Celebrating outstanding achievementMembers of the Class of 2012 netted $4,283,700 in merit scholarships for college or more than $122,391 per recipient.

All of Seven Hills’ 13 semifinalists in the 2012 National Merit Scholarship Program—nearly 25% of the senior class—qualified as finalists. This continues a tradition for Seven Hills of having top percentages of semifinalists in the senior class among Greater Cincinnati schools.

Twenty-one of the 83 members of the Class of 2013—or 26% of the class—will earn National Merit recognition in 2012-2013! The students qualified for recognition with their scores on the 2012 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test and by meeting the requirements of the program.

Of the 234 Advanced Placement exams in 16 subjects taken in May by 101 students, 98% of the scores were 3’s or better on the 1-5 national scale, qualifying our students for advanced standing in college, and 49% of the scores were 5’s! They scored an average of 4.26 (“Well Qualified”).

Fifty-eight members of the Classes of 2012 and 2013 were recognized as AP Scholars for scor-ing 3 or above on at least three AP exams. Their average score was 4.49.

Ready for a great 2012–2013

The Seven Hills School august 2012

Eighteen members of the Class of 2013—25% of the 72 who took SATs as juniors—have scored to date at least one perfect 800 on one of the three sections of the SAT or on one SAT Subject Test.

What sets us apart: The Seven Hills Method

As we begin a new school year, we want to take one more look at some of the outstanding accomplishments

that marked the second semester of 2011–2012.

What sets Seven Hills apart—our meaningful difference—is how we teach rather than what we teach: in short, The Seven Hills Method.

The Seven Hills Method develops the 21st century skills and habits of mind—what noted educational leader Tony Wagner calls “survival skills”—which prepare our students for success in a complex global community. These survival skills include critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration and leadership, agility and adaptability, initia-tive and entrepreneurialism, effective oral and written communication, accessing and analyzing information, curiosity and imagination. These critical skills are at the heart of a 21st century Seven Hills edu-cation—our meaningful difference.

The following are the main points of The Seven Hills Method:

We pose engaging questions that foster students’ passion for learning. We design complex tasks that build logic, critical thinking and prob-lem solving skills.

We structure learning activities that require creativity, independent thought and innovation. We focus on content that engages students in compelling global is-sues. We design opportunities for meaningful collaboration. We craft opportunities for skilled and confident communication in a variety of media. We emphasize the use of technological tools for research, analysis, and communication.

As of June, 83 rising seniors had these SAT results:Middle 50% of SAT Scores: Combined 1770-2160; average 1956 Reading 580-710; average 642Math 610-730; average 661Writing 580-720; average 653

On the SAT Subject Tests taken in June, our students’ average score on the 200-800 scale was 728. SAT Subject Tests Average Score Math I 698 Math II 738 Chemistry 758 Environmental Biology 740 Molecular Biology 768 Physics 700 Literature 760 U.S. History 756 World History 720 French 693 Spanish 694 Latin 693

Ten members of the Class of 2013—16% of the 63 who took ACTs as juniors—earned 12 perfect scores of 36 in math, science, English, or reading. The average compos-ite score was 29.

SEMESTER IN REVIEW

For the third year, thanks to endowment funds raised by Seven Hills’ successful Critical Assets Campaign and a generous grant from an edu-cational foundation, Seven Hills is able to fund summer curriculum development and renewal grants for teachers. Since the program’s start in the summer of 2010, nearly 100 grants to design innovative curriculum units have been awarded to our teachers. These summer grants have enabled our talented faculty to design ambitious interdisciplinary projects that engage students in exploring the global community, in innovative thinking or creative problem solving, in opportunities for collaboration or in using instructional technol-ogy for research and presentation. Just a few examples follow.

Incorporating the iPad and its touch screen, as well as photo-related apps, into the Painting curriculum will expand the artists’ vision and experience of “art” in the process of creating self portraits, among other projects.

