THIS ISSUESuperintendent’s Letter 1

Upcoming Events 1

Meeting Our Mission 2

Green Bears On The Go 3

Teacher Feature 4

District Download 5

A QUARTERLY PUBLICATION FROM OTTAWA HILLS LOCAL SCHOOLS

SPRING/SUMMER 2019

Marveling at a Super Team

The recent film “Avengers: Endgame” is on the verge of becoming the box-office king of all time. While each superhero in the cast possesses individual talents, in the end it is their ability to work as a team that makes them truly super.

For nine years, I’ve had the privilege of watching our faculty, staff, parents, and students forge the best school system in Ohio through the same approach to teamwork. Like the Avengers, our strength is unmatched when individual talents are joined. This publication, now in its tenth issue, was created nearly three years ago to share that heroic story. How about this for a Hollywood movie plot, a scene inside a small school district …:

A spectacular, high-adrenaline stage production of the musical “Newsies”; earning the “Outstanding School” award at the Ohio Academy of Science State Science Day; five students earning three trophies at the annual SATELLITES Conference at the University of Toledo; a runner-up finish in the national Quiz Bowl tournament; conference championships for the boys’ varsity and junior high boys’ and girls’ track teams; a high school achieving a top-five ranking in Ohio; a schoolwide arts and performance show representing contributions from nearly half the student body; a fourth-grade mock trial experience inside real courtrooms; and a kaleidoscope-like stage show by kindergarteners.

As remarkable as that list is for any district, every event occurred in ours – over a recent two-week period. Such is the richness and tradition of our two-building system.

Needless to say, we are a special place. Our successes are achieved as much through inspiration as perspiration. Our community and district put in the hard work and are guided by a long-term approach to education: Take individual talent and potential, nurture it with great faculty and parents, and through peer support, weave it collectively into a strong and comforting fabric.

Wherever our future travels take Carla, the boys, and me, we will always look back with great wonder at what we experienced in Ottawa Hills – and with satisfaction in how our contributions made it even more special. While our curtain is coming down, Ottawa Hills will forever be in the spotlight.

Yours in Education,Dr. Kevin S. Miller, Superintendent

CommencementOH Graduates 82 on May 30The 79th annual Commencement at Ottawa Hills High School is Thursday, May 30. The event begins promptly at 6 p.m. at the John Lindsay Court. The district graduates 82 seniors this year. Doors open at 5 p.m. Open seating is available behind the students on the main floor as well as the bleachers. With the exception of tickets auctioned at the Green Bear Ball, there is no reserved seating. Students are asked to report to the chemistry lab by 5:15 p.m. with their cap and gown.

Upcoming Events

2019 D.C. Trip Photo Op at WWII Memorial

Our Mission:In partnership with our community, Ottawa Hills Local Schools will challenge and inspire each student to realize his or her unique potential; to embrace learning as a lifelong process; and to become an active, responsible citizen.

REALIZING THEIR UNIQUE POTENTIAL

More than 80 Ottawa Hills eighth graders traveled to the nation’s capital in May as part of the annual eighth-grade trip. Missing from that peer group was Daniel Liu, who started kindergarten with them in 2010.

But Daniel already has been to Washington. In fact, he’s been inside the White House and met President Obama. Over the last eight years, not much has followed a traditional script for 13-year-old Daniel. He plans to graduate high school in May with nearly 100 college credits and transfer many of those to a new college he plans to start this fall. For Daniel and his family, the educational journey – the one that saw him skip four grades, publish three scientific articles in professional journals, and excel academically unlike any other student in Ottawa Hills history – is about to begin a new chapter. (Read more about Daniel’s remarkable journey at ottawahillsschools.org.)

Heading Off to College ... at 13

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CREATING RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS

Waving a Wand for WildlifeEighth-grader Libby Hagenbuch took a chance encounter with an Instagram post and turned it into a very successful fundraising effort to help rehabilitate animals.

Libby read the online appeal from Appalachian Wildlife Refuge, a North Carolina organization that helps animals return to the wild. To do so, it uses lots of discarded mascara wands to clean fur. So it began a “Wands for Wildlife” drive. Partnering with Laurel Underwood, the district’s gifted intervention specialist, Libby decided to do her part, too. In addition to the Junior/Senior High School, she convinced two local businesses – SIP Coffee and Sephora – to become collection sites.

The goal was 250 wands; Libby and Mrs. Underwood recently shippped off 1,040 wands. Her campaign generated local media attention as well as coverage by the Ohio School Boards Association in its monthly newsletter.

LIFELONG LEARNER

Summer (Hardman) Vanni (’95)Academics: Ohio University (’99), BS in exercise physiology; University of Toledo (’08), MS in health education.

