Welcome to the Blue Connector, an e-newsletter from Brookville Local Schools.
Please contact us a t: bvcommunications@mdeca.org with any questions.


April 20, 2015
 7th Edition 

Brookville Local Schools, (937) 833-2181  |     http://www.brookvilleschools.org
In This Issue
Upcoming Events
4/20 -  5/1 Elementary State Testing
4/20 BOE Meeting @ 6:30 p.m.
4/21
Band Assoc. Meeting @ 7:00 p.m.
4/29 - 5/1 7th Grade to Camp Kern
5/1 BES Flag Raising Ceremony
BES Art Show
@ 4:00 pm
4th Quarter Interims

For Additional Information, visit our website  here.
.
Athletic Schedules
(Click on Links Below)
Spring Sports




In The Backpacks:
Sponsored Flyers

In The Backpacks:
Non Sponsored Flyers
2nd Annual Community Scavenger Hunt

Bicycle Rodeo

Pee Wee Football & Cheerleader Sign Ups

Pee Wee Football Camp

Summer Horse Camp


   Programs

Kleptz YMCA Summer Day   Camp 2015
School Calendars


School Lunch Menus
Our Mission
The Mission of Brookville Local Schools is to challenge, prepare, and support all students to realize their full potential.
Rotary Teacher & Students of the Month

April, 2015
1st Grade  Teacher
Andrea Ball (9th)
Matt Swabb (11th)
Links You Might Like
Fun at Kindergarten Screening
2 Hour Delay
Schedules
High School
9:50 a.m. - 2:35 p.m.

Intermediate School
9:50 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Elementary School
Grades 1-3
11:00 a.m. - 3:20 p.m.

Kindergarten
AM   11:00 a.m.-12:40 p.m.
PM   1:40 p.m.-3:20 p.m.

What Does an Atom Really Look Like?
BHS and BIS Students Learn the Answer at Wright Patt

Science teachers Christina Davis and Ann Drake recently accompanied a group of high school and intermediate students to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to participate in an outreach program entitled SEMEDS. This acronym stands for Scanning Electron Microscope Educators and features a $500,000 high powered microscope called the Titan. 

 

Dr. Jay Tiley assists a student.

After a brief explanation of what a Scanning Electron Microscope is and how it works, our students were escorted to one of the SEM labs to experience first-hand what it is like to use this amazing technology. Dr. Jay Tiley, who lives in Brookville, was one of the volunteers who led our group of students. They sat at the control centers, heard a presentation on the capabilities of the instrument and imagined what it would be like to use this technology to explore and learn about everyday specimens.

 

A couple of highlights were seeing images, taken directly from the Titan microscope, such as real atoms which are contained in various metals.

 

These are experiences that cannot happen in a classroom.  This outreach program is conducted by volunteers from across WPAFB and is sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory Materials and Manufacturing Directorate. For more information on this program, please visit their website.

Treasurer's Corner
Explain a Renewal Levy to Me

As election day approaches on May 5, Brookville Schools will ask the community to "renew" their support on two operating levies. In this edition, our school treasurers, Dan Schall and Tiffany Hiser, have taken a few minutes to address how a renewal levy works and what these levies fund. Most importantly, we want you take the time to VOTE on May 5th.

 

 

What is a renewal levy?

A renewal levy is a voter approved levy to extend the term and purpose of an expiring levy while considering original property valuations at the time of passage. Renewal levies raise approximately the same amount of funding as in the original year of passage. If passed at the identical mills as the original levy, a renewal levy normally will not change the amount of tax you currently pay.

 

What (Renewal) levy does Brookville have on the May 5th Ballot?

Brookville will have 2 renewal levies on the May 5th ballot.  Both of the renewals are for 8.5 mills and will not increase the tax rate.

 

What do these levies pay for?

The renewals bring in approximately $1.7 million dollars to the district. These funds provide for the educational and operational needs of the district.


What is the history of these renewals?

Issue 6 was initially passed in 1995 and has been renewed 3 times.

 

Issue 7 was initially passed in 1990 and has been renewed 4 times.

Annual Brookville Optimist Appreciation Dinner
A Tradition Continues

             ..."To give so much time to the improvement of yourself

                                                   that you have no time to criticize others."...

 

The above phrase is one from the Optimist Creed cited by Optimist International members worldwide. Closer to home, the Creed was recited to conclude an evening of recognition on April 13. Youth Appreciation Week has been recognized in Brookville Schools by the Optimist Club for approximately 51 years now. Several years ago the organization, who had regularly recognized public servants in law enforcement and fire safety, combined the program into one evening bringing school and community recognition together.