The redesign of eighth grade social studies’ unit on imperialism in Africa is reversing the course content from its primarily chronological and narrative historical approach to an approach which starts in the present, then turns to the area’s colonial history. The course will examine

the issues the DRC—and other African nations—face today: failed states, govern-mental corruption, ethnic and religious conflicts, genocide, economic inequality. Students will explore any connection between the current situation and the imperial history of

the region, and they will grapple with questions of power, intervention and responsibility.

AP Biology is being redesigned to conform to new College Board syllabus and approach. The revised course will focus more on conceptu-al understanding, reasoning skills, and inquiry-based learning. The course will emphasize problem-solving skills by making the labs more student-designed. Students will employ math, chemistry and technology as they collaborate in designing labs, collecting data, and present-ing the information.

The seventh grade English curriculum is being redesigned to reflect the complexity of the global community and incorporate many differ-ent cultures, viewpoints, and voices. The new curriculum will also establish interdisciplinary connections in the seventh grade.

Lotspeich fifth grade’s unit, “Age of Explora-tion,” will add the focus, “Into the Unknown,” which will use exciting new technolgy and text to help students understand how great explorers—today and in the past—have found their way by land, sea, and air. Students will examine the impact of successful exploration and ponder what remains “unknown” in our world. Students will work in pairs on iPads, using apps like National Geographic Society’s “Greatest Adventure Stories Ever Told.” The Mac app, iBooks Author, will be used to pro-duce a teacher/student-generated e-book.

A semester-long unit is being added to Doherty’s Unit III World Geography curriculum. The new unit is based on the NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools) program, Challenge 20/20, in which fourth and fifth

Glimpse at just a few of the innovative curriculum units funded by 2012 summer grants for teachers

graders use Skype, wikis and blogs to work with children in other coun-tries, forming debate teams to look for solutions to problems caused by deforesta-tion, global warming, and water deficits. The new Unit III unit will encompass both geography and lan-guage arts in preparation for a World Geogra-phy Summit. Students will research global and local water issues and collaborate via Skype with another school to debate water deficit issues. In addition to engaging the students in examining global issues, the new unit will build the students’ skills in research and presentation, persuasive writing, and debating.

As part of the Unit III Current Events curricu-lum, students will produce a bi-weekly web page/news magazine. They will cover topics reflecting current events and connect them to areas of the curriculum. Creating this news web page will build skills in language, vocabulary, reading comprehension, critical thinking, problem solving, oral expression, listening, collaboration, and media literacy. Students will learn journalistic skills, including news writing, gathering facts, evaluating and using primary and secondary sources, assessing newsworthy news, and conducting an interview.

“In social studies, students explore the causes and effects of historical events and compare societ-ies and events to one another. They examine evidence from the past, look-ing for patterns, biases and points of view in order to construct clear and insightful narratives of the past.”The Seven Hills Method

Outstanding academic achievement and more in 2011-2012

Two seniors were named candidates in the 2012 Presidential Scholars Program, one of the nation’s highest honors for high school seniors.

One senior won a National Merit® $2500 Scholarship, and another senior won a Nation-al Merit Vanderbilt University Scholarship.

Upper’s two Mock Trial teams distinguished themselves in the district competition: one team lost the first round and won the second, and the other won both rounds and moved on to the regional competition. This team also tied for third place out of the 52 teams in the competi-tion. Individual honors for five students included three Best Attorney Awards and two Best Wit-ness Awards.

Twenty-nine Upper students went to the Model UN Conference at Earlham College. Three sets of partners won awards: two sophomores won an Honorable Mention for the UNICEF Com-mittee; two seniors won Most Distinguished for UNICEF; and two seniors won Most Dedicated on the Human Rights Committee.

Two Upper students qualified for the extremely challenging American Invitational Mathemat-ics Examination (AIME). To be eligible for the national exam, both students were required to take the American Mathematics Competition (AMC) test in their respective grade levels. A sophomore scored in the top 2.5% of the coun-try on the AMC 10 test, and a senior scored in the top 5% on the AMC 12 exam.

The Middle School MATHCOUNTS team fin-ished in second place at the chapter competi-tion at U.C., qualifying for the state competi-tion.

