A public records lawsuit filed to the Ohio Supreme Court and connected to a former special education teacher ended with a settlement approved by the Kings school board Tuesday evening.
The Kings Board of Education voted unanimously to approve an out-of-court settlement with the anti-tax group Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes to release depositions taken by the district’s attorney during an investigation into allegations the former teacher had mistreated students.
The teacher, who resigned last year, was investigated by district officials, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office and the county prosecutor, but no charges were filed.
The Enquirer is not naming the former teacher because there have been no criminal charges filed by law enforcement agencies, nor are there documented allegations by Kings officials or any findings of wrongdoing by the Ohio Department of Education.
John Charleton, spokesman for state education department, said under Ohio law, department officials do not confirm the existence of any investigation unless it reaches the hearing stage or resolution on whether a teacher’s license is suspended or revoked.
The first complaint about the teacher came to Kings officials in October 2011 and by January 2012 the teacher was placed on administrative leave. The instructor, under a negotiated resignation agreement with the district in March 2012, received a letter of recommendation that included an excerpt from the teacher’s previously favorable job reviews.
Kings officials had initially disputed COAST’s lawsuit, contending depositions done by the district’s attorney with former school staffers, classroom aides and some of the students’ parents were not public record and were covered under attorney-client privilege.
Moreover, said Kings Superintendent Valerie Browning, Kings contended the depositions “might jeopardize the privacy and identity of our students” and their families if they were made public.
Stacy Schuler hugs attorney Charlie H. Rittgers after a Warren County judge granted her motion for early release. Schuler was convicted of 16 counts of sexual battery in October 2011 for having sex with five students. The Enquirer/Gary Landers
Former Mason High School teacher Stacy Schuler walked out of prison Tuesday afternoon after a Warren County judge granted her request for early release.
Schuler, 34, has been at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville serving a four-year sentence following her conviction on Oct. 27, 2011, for having sex with five students and providing them with alcohol.
The former health and physical education teacher was found guilty of 16 felony counts of sexual battery and three misdemeanor counts of providing alcohol to minors. The incidents occurred between August and December 2010 at her Springboro home.
“I’m glad that the judge saw that one year in prison, the loss of her teaching position and the fact that she has to register as a sex offender for the rest of her life is punishment enough,” said her attorney Charlie H. Rittgers.
Schuler was processed and released from Warren County Jail at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, just hours after the judge issued his ruling. Rittgers said she will be living with her parents in Montgomery County because she has lost her home. Schuler’s home was sold in February for $215,000, below the home’s assessed value of about $240,000.
She and her parents, who attended the hearing, declined to comment. But in a statement during court, Schuler acknowledged not setting appropriate boundaries with students and allowing substance abuse to cloud her judgment.
“I know that I can’t take back some of the things that have happened and there will be lifelong consequences from my actions and I’m very sorry for that,” she said. “I continue to pray that God brings peace to these families, the teachers and others who have been harmed by my actions.”
Schuler told Warren County Common Pleas Judge Robert Peeler that she had used her year in prison to participate in programs that will “prevent me from making very bad decisions in the future.” She attended weekly Alcoholics and Co-Dependents Anonymous classes, took courses in domestic violence and setting boundaries, attended religious services and is undergoing treatment for bipolar disorder and depression.
Prosecutors argued that Schuler, who faced decades in prison on the charges, already received a break in sentencing and that her early release would send the wrong message about the ways in which male and female sexual offenders are treated.
One of the five victims testified in court Tuesday morning. The lingering emotional turmoil has caused him to take a leave from his college classes, he told the judge.
“I trusted Ms. Schuler during a rough time in my life and she used that trust against me,” he said. “Most people in society feel that it’s every 17-year-old male’s fantasy to sleep with their teacher. Being young and naive at the time, it was. What most people fail to realize is that this fantasy could be turned into a nightmare that I’m still living in today.
Parents of some of Schuler’s victims testified that their sons continue to suffer emotional trauma and public embarrassment.
“One teacher, five students, 16 counts of sexual battery, three counts of offenses involving underage students, 12 months in prison; it amounts to just under three weeks per count,” the mother of one victim said. “It is appalling and I strongly object. Our lives have been ripped apart, torn upside down.”
