Educational Talent Search

Congratulations to 2010 Seniors Going to College Educational Talent Search Congratulations to our 2010 seniors as they continue their education after high school. Fifty ETS seniors this year have enrolled at twenty-three different institutions of higher education. UC Clermont College continues to be a popular destination for students, with twelve enrolled. Five are enrolled at Northern Ken- tucky University, four each at the Uptown campus and , three each at State University and and two each at UC Raymond Walters January 2011 and Morehead State University. We also have 2010 graduates currently enrolled at the following institu- tions: Berea College, Bowling Green State University, Cincinnati State, College of Mt. St. Joseph, Cumber- Inside this Issue land University, Hocking College, , , , Uni- ETS Seniors 1 versity of the Cumberlands, , & High Wilmington College and . School Overnight Most of these are campuses that we have visited in recent years on our college visits. ETS will con- A Recap of 2, 3 , & 4 tinue to provide opportunities for students to Field Trips visit a variety of college campuses and learn more & Thanks about the options available to them. This year a majority of our seniors (64%) are attending four- Tutoring & 5 year institutions of higher education. As the Pictures graph shows, more and more ETS seniors are enrolling at four-year institutions each year. The future is bright for those who take advantages of opportunity. We wish our former ETS students the best and look forward to hearing great things about them.

Windy City, Here We Come!! Our annual High School overnight college visit / cultural trip took us to Chicago, IL in the summer of 2010. It was a first trip there for most of us, and the impressive sights of a major world city as well as the gorgeous Lake Michigan made a significant impact on all of us. Using CITYPASS, we were able to take in a variety of sights including Shedd Aquarium, Navy Pier (with fireworks), Adler Plane- tarium, The Field Museum, the former Sears Tower (where many students conquered a fear of heights!), and the Museum of Science and Industry. We also had some delicious activities where we got to sample authentic Chicago hot dogs and pizza. One hilarious high- light was our visit to Ed Debevic’s Restaurant where our waitress “Babycakes” harassed us all into peals of laughter and great 1950s fun! Along with college visits in Chicago to IIT (Illinois Institute of Technology), which offers advanced tech degrees all the way through doctorates, and University of Chicago with its rich heritage of higher education in a very traditional and academically challenging envi- ronment, we stopped on the way home for a visit to Valparaiso University in northern Indiana where we Our Mission enjoyed seeing the coun- try’s largest college chapel. Educational Talent Search at the Univer- We thank all who accompa- sity of Cincinnati Clermont College en- nied us on the trip and courages and enhances the intellectual, hope it has given you per- cultural and social development of mid- haps a broader view of the dle and high school students in Cler- possibilities that are out mont County through learning experi- ences that supplement the school experi- there for you! Sophomores ence and promote participation in post- and Juniors, hope to see secondary education. you all for Summer Trip 2011!! Page 2 Educational Talent Search

Choo, Choo, Chug-a-Chug, Zoom-Zoom

A few minutes before 9:00am sixth graders were given their boarding pass for their one hour train ride on the Lebanon Mason Mon- roe (LM&M) Railroad which launched our day of exploring the history of trains and transportation in America. Students boarded a 1930’s Pullman Company commuter coach with windows where they had to sit until the train began to chug away on the 16 miles of track connecting Lebanon, Mason, and Monroe, which originally was a passenger and freight line track for the Cincinnati, Lebanon & Northern (CL&N) Railroad in 1881. Whether students stayed in the commuter coach or moved to the restored 1934 Lehigh and New England Railroad open-air gondola car, they had the opportunity to interact with LM&M volunteers to learn about local his- tory such as Turtle Creek and Chief Little Turtle of the Miami Indians or the 1800’s stage coach route between Lebanon and Cin- cinnati.

Riding on the train at a slow chug magnified how fast our big yellow school bus zoom-zoomed. Moreover, the transition in speed turned our attention to the apparent evolution of traffic control, a move from railroad signals and tracks to traffic lights and four-way intersections. At a four-way intersection in West Chester, Ohio, our bus turned left to take us to EnterTRAINment Junction, the world’s largest indoor train display. Once inside we filled our hungry bellies with delicious pizza, chips, and soda. After lunch we were divided into groups which were sent to different activities: 25,000 square feet of model trains, behind the scenes tour, a session with owner Don Oeters, and fun house.

