Seven students are National Merit Finalists

All seven of the Upper School seniors recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation as semifinalists in the fall have been named National Merit Finalists. Congrats to Shanaya Bharucha, Elias Buttress, Catherine McAndrew, Rohan Nambiar, Neel Parameswaran, Jack Ringel, and Evan VordemEsche. The National Merit Scholarship Program is an annual academic competition that honors academically talented U.S. high school students. Students qualify for recognition in the National Merit program with their scores on the PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Winners will be announced in the late spring.

Cincy Shakes visits Freshmen English

Freshmen in Marcus Miller and Marcie Handler’s English classes worked with actors from the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company after reading “As You Like It.” The students participated in workshops with professional actors Patrick Phillips, Candice Handy, and Jeremy Dubin, who guided students in developing the physical presence and voice of their assigned character and helped students block and rehearse scenes from the play. “It’s such an amazing opportunity for our students to have first-hand experience working with a Shakespearean actor. We are also looking forward to attending a performance of ‘As You Like’ It at the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company in April,” Handler said.

Alumni share career tips at panel

Four Seven Hills alumni took part in the Alumni Career Panel held during the Upper School all-school meeting on Feb. 23. John Bloch ’03 stressed the importance of being excited about an educational or career path and not being afraid about changing course. He did a year of service with AmeriCorps and worked for the United States Forest Service before attending culinary school, which led to his current position of director of research and development for Graeter’s Ice Cream. “Be excited to try new things. A lot of times it is about being afraid and worrying if something is a good decision or a bad decision. Flip the script and be excited to try something, because you never know how it will turn out,” Bloch said. Caroline Kalnow ’06, who works in fashion; Jon Vogt ’03, who is an assistant prosecutor for the City of Cincinnati, and Ioanna Parakevopoulus ’98, who founded the nonprofit Action Tank USA, all shared how their Seven Hills education and the support of the community helped them in their careers. The panel was moderated by senior Anna Papakirk.

Incorporating art in Spanish V

Students in Teresa Bardon’s Spanish V honors class studied the work of 17th century Spanish artists Diego Velasquez as part of their unit on art. The students learned about the lasting impact of Velasquez and his most renowned work “Las Meninas” on Spanish culture. After analyzing the work, students applied what they learned into creating their own work based on what is important to them in their lives.

Mock Trial Teams compete at district competition

Two Upper School mock trial teams competed at the district competition at the Hamilton County courthouse on Feb. 17. The teams showed their dedication and hard work under the guidance of history teacher Kyla Morgan Young. On Friday, Jan. 27, the mock trial teams had a stellar performance at the University of Cincinnati which earned them the spot at the district competition. Seniors Anna Papakirk and Rohan Nambiar and sophomore Ahalya Nambiar won outstanding performance as attorneys awards. Sophomore Roman Russo, senior Mallory Dorsch, and junior Gavin Isakov won outstanding performances as witnesses awards.

Three Upper Schoolers Awarded Hauck Scholarship