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Tag: symmes township

Dr. Dean Nicholas to be the next Head of School at CHCA

Symmes Township, Ohio – Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy’s (CHCA’s) Board of Trustees has announced that Dr. Dean Nicholas, currently the school’s Assistant Head of School and formerly Upper School Principal, has accepted the invitation of the Board of Trustees to be the next Head of School at CHCA, effective July 1, 2021.

In a press release the school said that the appointment is the result of a national search that began in late November 2020 when the Board learned that CHCA’s current Head of School, Randy Brunk, would be retiring at the end of the school year, completing a “long and successful” 18-year tenure as the school’s Head.

“Under Brunk’s leadership, CHCA saw many years of record enrollment, endowments grew substantially, he oversaw capital campaigns raising nearly $20M, and championed innovative programming that established CHCA as one of the nation’s leading Christian schools.”

Angela Sweeney, CHCA Board of Trustees Search Committee Chair, led select Board Members and a Community Panel through the selection process. “The selection of the Head of School is the single most important duty of our Board members. Our mission was to find a leader who is passionate about Christian education and has a strong vision for the school’s future. And it was important that this leader reflect CHCA’s Christ-centered culture and values,” said Sweeney.

“Among the qualified candidates, Dr. Dean Nicholas rose to the top given his extensive expertise being a national leader in Christian Education and his successful 25-year tenure at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy,” shared Ben Beshear, CHCA’s current Board President and ’97 graduate of the school.

CHCA’s current Head of School Randy Brunk had this to share of his successor: “Dean and I have worked towards this day together for many years knowing this was a possible outcome, and I am thrilled for this opportunity for him. He knows what is necessary for the job and I am confident he will fully embrace this opportunity to lead CHCA well into the future.”

After spending the early years of his teaching career as a college instructor, Nicholas joined CHCA’s Christian Studies Department as a teacher and as Chair of the Department. In June of 2007, he was named Principal over Grades 9-12 and in 2015, added Grades 7-8 to become the school’s first Upper School Principal. In July of 2020, Nicholas was appointed Assistant Head of School, leading the school’s COVID response efforts and operations. He holds degrees from Wheaton College (B.A. Double Major), Wheaton Graduate School (M.A.), and Hebrew Union College (Ph.D.).

The release said that Nicholas also received endorsements from Christian educational leaders throughout the country. Dr. Katie Wiens, Executive Director of the Council on Educational Standards and Accountability, shared, “I’ve known Dr. Nicholas for over a decade, as we have worked togetherto build a network of the very best Christian Schools across the nation and the world. From the beginning, I recognized him as an excellent thinker, with the highest standards for what Christian education can and should be.”

Dr. Jon Eckert, Baylor University Professor of Leadership and Endowed Chair for Christians in School Leadership added, “I’ve worked with and studied schools all over the U.S., and CHCA is one of the best. I can think of no one better to lead the work forward than Dean Nicholas.”

Nicholas said that he is thrilled for what the future holds for CHCA and excited to build on the foundation that was laid before him. “For the past 25 years, I have had the distinct pleasure of working with students and seeing them develop a passion to learn, lead, and serve. I have seen them take their gifts and passions to do incredible things, not just within the walls of these campuses, not just within the city of Cincinnati, but literally around the world. I am so honored and excited to be stepping into this role as the next Head of School at CHCA.”

As an instructor and published author in both Christian higher education and secondary education, Nicholas has served on numerous accreditation and leadership teams, education panels, and is a sought-after lecturer and presenter. He also served on the Steering Committee and as the Cincinnati Coordinator for the America-Israel Friendship League.

Nicholas is married to Julie, who is also a published author and currently works for CHCA. Together they have three boys – a CHCA graduate attending Grand Canyon University and two currently attending CHCA’s Upper School. Nicholas enjoys fishing, reading, and taking every chance to see and root for the Milwaukee Brewers and Green Bay Packers in his spare time.

May 9, 2021
Automotive retail proposed for old JC Penney site

Symmes Township, Ohio – The entire site of the closed JC Penny store on Union Cemetery Road, including the retail outlets is being proposed to transition into what Nextgen Automotive 4, LLC is calling an “Automotive Retail Destination”. In their application for re-zoning, they say that the “current retail market has forced the closure of the JC Penny facility and many of the retail spaces are also vacant” and the site will be transformed into a “vibrant retail property that will help drive economic growth to Symmes Township and surrounding communities and businesses.”