Career: A Division I field hockey athlete, she earned teaching degrees and taught high school health classes for 10 years for Fairfax County Public Schools (Washington, D.C.) where she also served as head field hockey coach. Returned to OH 18 months ago when husband Michael took a job in private banking (Key Bank). Opened The Nutrition Spot in January with husband and dad (Chris Hardman). The store’s philosophy: share, sample, support, and coach customers on simple nutrition that tastes good and is appropriate for all ages. Offers yoga, Zumba, tabata, and food prep how-to classes. (Instagram: @thenutritionspot419 | facebook.com/thenutritionspot419)

OH Influence: “I became a wellness entrepreneur after I had my third child and needed flexibility with my children. Growing up in Ottawa Hills gave me winning tools, no doubt. The community gave me confidence as an athlete; we were able to win two state championships in field hockey (1993 and 1994) and I lettered 10 times in multiple sports. Because of that, coaching and teaching were a natural fit. But the unconditional love I received from family and community gave me the belief that I could do anything I put my mind to. We brought our boys back here so they could form lifelong OH friendships like I have, experience a great education in a small setting, and live down the street from “Papaw’s field” and watch him coach (Chris has been varsity baseball coach for 39 years). Mostly, we returned to make an impact in the Toledo community in the field of health and wellness.”

Heading Off to College ... at 13

Green Bears ON THE GO!

The district and surrounding area were treated to another spectacular spring musical in April. “Newsies” was packed with brilliant choreography, solid acting, and beautiful singing. “We have never had this level of dancing in an Ottawa Hills production. I am so proud of everyone,” said junior Priya Bhatt, the production’s associate director.

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Ottawa Hills High School is preparing to say goodbye to three students from abroad who spent the year studying as Green Bears. Pietro Antelmi (Italy), Hamna Naeem (Pakistan), and Piyapat (Namwan) Kawtemdee (Thailand) (above, left to right) were honored at a luncheon in May. Also recognized were local families who served as hosts.

Students have been busy planting at the Elementary School Land Lab. This year, in addition to planting vegetables in four beds in preparation for making soup, some students also are introducing regionally native species to help encourage education on the benefits of planting natives.

What a night for our Ottawa Hills track team! On May 10 at the Toledo Area Athletic Conference meet, senior Michael Nichols won the 100 and 200 meter dash and was named Athlete of the Year and Rachel Wanner was named Coach of the Year — both for the second year in a row. Our boys team took first overall and the girls team second. Junior high boys and girls also took first in TAAC!

The work of more than a hundred junior and senior high students was on display during the 14th Annual smART Show held May 2. The evening show, which this year adopted the theme “Find,” has grown more varied and entertaining each year. It has diversified to include musical presentations, hands-on activities, and artist talks.

The Ottawa Hills Elementary School Brown Bag Chorus (fifth and sixth graders) sang the Canadian and American anthems at a Toledo Walleye game. Thank you to the Walleye for the invitation and music teacher Kimberly Manchur for leading our students. Watch the performance at facebook.com/ohschools.

@OHESPrincipal@OttawaHillsMTA

@GreenBearSports @choirs_OHHS

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YEAR ENROLLMENT2014 948

2015 949

2016 913

2017 916

2018 961

2019 992** as of mid-May

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TEACHER FEATURE: TONY TORIO

Congratulations to high school math teacher Tony Torio for being named the 2019 Sun Federal Credit Union “Extraordinary Teacher of the Year.” The award comes with a $500 check for Mr. Torio and a $1,000 check for

him to award to an OHHS senior in the form of a scholarship. “I am very thankful to have the support of my students and

this great community,” Mr. Torio said. “It is a privilege and an honor to choose a deserving student for the scholarship award from Sun Federal Credit Union. I thank them for supporting education in such a generous way.”

In addition to teaching classes such as algebra and statistics, Mr. Torio also has advised the school’s Academic Quiz Bowl team for the past nine years. In March, the four-person team won the 2019 National Academic Quiz Tournament (NAQT) Ohio Small School State Championship. The OH team then finished runner-up at the 2019 NAQT Very Small School National Championship (it won that title in 2018).

Mr. Torio joined Ottawa Hills in the fall of 2008. He spent the previous six years at Washington Local Schools teaching junior high and high school mathematics. Earlier in his career, he was a graduate assistant and part-time instructor in English at the University of Toledo. He also has taught math, study skills, and speed reading at Sylvan Learning Centers; mathematics at Parma City Schools; and ACT/SAT prep at the University of Toledo.

Established in 2015, the “Extraordinary Teacher of the Year” award is made annually in every district served by the credit union. Past OH recipients are Paul Genzman (2018), Daniel Feuerstein (2017), Wendi Danzeisen (2016), and Michael Leeds (2015).

Mr. Torio received 35 nominations — all from current students. Typical of those comments were these:

• “Mr. Torio is the best teacher I’ve ever had. Every day, he puts his heart and soul into crafting the most engaging ways to teach two relatively dry courses: Algebra II and Statistics.”

• “Mr. Torio is a teacher like no other. Supremely educated in many facets of the curriculum. Due to his vast knowledge, he is able to draw on other subjects in order to explain mathematics.”