All five teens, who were about 17 years old at the time, gave graphic testimony in the four-day bench trial. They said that Schuler was drinking alcohol at the time of the incidents, was a willing participant and initiated much of the contact.
Schuler’s attorney argued she suffered from a host of medical and psychological problems exacerbated by her use of Zoloft and copious amounts of alcohol.
Peeler said he believed Schuler suffers from mental health and substance abuse issues, but sentenced her to four years, with the possibility of early release after serving only six months.
Schuler’s attorney applied for early release on May 31, but the judge ordered additional psychological testing before he would consider the request.
Peeler said he received dozens of letters of support for Schuler, including one from one of her victims who felt Schuler needed mental health treatment and had served enough time in prison. Two other victims asked the judge to keep Schuler locked up.
Peeler said he made his ruling based on the seriousness of the crimes and Schuler’s likelihood to re-offend.
“I find that a sanction other than continued prison time would adequately punish this offender and would adequately protect the public from recidivism,” he said. “It is impossible to make everyone happy in a situation like this. In my heart, and considering every factor, I think this is the right decision.”
The judge ordered Schuler to five years community control, during which time she must undergo drug and alcohol treatment, psychological treatment and counseling for sex offenders.
She is not permitted to profit from her story for the period of her probation and will also have to register as a sex offender for the rest of her life.
UPDATE: Follow the hearing live on Twitter @Mason_Buzz.
A former Mason High School teacher convicted of having sex with several students could find out today if a Warren County judge will let her out of prison early.
Stacy Schuler, 34, is scheduled to appear at a 11 a.m. hearing in Warren County Common Pleas Court.
She was convicted in October to 16 felony counts of sexual battery and three misdemeanor counts of providing alcohol to minors in 2010 at her Springboro home. She is serving four years with the possibility of early release after serving only six months.
Schuler’s attorney has said she suffered from several medical and psychological problems exacerbated by her use of Zoloft and copious amounts of alcohol.
The former health and physical education teacher now leads yoga and general education classes for her fellow prisoners, undergoes mental health treatment for bipolar disorder and participates in a group for sex offenders.
Stacy Schuler awaits her fate at her October, 2011 trial. The Enquirer
A former Mason High School teacher convicted of having sex with students could soon walk out of prison if a Warren County judge grants her petition for early release.
Stacy Schuler, 34, was convicted of 19 charges last October: 16 felony counts of sexual battery plus three misdemeanor counts of providing alcohol to minors.
A hearing on her release is set for Friday, Nov. 9.
During the trial, Schuler, who pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, claimed she didn’t remember the sex crimes because of a host of medical and psychological problems that were exacerbated by her use of Zoloft and copious amounts of alcohol. Schuler had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Warren County Common Pleas Judge Robert Peeler said he believes Schuler suffers from mental health and substance abuse issues, but rejected her insanity defense.
He sentenced Schuler to 48 months in prison, but said she would be eligible for judicial release, also known as “shock probation, which is an option for some Ohio offenders, in six months.
Schuler asked the judge to grant early release in May, after serving seven months of a four year sentence.
Peeler held an in-chambers hearing on the petition on July 12 and ordered additional psychological testing before he would consider her request for early release.
Schuler’s attorney, Charlie H. Rittgers, said his client is a model prisoner at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville.
A former Mason High School teacher convicted of having sex with students will undergo additional psychological testing before her request for early release will be considered, a Warren County judge ordered Thursday.
Stacy Schuler, 34, was convicted of 19 charges in October: 16 felony counts of sexual battery plus three misdemeanor counts of providing alcohol to minors. The incidents happened in the fall of 2010 at her Springboro home.
She resigned from her job in February 2011, ending a 10-year career as a health and physical education teacher and trainer with Mason Schools.
Schuler, who waived her right to a jury trial, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
During the trial, Schuler claimed she didn’t remember the sex crimes because of a host of medical and psychological problems that were exacerbated by her use of Zoloft and copious amounts of alcohol. Schuler had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Schuler asked the judge to grant early release in May, after serving seven months of a four year sentence. She was eligible for early release after six months.
In a five-page letter to Judge Robert Peeler– her first public statement — Schuler expressed shame and remorse for her actions and described a downward spiral of depression, sleep deprivation and self-medication that prevented her from knowing right from wrong.