Below you can view photos of the outlet stores and read the Symmes Township notice of a public hearing on a proposed zone change.

Zoning Public/Staff Review Scheduled for old JC Penney Site

Notice is hereby given that a public/staff review meeting has been scheduled for Monday, April 19th at 7:00pm to review a proposal received for a zone change from “EE” Planned Residence with Retail and “OO” Planned Office to “EE” Planned Residence with Retail on both parcels. The subject property is located at 9365 Fields Ertel Road which is the old JC Penney site (Parcel #620-0190-0573/0574).

This staff review will be held via Zoom. The registration link will be posted on our website shortly

Right Click to open in a new tab to see a larger view.

Apr 13, 2021
Symmes Township Fire Department Achieves ISO 1 Classification

Phil Beck, Jodie Leis, and Ken Bryant

Symmes Township, Ohio – The Symmes Township Trustees (pictured above placing the new ISO classification placard on their 100’ Sutphen platform) announced to residents the improved ISO 1 classification for their community.

Symmes Township provides fire, rescue, and emergency medical services through a joint fire service agreement with the neighboring City of Loveland. The Loveland-Symmes Fire Department (LSFD) provides this service as a career fire and EMS department operating from four (4) stations strategically located throughout the township and the city.

Symmes Township Trustee President Ken Bryant (Provided Photo)

The LSFD is dual accredited nationally through the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) and the Commission on Ambulance Accreditation (CAAS).

Symmes Township Trustee President Ken Bryant stated, “We are incredibly proud of the LSFD for working so hard over many years to accomplish this goal. Our Loveland-Symmes firefighters and paramedics work tirelessly to save lives and property and to keep our residents, businesses, and visitors safe and are an integral part of our township.

Mrs. Jodi Leis said, “It is our firefighters’ proactive involvement in nearly every aspect of our community that helps make Symmes Township a great place to live, work and play.”

Symmes Township Trustee Jodi Leis (Provided Photo)

“This accomplishment was only possible because of the work of our dedicated staff, the support and guidance of our elected officials, and the continued support of our residents.” stated Fire Chief Otto J. Huber. “The mission of the LSFD is to provide the most technologically advanced fire and EMS with the highest trained professionals, and to deliver that service to our residents with loyalty and compassion. Our members live that mission every day” the Chief added.

Trustee Phil Beck said “As elected officials, we take the responsibility of providing emergency services to the residents as our highest priority. This improvement in our fire department’s rating brings added value to our residents which is the benchmark we try to achieve when making decisions on our residents’ safety and spending their tax dollars.”

ISO is an independent organization that evaluates fire protection efforts in communities across the country. The organization collects information on communities and analyzes the data using its Fire Suppression Rating Schedule.

This Fire Suppression Rating Schedule evaluates four primary categories of fire suppression – fire department, emergency communications, water supply, and community risk reduction. Fire services are ranked between 1 and 10.

The Class 1 ISO rating will rank the Loveland-Symmes Fire Department as one of only 383 Fire Departments in the U.S. that are ISO 1 classified. To ensure the best is serving their community, LSFD’s chief fire officers and captains also hold credentials in their capacities through the Commission on Professional Credentialing (CPSE), the Ohio Fire Chiefs Foundation Executive Leadership Program, the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program, as well as, related professional leadership training and fire command certification programs.

Township Administrator Kim Lapensee stated, “Building strong relationships with our neighbors along with our township’s strong efforts to manage with strategic planning while maintaining fiscal reasonability to the taxpayers shows how grassroots township government can and does work for the people.”

Story from the Symmes Township monthly newsletter

Feb 4, 2021
BREAKING: Portion of Kemper Road will be closed Tuesday morning

Symmes Township, Ohio – Eric J. Beck, Hamilton County Engineer, just announced a full road closure on Kemper Road between Loveland Madeira and Twightwee Road in Symmes Township.

Indiana Ohio Railway will be repairing the railroad track on Tuesday, December 8, between the hours of 8 AM and – 6 PM (weather permitting).

The contractor’s detour route will be from Kemper – Loveland Madeira – South Riverside – Kemper and vice versa.

Any problems/questions should be directed to Geoff Reeder (330) 749-1906 with Indiana Ohio Railway or Dan Jones at (513) 946-8430 with the Hamilton County Engineers.

If you appreciate these kinds of heads ups that might make your daily life better, please consider sending a donation to keep them coming your way. There are many behind the scene expenses that make these stories possible. These kinds of reports are FREE for you, however, they are not CHEAP for Loveland Magazine to publish.

