process since the start of the 2018-19 school year. Finance Committee meetings, open to the public, continue to be held monthly. The master planning process now moves from the assessment phase on to the translation phase, and the first options for a master plan will be developed over the coming weeks. They will be presented to all Loveland stakeholders at Community Meeting #3 on January 23, and will then be evaluated, prioritized, and finalized. The master plan, along with financing suggestions, will be presented to the Loveland Board of Education in spring, likely April or May. A ballot issue is expected in November 2019.
Ohio is poised to become the latest state to take steps to limit school suspensions and expulsions for the state’s youngest learners.
The state legislature has passed a bill that would ban the practices for students in pre-K to 3rd grade who commit minor offenses starting in the 2021-2022 school year. Expulsion would remain an option for students who commit certain acts of violence.
Kim Hicks receives the OMLA 2018 Support Staff Award
Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland City School District Education Aide Kim Hicks has been named the Ohio Middle Level Association (OMLA) 2018 Support Staff recipient. Hicks works to support students at both Loveland Middle School (LMS) and Loveland Intermediate School (LIS). OMLA will formally recognize her at their annual conference in October.
“Kim Hicks builds relationships and uses them to provide opportunities for those who would otherwise not have any or very few,” said LMS Principal Chuck Ogdan. “Kim actively researches intervention models that work for each student she serves – no matter how difficult the challenge – and she inspires other staff members to never give up on any of our students. She is a valuable member of our team; we are lucky to have her.”
Hicks also volunteers at the NEST after-school program, helping to provide nutrition and academic support for the economically disadvantaged youth and families within the school district. She is part of the Loveland Educating Against Alcohol and Drugs task force. She helped organize the LMS Breakfast Club where she volunteers before school serving breakfast to economically disadvantaged students. She is a cofounder and organizer of Club Healthy Habits – forming new relationships among students and teachers at LMS.
“Kim has long been a champion for students and families; this is evidenced not only in her vast community involvement, but also her high level of success in providing supports for students struggling with behavioral and/or mental-health needs,” said Loveland Director of Student Services Eric Dool. “Kim has a gift for building rapport, recognizing signs of anxiety, working to calm and deescalate, and striving to instill resilience and self-efficacy in others. She is very deserving of this recognition.”
Loveland Hope Squad
Call or text the 
You can obtain more information about the Internship program by calling Firefighter Trey Foust at (513)-583-3001 or email at 
![[Video Slide Show] St. Columban students Salute Local Veterans](https://lovelandmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/st.-columban-veterans-day.jpg)