She also told Peeler that she has “taken every opportunity to heal and work on becoming a healthier individual as well as helping the other women” at the state prison where she is housed, the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Mansfield.
She teaches yoga and general education classes for her fellow prisoners, is undergoing mental health treatment for bipolar disorder and participates in a group for sex offenders.
Schuler and 62 other people wrote letters that Schuler’s attorney, Charles H. Rittgers, filed in support of her motion for judicial release.
But Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell said he will fight to keep Schuler locked up.
“She has only been in prison since the end of October,” he said. “In my opinion, that is not sufficient time given the seriousness of the offenses for which she was convicted.”
At the time of Schuler’s request, she had served less than two weeks for each time she “criminally engaged in sexual conduct with a juvenile student,” noted Warren County Assistant Prosecutor Teresa Hiett in court documents filed this week opposing Shuler’s release.
Hiett said that releasing Shuler would send the wrong message about how male and female sexual offenders are treated when convicted of the same crime.
Allowing Schuler’s early release “would give the strong appearance that our judicial system treats a female teacher who committed sex offenses against and provided alcohol to five juvenile male athletes much more leniently than, for example, a male teacher who provides alcohol to and has sex with five juvenile female cheerleaders, ” she wrote.
Fornshell said he hasn’t seen people in other jurisdictions or in Warren County be freed so quickly after such offenses. “It just doesn’t happen,” he said, “and it shouldn’t happen in this case.”
The psychological tests and report can take up to six months to complete, said Rittgers. Schuler did not attend the pre-trial hearing.
“We don’t have any concerns, but the judge does,” he said. “He believes that he needs that report in order to make a good decision.”
A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced a former Lakota school district teacher to 15 years in prison for child pornography crimes.
Ryan Brant Fahrenkamp, 43, of Mason, pleaded guilty last August in U.S. District Court to one count of transportation of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. He admitted he kept sexual images of children on his school-issued laptop computer and he used the computer to access pornographic websites.
Fahrenkamp said in court documents he took inappropriate photos of a boy during an out-of-state trip. The boy is a former student, according to court documents.
Fahrenkamp most recently taught fifth grade at Endeavor Elementary School in West Chester Township, working 14 years in the Lakota district.
Lakota officials contacted West Chester Township Police in May 2010 about an internal investigation of Fahrenkamp. A parent had complained to school officials about Fahrenkamp texting her sixth-grade child without her permission, according to court documents. Previously, the school reprimanded him for inappropriately communicating with a student. The texts weren’t sexual in nature.
Fahrenkamp’s school laptop had images of what appeared to be shirtless underage males, some of whom previously attended the school where he taught.
Police searched a motel where Fahrenkamp was residing. Police found a digital camera. The laptop computer and the camera’s storage card had more than 600 images and a video of child pornography.
Fahrenkamp has been in custody since his January 2011 arrest.
Judge Herman Weber sentenced Fahrenkamp to 15 years for transportation of child pornography and 10 years for possession of child pornography. The sentences will run concurrently.
After being released from prison, Fahrenkamp will have to register as a sex offender. He cannot access a computer or have contact with minors, either online or physically while under lifetime court supervision.
“Fahrenkamp is not the typical child pornographer this court has dealt with previously,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Muncy wrote in a pre-sentencing memorandum filed with the court. “Fahrenkamp was a trusted educator in his community. He violated that trust by subjecting former pupils to sexual abuse.”
The Cincinnati section of the American Chemical Society has named Mason High School’s Aimee Hansen as its Science Teacher of the Year.
Hansen, who joined the staff at Mason in 2002, teaches general and AP chemistry. She is noted for her unconventional and interactive methods and projects to make science fun for students. She also assists with the Science Olympiad and Math and Science Night.
“Aimee Hansen was born to teach,” said Principal Mindy McCarty Stewart. “She has had a significant positive impact on the science and chemistry curriculum at Mason. Beyond the funky lab coats she wears and the awe-inspiring experiments and demonstrations she executes, she manages to motivate students who struggle with science and she helps the high achieving student excel in the science world.”
Former Mason High School teacher Stacy Schuler is asking a judge to grant early release from her four-year prison term for having sex with five male students – and she made a public statement for the first time.
