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The Mason Community Players will hold auditions from 6-9 p.m. today and Tuesday for its “Damn Yankees” summer show.

Auditions will be held at Mason Intermediate School, 6307 Mason-Montgomery Road.

Those auditioning should prepare to sing 16-32 bars of musical theater song not from “Damn Yankees” and be prepared to do a cold reading from the script.  Roles are for teen and adult performers.

The production will be staged July 19-22 at Mason Middle School.

For audition information, call 513-398-7804 or email damnyankess@masonplayers.org.  For character descriptions or play information, go to www.masonplayers.org.

Posted in: Community, Events |

Tags: Tags: arts, auditions, damn yankees, drama, Mason Community Players, mason intermediate school, mason players, production, summer show

Mason Intermediate has announced its December Students of the Month.  Honored students include:

4th Grade
Kevin Astles, Marcus Cojocari, Leah Davies, Taylor DeWitt, Owen Gerke, Andrea Hefferan, Kennedy Hogan, Austin Hubbard, Jinal Karani, Megan Karl, Will Kelly, Cameron Klotter, Spencer Knight, Zoe Lintz, Tani Madichetti, Olivia Mann, Alex McFarland, Catherine Millard, Paige Monley, Will Morris, Sruthi Parthasarathi, Zachary Rice, Megan Rubsam, Lana Saqer, Vivian Shroder, Elizabeth Steele, Kayla Stone, Harry Suddleson, Kelly Sulek, Joshua Szweda, Michael Valcarel, Luke Volpenhein and Cassie Wermes.

5th Grade
Justin Cayabyab, Kara Coffey, Emily Casey, Grace Dawes, Emilio De La Rosa, Julia Dilley, Jack Franke, Mitchell Garula, Megan Goebel, Breven Hale, Nico Johnson, Grace Koesters, Allyson Kouche, Rachel Lazarus, Seth Logue, Cameron Madden, Courtney Messer, Sidney Moeggenberg, Sara Mortashed, Jessica Nelson, Patrick O’Brien, Lidia Olyha, Pallavi Panchpor, Maddy Reischel, Karish Seebaluck, Prisha Selva, Kyra Simmons, Sidhu Thunga, Sri Tirumalaraju, Anny Tran, Aishwarya Varma, Emily Waldon, Victoria Wang and Olivia Yakubowski.

6th Grade
Collin Aldrich, Jillian Aquilia, Elizabeth Atkins, Taylor Baker, Noorah Basher, Samantha Beck, Bailey Buchanan, Kaylie Connors, Anna D’Agostino, Evan Haas, Emma Hilbert, Paul Kane, Fatima Khan, Jamie Krueger, Alyssa Manguiat, Jordan Materni, Max McDonald, Rishi Mehta, Juliet Menon, Annie Metzger, Will Morris, Deeatra Nelper, Zach Pfeil, Lakin Pitts, Sanya Rana, Nimanthi Ranatunga, Paige Riegert, Tanner Snead, Kyla Spears, Alex Tavella, Evann Tressler, Keaton Witmer-Gautsch, Joey Wood, Catherine Xu, Peter Zhu and Abby Ziegler.

Posted in: Schools, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: december, mason intermediate school, student achievement, students of the month

A game of miniature golf puttered in a dual lesson in math for sixth–grade students at Mason Intermediate School.

Team Horizon teacher Linda Noyes challenged students to design a unique mini-golf course as a project for a lesson on area and perimeter.

Students drew up blueprints and calculated the design plans and costs necessary to build their projects before constructing three-dimensional scale models to present to classmates.

Ten finalists were selected to pitch their projects to Bob Lintz, a Mason parent and owner of Monster Golf in West Chester.

Those 10 students are: Destry Cable, Meghan Cole, Cameron Fiorini, Nicole Kraimer, Jake Laughlin, Jake Olsen, Maddie Rigney, Noah Savage, Alex Schultheis and Jenny Zhang.

