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Mason Intermediate student Yo Suzuki is among the winners in the Ohio Fire Marshall's Fire Safety poster contest. Pictured, from left are teacher Maggie Moschell, Mason Deputy Chief Joseph Hoying, Yo Suzuki, and State Fire Marshall Office Representative Jenny Snyder Photo provided

Yo Suzuki, a student at Mason Intermediate, is among the winners of the State of Ohio Fire Marshal’s Fire Safety poster contest.

Yo, who will enter fifth grade this fall, is the only winner from Southwest Ohio.  Her post emphasized the fire safety strategy, “Stop, Drop and Roll.”

“This is very important to teach young children because it’s the fastest way to put out a clothing fire,” said Mason Deputy Fire Chief Joseph Hoying.

Yo and her class enjoyed a pizza party courtesy of the Mason Fire Department.  She is the fourth Mason Intermediate student to win the contest in the past nine years. Her winning design is showcased on the State Fire Marshall’s website.

Posted in: Schools, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: fire marshall, fire safety poster contest, mason intermediate, state of ohio, yo suzuki

Students at Mason Intermediate know how to move.

The school recently celebrated its hard-earned Radio Disney Dance Party.  Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield awarded the party in honor of Mason Intermediate being named one of 20 Ohio schools to win its “Get Active, Get Fit” challenge last fall.

More than 300 schools participated in the statewide campaign, which challenged students to be active for at least 15 minutes per day.  Eighty-six percent of Mason Intermediate students participated, earning the school the dance party.

“Participating in this event provided an opportunity for us to challenge our students to be active outside of our physical education classes,” said Stephanie Piontek.

Posted in: Schools |

Tags: Tags: anthem blue cross blue shield, campaign, get active get fit, health, mason intermediate, physical fitness, radio disney dance party

Team Pacesetters cheers after its team answers a question correctly during the Mason Intermediate Black History Bowl. Photo provided

Fifth-graders at Mason Intermediate celebrated Black History Month in February at the school’s annual and highly anticipated Black History Bowl competition.

The popular trivia event begins in January with each fifth-grade team selecting a group of students to represent them in the month-long competition.  Each team member is provided with a study guide, but most competitors go above and beyond the guide to study and prepare, say their teachers.

Teachers and parent volunteers then organized and facilitated the early rounds of the competition, with nine teams moving on to the next level based on the number of points they received.

Mason Intermediate students cheer on team Pacesetters in the school's annual Black History Bowl. Photo provided

The field is then narrowed down to the “Final Four,” with this year’s top teams including teams Accomplish, Aspire, Character 2 and Pioneers 1.  Two championship teams emerged for the final round of play: Pacesetters vs. All-Stars.

The top two teams then faced off in multiple choice and short answer rounds with team Pacesetters clinching the win.  Not only did the team win a year’s worth of bragging rights, but the team’s name will be engraved on a championship trophy to be displayed in the school’s trophy case.

“I’m especially proud of the winners because each time they won, they studied and researched even harder to make it to the next level of competition,” said Jocelyn Burlew, Bowl organizer, who added that the students “were great teachers of Black History to all of the fifth grade classes because each time they played, their classes were there to watch and learn, too.”

Members of the All-Stars team are: Olivia Core, Audrey Hart, Sidharth Iyer, Praneeth Kanna, Ethan McCowan, and Alberto Morales.

Members of the Pacesetters team are: Erin Bell, Rhea Khurana, Braedon Killion, Bridget Schmidt, Priya Sharma and Jake Snyder.

Posted in: Schools, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: all-stars, black history bowl, fifth grade, mason intermediate, pacesetters

Mason Intermediate’s Math Counts team shined at the Greater Cincinnati Council of Teachers of Mathematics math competition held Saturday at Sycamore Junior High School.

The two sixth-grade teams both received superior rankings in the competition that pitted them against about 300 students in grades 6-8.

Competitors include: Jacob Bagadiong, Lauren Han, Wilhem Law, Kaushal Mangipudi, Connie Mi, Jeffrey Huang, Terry Luo, Atneya Nair, Alex Wang and Peter Zhu.