Both the boys and girls varsity soccer teams were awarded the Team Academic Excellence Award by the Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Associa-tion for maintaining a team grade point average of 3.0 through the season.

Upper students earned top honors in the Cincin-nati Regional Science Olympiad tournament. One Seven Hills team placed first in Protein Mod-eling; four teams placed third in Chemistry Lab, Fermi Question, Sounds of Music, and Write It Do It; one team was fourth in Experimental De-sign, and one team was sixth in Astronomy.

Two third graders won first place and third place respectively in the K–3 division in the Cincinnati Scholastic Chess Series.

At the Ohio High School Mathematics Invitational Olympiad, a sophomore earned 15th place in Ciphering and ninth place on the individual test, and a senior earned 15th place in Ciphering and third place in the Team/Pressure Round.

Five members of the Class of 2012 earned the Boy Scouts’ highest rank of Eagle Scout. Having one Eagle Scout in a class is a significant honor. Having five Eagle Scouts out of 29 boys in the class is simply amazing!

Upper and Middle students earned top honors (including one perfect score) on the National Latin Exam again this year. Thirty-four of the 77 students (grades 7–11) who took the exam earned a medal, and 59 of those 77 earned recognition.

At the Queen City Chess Tournament, two third graders won second place in the third grade non-rated category, a first grader placed 12th

individually in his category, and the second grade team took second place.

Two juniors qualifyied for the second round exam in the Chemistry Olympiad competition.

A sophomore placed third on a first-year compet-itive chemistry examination offered by the Cincin-nati Section of the American Chemical Society. The test was taken by 132 students from 14 area high schools.

A sophomore’s essay will be published in the na-tional publication, Creative Communication’s An-nual Compilation of Student Essays and Poems.

In the MATHCOUNTS competition over the school year, the team of four eighth graders placed second in the chapter and 12th in the state. Individual chapter rankings included a sixth in the chapter.

A senior won the David Lyon Journalism Scholar-ship.

National Merit finalists

“We provide an open-minded class-room atmosphere and materials that offer windows and mirrors to all our students. We en-courage students to debate different points of view in class discussions while still maintain-ing a civility and respect for others that is essential to navigating a com-plex world.”The Seven Hills Method

A senior was a recipient of a NASSP/Herff Jones Prin-cipal’s Leadership Award scholarship, co-sponsored by the National Association of Secondary School Princi-pals and Herff Jones, Inc. She was also a recipient of a 2012 GE STAR Award, presented by the Institute of International Education.

A junior was selected to participate in the 2013 Re-gional Youth Leadership program, which recognizes young leaders in Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati.

A fourth grader won one of the top prizes in the pri-mary division at the 88 Tri-State Piano Concerto Com-petition. He played the “Haydn Concertino in C Major, Movement III.”

An eighth grader, who plays with the Starling Program at CCM, performed at the National String Teachers As-sociation Conference in Atlanta. An outstanding violin-ist, she also received an Honorable Mention in a piano concerto competition

A fifth grader was one of 24 Ohio students in Level I whose letter made it to Round Three of the Letters About Literature writing contest, sponsored by the Ohio Center for the Book of Cleveland Public Library.

Six eighth graders and three seventh graders took top honors in the AMC 8 math competition.

In the OML math competition, the eighth grade team of five top scorers in the grade was fourth in the state and

second in the region. Top individual scores included an eighth grader’s tie for 12th place in the state and tie for third place in the region. The seventh grade team was fourth in the state and second in the region. Individually, three students tied for 15th in the state. The sixth grade team tied for 11th in the state and was third regionally.

Middle School math students competed in the SIGMA math contest for the first time and earned these honors: eighth graders earned one gold pin, two silver pins, and one bronze pin; a seventh grader earned a certificate of recognition; two sixth graders earned bronze pins.

Doherty was recognized by Teaching Tolerance (http://www.tolerance.org/) as a “Mix It Up Model School” for 2012–2013. This was based on Unit III’s monthly Mix It Up at Lunch Days, when “students moved out of their comfort zones and connected with someone new over lunch.”

