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 University of Cincinnati Uptown campus and Wright State University, three each at Ohio State University and Shawnee State University 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, Kent State University, Miami University, Muskingum University, Uni- ETS Seniors 1 versity of the Cumberlands, University of Toledo, & High Wilmington College and Xavier University. 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.