Jeffrey, Terry, Atneya, Alex and Peter’s team also finished in third place overall.

Team coach Mike Michalak, a fifth-grade math teacher, said he was pleased with the team’s performance.

“This is a great achievement for the sixth-graders since most of the competitors were seventh- and eighth-graders,” he said.

Posted in: Schools, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: competition, gcctm, greater cincinnati council of teachers of mathematics, mason intermediate, math counts, sycamore junior high

Mason Intermediate students participate in a reading-inspired flash mob at the school in celebration of the kickoff of the Mason Schools Foundation Reading Challenge. Photo provided

Mason Intermediate students kicked off the Mason Schools Foundation Reading Challenge Friday with a reading-inspired flash mob.

MI assistant principal Nancy Kelly joins students in a flash mob at the school in celebration of the kickoff of the Mason Schools Foundation Reading Challenge. Photo provided

Sixth-grade students in Team Ingenuity rocked out a flash mob with the song “I Gotta’ Keep Reading” set to the tune of “Tonight’s Gonna’ Be a Good Night” by the Black Eyed Peas.

Even Mason Intermediate’s administrative staff – Principal Greg Sears and Assistant Principals Nancy Kelly, BJ Smallwood and Jennifer Woods – got into the act. Performers donated books used in the act to a Cincinnati Public School.

“The kids were very excited to flash mob and donate much-needed books to less fortunate children, and our principals were so supportive throughout the event,” said teacher Holly Popplewell, who helped organize the event. “What a fun, positive lesson learned.”

The annual reading campaign, this year themed “The Great Reading Race,” kicked off at Mason Intermediate on Friday and runs through Feb. 3. The school has set a goal for students to read 500 books in this one-week period.

Posted in: Schools |

Tags: Tags: bj smallwood, flash mob, greg sears, holly popplewell, jennifer woods, mason intermediate, mason schools foundation, nancy kelly, reading challenge, team ingenuity, the great reading race

MI 4th graders Anna Mullinger (who dreams of becoming a veterinarian) and David Useche (who dreams of becoming a film producer) write about Martin Luther King, Jr. and his vision of equality. Photo provided

Fourth-grade students at Mason Intermediate celebrated the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. Monday with a “I Have a Dream” celebration.

Students in Jennifer Moore’s class organized the celebration, which included students writing their own “I have a dream” essays and dressing up or bringing items to class that reflected their personal ambitions.

Student writings and photographs are being displayed on a bulletin board in the school’s hallway.

“I want to help students connect Dr. King’s remarkable difference to their own lives,” said Moore.  ”My hope is that the students will not only recognize the incredible achievements of Dr. King, but also believe that they, too, possess the inner strength and ambition to reach their dreams and to make the world a better place.”

Posted in: Schools |

Tags: Tags: civil rights, equality, holiday, i have a dream, martin luther king day, mason intermediate

Mason Intermediate sixth-grader Wei Gao took first place in the school’s annual spelling bee this month.

Wei clinched the win with a careful spelling of the word “laconic.” He will go on to represent Mason Intermediate as one of 70 participants in the regional spelling bee at the Underground Railroad Freedom Center on Feb. 25.

Sruthi Partjasaratjo finished as runner-up. Other students participating include: Nathan Haltman, Eashwar Kantemneni, Matthew Kisin, Christopher Lee, Taylor Riley, Katie Schmidt, and Ellie Walters.

“We’re proud of the dedication from all of our fantastic spellers, and wish Gao the best of luck as he represents Mason,” said language arts teacher Leslie Field.

Posted in: Schools, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: leslie field, mason intermediate, regional spelling bee, spelling bee, sruthi Partjasaratjo, underground railroad freedom center, wei gao

Nick Wead invited his neighbor, Chuck Depperman, to Mason Intermediate's Giving Thanks Celebration. Provided photo

Team Venture students at Mason Intermediate gave thanks to special people in their lives at the schools annual “Giving Thanks Celebration” last month.