A junior was one of five junior finalists in the annual Simon Lazarus, Jr. Human Relations Awards, presented by the American Jewish Committee Cincinnati Chapter (AJC) to recognize the contributions young people make to their community.

Eighth grade MATHCOUNTS team.

A sophomore won several major science honors, includ-ing, to name a few, a Governor’s Award for Excellence in Environmental Protection Research at State Science Day 2012; Ohio Environmental Health Association Science Award; and Ohio Academy of Science Awards achievement rating of Superior for her science project at the State Science Day at OSU.

Upper’s state and national honors on the National French Contest included a first in the state and seventh in the nation on Level 5 and a first in the state and third in the nation on Level 4.

Eighth grade honors on the National French Contest included a third in the state and fourth in the nation. Seventh grade honors included a third in the state and 11th in the nation.

Upper’s honors on the National Spanish Exam included second places in the state on Level 4, Level 3, and Level 2 and a first place in the state on Level 3 (bilingual).

On the National Spanish Exam, eighth grade honors included one Gold Medal, four Silver Medals, and two Bronze Medals.

At the 2012 Ohio Junior Classical League state convention, Seven Hills’ upper level Certamen team made the State Final and finished third out of 29 schools in Ac-ademic Per Capita. This was Seven Hills’ second trophy in this category in three years and the team had the highest Academic Per Capita of all area schools.

Examples of learning through inquiry, hands-on discovery, technology, collaboration

During the 2011-2012 school year, a pilot program in grades six and nine and in indi-vidual classes schoolwide enabled students and teachers to explore the inquiry-based learning opportunities of the iPad 2. Valuable feedback from participants in the pilot program led the School to expand the individual iPad program. Starting in the 2012–2013 school year, Seven Hills will equip every student in grades 6–12 with an iPad 2 to use at home and on campus during the school year.

Geometry students used the actual blueprints of the Upper School building to compute sizes of rooms, lockers, etc., then they made actual measurements around the building.

days, students adapted and performed a rep-resentative piece from each of the five acts of Romeo and Juliet.

After working with fraction computation, sixth grade students converted the ingredients from one of their favorite recipes to feed 16 and 76 people. After completing the work on the new recipe conversions, they made their recipes and sold the baked goods from their math Recipe Project to raise money for Unified for UNIFAT.

Second graders celebrated the 100th day of school in some unusual ways. Students rotated through centers which focused on parts of 100: writing, probability, and money. Students were given four yard sticks and had to figure out how to use them to travel exactly 100 yards.

Unit III students demonstrated their inventions for sustaining life on the planet Mars for Unit I students who were studying the solar system.

After reading Who Sank the Boat by Pamela Allen, Unit I students hypothesized how many marbles it would take to sink a small boat and a big boat. They then conducted the experiment in class to test their hypothesis.

The seventh grade science unit on plate tec-tonics involved using measurements of ocean depths to extrapolate conclusions about where the intersecting edges of tectonic plates may lie. Then, after interacting with an architect, students were asked to submit competing de-signs for a building which could withstand an earthquake of a given magnitude. Each project team transferred preliminary sketches to build-able 3-D models, using a computer assisted design (CAD) program. Finally they built mod-

els of structures out of the requisite materials and tested the structural integ-rity on a shake table that simulated the action of an earthquake.

As part of their study of the novel Lord of the Flies, eighth grade English students got a taste of the challenges of jungle living. Teams of students complet-ed these survival skills in a limited amount of time: building a hut (or reason-able facsimile) to sleep two; peeling and equally dividing a kiwi, using their fingers; and creating a usable tool/weapon by binding a stone to a stick.

As part of sixth grade math students’ study of scale and scale factor, they used Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars with a scale factor of 1:64 to calculate actual measurements of the cars. Students then measured the wheel on their toy car. Using centimeter graph paper, they drew the wheel in actual size.

As part of Unit I’s math lessons about money, one classroom was transformed into a “cafe,” and the students acted as waiters and waitresses taking orders from their classmates. Students had to add up the total and figure out how much money to pay and to give back in change.