Stacy Schuler, a former health and physical education teacher at Mason High School, is led to prison on October 27, 2011, after she was convicted of 16 felony counts of sexual battery for having sex with five students at the school and 3 misdemeanor counts of providing alcohol to minors.
“I would like to begin by saying how ashamed I am of my actions and behaviors that led to my incarceration,” Schuler wrote in a five-page letter to Judge Robert Peeler.
He’s the Warren County judge who convicted Schuler of 19 charges in October: 16 felony counts of sexual battery plus three misdemeanor counts of providing alcohol to minors. The incidents happened in the fall of 2010 at her Springboro home.
After being formally accused of the offenses, Schuler resigned in February 2011, ending a 10-year career with Mason schools. She had taught physical education and health, and was an athletic trainer.
“The situations I allowed myself to become involved with are inexcusable and could have been prevented if I had only been willing to ask for help,” she wrote, describing a downward spiral of depression, sleep deprivation and self-medication that clouded her judgment. “I acknowledge that through my wrong mindedness I have brought hurt and pain to numerous individuals who trusted me and had faith in me.”
Schuler, 34, also told Peeler that she has “taken every opportunity to heal and work on becoming a healthier individual as well as helping the other women” at the state prison where she is housed, the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Mansfield. She teaches yoga and general education classes for her fellow prisoners, is undergoing mental health treatment for bipolar disorder and participates in a group for sex offenders.
Schuler and 62 other people wrote letters that Schuler’s attorney, Charles H. Rittgers, filed in support of her motion for judicial release Thursday. “The letters go on and on…even while incarcerated, Stacy continues to help others,” Rittgers wrote.
“It is not (her) intention to in any way minimize, excuse or deny the inappropriate actions which ultimately placed her in the position she now occupies,” Rittgers wrote. Rather, he said, the intent is to demonstrate that “further imposition of (her) prison term is not required to adequately punish (her) or protect the public.”
But Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell said he fight to keep Schuler locked up.
“She has only been in prison since the end of October,” he said. “In my opinion, that is not sufficient time given the seriousness of the offenses for which she was convicted.”
Schuler was eligible for early release a month ago, after she finished serving six months in prison.
Fornshell said he hasn’t seen people in other jurisdictions or in Warren County be freed so quickly after such offenses. “It just doesn’t happen,” he said, “and it shouldn’t happen in this case.”
A former Mason High School teacher who had sex with five students and provided them with alcohol is eligible for early release from prison next week.
Stacy Schuler, 34, was convicted in October on 16 felony counts of sexual battery and three misdemeanor counts of providing alcohol to minors.
A Warren County judge sentenced the former physical education teacher to four years in prison, but said she would be eligible for release after serving six months. Her six months are up on Friday.
Schuler’s attorney, Charles H. Rittgers, said he would have to file a motion for her release, but has not yet made a decision on if or when he would file.
The five students, who were all about 17 at the time, testified at Schuler’s four-day bench trial that they had sexual intercourse with Schuler at her Springboro home and that she initiated much of the contact.
Several of the teens said that Schuler was drinking alcohol at the time of the incidents and that she made them vodka smoothies and served them beer and peach wine.
Schuler pleaded not guilty and Judge Robert Peeler allowed her to enter an alternate plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. The judge rejected her insanity plea, but said at the sentencing that he believes Schuler suffers from psychological and substance-abuse issues.
Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell said if Rittgers files the motion for early release, he would oppose it.
“Ms. Schuler was convicted of 16 felonies, and additional misdemeanors. The court sentenced her to four years in prison, and under no circumstances should she (be) released after serving only six months,” he said.
Mark Krumbein, a Cincinnati attorney who’s been following the case, said that attorneys must take a number of factors into consideration before filing motions for early release to ensure a motion is successful.
If a judge denies a motion, the offender may have to serve out the remainder of their sentence, he said.
“It is really difficult and you have to make your best educated guess,” said Krumbein of when to file for early release. ”In Stacy Schuler’s case, she’s got a lot of good mitigating circumstances in her life that would be big factors for Judge Peeler.”
However, he said that a similar case out of Warren County, that of Kings Junior High School teacher Lisa Karabinus, might set a precedent on what a judge considers sufficient penalty.