 

High school staff are asked to nominate one male and female student from each class who exemplify school and community involvement, service toward others, academic success and outstanding character. The recipients are announced before their peers at a school assembly. They are then honored at the annual banquet with the Optimist membership, community leaders and their parents. 

 

This years' award winners were:  Freshmen, Alex Cherry and Katlin Pistone; Sophomores, Dalton Stewart and Deanna Winner; Juniors, Austin Delk and Eli Landis; and, Seniors Corey Limbert and Mariah Mills.  Principal Chris Bronner was quick to point out that these students are representative of a student body full of young adults deserving of such recognition.

 

2015 Optimist Appreciation Dinner

We would like to congratulate all of the Youth Appreciation winners and their parents. To view Mr. Bronners comments regarding each recipient, please click the video to the left.  To view a short video of the Optimist Creed in its entirety, please click here 

Blue Devil Athletics
Boys Tennis is Going Strong
The boys tennis team is in their 5th week of competition and they are going strong.  Head Coach Greg Pigg is happy with his players' start to the season and they hope to improve their record from last year and move up in the league standings. 

Coach Pigg is excited about the number of participants he has this year. The program is comprised of both a JV and Varsity team, with a total of 14 on the roster (5 returning and 9 first time players). This is the highest number in the last 10-15 years. Coach Pigg has been working with all of these athletes along with first time JV coach, Chris Beck to learn the game and improve on their skills. Together they are working to improve the Boys Tennis program which has been a part of the school for close to 40 years.

The boys will host approximately 8 more matches at our facility through the beginning of May. Check out their schedule here and attend a few matches to support our team.

To view schedules for our other spring sports, check out our website.

Limbert Honored With Franklin B. Walter Scholarship
Broerman Recognized as a Teacher of Influence

Thursday, April 16, was a very special day for Brookville High School Senior Cory Limbert.  In a ceremony covered by the Dayton Daily News and taped for production by ThinkTV, Cory was awarded the 2015 Franklin B. Walters Scholarship. Cory received a $1,000 check to be used toward his pursuit of higher education.  He will attend the University of Cincinnati next year, majoring in Computer Engineering.  

 

The Franklin B. Walters Scholarship is given to one senior from each of the 21 high schools in Montgomery County.  It is provided in honor of Mr. Walters who served many years as the State Superintendent of Ohio Schools. Attending the program with Cory were his parents, Brad and Linda Limbert and Superintendent Tim Hopkins.

 

Also in attendance was Cory's honored teacher of influence, Mr. Scott Broerman.  As part of the application process for this scholarship, the student is requested to write an essay recognizing one of their teachers who has positively influenced them.  Cory wrote that "because of Mr. Broerman's belief in me and my skills, with a lot of hard work and attention to detail, I know I can succeed in this class (calculus) and in college." Mr. Broerman will receive $500 to be used toward classroom supplies.

Franklin B Walter Scholarship Presentation

 

To see Cory being presented the scholarship and honoring Mr. Broerman, please click on the video. 

Staff Spotlight
Scott Broerman - High School Math Teacher
We would like to introduce Mr. Scott Broerman, one of our wonderful High School teachers at Brookville. Our Staff Spotlight is a regular feature and we hope you enjoy getting to know our staff.


 
Q:  Where is your hometown?

Versailles, Ohio.

 

Q:  Where do you live now?

My wife and I have been living in Brookville since December, 2013.

 

Q:  How many years of teaching experience do you have?

3 years

 

Q:  How many years have you taught in Brookville?

3 years

 

Q:  What is your position in the school district?

I am a high school math teacher. Currently, I teach Algebra Concepts I, Algebra II, Advanced Algebra II, Algebra and Trigonometry and A.P. Calculus.

 

Q:  Tell us about your family and your hobbies outside of teaching? 

I am the youngest of four children. My wife, Caitlin and I were married on June 12, 2014, and we have a dog named Ruby. Outside of teaching I spend a lot of time coaching. Since I have been at Brookville, I have been an assistant varsity football coach, a junior high basketball coach and an assistant track coach.  I also enjoy butchering, cooking and spending time with my family.

 

Q:  What is your favorite thing about teaching in Brookville?

My favorite thing about teaching at Brookville is the students and staff I get to work with every day. All of the students are very respectful and work very hard. The entire staff has made Caitlin and myself feel very welcome from the very first day I was hired.

 

Q:  How do you spend June and July?

If and when I am able to go on vacations, I try to plan these in June. Every year Caitlin and I visit friends in Michigan and go fishing and we plan on doing that again this year. We also have planned a trip to Gatlinburg with my entire family. I have a sister who lives in New York; therefore I try to visit her during the summer. All of the vacations are mixed in with football workouts. When July comes around, football is in full force, so much of my time from July and August is spent on that sport.

