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Let's celebrate as a CCS family!
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Blessings, CCS families! The purpose of "Sam's Spotlight" is to communicate the noteworthy accomplishments of our students and staff, so we can celebrate as a CCS family.
If you have praise-worthy news items to share with the Cincinnati Christian Schools family that involve either CCS students and/or staff, please email
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Two CCS National Merit Semifinalists!
We are proud to congratulate
Laura Silvashy
and
Isaac Smearsoll, our National Merit
® Semifinalists
! Only approximately 16,000 students in the United States earn this status each year, and we are very proud of both Laura and Isaac for their academic dedication and hard work!
Since its founding in 1955, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation has recognized over 3 million students and provided more than 396,000 scholarships worth over $1.5 billion. The honors awarded by NMSC to exceptionally able students are viewed as definitive marks of excellence. Recipients of Merit Scholarship® awards, Achievement Scholarship® awards, and corporate-sponsored Special Scholarships have increased the nation's respect for intellectual accomplishments and have contributed significantly to its talent pool of future leaders.
Continued blessings over Laura and Isaac as they move forward, hoping to earn a National Merit Finalist status. Thank you for joining us in celebrating this very special honor with the Silvashy and Smearsoll families!
Go Cougars!
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2014-2015 Honors Physics Weather Balloon Found!
THE BACKGROUND STORY: On April 28, 2015, the
2014-2015 Honors Physics Class launched a weather balloon from VOA Park in West Chester in an effort to capture the curvature of the Earth with a GoPro Hero video camera. The balloon was designed to reach an altitude of approximately 95,000 feet.
At this altitude (or possibly even higher), the weather balloon was expected to burst, and their equipment would therefore begin its descent. The capsule containing the camera also included GPS tracking equipment so that the video files could be recovered upon their return to Earth's surface (slowed by parachute).
Shortly after launch, three recovery vehicles began traveling toward the expected landing zone - following the information transmitted by the capsule itself. The landing zone was unknown and greatly depended on the weather of the day. After running some highly sophisticated simulations that took all variables into account, they predicted that the capsule would touch down anywhere from 60 to 120 miles from the launch site (most likely in Northern Kentucky).
Approximately 20 minutes into the flight, the GPS signal was lost (as expected, due to the altitude), and the students spent time in fellowship with one another, patiently waiting until transmissions from the capsule resumed. Unfortunately, the capsule did not begin transmitting again and the search was called off by the end of the school day.
A phone number and the address of the school were written on the top of the capsule, but after several weeks, hope of recovering the footage was beginning to fade. Alas, the capsule (and the question of where it ended up) was always in the back of our minds.
THE EXCITING UPDATE: We are excited to report, three months later, on August 8, 2015, the Honors Physics Class received a phone call from a farmer in Peebles, Ohio. The man on the other line explained that he had found a box with a phone number on the top.
Jon Perry, recently graduated Senior, traveled to recover the capsule the very next day, and shared his excitement with the rest of the class on social media. Word spread quickly that the capsule had been discovered and the footage was intact! The video shows the lift-off of the capsule and scenic views of downtown Cincinnati before the camera shut down. Unfortunately, the camera did not have the opportunity to capture the burst of the weather balloon or its descent before landing, approximately 70 miles to the east of Cincinnati.
Beyond the science of the project, students learned valuable lessons in planning, organization, and collaboration. The class worked closely with VOA Park, the FAA, the local airport, local weather personnel, and CCS administrators to accomplish this; it was a huge collaborative effort!
...and that, my friends, is the rest of the story!
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Roberts Named MVC "Player of the Year" and Team Advances to Districts
Junior,
Brady Roberts not only became the first player in school history to qualify for the state golf tournament last season, but i
t is with great honor and privilege we announce that he has been recognized as th
e Miami Valley Conference Player of the Year for Golf!
His average at the end of September was 38.7. He earned medalist honors in the match against Seven Hills, and was the overall Medalist at the MVC Championships with a 9-over 153 (75-78). Brady hopes to return to the State Division III tournament this month (October) to improve upon his fourteenth place finish in 2014.
Also, the entire CCS Golf Team (Brady Roberts, Owen Hallbach, Alex Batson, Nick Hesselgesser, Ben Reutener, Jalon Percy, and Andrew Schmitz) made school history by becoming Sectional Runners Up recently! The team has qualified for Districts!
GO COUGARS!
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| 7th grade Students at Shafer's Run Park |
CCS GAPs - Always a Big Hit
A CCS tradition, Get Acquainted Parties (GAPs), take place each summer for PreK through 8th grades. Parent volunteers (and some teachers) host these get-togethers at various venues of their choice - usually a park or one of their homes.
The hope is that the students and their families can gather and get-to-know their teacher(s) and other students within their grade prior to school starting, in a more relaxed and fun setting.
Thank you to all 2015 GAP hosts!
It wouldn't have happened without you!
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2015 Homecoming Festivities Fun
Spirit Week - Four school days full of extra special fun and competitions - check!
Homecoming football game against Dayton Christian - check!
Homecoming Court and King and Queen announced at halftime - check!
Homecoming Event a Mystery Dinner Theater - check!
Though the rain kept coming, it didn't dampen the spirits of the football players, the Homecoming nominees, the Pep Band, nor the spectators. KING AND QUEEN:
Drew Allen and
Taylor-Marie Spalding, The Court Representatives:
SENIORS:
Ashlyn Graham and
Josh White, JUNIORS:
Juliette Kitenda and
Dylan Woods, SOPHOMORES:
Katie Snyder and
Noah Jordan,
FRESHMEN:
Merrick Heid and
Jacob Carroll
The next night at the Homecoming Event, students really enjoyed the catered Olive Garden meal and interactive murder mystery dinner theater. Several students were given parts to play, which added an extra layer of fun to the evening! Special thank you to teacher
Sarah Peters and her crew for planning such a fun night for the students!
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More Recognition for CCS Senior High Athletes
In Cross Country, Junior
David Higgins, ran a blazing 16:56 at the Cincinnati Country Day Invitational at the end of August, breaking his personal record.
And, EACH WEEK, check out the CCS Athletics Department website for our Cougars named
MVC Athletes of the Week!
GO COUGARS!
Way to represent!
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Each fall, Mr. Darin Lewis (Junior High Bible Teacher) organizes a canoe trip for the new-to-the-campus 7th graders. The effort's motivation is to build teamwork with the classmates... well, in addition to having a blast!
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| Ben Snyder during his White Coat Ceremony |
2011 Grad Accepted into Medical School
Congratulations to CCS alumnus Ben Snyder (Class of 2011), who was recently inducted into the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Greenville, South Carolina! Ben was one of 104 spots filled from 3,030 applicants for the Class of 2019!
While not yet decided on an exact field, he is leaning towards internal medicine.
Congrats, Ben!
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If you have praise-worthy news items to share with the Cincinnati Christian Schools family that involve either CCS students and/or staff, please email it to
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