Student Hallie Burke invited professional Mindy Hutson to Mason Intermediate's Giving Thanks Celebration. Provided photo

Students invited special guests who have had a significant influence on them. To prepare for the celebration, they wrote essays explaining why they selected their guests and then read them aloud during the ceremony.

Sixth-grader Nick Wead invited his neighbor, Charles “Chuck” Depperman.

“Chuck was the first friend I made when I first moved to Mason and now he is still one of my best friends,” he read aloud from his essay. ” He is a kind person who does so much to help others. He is a man that has served for America. He is a man of wisdom. He is a man of many stories. Most of all he is a man that has inspired me.”

Sixth-graders Jonah Ewing and Peter Hart chose their friend Ben Tavella, who has a rare muscular disorder and is back at home after a recent stay in the hospital.  Ben was unable to make the ceremony, but dad Jeff Tavella stood in to hear the boys give their thanks to him.

“I am thankful for Ben because he taught me how to keep fighting and never give up, no matter the circumstances. Ben has changed my life,” said Ewing.

Students and teachers also provided breakfast for the invited guests.

“This is such a wonderful event because the opportunity for our students to share their gratitude with someone who is special in their lives is so important, and the emotion expressed by the guests is truly priceless,” said language arts teacher Melissa Schubert.

Posted in: Schools |

Tags: Tags: giving thanks celebration, honor, mason intermediate, students, team venture

Mason City Schools representatives were presented with the SOAR Award for Significant Progress on Nov. 14. The district was one of 5 in the state to be awarded the honor. Provided photo

Mason Schools was one of five Ohio school districts to be recognized with the 2011 SOAR Award for Significant Progress.

Battelle for Kids, a nonprofit educational organization, awards the honor each year to high-achieving schools and districts participating in its SOAR initiative, which seeks to improve education through value-added analysis.

The 11,000-student Warren County school system that is rated among the top academic performers in Ohio is one of about 120 school districts participating in the program.  Lakota Schools was also recognized.

The organization honored Mason Intermediate with its SOAR Award for High Progress.  The elementary school, which serves the district’s fourth through sixth grades, is among the top 10 of 684 participating SOAR schools to see exceptional growth with students, according to Battelle.

Mason Intermediate also received a SOAR award for the highest reading growth of all participating SOAR elementary schools.

Ohio Superintendent of Public Instruction Stan Heffner presented each school and district with the awards last month.

“Our results convey a powerful message,” said Mason Superintendent Gail Kist-Kline.  ”High-performing districts like Mason are not exempt from the expectation that all students, including the high percentage of students who are accelerated and advanced, should chart significant academic gains.”

“These awards are a testament to Mason’s educators– whose hard work ensures that students are going above expectations and achieving at some of the highest levels in the state,” she said.

Posted in: Schools, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: academics, battelle for kids, education, mason, mason city schools, mason intermediate, mason schools, soar award for high progress, soar award for significant progress, student achievement

Mason Intermediate sixth graders helped winterize a retirement community last month as part of a fall community service project. Pictured left-right are: Lindsey Learned, Caroline Gries, Rebecca Peters, Megan Ledford, Colleen Walker, Alex Crecelius, Dale Moberly and Aaron Crecelius. Photo provided

Sixth graders at Mason Intermediate recently performed acts of kindness for senior neighbors.

Students in Team Venture participated in a fall community service project to winterize the Deerfield Commons Retirement Community last month.

Students raked leaves, washed windows, swept garages, pulled weeds, cleaned gutters and socialized with residents.

This marks the fifth year for the team’s community service program, which is organized with help from Mason Serves.  Students are also encouraged to perform random acts of kindness throughout the year.

“Each year, it is extremely rewarding to see students develop a heart for their community and helping those in need,” said Team Venture teacher Dale Moberly. “They discover that they benefit just as much or more than the recipients of their kind efforts.”

Posted in: Community, News, Schools, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: community service, deerfield commons retirement community, fall community service project, mason, mason intermediate, random acts of kindness, students, team venture