My group was sent first to see the model trains. Wow, not only could we see the model trains, but we were also immersed in sounds of trains and the life being depicted. It was like the Disney Land of America’s train history, of course without the rides. Our histori- cal journey began with the Early Period (1830s through the Civil War to late 1890s), then moved on to the Middle Period (1900 to 1950s) and ended at the Modern Period (1960s to the present). The models showed us the evolution of trains and life in America from steam engines to diesel locomotives. There were canals, rivers, steamboats, mountains, trains, caves, coal mines, and so much more to take in. Along the way we found interactive buttons that made noise, kiosks loaded with cool games and short movies about trains, and a unique train museum.

Next, my group went under the mountains where we learned about the internal workings of the displays; there were lots of wires. Then into the workroom area, we got a preview of the model train display that was donated by singer Neil Young, who left a green alien in the display. We also got to see the little people being created by volunteers.

We were happy to sit down, take a break, and listen to Don, the owner of EnterTRAINment Junction share his inspiring story of how he turned a hobby and dream into a reality. Our group had fun pretending as if we were in a business meeting with Don and asking career questions.

Our last stop was the Fun House with the mirror maze that challenged our ability to navigate between mirrors, the spinning vortex that made it difficult to stay upright, and the hurricane room that could have blown us away. We must have gone through that fun house at least 15 times. What a great day we had.

A Big to Participating Schools!

The Clermont County Schools participating in ETS are: Batavia Middle & High Schools Bethel-Tate Middle & High Schools Clermont Northeastern Middle & High Schools Felicity-Franklin Middle & High Schools Goshen Middle & High Schools New Richmond Middle & High Schools Williamsburg Middle & High Schools Grant Career Center Educational Talent Search Educational Talent Search Page 3

Exploration and Fun in Northern Kentucky Seventh graders explored the history of American entertainment and pop culture through the unique lens of ventriloquism at the Vent Haven Museum, the only museum in the world dedicated to the art of ventriloquism (the art of throwing voices). Vent Haven Museum, located in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky is home to over 700 dummies (made of wood) and soft puppets (made of fabric). The figurines’ ages range from the 1700’s up to the 21st century. The mysterious mechanical functions of a dummy were unveiled as we learned the differ- ence between a complex dummy which consists of five keys versus a simple dummy with only three keys. Keys are pushed to make a figu- rine gesture with its eyes, eyebrows, ears, nose, or forehead. Famous figures from contemporary times such as Madame from the Mup- pets, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Lambchop, and Jeff Dunham’s Walter, who appeared in a Hertz commercial, can be seen up close at Vent Haven Museum. Interesting pieces of history are found at Vent Haven Museum such as the four dummies belonging to 19th cen- tury American ventriloquist William Wood. While traveling on the Gulf of Mexico with eight of his dummies, Mr. Wood died in a ship- wreck. Four of the dummies survived the shipwreck because they floated to shore and are now housed at Vent Haven Museum. Curator Jennifer Dawson arranged for sixteen year old Dylan Burdette to perform for us. Dylan recently starred in the documentary Dumbstruck. Jennifer also taught us about the museum’s founder, Cincinnati native William Shakespeare Berger.

Berger was a man of humble beginnings. In 1894 his career began in the mailroom at the Cambridge Tile Company, and he retired as the company President. His collection of dummies began with his first purchase of Tommy Baloney while on a business trip in New York. Although Berger was not a professional ventriloquist, his enjoyment of ventriloquism motivated him to build a large collection of figu- rines and then to preserve the life of its art. He became known worldwide in the ventriloquist community. Berger served as President of the International Brotherhood of Ventriloquists during the 1940’s to the 1960’s. He expanded the organization’s membership from 300 to 1,000. Also advanced communication in the ventriloquist community through his publication The Oracle. The Vent Haven Museum was opened in 1973.