Lintz said he was impressed with all the students’ designs and sales pitches, but chose Destry Cable the winner for his “colorful, playful design.”  Maddie Rigney placed second and Nicole Kraimer came in third.

“The kids did an outstanding job applying their knowledge in a creative, realistic way and had a great time in the process,” said Noyes.

Posted in: Uncategorized |

Tags: Tags: bob lintz, course, lesson, linda noyes, mason, mason intermediate school, math, mini-golf, miniature golf, monster golf, project, sixth-grade, team horizon, west chester

Mason Intermediate has announced its May Students of the Month.

4th Grade:
Madisen Bangs, Kyle Barker, Skylar Boytsov, Jenna Brant, Michael Bryant, R.J. Clesceri, Katie Coffey, Mackenzie Coughlin, Julia Dilley, Kayleigh Flynn, Christian Galang, Kira Hoak, Matthew Hoak, Josh Iroh, Sophia Johnson, Annabelle Johnson, Jake Kandell, Braedon Killion, Ty Kirssin, Eshika Kohli, Roshan Krishnan, Katey Marshall, Lanie Miller, Emma Miller, Crissy Moore, Jenna Murdock, Carter Patton, Jerry Qui, Claire Riffle, Zac Robinson, Steven Sander, Anna Tenhagen, Colin Vail, Vicki Wang and Katherine Wendeln.

5th Grade:
Shanza Adhami, Lauren Bangs, Sophie Bause, Ashley Beaudoin, Victor Chen, Buzz Crogan, Damien Duvelius, Carly Gates, Dylan Gregory, Evan Haas, Katie Hammons, Samantha Hays, Blair Hoeting, Zak Holliday, Bryan Hudnell, Savannah Jansen, Anna Johns, Fatima Khan, Logan Little, Jordan Materni, Gabe Miller, Stephen Millhein, Nitin Pauletti, Ahalya Ramesh, Grace Reckers, Lauren Rose, Rollie Sheriff, Teresa Snarr, Jason Springer, Misaki Sugitani, Connor Sweeney, Jackson Taylor, Bradley Tripp, Eli Woodard, Joyce Wu and Koki Yamashita.

6th Grade:
Sukruthi Arutla, Alex Barnett, Amanda Bills, Josh Bitner, Emily Burns, Joshua Clabbers, Ruth Davies, Emily Davis, Brandon Doucette, Matthew Estell, Fareah Fysudeen, Emma Gaus, Sneha Gundavarpu, Lauren Hester, Jake Hiltenbeitel, Parker Hopson, Michael Kopaygorodsky, Maggie Lust, Maya Malaviya, Maddie Melcher, Alex Petrocelli, Haley Redwine, Gavin Reinhard, Allison Ridener, Suhaas Sameera, Elise Scharfenberger, Samantha Segerman, Kasey Shea, Jack Stein, John Stichweh, Verena Stockl, Makenna Temple, Sarah Thompson, Kendall Watkins, Jimmy Wylds and Shirley Yang.

Posted in: Schools, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: mason intermediate school, students of the month

Mason Intermediate students learned about both the free market and philanthropy this month.

Fourth-grade students in Darci Kathman and Jeri Meyer’s classes donated $700 in profits made from their class corporation to the American Red Cross’ Japan relief efforts.

The initiative began as a Social Studies project designed to teach students the principles of economics.  The classes created a company they named Gift Tags for Hope to produce and sell gift tags.

Students learned how to balance overhead costs with profit, human resources and staffing needs and considered the effect of their industry on the environment.

With raw materials donated by parent volunteers, the students worked in an assembly line to produce bags of tags, which they then sold for $3.  The classes then voted to donate profits raised to benefit the victims of Japan’s deadly earthquake and the tsunami it triggered.

“I think as a nation we felt such compassion for the Japanese and the terrible devastation there,” Meyer said.  “Images in the news brought to home that children and families are suffering, and our students wanted to do something to help in some way.”

Vince Costello, director of International Services for the Cincinnati Area Chapter of the American Red Cross, visited the school on April 20 to accept the donation and share information about the Red Cross.