 

For additional information regarding Mr. Broerman, please visit his webpage.

Where Are They Now?
Kevin Rogers - 2001 Graduate
Ou r 10th profile in the Where Are They Now? series is of Mr. Kevin Rogers , a 2001  graduate.  Brookville Schools are proud of this series, which features profiles of past Brookville High School graduates. These graduates have responded to brief questions concerning their education or training after high school, their current occupation and their words of wisdom to the students in our buildings.

 

Mr. Rogers' profile can be found here on our website.  To view prior profiles, please click here.

Chromebooks in the Classroom
How are Brookville Schools Using This Technology

Everyone seems to be talking about Chromebooks, but how many of us really understand what they are? The following will provide an answer to that question, and how Brookville Schools are using them to benefit our students.

 

Chromebooks are lightweight computing devices that have apps and allow for all typical computer based learning activities. The cost of a Chromebook is closer to half the cost of a standard laptop or desktop computer. Even though there are different brands of Chromebooks, they all run the Google Chrome operating system (OS) and therefore have no operating system upgrade cost.  They also use cloud storage so there is no need to purchase antivirus software. 


 

Other advantages of Chromebooks are that they have about 8 hours of battery life and boot up in seconds. This is perfect for classes of back-to-back students who need instant access and they stay charged all the way to 7th period. Chromebooks, unlike iPads, have keyboards so students can type efficiently. While Chromebooks don't have the capability of running heavy-duty software like Photoshop or Movie Maker, most educational resources are now web-based and

don't need that type of software capabilities. Chromebooks even work well for online testing and, in some instances, prove more reliable than older desktop computers.

 

Currently, Brookville Local Schools utilize 150 Chromebooks district wide. Carts with 30 Chromebooks each, allow for an entire class of students to utilize them at one time. BIS has a Chromebook cart in 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade. BHS also has a cart of 30 Chromebooks. Next year we will be adding additional Chromebooks to the Elementary, High School and 4th grade. 

Students Against Destructive Decisions (S.A.D.D.)
Prom Promise and Other Initiatives
S.A.D.D. was founded in 1981 with an advisor and 15 students to stop teenage drinking. It has since become Students Against Destructive Decisions and its mission is to empower young people to successfully confront the risks and pressures that challenge them in their daily lives. Currently, there are 7,500+ middle, high school and college chapters with approximately 350,000 student members.

 

In October, the Brookville Chapter of S.A.D.D. participated in "Celebrate My Drive" with State Farm Insurance. This is a "2n2" reminder: "2 eyes on the road & 2 hands on the wheel".  The community participates and votes to help our school earn cash prizes. Brookville moved up in the ranks significantly last year and we plan to continue to be a part of this community outreach program in the future.

 

As many of you know, this is the week before Prom. S.A.D.D. has again coordinated activities with the Brookville Police Department to remind students to make good choices on Prom night. On Thursday and Friday, April 23 & 24, S.A.D.D. will have a distracted driver simulator at the school. Junior and senior students will have the opportunity to use the simulator which emphasizes how quickly distractions can impact your driving. This year, the Prom Promise program will include grades 9-12. All students will attend the program to be held on Friday, April 24, in the auditorium, with Brookville Police showing distracted driving videos along with guest speakers talking about their real life experiences. As in past years, mock crash vehicles will be set up in the High School parking lot for the week.

 

The Brookville S.A.D.D. chapter will sponsor the After Prom in the BHS gym this year from 11:30 p.m. - 3:00 a.m. There will be food, activities, and a ton of prizes; all of which are paid for and provided by many generous donations from our community! This event encourages a fun & safe evening for our students following Prom. For more information on S.A.D.D., please visit their website.

Let's Give High Fives To...
Carly Webster, a 6th grader at Brookville Intermediate School. Carly is a m ember of Miami Valley Adaptive Sports and her basketball team, the Junior Minutemen, recently placed 2nd out of 12 teams at their conference championships in Brookfield, WI.  Way to go Carly!


Our Elementary students who have been working hard all year on their reading. To date, our students have read 9,604 books with passing quizzes (up from 7,734 last year) and they have read 28,216,012 words with passing quizzes, (up from 19,274,011 from last year). Reading does Count!



Our moms!  Almost 500 moms, grandmothers, aunts and elementary students attended the annual Muffins with Mom event on Friday, April 17. Thank you to the PTA for sponsoring this event!
 
Around Town...
In honor of the Optimist Appreciation Banquet which was held on Monday, April 13, 2015, we would like to recognize Brookville Officers Timothy Maples and Cherish Isaacs, Brookville EMS Dustin Copeley and Brookville Firefighter Bradley Herr II who were the 2015 Honorees of the Year. We appreciate your service to our community.