Afterwards students headed to Lazer Kraze in Erlanger, Kentucky to play arcade games, compete in laser tag missions, and then jump and play on giant inflatables. When we walked into Lazer Kraze, it was like videogame heaven. Video games were lined from wall to wall. The ETS group and Lazer Kraze staff were the only people in the building. We played every game as many times as we could for almost an hour. Then, we were divided up into teams for our laser tag team competition missions. The laser tag arena was two levels with a kicking stereo system and cool lighting effects. The experience was like being in a real live video game. Next, we wore ourselves out in the giant inflatable room where we boxed with life sized boxing gloves, jousted with large q-tip looking things, relay raced in dual inflatable obstacle courses, and went bouncing high and low down slides. We ended our day with a snack on the grass and then got on the bus to go home. Lazer Kraze made our event possible by giving ETS a special group pricing. Thanks LAZER KRAZE for helping to make our day awesome! Talent Search Middle Schoolers Enjoy Summer Activities! Our Middle School Summer Program Week was a rousing success in 2010 with 8th graders enjoying a rainy day of activities includ- ing bowling, indoor sand volleyball, and the film PRINCE OF PERSIA, followed by ice cream at Dairy Queen. While it was our hope that this group might FINALLY be able to go on our 3rd attempt at canoeing, the weather, again, refused to cooperate! Fortu- nately, fun was had by all despite the last minute changes. The Talent Search Middle School Program week concluded with a fun Friday for all three grades at Coney Island Park. Although our day once again began with rain, as the skies cleared, the real fun began! We enjoyed swimming, rides, and lunch under sunny skies as students had one more chance to cement friendships old and new before the long summer break. We thank all of you for your participation and hope to see even more of you next summer!

Exploring Art Education in Cincinnati ETS high school students took a field trip to explore opportunities in art education in the Greater Cincinnati area. The first stop on the trip was at the W. W. Carpenter Enamel Foundation in Newport, KY. Students watched an enameling demonstration, met the founder, and viewed enamel works of art from all over the world in the onsite museum. Additionally, they discovered that anyone, adults and school age students, can sign up for an enameling class at the foundation. The second stop on the trip was Art Academy of Cincinnati. Students learned how to apply and what areas of art education were offered before touring the facility. Apartment living for the academy students is now available, and our ETS students examined the spacious renovated units. We continued to learn about Cincinnati art during lunch at the Rookwood Pottery Restaurant in Mt. Adams. Students were invited to walk into the original kilns which are actually part of the dining area and view several pieces of Rookwood Pottery in display cases. The next stop on the trip was the Taft Museum of Art. Docent lead tours enabled students to view masterpieces displayed throughout the museum . Interesting facts about the Taft family and how the family home became a museum along with other pertinent Cincinnati history peaked our curiosity. The final stop of the day was the new Rookwood Pottery facility. Here students were able to see firsthand how Rookwood tiles are made today. They also observed several artists painting pottery pieces as we toured the facility. The current owners shared how they came to- gether to re-establish Rookwood Pottery and encouraged students to study all academic areas, not just art. In addition to art training they gave valuable examples of how science, math and English are important in running a business. This art education day was fun and informative. ETS: Excellent Tutoring Support!

Tutoring is available from ETS at all participating schools. Mrs. Keene - Bethel MS/HS, Williamsburg MS/HS, Felicity, MS/HS. Mrs. Gjessing – Batavia MS/HS, CNE MS/HS, Goshen MS/HS. Mrs. Leibold at New Richmond.

If you are a student and would like tutoring, speak to or leave a message for your tutor at the ETS office at (513) 558-7432 or tell your advisor, Mrs. Russell or Mrs. Taylor, Mrs. Leibold. If you are a teacher, and would like to recommend an ETS student for tutoring, please let us know. If you have a student who is receiving ETS tutoring, we are interested in any feedback you can provide regarding skill areas to improve or assignments to complete. Our intention is to support your classroom agenda, so we are available to meet with you at your school or to take your calls or emails. Check out our website, http://www.ucclermont.edu/ets/

The purpose of tutoring is to help students help themselves and to assist or guide students to become independent learners. Specifically, we help with understanding academic content, completing homework, preparing for tests, learning strategies, and becoming organized. We share available learning resources ie websites, reference materials, etc for independent effort!

Educational Talent Search is a federally funded TRIO program.

Middle School Summer Activities

Senior Dinner at Primavista

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