Lotspeich Fifth-graders Move Up

Lotspeich fifth-graders celebrated their accomplishments and each other during a jubilant ceremony in the Field House on the Hillsdale Campus in early June. Starting off with a ceremonious processional, students and their fifth-grade teachers, Tracy Hickenlooper and Jennifer Stellar, took seats at the dais and enjoyed their celebration in an intimate setting of family and friends. The ceremony included special words about every student, shared by their teachers, words of gratitude and appreciation from retiring Head of Lotspeich Carolyn Fox, and praise from Head of School Chris Garten. “You all have maintained such a close relationship that has defined our community,” said Garten. “One of the joys of being a teacher is to watch people grow up. Today is the day that makes eight years of hard work at school worth it. Today marks the sum of all that you have achieved.”

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Lotspeich Year-End Awards

Lotspeich continued its century old tradition with its 103^rd awards ceremony on June 1. Lead by retiring Head of School Carolyn Fox and Lostspeich fifth-grade teachers Tracy Hickenlooper and Jennifer Steller, faculty and staff selected fifth-grade students to receive awards based on academic achievement, a love for learning, citizenship, character, and leadership. The following awards were presented during the closing ceremony.

The Joy in Learning Award was presented to Izzy Schatzel. The award is given to the students “who exemplifies the Lotspeich philosophy of finding joy in the pursuit of learning, sharing that learning in a selfless, helpful manner with others, and enjoying the quest of learning in all its facets.”

The Theodore C. Wuerfel Merit Award was presented to Rushil Jain. The award was created “to recognize a Lotspeich student who has demonstrated academic achievement, breadth and scope of interests beyond the classroom, leadership, citizenship, and character.”

The Elisabeth Greenwald Mapes Award was presented to Zahabia Shahpurwala for exemplifying “the Seven Values of Seven Hills. This student is a well-rounded individual who is eager to learn, helps others, and promotes the best values of Seven Hills.”

The Eileen Driscoll Literary Award was presented to Clara Jackson-Peattie for “demonstrating a love of literature and joy in the printed word.”

Faculty and Staff Bid Farewell to Retiring Educators

At the faculty and staff closing meeting, Seven Hills honored two retiring educators who have more than 60 years of experience between them. World Languages Department Chair and Upper School French teacher Ann Griep leaves Seven Hills School after 21 years, and was met on stage at the Schiff Center with flowers and accolades from her colleagues. Middle and Upper French and Spenish teacher Jacky Kalubi paid tribute to Griep by sharing memories of trips they chaperoned, funny things students have shared with them, and two decades of collaborating. “You always treated us with professionalism, but you’ve also been a beloved friend and mentor,” said Middle and Upper School Latin and history teacher Katie Swinford. Upper Spanish teacher Teresa Macho Bardon presented Griep with flowers and parting words of gratitude and excitement for Griep’s coming coastal move.

Head of Lotspeich Carolyn Fox spent her 40-year-career at Seven Hills as a teacher and counselor, and then for 19 years was the Head of Lotspeich. Lotspeich second-grade teacher Danielle Necessary said, “When you speak to Carolyn, she somehow communicates that you are her only priority.” Lotspeich Director of Early Childhood Kara Meador added how well liked and respected Fox is among both students and faculty, how nobody can rival her Halloween costumes, and how one student wrote a book inspired by Fox’s love of race cars, aptly title “My Principal Drives a Racecar.” Kalubi ended with a touching tribute to Fox’s lasting impact on Seven Hills School. “Text without punctuation is just a collection of words,” Kalubi said. “You took what could have just been a school, a collection of the usual things, and you made it into a home away from home.”

Fox ended the ceremony by sharing her gratitude and her love for the Seven Hills community. “What we have that has endured is the love for these children, the care for each other, and the love for this community,” she said. “I hope you all have as much joy as I have had for 40 years.”

ECC, Lotspeich Students Enjoy End-of-Year Play Days

Lotspeich and the Early Childhood Center (ECC) held their traditional end-of-year play days to celebrate the end of the school year. The first- through fifth-graders enjoyed Play Day, organized by physical education teachers Abbey Sir Louis and Rob Starkey, which featured outdoor games like capture the flag and sponge wars. The pre-kindergarteners enjoyed Water Day, complete with sprinklers, bubble machines, water tables, and more!

Seniors Reunite at Lotspeich

Graduating seniors visited their former stomping ground in June following graduation practice. The high schoolers stopped by Lotspeich Lower School for the annual Senior Reunion. Students reminisced with their former Lotspeich teachers, toured the building and the Meckel Center, and looked through old yearbooks. Seniors gathered for a group photo with Head of Lotspeich Carolyn Fox, who will be retiring this summer after 40 years at Seven Hills.

Fourth-graders Create Living Biographies

Melissa Foraker and Sara Snyder’s fourth-graders took part in an immersive history lesson at the end of the school year. As part of the in-depth research project, students choose a person from history, take notes, and present their findings. The culmination of the project is Living Biographies. During the presentations, students dress up as their historical figures and make a presentation about their lives. Some of this year’s historical figures included Marie Curie, Steve Irwin, Muhammad Ali, and Neil Armstrong!

SNAAP Banquet Celebrates Students, Families

The Seven Hills Network of African American Parents (SNAAP) hosted its 2021 Recognition Banquet on June 5. The banquet celebrates the students moving from fifth to sixth grade, eighth to ninth, and this year’s Upper School graduates. SNAAP committee member Cindy Jones served as the afternoon’s mistress of ceremonies. Jones opened the ceremony with a moment of silence and in memoriam for Seven Hills parents and SNAAP members Tasha Porter and Tysha Wilder. The afternoon then segued into a musical performance from Preston Bell Charles III, a welcome from SNAAP member Yoti Walker, and a musical selection from rising eighth-grader Vivian Brown. Ken Best gave the invocation before lunch, which was followed by opening remarks from Head of School Chris Garten. “Thank you all for the support you have given to our children,” Garten said. “We really are proud of the resilience and courage you’ve shown (this year).” Garten also spoke about Seven Hills’ in-depth examination of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the energy from faculty and staff surrounding the curriculum. He said he has a “sense of hope about our school community.” Following Garten’s remarks, SNAAP co-chair Kimberly Jackson presented the Tasha K. Porter Leadership Award to the Upper School’s African American Awareness Club for its achievements during the 2020-21 school year. The event’s keynote speaker, Dr. Chris Lewis, vice provost for Academic Programs at the University of Cincinnati, professor of family medicine at UC, and physician at UC Health, shared words of wisdom with students and attendees. He told students not to think about what they wanted to be when they grow up, but who they want to be. Inspired by the words of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Lewis said, “What are you doing for others?” SNAAP co-chair Tonya Best then presented the rising students, including Class of 2021 graduates Summer Jones, Savoy Lackey, and Riyah Vaughn; rising ninth-graders Devyn Best, Sydney Best, Evie Ferguson, Mason Griffin, Erin Jackson, Saxon Lackey, Arman Merchant, and Devan Willis; and rising sixth-graders Briana Morris and Karringtyn Wilder. The ceremony closed with words from Head of Upper School Matt Bolton, graduate reflections from Jones and Lackey, and closing remarks from Best and Jackson.

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