Karabinus, who was convicted in 2000 of having sexual relations with a 13-year-old student and sentenced to four years, was also eligible for release after six months. She served two years of that sentence.
That Schuler’s case has attracted national media attention might also play a role in when her attorney might request early release, said Krumbein.
“Whenever an attorney has a high-profile case, you have to wait until the media attention dies down and the public interest is waning,” he said. “The timing is better and better for Stacy Schuler as it becomes more of an unpleasant memory.”
In MasonBuzz’s first annual Year in Review, readers are asked to count down the top local stories of the year. Vote in the poll below for the story you believe should be the top Mason story of the year (if you are unable to vote in the poll, please hard refresh your browser or leave your vote in the comments field). Select up to 2 stories. Voting ends at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 29 with results to be posted on Saturday, Dec. 31.
What is the top Mason story of 2011?
Mason bands take national stage (52%, 1,075 Votes)
Ryan Widmer convicted in third murder trial (27%, 563 Votes)
Disgraced Mason teacher heads to prison (16%, 323 Votes)
Mason named among best places to live (12%, 250 Votes)
Kings Island opens new attractions (6%, 126 Votes)
Western & Southern Open welcomes world’s top tennis players (5%, 94 Votes)
Miss Ohio pedals into town amidst fanfare (1%, 30 Votes)
Mason woman follows dream on prime-time TV (1%, 25 Votes)
Huckabee comments propel Mason to center of state Issue 2 debate (1%, 23 Votes)
Mason seats three on City Council, names new mayor (1%, 20 Votes)
Total Voters: 2,070
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Ryan Widmer convicted in third murder trial
In what has been called Greater Cincinnati’s “trial(s) of the year,” Ryan Widmer was convicted in his third murder trial in the 2008 drowning death of his wife, Sarah Widmer. Widmer, 32, who last lived in Mason, was sentenced in February to 15 years to life in prison. The Colerain Township native has maintained his innocence. He was convicted in his first trial in 2009 but the verdict was set aside because of jury misconduct. His 2010 trial resulted in a hung jury. His attorneys have appealed the third jury’s verdict and have asked for a fourth trial.
Kings Island opens new attractions
The region’s premier amusement park saw the opening of two new attractions this year and announced the expansion of a third major attraction for next year. Kings Island debuted the world’s largest animatronic dinosaur park, Dinosaurs Alive!, in April and its newest thrill ride, WindSeeker, in June. The park, which was also honored in September for the best kids’ area in the world by Amusement Today, this year announced a $10 million Soak City water park expansion that will double its size to 33 acres for 2012.
Mason named among best places to live
In August, Money magazine has confirmed what many Mason residents have long suspected. The magazine announced Mason to be the 24th best place to live in its national survey of smaller towns and cities. The city of 33,100 was cited for its high-ranking schools, recreational opportunities and housing prices.
Western & Southern Open welcomes world’s top tennis players
For the first time ever, the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason hosted top-tier men’s and women’s tournaments simultaneously during the same week in the largest Western & Southern Open. The new combined format joined Rome, Madrid, Miami and Indian Wells as the only other cities in the world hosting the same caliber events for both sexes at the same time. To make room for the larger event, the Lindner Family Tennis Center underwent a 5.4 acre expansion adding six new courts, a new entrance and ticket office, retail plaza and family restrooms.
Miss Ohio pedals into town amidst fanfare
Miss Ohio Ellen Bryan pedaled into Mason this summer amidst fanfare and smiles. The pageant contestant visited Mason in September on the third stop on a 45-city bike tour across Ohio to raise funds for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals of Ohio.
Disgraced Mason teacher heads to prison
A Warren County judge rejected the insanity plea of a former Mason teacher accused of having sex with students and sentenced her to four years in prison. Stacy Schuler, 33, was found guilty of 16 felony counts of sexual battery and three misdemeanor counts of providing alcohol to minors following a four-day bench trial in October. Schuler resigned from her job in February as a health and physical education teacher and trainer with Mason Schools. She will be eligible for judicial release after six months.