The effort proved both a good lesson in economics, as well as the importance of giving back to the community, said Meyer.

“Now when students hear the terms capital goods, opportunity cost, entrepreneur or human resources, they can connect those words to specifics in their own student company,” she said.

Posted in: Schools |

Tags: Tags: american red cross, charity, check, donation, fundraiser, japan, mason, mason intermediate school, relief efforts, social studies, students

Six Mason Intermediate School students performed with the Cincinnati Boychoir at Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. last month.

Christian Galang, Eldrick Galang, Thomas Lewis, Alex Vennemeyer, Scott Vennemeyer and Spencer Walsh were among the 25-member choir that represented the state of Ohio on the center’s renowned Millennium Stage.

• View the Cincinnati Boychoir performing at Kennedy Center

Led by director Christopher Eanes, the Boychoir performed a program of music celebrating the Queen City.

Their program, entitled “Sing Me to Freedom,” explores the richness of music that came from the tragedy of the Holocaust and centuries of African-American slavery, and features works by Cincinnati composer Bonia Shur.

“An invitation to perform on the Millennium Stage not only means that the Boychoir meets a high artistic standard, but also that we count ourselves among the many valuable cultural treasures that this nation offers,” Eanes said.

“By filling their stage every day of the year, the Kennedy Center shows off the wealth and diversity of America’s arts, and we are proud to represent the State of Ohio and the Queen City, particularly to draw attention to Cincinnati as host to the World Choir Games 2012.”

The concert will be repeated in Cincinnati on April 30 at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and on May 1 at the Mayerson JCC in Amberley Village. Both concerts are in cooperation with the Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education and the Freedom Center.

Founded in 1965, the award-winning youth choir presents 35 annual performances. Boys audition for the choir by recommendation of school music teachers and hail from Greater Cincinnati, Southeast Indiana and Northern Kentucky.

Staff reporter Janelle Gelfand contributed to this story

Posted in: Arts & Entertainment, Community, News |

Tags: Tags: arts, cincinnati boyschoir, kennedy center, mason intermediate school, millenium stage, music, performance, washington d.c.

Student support is in bloom for Mason Intermediate Assistant Principal Dave Segrist, who’s battling pancreatic cancer.

Fourth-grade students at the school planted purple pansies around the building’s flag pole to honor their assistant principal.

Teacher Becky Roussos says students often ask about Segrist and she thought the gesture would be a good way to “spread warm thoughts with purple flowers” as a way of honoring him.

“Hopefully, he felt 840-plus warm wishes coming his way this week,” she said. “As the flowers grow this spring, they will be a reminder to keep sending those warm, encouraging thoughts to Mr. Segrist on a daily basis.”

Posted in: Schools |

Tags: Tags: assistant principal, cancer, dave segrist, flowers, fourth grade, mason intermediate school, purple garden, students, teacher

Three arts and music groups will take the stage in Mason this Sunday, April 10, as part of ArtsWave Sampler Weekend.

The sampler weekends, now in its 25th year, offers free arts and cultural events six weekends each year.

All Mason events will be held at Mason Intermediate School at 6307 Mason-Montgomery Road.

Peraza Music Workshop and Allegro Ensemble and Suzuki Group will take the state at 11 a.m. Sunday. Musicians ages 4-17 from across the region will perform selections under the tutelage of Marion Peraza-Webb.

The act is followed by Nritya Arapana at 12:15 p.m., who will present a journey through India via a multimedia presentation incorporating dance, music and arts.

Trinity, an acoustic originals, blues and roots rock band, will close out the day with a performance at 1:30 p.m.

All events are free and open to the community. For more information, call 513-459-2850 or go to www.theartswave.org.

Posted in: Arts & Entertainment, Events, Recreational events |

Tags: Tags: allegro ensemble and suzuki group, arts sampler weekend, artswave, free, maron peraza-webb, mason, mason intermediate school, nritya arapana, trinity

Mason Middle School students Mekhala Rao, Hannah Than Win, Shreya Nalluri, Irim Aslam, Kusha Ansari, and Bluye Demessie participated in the regional History Day competition.