• “An excellent educator and person alike, Mr. Torio exemplifies the idea of a Renaissance man. Even while teaching our AP Statistics class, he finds ways to infuse fun and interesting anecdotes into his lessons, discussing everything from his musical past to the mishaps of his two daughters.”

Dedication Adds Up for Math Teacher

District Adjusts to Enrollment Growth

Enrollment is growing at Ottawa Hills Local Schools, requiring the hiring of four teachers at the elementary school. The teachers

will fill open positions in kindergarten as well as first, second, and fifth grades. Interviews have concluded for several of the positions, with several having been hired already by the Board of Education. As a sign of the district’s appeal as a potential employer, it received 155 applicants for the kindergarten position.

“Our enrollment for next year will be the biggest we’ve seen in quite some time,” said Superintendent Kevin S. Miller. “And if our enrollment continues to grow, we’re going to experience some space issues.”

Much of the growth is occurring at kindergarten. Not long ago, the district offered four sections of half-day kindergarten, requiring two classrooms. For the first time since going to all-

day, everyday kindergarten, the district will be offering four sections, which requires adding a fourth classroom.

To prepare, the district is adding a kindergarten teaching position. Several other teaching positions also are being filled, as teachers move between grades or out of the area. In all, the elementary school expects to have four new teachers for the 2019-2020 school year.

To meet the growth-related needs, the district will renovate and reconfigure classrooms throughout the elementary building this summer.

Enrollment within Ottawa Hills and surrounding districts varies by year. In the past half-decade, enrollment has dipped in OH primary grades (K-2), leading to some grades with three instead of the standard four sections. The district’s current enrollment as of mid-May was 992.

“We’re seeing an uptick in numbers, so we’re getting back to more grade levels with four sections. It’s pleasing to see,” said Dr. Miller. “Families have always said they move to Ottawa Hills ‘for the schools.’ More recently, our enrollment is growing in part because of our tuition program. That program is succeeding in adding students outside the district and enticing more families to move into Ottawa Hills.”

The Ottawa Hills Board of Education recently recognized

four businesses for their ongoing support of our schools. The businesses are Effler Schmidt, Howard Hannah Realty (Tom and Nancy Kabat), JupMode, and Sun Federal Credit Union.

With the recognition, each gets added to the 2019 Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA) “Business Honor Roll.” The awards recognize the collaboration between local public schools and local businesses to strengthen schools and the business community. “Your work has aided this community in focusing on the goal of providing the best public schools we can for every child who attends them,” the award resolution states.

This year’s recipients help in many ways, including providing internships or job-shadowing programs; volunteering in schools and offering employees time off to volunteer; serving as a mentor or tutor; supporting extracurricular programs; and hosting company tours or sponsoring field trips.

Across the state, nearly 100 districts recognized local businesses According to OSBA, school-business collaboration creates a win-win situation. Schools receive additional support while students get real-world experience learning from professionals in many fields. Businesses also gain a better understanding of their school systems, and let educators know about the critical workforce skills students need to succeed.

DISTRICTDOWNLOAD

ValuingPartnerships

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Nationally RecognizedOttawa Hills High School Ranked #136 in U.S.

For the second consecutive year, Ottawa Hills High School has been ranked a top-five high school in Ohio by U.S. News & World Report. As important, the building moved up significantly in the national rankings. It is now ranked as the 136th best high school in the United States, up from 258 last year.

“We are delighted to be recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of America’s best high schools,” said Principal Ben McMurray. “Our faculty and staff work incredibly hard to ensure our students feel valued, challenged, and supported. We are extremely grateful for the strong partnership with our parents and community.” The district ranked as the 172nd-best school for STEM in the United States. The high school has 316 students in grades 9 through 12.

U.S. News collects data on more than 23,000 public U.S. high schools; it then uses that data to rank 17,245 schools in five categories, including performance on state-required tests, graduation rates, and college preparation. This year, 736 Ohio high schools were ranked. Among all schools ranked, our high school finished in a tie for first place nationally in the “Math and Reading Proficiency” category, which uses aggregated scores on state assessments that students may be required to pass for graduation.

“For the past decade, we have always been ranked in the top 2 percent of high schools in the nation, and our rise in the rankings is very pleasing,” said Superintendent Kevin S. Miller.

Dr. Miller said the recognition and continued success of the high school – and entire district – depends on four factors: a supportive community; engaged parents who are partners in the education of their children; amazing educators committed to continuous improvement of teaching and learning; and incredibly hard-working students who take challenging classes and rise to the challenge in those classes.

“This is a high-school honor, but it reflects a rigorous curriculum from kindergarten through 12th grade,” Dr. Miller added. “Our students take advantage of the 17 Advanced Placement courses at the high school and they perform extremely well in those courses and on their AP tests.”

3600 Indian RoadOttawa Hills, OH 43606

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Thank You & Good Luck, Class of 2019!Photo by Yarko Kuk/The Village Voice of Ottawa Hills