www.milfordschools.org                                                                                May 2017
Chamber Honors Local Educators, Students and Retirees
Each spring, the Milford-Miami Township Chamber of Commerce hosts the "Celebration of Excellence" event to honor educators of the year, scholarship recipients, business partners, classified staff, and retirees from area schools. 

The awards celebration was held on April 26, at the Oasis Conference Center.
We are so proud of our 2017 educators of the year, classified staff of the year, and Milford seniors who received college scholarships. We are also grateful for th e incredible generosity of our business partners. Finally, thank you to our retirees for their dedicated service. We wish them all the best.

To see more photos and read about the honorees, click on the following link: goo.gl/ciDaqH
Milford Earns Silver Medal in Annual Report
U.S. News & World Report has just released its Best High Schools rankings. We are proud to report that once again Milford High School has received a silver medal! Milford was ranked #27 out of the 866 public high schools in the state of Ohio. Milford High School also earned a #699 ranking in the nation!

The U.S. News rankings include data on more than 22,000 public high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Schools are awarded gold, silver and bronze medals based on 
their students' graduation rates, performance on state tests and college readiness.

Read more...goo.gl/4kK067

Milford Receives Perfect Audit and Upgraded Moody's Rating
In April, Milford School District received positive financial news on two fronts. First, the Auditor of State Dave Yost gave the Milford Exempted Village School District the State Auditor Award for a perfect audit. The award is based on the most recent financial audit conducted by the state for the 2015-2016 school year. The district received a clean audit with no findings or citations. 
Under the district Treasurer Debbie Caudle's leadership, this is the third time in the past four years that the district has r eceived the Auditor of State Award.

In other financial news, Moody's Investors Service  upgraded the school district from an Aa3 rating to an Aa2 rating.   Moody's Investors Service is a leading provider of credit ratings, research, and risk analysis.
 
On May 2, 2017 Milford School District refunded a $10,960,000 bond. With an upgraded rating, the district was able to secure higher interest rates for the investors and a higher return for the district. The new interest rate allows Milford to pay down our bond debt in fewer years which, over the life of the bond,  translates into $2 million in savings.
 
"With the upgraded rating from Moody's and the award for a perfect audit from the State Auditor, it is apparent that fiscal stewardship is regarded highly by the Board of Education and district administration as is the responsibility to the community and the tax payers as guardian of their taxpayer dollars," said Mrs. Caudle.
 
Summa Cum Laude Students Honored at Convocation

Milford High School held its Senior Academic Convocation program on April 19. A total of 78 seniors were honored who have earned the highest academic honors and the status of Summa Cum Laude, with a 4.25 and higher weighted grade point average!

Read more about these outstanding students and see pictures from the event here.
Photojournalism Class Tackles the Heroin Epidemic
A community photo exhibition 
entitled, No Boundaries, was held on May 8, at the Miami Township Civic Center. The exhibit was the culmination of a semester-long project by Milford High School photojournalism students in Janelle Schunk's class. Students focused their lenses on the faces of the heroin epidemic. They interviewed and photographed
 recovering addicts, medical and mental health professionals, reporters, law enforcement, and families who have been impacted by addiction. 
 
"The project goal was to portray that the current heroin epidemic impacts an entire community, not only those directly touched by opiate addiction," Mrs. Schunk said. "Through many perspectives, students learned both the problems and potential solutions." 
 
Watch this Local 12 feature about the project:  Milford Photojournalism Students Tackle Heroin Epidemic
Prom Without Limits is Special Night for All
Milford High School's Student Council held its first-ever "Prom Without Limits" on April 9 at Milford High School. After months of planning, the hallways were turned into "A Night in the City" with cars, streetlights, a photo booth, awesome decorations, and a DJ to help dance the night away. More than 20 students with special needs from Milford and surrounding schools attended with more than 50 Milford students volunteering at the dance. 

"My students have not stopped talking about the dance," shared Lottie Waldman, Milford High School special education teacher. "The dance was inclusion at its finest. It was truly a special night and you made our kids feel like kings and queens. Everyone was accepted for who they are."
Milford Teachers Presenters at State Tech Conference
Several Milford teachers were chosen to present at the ITIP Google Conference held in Sandusky from April 30-May 2. 
Educators in grades K-12, from throughout the state, gathered to learn more about the apps in the G Suite for Education. Sessions that featured best practices in educational technology.
 