Dec 7, 2020
“Our beautiful downtown fountain”

Loveland, Ohio – Sara Young said, “I snapped this picture of our beautiful downtown fountain while on a walk with a friend on one of these beautiful fall evenings. Our girls were enjoying a Daisy Scout outing at Loveland Nature Preserve, so us moms decided to do the same.”

The fountain is on a small parcel of green-space in Historic Downtown Loveland owned by former Loveland resident, Martin Schickel. Loveland’s historic train depot is in the background.

Sara lives in Symmes Township, with 3 children who attend Loveland Schools. “I love taking photos of beautiful places and of my kids having fun,” said Sara.

Nov 16, 2020
Paul Laufersweiler honors Veterans
by David Miller

Symmes Township, Ohio – Paul Laufersweiler said he has skin in the game and mentions his grandfather and uncle. Paul recorded this message about what Veterans Day means to him last Sunday at the Veterans’ memorial plaza at the The Home of the Brave Park in Symmes Township.

Paul Laufersweiler is a ninth-grader at Loveland High School. He plays clarinet in their marching band and was recently cast in their radio play production of A Christmas Carol. His favorite classes are Honors Biology and AP Human Geography.

Paul said that if we think about the struggles Veterans have faced, we can be brave enough to overcome those we face today. He encourages us to, take time to thank veterans, “And since they did all they could to protect us let’s do what we can to help protect each other.”

This year, Veterans Day is Wednesday, November 11

According to the History Channel, Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and Nov. 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938. Unlike Memorial Day, Veterans Day pays tribute to all American veterans—living or dead—but especially gives thanks to living veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime.

Veterans Day Facts

HISTORY.COM EDITORS
- Veterans Day occurs on November 11 every year in the United States in honor of the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” of 1918 that signaled the end of World War I, known as Armistice Day.
- In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower officially changed the name of the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day.
- In 1968, the Uniform Holidays Bill was passed by Congress, which moved the celebration of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. The law went into effect in 1971, but in 1975 President Gerald Ford returned Veterans Day to November 11, due to the important historical significance of the date.
- Veterans Day commemorates veterans of all wars.
- Great Britain, France, Australia and Canada also commemorate the veterans of World War I and World War II on or near November 11th: Canada has Remembrance Day, while Britain has Remembrance Sunday (the second Sunday of November).
- In Europe, Great Britain and the Commonwealth countries it is common to observe two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. every November 11.
- Every Veterans Day and Memorial Day, Arlington National Cemetery holds an annual memorial service. The cemetery is home to the graves of over 400,000 people, most of whom served in the military.
David Miller, a combat veteran, is the publisher of Loveland Magazine and served in Vietnam in 1969.
Nov 10, 2020
Operation Santa set for December 5 in Symmes
You can help fill Santa’s bag!

Symmes Township, Ohio – Santa and his helpers will make their annual visit through Symmes Township neighborhoods on Saturday, December 5th from 5 until 8:30 PM to spread holiday cheer. Social distancing guidelines will be implemented.

In the spirit of the giving season, the Township hopes that residents will help Santa refill his bag with new, unwrapped toys or cash gifts for The Dragonfly Foundation.

Please note that due to COVID The Dragonfly Foundation can only accept items that are in their original packaging.

For a complete list of items see below.

Anyone interested in making a donation to this worthy organization may give it to Santa or one of his helpers as they travel through the Township. Checks should be made payable to the Dragonfly Foundation.

A list of locations and time stops is here:

Right Click to view larger

Items In Need

We need any of the following items:
ALL DONATED ITEMS MUST BE NEW AND IN ITS ORIGINAL PACKAGING
Please help us by sponsoring, or donating an auction item for, one of our Featured Events.