Seven Mason students will compete at the state History Day competition in Columbus on April 30.

Mason Intermediate School sixth graders Annie McBeath and Kelsey Lewis

The following students qualified to compete based on judging evaluations at the regional competition, held March 12 at Raymond Walters College:

• Mekhala Rao and Hanna Than Win, seventh-grade;
• Bluye Demessie and Raga Maddela, eighth-grade;
• Annie McBeath, sixth-grade;
• Rhea Malhotra and Katie Darrah, sophomores

The History Day competition challenges students to research historical topics related to an annual theme.  This year’s theme was no easy task: Debate & Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, and Consequences.

Topics chosen by students this year range from the 1953 coup in Iran, Brown v. Board of Education, China and US Trade Diplomacy, the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act, the Equal Rights Amendment and the Evolution of Democracy in Burma, among others. 

Students then research their selected topic and present their findings in the form of a written research paper or with multimedia elements before a panel of judges.

Other students competing at the regional event include seventh-grader Shreya Nalluri; eighth-graders Irim Aslam and Kusha Ansari and sixth-grader Kelsey Lewis.

Posted in: Schools, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: achievement, competition, history day, mason high school, mason intermediate school, mason middle school, raymond walters college, state, students

Keely Russell uses a Kindle during a Language Arts class. File photo

Mason Intermediate School students are trading in their textbooks for electronic readers.

The school recently purchased 15 Amazon “Kindle” readers and other software through a $3,500 grant from the Mason Schools Foundation.

The Enquirer’s Michael D. Clark spoke with students and faculty about the new technology.

Unlike old-fashioned textbooks, lessons on the wireless, hand-held readers can also be current and adjusted in many ways to fit individual learning needs.

The text material can be manipulated prior to students’ classroom reading so that designated paragraphs, words and themes can be highlighted and accompanied by definitions to aid student comprehension.

Teachers can also monitor where students paused in a reading assignment and sought help by clicking on the machine for assistance to better determine areas that need emphasis in future reading lessons.

“The biggest advantage of the Kindles is the ability for teachers to leave notes within the text. The Kindle will also read the book aloud and enlarge the font,” says Mason sixth grade teacher Sandy Gemmel.

Another inadvertent advantage is the removal of peer pressure and stigma.

Compared to print textbooks and their obviously different covers, fellow students don’t necessarily know what reading level their classmate is studying.

Mindy Patton, president of the Mason Schools Foundation, says the private money raised was well-spent on the Kindles.

“The Kindles for Kids project is exactly the type of program we’re hoping to fund,” says Patton. “We want to seed projects that help take our students above and beyond and in this case, Kindles bring 21st century technology to school. The Kindle grant enables our sixth grade intervention specialists to help students with disabilities fully participate in the general classroom. These students now have the opportunity to read the same novels as their peers and be exposed to technology that can help them become life-long learners.”

Providing the readers for free is crucial, say officials at Mason Schools. The school system is among the top 10 highest rated academically among Ohio’s 613 districts.

But like many other districts Mason has been forced to cut millions in personnel and student programs in recent years due to lagging state funding. Last year Mason officials saw voters reject the first operating tax levy since 1970.

“During these tight fiscal times, it is more and more challenging to provide the things that can make all the difference in a child’s learning. That’s why the remarkable work of the Mason Schools Foundation has become even more important,” says Tracey Carson, spokeswoman for the 11,000-student district.

“This Kindle grant provides an additional way to reach kids in a way that is compelling and individualized – no matter if the student is struggling or gifted or somewhere in between,” says Carson.

The only drawback, says Gemmel, is that kids can’t take them home.

“They are so motivated to read on the Kindle if we could send them home I can only imagine how much more reading they would do.”

Posted in: Schools |

Tags: Tags: amazon kindles, electronic readers, grant, mason intermediate school, mason schools foundation, students