WARRIOR CLUBWARRIOR CLUBWARRIOR CLUB2 Warrior Way | Cincinnati, Ohio 45227

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www.mariemontschools.org

Mark YourCalendarJanuary 135th Annual State of the Schools Address | 7pm | MJHSFebruary 26Night of Singing Choir Concert 7pm | MHSFebruary 28Annual Carnival4pm | Mariemont ElementaryMarch 4Strings Extravaganza Orchestra Concert | 7pmMariemont ElementaryMarch 5Band Bash Concert7pm | MHS gymMarch 10Sports Stag Fundraiser | 6pm 20th Century Theater in OakleyMarch 20-22: MHS Spring MusicalTimes vary | MHS

Staff SpotlightCheryl Toepfer

The Mariemont City School District has countless excellent teachers; teachers that have made an invaluable impact on students; teachers that you never forget. Cheryl Toepfer is one of those teachers, and she will be retiring this spring after 26 years of service to the Mariemont High School community.

“It’s a hard place to leave. I’m going to miss the students very much. I feel like I have a different perspective on the world because of my interaction with all of these lovely, mostly well-mannered, kind young people,” said Cheryl. “They write about their lives, and I get to catch a glimpse of that. They write about what they love, and it makes me feel like the world is a beautiful place.”

Cheryl teaches AP English Language & Composition, junior college-prep English and FOCUS, which is a guided study class for juniors and seniors. Cheryl loves teaching and really finds

satisfaction when “kids anticipate that they won’t like a particular book or genre and then they do” but she is also looking forward to “unstructured time” in her retirement, doing things like spending time with her grandchildren and her children, and having time to do some photography, biking, traveling, reading and freelance writing.

“Cheryl has been instrumental in the development and implementation of a writing program that is the exemplar for high schools in our region,” said Dr. James Renner, principal of Mariemont High School. “Teachers like Cheryl Toepfer are one of the primary reasons why Mariemont High School has been continuously recognized as one of the top high schools in the city, the state and the nation. Cheryl is a tremendous asset to this school community and her absence, both professionally and personally, will be felt by many.”

Warrior Club Community. Tradition. Innovation.

CLUBHOUSETHE

WINTER 2014

Save the Date for the Warrior Club Breakfast!March 25 | 8:00 am | MJHS | Details to come

Exclusive to Warrior Club m

embers,

The Clubhouse provides you wi

th

insider news and stories about

our

school district and the people

and

programs that make it special

. We

have also included upcoming d

ates

for some special school event

s – I

hope to see you at some of

these,

especially the Warrior Club

breakfast

on March 25. As I have

stated

before, without you we would

not

be able to provide the excell

ent

academic and extracurricular

programming that we

do for our current

students.

Thank you for everything th

at you

do for our Mariemont City

Schools,

and please enjoy our inaugur

al

edition of The Clubhouse!

Respectfully,

Steven Estepp

*For more school events, please visit the calendar on the district website.

Note from the Superintendent

Winter 2014

Member SpotlightJulie Perry

Warrior Club

You might not recognize Julie Perry because her face is often on the other side of the camera. A resident of Fairfax for 23 years, Julie has often been spied at school events, snapping pictures, capturing the memory.

Juile and her husband Timothy have two children: Tim graduated in 2013 and is now a student at the University of Cincinnati; and Catherine is a junior at St. Ursula, where Julie teaches physical education. “When I first started teaching, I loved how the parents of my students got involved, and I knew that if I was ever a parent I would want to be involved.” And get involved she did. Not only did Julie capture priceless moments using her photography skills, she also helped with sports, Homecoming floats and various other student activities.

“Our five-year plan turned into a 23-year plan, and we won’t move now. We love our neighbors; we love our neighborhood; and we love this school district. We feel very lucky to have such a good school system, with such a great staff, community and traditions. Why would we leave?”

Julie coached volleyball for years at St. Ursula, winning eight state titles and one national title along the way. She said she become a Warrior Club member because she wants to stay connected. “I want to go to football games. I like to go to the school plays. You get to watch the kids grow up. It’s what’s cool about our community – people stay in touch.”

The Mariemont City School District’s College & Career Planning Center opened in September 2013 and students and parents have been utilizing its services and programs ever since.

“Mariemont City Schools exceeds the generally accepted standards of only providing resources to juniors and seniors, by offering elementary, junior high, freshman and sophomore students and their parents grade-specific tools,” said Ken White, board president. “Our College and Career Planning Center helps to launch the leaders of tomorrow, providing guidance and programs that will steer our students into meaningful college and career choices.” The center offers students and parents many services, such as a dedicated college counselor, test prep, interaction with business professionals and college

reps, and access to Naviance, a web-based platform that allows students to determine potential careers and assist with the college search process. “Helping our students identify interests and passions for life after high school must be a priority for us as a school district,” said Steven Estepp, superintendent. “Whether completing a career interest survey and portfolio online through the Naviance software, meeting one-on-one with a college counselor, or interacting with a national expert as part of the center’s speaker series, our students now have a terrific resource to even better position themselves for the future.” For more information about the College & Career Planning Center, please visit the district website.

Mariemont High School juniors Lindsay Harden and Will Hobart were selected to attend a Global Student Leader Summit in Europe during summer break next year. The students, along with their peers, including two Indian Hill High School students and two Madeira High School students, will embark on an educational tour of Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Paris, France; and Geneva and Davos, Switzerland. The tour culminates in a two-day leadership conference, tackling significant global issues.

“I love to travel to see new cultures and places around the world,” said Lindsay. “The focus of the conference is ‘education as a human right’ and this is something that I’m really passionate about.”

Will and Lindsay are members of the Student Curriculum Committee, which

meets with Superintendent Steven Estepp and Director of Curriculum Shannon Kromer to hold candid conversations about the courses the district offers, the technology the district makes available and the instructional strategies the district uses.

Both are very involved in student life and were recently inducted into the National Honors Society.

“I’m looking forward to expanding my knowledge about different cultures that I’ve never experienced,” said Will. “I think this is a great opportunity to leave an impact on the school and improve the district for future students.”

This experience was made possible partially through the financial support of the Mariemont School Foundation and the Class of 1964.

Program SpotlightThe College & Career Planning Center

Student SpotlightWill Hobart and Lindsay Harden