Here are the items TDF needs most. Please note that all donated items must be new and in their original packaging.
- Wal-Mart, Target, MasterCard/Visa and Gas Gift Cards:
  Our Dragonflies use these to buy their favorite foods, clothes, games, toys, and more. A desperate family can use a gas card to help cover the cost of visiting their child or taking their child receive chemo. The uses are endless! Plus, it only takes 2 stamps to send them, versus $10 for shipping toys or other gifts!
- Toys & Gifts
  - Infant Toys
  - Light Up & Play Music Toys
  - Lego Sets (Especially For Teens)
  - Coloring Kits
  - Crafts (All Ages)
  - Educational Toys (All Ages)
  - Super Hero Toys
  - PlayStation 4 & XBox One Games and Consoles
- Care Package Items
  - Laundry TABLETS (Must be FREE/CLEAR)
  - Dryer Sheets (Must be FREE/CLEAR)
  - Digital Thermometers (A hospital requirement for cancer/BMT patient discharge)
  - Woman On The Go Kits (Personal Care Supplies)
  - Small Boxes of Tissues
  - Accordion File Folders
  - Binders (1 inch), divider tabs, business card holders
  - Mesh laundry bags
  - Ear Plugs
  - Dry erase white boards (8.5″ x 11″)
- Tablets and Laptops with Webcams (for laptops, be sure to call us so we can give you the specifications required by our partner hospitals).
- Tickets & Suites. Thanks to One Call Now, a hosted messaging service, we can call, text, and email families about ticket opportunities — even at the last minute!
- Boxes & Packaging Materials: Please drop off any sized shipping boxes and packaging materials to Safe Ship of West Chester, OH (anytime during business hours). They do not charge us for packaging patient/family gifts, if we can provide them with these materials. They will take any type of packing material (i.e. peanuts, foam, air packs, bubble wrap, etc) and ANY size box! (Don’t pitch, RECYCLE!!)
Nov 5, 2020
Symmes Township’s Nancy Mulvey honored by national school organization

Symmes Township resident and Great Oaks Director of Student Services Nancy Mulvey was honored this month with the Distinguished Service Award from the National Council of Local Administrators NCLA, a national association for career and technical administrators. She was recognized for her service to career-technical education and for her professional accomplishments.

Mulvey has served the students of Great Oaks Career Campuses for more than 30 years as a math teacher, counselor, career specialist, campus dean, and district administrator. In her current role as Director of Student Services, she has strengthened both physical health and mental health services for students, led the effort to rewrite Board policies, began a summer camp program for younger students, and helped guide the district to record levels of high school enrollment.

The nomination read in part, “Nancy recognizes best practices in the field, and shares, adapts, and improves those practices to benefit current and future students as well as the organizations she serves. She freely shares her own ideas and innovations and champions those practices that others have developed, for the benefit of career-technical education as a whole.”

The award was presented virtually during the NCLA Best Practices Conference, which was held online this year.

Oct 19, 2020
Loveland students at CHCA Scott Burk and Christopher Swedes named National Merit Semifinalists

Matthew Onadeko, Adam Jutt, Megan Stotz, Scott Burk, Christopher Swedes (Provided Photo)

Symmes Township, Ohio – Dr. Dean Nicholas, Assistant Head of School of Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, announced that Scott Burk (of Loveland), Adam Jutt (of Mason), Matthew Onadeko (of Mason), Christopher Swedes (of Loveland), and Megan Stotz (of Mason) have been named National Merit Semifinalists. A certificate from the National Merit Scholarship Cooperation will be presented to these students at CHCA’s Academic Awards Night in May 2020.

These academically talented high school seniors now have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $30 million that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. Over 90 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and more than half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.

Over 1.5 million juniors in about 21,000 high schools entered the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2019 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest scoring entrants in each state. The number of Semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.

To become a Finalist, the Semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about the Semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and rewards received. A Semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, and write an essay.

“We are so excited to announce these students as National Merit Semifinalists,” shared Nicholas. “They are not only excellent students and scholars, but well-rounded examples of everything we aspire to be at CHCA. As students, musicians, athletes, servant leaders, and peoples of faith, they move us forward as a community!”

Sep 10, 2020
TOMORROW: Loveland XC Invitational @Love_XC_Invite

Saturday, September 5th

Symmes Township – Home of the Brave Park

Symmes Township, Ohio – Since spectators are limited to parents/guardians of senior runners, here is how you can keep up with the race and even watch a live-stream.

This is not a decision that we have taken lightly. The purpose of limiting spectators is to ensure that we meet all guidelines in place.

In evaluating our options for the event the choices were to cancel the event or to limit spectators.

We chose to limit spectators to give the runners an opportunity to compete!

We want to give our runners every opportunity to have a complete season. We also want our senior parents/guardians to have the opportunity to see their athlete on the course at least one last time!

We are doing several things to help alleviate the disappointment for parents and families.

HERE IS THE RACE 411 WITH ALL OF THE DETAILS OF WHEN EACH RACE WILL START

Race Day Schedule & Course Maps, ETC.

How to Watch and get Tweets

Sep 4, 2020