Our teachers were selected as presenters based on proposals they submitted.  The following teachers were presenters: Matt Gillispie, Stephanie Porter, Kandy Bullis, Brian Ruck, Nicole Ward, Alison Mendralski, as well as, Stacy Smith, Technology Coordinator.
 
"These teachers are leaders in technology integration in their classrooms and buildings. Not only did they share their innovative practices with educators from throughout the state, they were able to attend other technology professional learning sessions presented by tech leaders and educators from all of Ohio," Ms. Smith shared. 
End-of-Year Online Survey
As the 2016-2017 school year comes to a close, the Milford School District is asking for your input on a variety of important topics that will help us improve our school district. The topics addressed in this survey include: the quality of our educational program and services; communication from our district, schools, and teachers; and your opinions on homework. 

The survey link will be emailed to parents. It will also be posted on our website. If you have children in more than one school, you are able to take the survey multiple times to share feedback for each child/school. The survey will close on Wednesday, May 24.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to share your feedback. A summary of results will be shared over the summer.

Sport/Band Physicals Offered at MHS
Athletic/Sports physical evaluations will be offered by Mercy Health at Milford High School on Wednesday, May 10, from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. This is open to any student entering grades 7-12 next year and fulfills the physical requirement for sports and Marching Band. The cost is $20.

mCORE (Mobile Cardiac Overview and Risk Evaluation) will also be at Milford High School on Wednesday, May 10 from 12 p.m. - 8 p.m. This is an optional hear t screening that is available to those who wish to participate. The cost for this screening is $75. 

Please contact the MHS Athletics/Activities Office (513-576-2208) to make an appointment. Click here for more information.

Robotics Student Combine Engineering Skills and Heart
"Power Wheels for Therapy" is the senior capstone project for Project Lead the Way students in the Design and Development course offered at Milford High School through a collaboration with Great Oaks.

In partnership with physical therapists from Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Milford seniors Thomas Angel and Ryan Rettig, have transformed a Power Wheels car into a therapy tool for children with cerebral palsy.

"Milford Project Lead the Way students have combined engineering   skills and a compassionate heart in an effort to help others," said Peter Leeper, PLTW Engineering Instructor.

Milford junior high and high school students shared their capstone projects at Milford Engineering Showcase held on May 3, at the TATA Auditorium in Milford. 

Here's video of a happy little girl riding the adaptive Power Wheels for the first time.

MHS Students Partner with SEM Residents
Milford High School's photojournalism students have partnered with residents at SEM Villa. The goal of the partnership is to provide high school photojournalism students with a meaningful real-world application of the skills they are developing in the classroom, while also providing needed connection and social interaction for senior residents in our community.


Milford students have collaborated with their senior partners to develop a photo story that represents the life of their partner. The photo exhibit, open to the community, will be held on T hursday, May 18, from   6:30-8 p.m.  at SEM Villa, 201 Mound Avenue.
Principal and Teacher Bike Across State
Boyd E. Smith Principal, Doug Savage, and John Hill, 5th grade teacher, arrived back to cheering staff and students on Monday, April 24, after their 325-mile bike ride from Cleveland to Milford on the Erie/Ohio bike trail.

Their bike ride was part of the school's annual walk-a-thon fundraiser. Boyd E. Smith students were challenged to walk more miles than the 300-mile ride. Mr. Savage also planned the bike ride to raise awareness with students of the importance of lifetime fitness and exercise

Watch Mr. Hill and Mr. Savage arrive back at school...

Welcome Back
Welcome Back

Milford 2017 Commencement to be Live Streamed
The commencement exercises for Milford High School's Class of 2017 will be live streamed for those unable to attend graduation. 
From any computer, an ywhere in the world, the ceremony can be viewed in its entirety at 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 20 by clicking on the link below.




