Seven Hills Earns Computer Science Female Diversity Award

Seven Hills was selected for the College Board AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award for expanding young women’s access to AP Computer Science Principles during the 2021-22 school year. Upper School computer science teacher Marcus Twyford was recognized by College Board for the work he has done to close the gender equality gap in computer science. “I’m grateful to Marcus for leading our computer science program to be so inclusive and successful, and proud of all the work that our students have put into earning this recognition,” Head of Upper School Matt Bolton said. Seven Hills was one of only 1,105 schools recognized for their work toward equal gender representation in schools and one of only 832 to receive the award for results in AP Computer Science Principles. 

Junior leads Summer Reading Redesign

Junior Grace Dunson led the Upper School English department’s redesign of the Summer Reading Program to make it multicultural. Dunson, who is part of the LatinX community, chose LatinX for the first year, but the program will highlight a different culture or identity each year with each grade reading a different book. She stressed the importance of getting different perspectives on each identity. “There are different voices in each culture. We are trying to break free from that monolith and that one perspective, like Min Jin Lee talked about,” Dunson said. The multicultural program will also have new elements, like an expert panel discussion, service opportunities, and speakers. The program is student-driven and Dunson encouraged her classmates to suggest cultures or identities to the English department. “If you have a voice that you feel is not being represented in the English department, that is something you can bring to the table and see it happen. That is what I think is wonderful about this program,” Dunson said to her classmates at an all-school meeting.

Students compete, win at Science Olympiad

Fourteen Upper School students competed at the Southwest Regional Tournament of the Ohio Science Olympiad, a competition designed to increase students’ interest in science and improve science education. The Seven Hills team, led by physics teacher Lenore Horner, placed sixth overall with the group of sophomores Kyle Wang and Andrew Zhou placing first in detector building, which required building a device to measure mass, and scrambler, which involved building a mechanical device to transport an egg without breaking it. Junior Kyler Pang placed second in the bridge event.

History students simulate the Silk Road

To learn more about trading along the Silk Road, students in Laura Leonard’s history class took part in a simulation. Groups acting as six civilizations, each with their own goods, such as glassware and rugs, to trade they stopped in major trading cities along the Silk Road, such as Antioch, Baghdad, and Samarkand, to negotiate trade deals.

Stingers compete at state Latin competition

Numerous Upper School Latin students competed at the 72nd Annual Ohio Junior Classical League convention in Columbus. “Every student in the Seven Hills delegation finished in the top 10 in the state in two or more competitions. Our Advanced Certamen team placed second in the state! Dr. (Marcie) Handler and I are so proud of our students’ achievements,” said Upper School Latin and history teacher Katie Swinford. The Advanced Certamen team is made up of sophomore Anna Kunkel, juniors Nora Donovan and Gabrielle Walker, and senior Erin Finn. Senior Maya Parikh placed first in the Latin recitation competition and Walker placed first in the grammar competition. Walker was elected president and Donovan was elected treasurer of the state board of OJCL by a delegation of more than 500 students.

Muslim Invisibility lunch and learn