AP Physics students worked in teams to build and fly helicopters. AP Physics and Honors Physics students built paper roller coasters to demonstrate principles of physics.

Eighth grade English students experienced a deeper understanding of Shakespeare as a playwright and play producer as they col-laborated by class period to create their own “production” of Romeo and Juliet. Working with Cincinnati Shakespeare Company actor/teacher Darnell Benjamin over five full Mon-

“We craft projects that require students to use such tools as PowerPoint and iMovie, wikis and blogs. They Skype with other students in this country and abroad; they become skilled researchers, learn sophisticated techniques to evaluate sources, and take advantage of opportunities to present their ideas on important issues and events. In the process, they learn to listen, reflect, and respond in ways that are at once informed, clear, meaningful, and purposeful.”The Seven Hills Method

Sixth grade science classes got hands-on ex-perience in their study of the circulatory and respiratory systems when ornithologist and Miami University assistant professor of biology Dr. Jill Russell demonstrated the inner workings of the heart and lungs of a pig.

Sixth graders learned about nutrition as part of a unit in their PE and Science classes. One aspect of the unit involved students planning a two-day menu for their family including three meals and snacks per day. Students used a variety of apps on their iPads and various web-sites to look up the nutritional information of their menu selections. Students also used skills they were working on in math class related to proportions to calculate the nutritional informa-tion based on serving size and the amount they would actually eat.

As part of the second graders’ study of mea-surement in math, students experimented with inches, feet, and yards by rotating through a variety of stations such as the ball toss, long jump, and box slide. Working in small groups, students measured their results and converted their measurements from inches to feet.

Doherty and Lotspeich fifth graders col-laborated on “Scientific Inquiries” and “Future Inventions,” specifically in the areas of com-munication, health, medicine, transportation,

and green initiative buildings. Students Skyped with one an-other throughout the unit and came to-gether to share their projects, creative hypotheses, and scientific findings at two impressive sci-

ence exhibitions on both campuses.

As part of the first graders’ yearlong study of nutrition, the students explore a different food group every month, including dairy products, fruits, vegetables, grains, and protein foods.

“Learning history by doing history” is par-ticularly illustrated by the fifth graders’ study of colonial American history, which includes gathering natural materials to make dyebaths; using the wool from sheared sheep to card, dye, spin, and weave; forging a dinner triangle with a blacksmith; learning colonial “amuse-ments” and lessons; preparing a colonial meal over a fire; and more.

Fifth graders experienced colonial life firsthand when they spent four-days visiting the James-town Settlement, Colonial Williamsburg, York-town Victory Center, and Monticello.

Doherty students in pre-K to third grade learned about the prehistoric Altamira Cave in northern Spain. During library time, students began their exploration with the book There Was an Old Man Who Painted the Sky by Teri Sloat. The students visited Altamira (aka the library hall-way transformed into a cave). Using a lantern for light, the librarian then told a prehistoric cave story. Explorers studied the actual prehis-toric cave art with their art teacher and recre-ated the art on the library cave walls.

Sixth grade Geography students completed a class project on raw elements in which students researched a country, including its natural resources, then traced a raw element from that country, following how it is harvested and processed and eventually turned into a product.

As part of an after-school project, some

Lotspeich fourth and fifth graders re-searched sink aera-tors and completed various calculations in order to deter-mine how much money and water could be saved if the aerators were installed in the sinks in Lotspeich and the Wuerful building. Students used their math skills to complete the calculations needed to complete the project. They relied upon their knowledge of fractions, decimals, multi-digit multiplication, long division, estimating, round-ing, averaging, creating tables and charts, data analysis, and measurement.

Seventh grade social studies students researched and constructed Civil War Museum Displays.

Seventh grade math students studied rate of change, percentages, etc. through a simulated stock market game.

Sixth grade math classes studied geometry through the design of stained glass windows.

Latin 6 students examined the positive and nega-tive influences that Roman gladiatorial games have had on American sports culture.

To enhance the study of prepositions, sixth grade English students made some creations out of marshmallows, gummy bears, and toothpicks. The students took pictures of their creations with their iPads. Then they wrote creative poems and stories using 20 or more prepositions.