Please feel free to share with family, friends, or alumni who want to be a part of graduation 2017!
The Year of Shakespeare
It has been the year of Shakespeare at Milford High School. Here's our latest curriculum video, that was shown at the April Board of Education meeting. The video showcases the many ways we have celebrated the works of Shakespeare this school year.

Year of Shakespeare in Milford Schools
Year of Shakespeare in Milford Schools


Milford Students Excel in Area Competitions

On April 22, the Milford High School Chamber singers earned a Superior rating at the OMEA State contest.

"It's hard to put into words how proud I am of these kids," said MHS Choir Director, Tracy Carpenter. "I had the great privilege to stand close enough to them as they performed to feel the emotion and confidence that emanated from them as they sang. It was a real joy and honor to behold, and many people in the room were moved by their performance."



Varsity Winter Guard won state championships, ending their second consecutive undefeated local season. They then competed at Winter Guard International World Championships where they competed with 200 other high schools from 38 states. Milford was the only high school from Ohio to advance through three competitive rounds placing 8th overall!



Student Athletes in the News...
Milford's girls softball team won its fourth straight ECC title!  For the second consecutive season, the team will enter the OHSAA tournament as the No. 2 seed in the Cincinnati sectionals. They will play at home on Wednesday, May 10. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. 


Milford High School senior Andrew Johnson was selected to participate in the prestigious Ohio High School Football Coaches Association North South Football Classic held on April 29. 
The last Milford student to be selected for this honor was NFL offensive lineman Zach Strief, who competed in the game in 2001. 


Congratulations to our students who have chosen to continue their athletic and academic careers in college. Pictured are some of our athletes who signed this spring: Hannah Thierauf, Katelyn Rheude, Tori Gilman, Graham Martin, Cymone Horton and Hayden White. For a list of our student athletes who made a college commitment this school year, click here.
Learn More About Local Summer Camps 
There are many summer camps and programs for all ages and interests offered in the community this summer. One program, the Student Technology Summer Camp, will be held June 13-15, at TCS Seven Hills Park in Milford. The program provides students with in-school IT career workshops, in-school technology awareness workshops and a three-day hands-on technical summer camp aimed at getting students interested in IT careers. goIT is available to high-school students in the Greater Cincinnati region. Click here for the flyer.

To learn more about other camps and programs offered this summer, go to the district website under "Community Offerings."

Zach Strief's Annual "Dream Big" Foundation to Host 11th Annual Football Camp
The 11th annual Zach Strief "Dream Big" Foundation Football Camp, to be held in conjunction with the Milford High School Football Program will be held this year on June 26-27.

The "Dream Big" Foundation is dedicated to providing opportunities to children in the form of educational growth and life skills lessons coming from positive role models. The Zach Strief "Dream Big" Foundation, a Fund of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, is focused on providing a financial commitment to assist children in their physical and mental development.

Dates: Monday, June 26 and Tuesday, June 27
Time: 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Where: Milford High School Athletic Fields (Eagle Stadium and fields on HS/JH campus)
Cost: Free
Enrollment: Student athletes entering 3rd through 8th grades are eligible to attend.

Click here for more information.
Free Adult Lap and Family Swim Sessions in May
Milford School District residents can swim for free during our weekly community swim sessions at the Milford High School pool. 
Family swim times have been added to the schedule on May 13 and 20. Check the swim calendar for times and details.

A consent form must be signed prior to swimming and any swimmer under the age of 18 must have a parent or guardian complete a form. All swimmers under the age of 16 MUST be accompanied by an adult. Students age 16 or older may swim without an adult, however, they must have a completed and signed waiver by a parent/guardian.


Questions? Email Lois Leavens, community swim coordinator, at leavens_l@milfordschools.org.
Calendar Check
May
18 Board of Education meeting
McCormick Elementary
7 p.m.
20 Graduation - Cintas Center - 4 p.m.
26 Last Day of School for Students
       
To view a complete calendar with district, building and athletic events, click here.
Thank you for subscribing to the Eagle eNews, Milford School District's electronic newsletter. The Eagle eNews is also emailed to all parents and guardians. We welcome your feedback and encourage you to submit news items to  news@milfordschools.org.  
Milford Exempted Village School District | (513) 831-1314 | www.milfordschools.org
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