Huckabee comments propel Mason to center of state Issue 2 debate
Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee’s comments at a pancake breakfast in Mason in October propelled the city to the forefront of the state debate on Issue 2, a ballot referendum on Senate Bill 5, which would have limited the ability of public workers to negotiate for wages, working conditions and pension benefits. Huckabee galvanized hundreds of supporters of Issue 2 by jokingly urging them to stop opponents from voting. The comments drew national attention with MasonBuzz’s coverage and audio clip of the comments featured on such popular liberal blogs as Politico, the Huffington Post and Mother Jones, as well as aired on MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show, Hardball with Chris Matthews and The Ed Schultz Show. Voters rejected Issue 2 at the polls in November.
Mason bands take national stage
Mason High School bands took the national stage not once, but twice this year. In March, the school’s symphony and symphonic bands performed on one of music’s most grand stages, New York City’s Carnegie Hall. The 124 performers in Mason’s band performed as part of “The Best of the Midwest” concert in an evening time slot usually set aside for college and professional bands. Then, in November, the school’s marching band was chosen as just one of 12 bands of 92 to advance to the Grand National finals, where they finished as the top-placing Ohio band and tenth in the nation. The competition, held at Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis, is considered to the “Super Bowl” of competitions for high school marching bands.
Mason seats three on City Council, names new mayor
Mason city voters returned two former council veterans and voted in one newcomer to Mason’s City Council in November. Incoming council members Tom Grossmann, Victor Kidd and Barbara Berry-Spaeth were elected to four-year terms on city council. Grossmann and Kidd previously served on city council while it is a first term for Berry-Spaeth. Incumbent Mike Gilb, a lawyer and former state representative for a northern area of Ohio, lost his seat in the race. The other two seats replaced council members Christine Shimrock, who chose not to seek a second term, and Tony Bradburn, who was forced to leave due to term limits. Council also tapped David Nichols, who’s served as vice mayor for the past two years, as mayor in a December organizational meeting.
Mason woman follows dream on prime-time TV
Danielle Withers, 27, of Mason, is realizing her dreams of becoming a professional singer after appearing on the third season of NBC’s “The Sing-Off” this fall. The weekly series hosted by Nick Lachey follows 16 a cappella groups from across the country as they compete for a Sony Music recording contract and $200,000 cash prize. Withers and her group, Afro-Blue, made it to the top final four groups before being voted off. But for Withers, a 2002 Mason grad and Homecoming Queen, the dream has just begun — she moved to Los Angeles in November to pursue the professional opportunities generated by her appearance on the reality show.
Mason Schools receives statewide honors, awards
It’s been a banner year for Mason Schools. The 11,000-student district, which consistently ranks among the top 10 of Ohio’s 614 districts, racked up a number of awards and honors this year for academic growth and achievement, financial record-keeping and instituting a new child sexual abuse curriculum.The district kicked off the year in March by landing on the College Board’s AP Achievement List for gains in advanced placement course access and student performance — an achievement it repeated again in December. In August, the district reported that it had returned to the state’s top academic ranking of “Excellent With Distinction.” The district also ranked fifth in the state this year for more year-to-year academic growth, according to a numeric ranking of Ohio school districts compiled by a nonprofit consulting company. The district ended the year as one of five Ohio school districts to be recognized with the 2011 SOAR Award for Significant Progress.
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Paul McKibben reports:
In what has been called Greater Cincinnati’s “trial(s) of the year,” Ryan Widmer was 
The region’s premier amusement park saw the opening of two new attractions this year and announced the expansion of a third major attraction for next year. Kings Island debuted the world’s largest animatronic dinosaur park, 
Mason named among best places to live
For the first time ever, the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason hosted top-tier men’s and women’s tournaments simultaneously during the same week in the 
A Warren County judge rejected the insanity plea of a former Mason teacher accused of having sex with students and sentenced her to four years in prison. Stacy Schuler, 33, was 
Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee’s 
Mason High School bands took the national stage not once, but twice this year. In March, the school’s symphony and symphonic bands performed on one of music’s most grand stages, 
Mason city voters 
Danielle Withers, 27, of Mason, is realizing her dreams of becoming a professional singer after 
It’s been a banner year for Mason Schools. The 11,000-student district, which consistently ranks among the top 10 of Ohio’s 614 districts, racked up a number of awards and honors this year for academic growth and achievement, 