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“Our science classes engage students in reflective discus-sions, lab report-ing and the use of technology to join in collaborative efforts with other students and scientists from around the world.

“Our English classes encourage students to work together on such activities as peer editing, joint research projects, and creating pod-casts on varied topics.”The Seven Hills Method

Celebrating outstanding sports achievement

Seven Hills had an outstanding varsity winter sports season with individual athletes making their marks in the league, district, and state and setting new school records.

Six swimmers—four girls and two boys—qualified for districts, and one girl went on to the state competition where she placed fifth in the 500 Yard Freestyle and ninth in the 200 IM. This senior was named Swimmer of the Year in both the MVC and the SOSL (Southern Ohio Swim League). A sophomore girl placed 13th at the District Diving Meet.

Two gymnasts took top places at several meets, including First Place All-Around Gymnast and Most Dynamic

Gymnast honors. The two gymnasts earned Enquirer Honorable Mention.

In girls basketball, three Lady Stingers were named to the All-District team.

Winter varsity athletes earned 14 All-League athletic recognitions, including seven First Team honors, and 33 Scholar-Athlete recognitions.

The Middle School girls basketball team finished the season with a record of 16-2 and advanced to the championship game in the MVC Girls A Tournament.

The following is a glimpse at the Stingers’ successful varsity spring sports season:

The boys varsity tennis team went 16-3 playing a tough schedule riddled with the toughest Division I and II teams in the state. The Stingers were ranked third in the state and second in the city for Division II. Three players advanced to the state finals —two seniors finished in the top 8 and one junior finished in the top 16. Recognitions included three GCTCA honors, five Divison II awards, eight All-League honors including Coach of the Year.

The baseball team finished with a 19-5 overall record, won its third consecutive sectional championship and finished the season as the district runner-up. One player, who pitched a perfect game, was named to the OHSBCA (Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association) All-State First Team. Seven players earned All-League Scarlet Division honors.

The softball team had an 11-5 record—one game shy of a league championship and one game shy of a sectional championship. Three players were named to the All-

Metro Division IV South First Team. Six players received All-League Scarlet Division honors, and one senior was selected for the SW District Division IV All-Star Game.

Three female lacrosse players earned All-Ohio South Recognition (Division II) honors. One male lacrosse player was named to the All-Region Second Team.

Eight members of the male and female track and field teams competed in the regional track meet, where one male runner finished in the top eight in the 800. One female freshman was named to the All-League First Team in the long jump.

Middle’s baseball team won its first MVC championship!

Middle’s boys tennis team won the 2012 Seven Hills Doubles Tournament Championship!

Photos by Keith Neu

“We provide opportunities for students to learn teamwork, practice good sportsmanship, be productive team members and learn to cooperate and accept responsibility for their own behavior.”The Seven Hills Method

Five members of the Class of 2012 signed letters of intent to play sports in college: two soccer players at Centre College and Ohio Wesleyan, a swimmer at Williams College, and a baseball player at Div. I Ohio U!

Varsity tennis coach Tim Drew was honored by the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) and the Ohio Tennis Coaches Association (OTCA) with the Sportsman-ship and Integrity Award for tennis in the state of Ohio.

Dick Snyder, who stepped down as Athletic Director at the end of the 2011-12 school year, was recognized by the Miami Valley Conference with the creation of the Dick Snyder Sportsmanship & Integrity Award, which will be given to one athlete from each league school “who displays character, integrity and sportsmanship during the season.”

Impressive spring choral and instrumental concerts, under the direction of Tina Groom and John Rising, at Upper and Middle earned standing ovations from their audiences.

Second semester f ine & performing ar ts sampler

The visual arts played a significant cross-curricular role in classroom projects and special events in all divisions, including Global Educa-tion Days, Cultural Connections, Celebration of Birds, Insect Day, the visits of children’s book authors/illustrators, musicals, and more.

