2013 NRHS Marching Band halftime show

The New Richmond High School Marching Band performed its 2013 halftime show for the first time for the public at the conclusion of July's band camp. The Marching Lions, under the direction of Mr. Michael McKinley, will perform a rock show featuring the following music:
Led Zepplin - Heartbreaker
Rush - Tom Sawyer
Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze
Queen - Bicycle Race.

Click on the Play button below to watch a slideshow of the halftime show.

2013 grads get $2.7 million in scholarships

The 2013 graduating class of New Richmond High School will head off to college with a hefty bank account.

“This year’s class received $2.7 million in college scholarships and grants,” said NRHS counselor Jim Reaker. “That includes three new local scholarships.”

The three new local scholarships are The Diana M. Spinnati Memorial Scholarship, the Leonard D Gibson Memorial Scholarship and the New Richmond HS Sports Medicine Foundation Scholarship.

2013 NRHS graduates received $2.7 million in college scholarships and grants.

“The Diana M. Spinnati Memorial Scholarship was established after her death in November 2012,” said Reaker. “It was established to help a New Richmond graduate who had overcome adversity and obstacles in life to further his or her education and realize their dreams.”

The Leonard D Gibson Memorial Scholarship was established in the wake of the former New Richmond educator’s death in June of 2012.

“Leonard worked for the New Richmond School system for the bulk of his time serving in the field of education, so it was a natural conclusion to endow a yearly scholarship for a New Richmond High School senior in his memory, particularly as in the role of high school guidance counselor he had personally helped countless students begin their journey toward pursuing their college dreams,” said Reaker.

Dr. Charlie Ware, a 2001 graduate of New Richmond High School, established The New Richmond HS Sports Medicine Foundation Scholarship.

“It was established to help a New Richmond High School graduate who was a varsity athlete to pursue a career in a medical related field,” said Reaker.

New Richmond High School 2013 local scholarship winners:

DAVID R. SANDERS MEMORIAL SCHOLAR – Alex White.

NEW RICHMOND HIGH SCHOOL PTO SCHOLARS – Nathan Dixon, Brandon Miller.

KEVIN ALLEN CAMPBELL MEMORIAL SCHOLARS – Ashleigh Beard, Morgan Olenick.

FISHER MEMORIAL SCHOLAR – Nathan Dixon.

MELISSA R. LOCY MEMORIAL SCHOLAR – Carly Smith.

NEW RICHMOND HIGH SCHOOL FACULTY SCHOLAR – Erik Hermann.

JANE MARSH MEMORIAL SCHOLAR – Luke Gilday.

NEW RICHMOND HIGH SCHOOL LEGACY SCHOLARSHIP – Kylie Phillips, Riley Deweese, Cecilia Hosler.

DWAYNE WOODRUFF SCHOLAR – Kara Burns, Nathan Dixon.

NREA SCHOLAR – Rachel Ploucha.

CHARLES AND MARGARET FRANK MEMORIAL SCHOLAR – Allyson Klump.

NEW RICHMOND ELEMENTARY SCHOLAR – Hannah Smiddy.

ROBERTA WILDEY WINDLE SCHOLARSHIP – Alex White.

SNIDER-HEIL SCHOLAR – Rachael Trowbridge.

BUCKEYE LODGE #150 F. &  A.M. SCHOLAR – Rachael Westrick.

MONROE TOWNSHIP HISTORIC SOCIETY SCHOLARSHIP – Rachael Westrick.

SUSAN JANE GIRBERT MEMORIAL SCHOLAR – Amber Hudson.

DR. WILLIAM R. MILLER SCHOLARSHIP – Allyson Klump.

NRHS CROSS COUNTRY SCHOLARSHIP – Kara Burns, Luke Gilday.

LEONARD D. GIBSON MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP – J.R. Forsee.

NEW RICHMOND HS SPORTS MEDICINE FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP – Sarah Glenn.

NEW RICHMOND HISTORICAL SOCIETY SCHOLARSHIP – Sarah Jones.

CLERMONT COUNTY FARM BUREAU SCHOLARSHIP – Henry Bezold.

DIANA M. SPINNATI MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP – JR Forsee, Jae Mosley.