Doherty’s Pancake Breakfast and Student “Art for Africa” Sale, as part of Seven Hills’ Unified for UNIFAT all-school effort, was a huge suc-cess, raising just over $4,000! Under the guid-ance of art teacher Mimi Stricker, the students made 42 original works of art for the auction.

Middle’s spring musical, Willy Wonka Junior, was thoroughly entertaining!

Upper School’s Coffee House offered a daz-zling array of talent in the fine and performing arts, with an emphasis on visual art by the tal-ented students of Diane Kruer and Jason Knarr.

Art installations by Materials and Design stu-dents showed up serendipidously around cam-pus, totally delighting the school community. Artwork included 9-foot “Dude”; and “The For-est” of enchanting creations made of chicken wire, hardware cloth and metal screening.

In art class with teacher Jody Knoop, Lotspeich fifth graders made individually-designed hobby horses for their first grade buddies. The fifth graders presented their horses to the buddies, and a “race” on the track ensued with the fifth and first graders riding their horses tandem.

A really impressive eighth grade whole-class Theater project included Stephanie Park’s students creating a storyline for a giant pup-pet show, then making the puppets out of assorted materials. Most of the students used the seven sewing machines and also learned to hand-sew. The puppet handlers were cast and the script was written and rehearsed. On a spring afternoon, on the lawn near the DAC, the eighth

A wide range of student talent was on display at talent shows in Middle and Upper, at music and poetry recitals and recorders-and-more concerts at Doherty and Lotspeich, at Open Mic events at Upper, and in rotating art displays from all divisions in the Andress Art Gallery.

“In the arts, we provide students with a safe environment and the confidence to trust themselves to discover and express the best of what makes them uniquely human.”The Seven Hills Method

grade theater students delight-ed their audience of pre-K and Kindergarten students with their original play and student-made giant puppets.

Twenty-five pieces of art-work—drawings, paintings, photographs, ceramics, and mixed media works—by 18 of Upper’s talented visual artists were part of the Fifth Annual Student Art Show, “Inspired,”

at the Kennedy Heights Art Center.

One of the sec-ond semester highlights was Upper’s spring play, a dramatic adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles by the Acting Work-shop class and

teacher Kate Riley. Students adapted the novel, tran-scribing all of the dialogue, pruning and crafting it for maximum emotional impact. Once the play was cast, the students worked alongside director Kate Riley on all of the elements of the production: sets, costume and lighting design, staging, sound effects, and incidental music.

The First Grade Spring Show, Lemonade, was performed to rave reviews at Lotspeich and The New England Club Retirement Com-munity.

Middle and Upper art and Chi-nese students worked with a local kite artist and art teacher Elissa Donovan to produce two giant dragons for Chinese New

Year celebrations. One of them—a 90’ dragon—was suspended from the ceiling of Middle’s Commons.

Upper’s Spring Choral Concert featured, in addition to beautiful music under the direction of Tina Groom, ac-companiment by a professional chamber ensemble and six soloists, including alumna Elliana Kirsh ’09, Upper math/physics teacher Dr. Lenore Horner, noted local singer Roger Miller, and other students from CCM. Their performance of Vivaldi’s Gloria was breathtaking!

Under the direction of Robin Wilson and Russell White, Lotspeich third grad-ers delighted their audiences with the musical Bugz, and fifth graders present-ed the enchanting musical Joust!

Puppets at Doherty & Lotspeich!

Doherty fifth graders presented a wonderful production of The Princess and the Pea, under the direction of Maria Eynon and Russell White.

Glimpse of Coffee House artwork

One more look at some of the outstanding accomplishments and special events that marked the second semester of 2011–2012

Now we’re ready for a great 2012-2013!

From left, Doherty Unit III’s Estimation Carnival; Lotspeich fourth grade Living Biographies; Lotspeich third grade Cincinnati Living History Museum.

From left, Doherty preschoolers’ “flight to Spain”; Middle’s Celebration of Birds included preschoolers; Middle’s Hair Fair for Locks of Love; Lotspeich second grade’s Japan and China Day.

From left, Doherty pre-K Mini Pig Marathon; Sixth Grade Asia Day; our newest alumni, the Class of 2012.