NRHS students ace AP exams

When New Richmond Exempted Village School District Supt. Adam Bird approached Mark Bailey about becoming principal at the high school, one of the first subjects on the agenda was improving the school's advanced placement course test scores.

Bird got the results he wanted this year as 65 New Richmond High School students scored 3 or higher on the 2013 Advanced Placement tests to become eligible for college credit that could save them anywhere from $80,000 to $115,000 in tuition charges based on semester hour charges at local universities. Eleven students scored a 5, 24 earned a 4 and 30 earned a 3 (which is the cutoff for many colleges for AP credit), an improvement of 23 percent over 2012.

Eleven of AP Chemistry teacher Laura Prescott's (standing) students passed the AP exam to earn college credit.

Nineteen of Bill Harris' AP geography students passed the AP exam.

"Mark and his NRHS staff are to be commended for the way they made it a priority and made it happen," Bird told the New Richmond Board of Education. "The tremendous jump in AP results is a testament to the hard work of the students, staff, and administration at NRHS."

"Our staff's dedication and hard work has resulted in the highest percentage of passing scores on the AP test since NRHS started keeping records of the results!," said Bailey. "The national average for scores of 3 or above is around 52% and I sincerely hope that everyone feels a great sense of accomplishment from this past year . . . improved OGT results and improvement in AP test results!"

Overall, seven of 11 students taking the biology AP test passed with 3 or higher, 13 of 15 passed their Literature & Composition test, 19 of 25 students passed the Human Geography test (including six with scores of 5), 10 of 15 students passed U.S. Government test and 11 students passed the Chemistry test (compared to only two in 2012).

Thirteen of 15 AP students in teacher Nicole Parker's class scored a 3 or higher to earn college credit.

Bailey made professional development and updated classroom supplies from text books to pigs for dissecting for AP classes a priority.

"They made improving AP results a building focus and backed that up with professional development and budgetary support," noted Bird.

"We had new, up-to-date textbooks and we had two sections this year so class size was smaller," said human geography teacher Bill Harris. "But the number one reason we did so well  (56% got 4s and 5s, 76% passed average score was 3.5) was that these kids worked their tails off!"

"Over the years I've given more and more work and this year's group rarely complained. This was best group I've ever had for asking questions.  They made sure they understood concepts rather than being content to rattle off definitions and theories."

Harris' experience as an AP geography reader in 2012 also helped with the improved scores.

"Having graded AP exams the year before, I had a much better plan for teaching how to break down the essays and maximize scores," said Harris.

AP biology teacher Joe Moorehead and AP Literature and Composition teacher Nicole Parker echoed Harris’ views about student effort paying off.

“An AP class presents many challenges, but the biggest challenge at times is getting your students to believe in themselves,” said Moorehead. “Believing that they know the material and they are becoming experts in their subject with practice and patience.”

NRHS junior Courtney Roberts
got a 5 on the Psychology test
and a 3 in European history
without taking either AP course. 

“I am thrilled with the performance of my students on the AP English exam this year. I enjoyed teaching this group so much, and I am pleased to know that so many of them have earned college credit for the course by scoring well on the exam,” said Parker. “They are a talented group of people, and they really worked hard.  It is wonderful to see them earn this reward for their efforts.”

Two New Richmond students passed AP exams without taking the AP course.

“Juliane Molitor got a 4 in AP German without taking an AP German course,” noted Harris. “I know her mother is German, but how many English speaking students could get a 4 on the English Language and Composition exam.”

Even more impressive to Harris was Courtney Roberts who got a 5 on the Psychology AP exam and a 3 in European history.

“Not only did she not take AP courses in those subjects, she didn't even take Psychology or Western Civilization, the 2 related college-prep courses,” said Harris.

NREVSD welcomes Dr. Tara Rosselot

Dr. Tara Rosselot, who becomes principal at New Richmond's  Locust Corner Elementary on Aug. 1, is no stranger to the district and its elementary schools through her work as preschool, special-ed supervisor with the Clermont County Education Service Center. Click on the Play Button below to watch a video of Dr. Rosselot discussing the challenge of becoming an elementary principal, Ohio's 3rd Grade Reading Guarantee, the Common Core and advice for young teachers.