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A Quality Profile for Indian Hill Schools Fall 2020

		

A message from Superintendent Kirk Koennecke

Our Vision Enduring Excellence
in Learning, Leadership, Innovation, and Service
		
	From our #5 high school state ranking by
			
			U.S. News & World Report to our #9 national ranking by
Niche as one of the best public school districts in the country – we remain the example of exceptional educational services ensuring the intellectual development, personal growth, and social responsibility of each student.
			
Be Brave.
Within the Indian Hill School District, from our academics, to our arts, to our athletics – we strive to do just that: Be Brave. This past school year was historic for K-12 education. In March 2020, we completely altered the model of how we deliver our educational services due to COVID-19. All of us – from our students, to our parents, to our faculty and staff – exemplified what it really means to Be Brave.

While a unique chapter, the completion of our 2019-2020 school year did not define us as a District; we authored our own amazing story, of which distance learning was only one part. It is a story captured here in our eighth annual publication of the Quality Profile.

We also revolutionized how we share our story that is so uniquely Indian Hill through a special State of the Schools video series. Please use the following QR codes to access video testimonials of our students, our parents, and our faculty and staff to fully experience what it means to Be Brave.

Excellence	Excellence	Excellence in in academics:	in the arts:	athletics:

Ours is a story built upon developing and delivering on an intentional plan. Through these pages, explore our advancements within our G.O.L.D. Strategic Plan for Transformational Excellence. While we continue to evolve as a District, some parts of the Indian Hill story won’t change – that is the excellence you both expect and deserve.

From our #5 high school state ranking by U.S. News & World Report to our #9 national ranking by Niche as one of the best public school districts in the country – we remain the example of exceptional educational services ensuring the intellectual development, personal growth, and social responsibility of each student.

Our #IHPromise is our commitment to you to continue to Be Brave.

Kirk.Koennecke@indianhillschools.org @ihsuperbrave

PORTRAIT OF A BRAVE | FALL 2020

f
Atto
Diver
• Community Engagement
country!
Coach
Coach
Coach
Coach
Theater Director
T ater Director
Psychologist
Psychologist
Attorney
AttorneMechanical EngineerheComputer Engineer
y
Cheerleader
Architect
Baseball Player
ArchitectVeterinarian
Ice Skater
Ice Skater
Diver
Diver
Doctor
Scien
Sci
Soccer Player
Soccer Player
FirefighterCheerleader
Firefighter
C
Veterinarianheerleader entis

Our Mission	Our Values
The Indian Hill Exempted Village School District provides exceptional           • Commitment to Excellence educational services to ensure the intellectual development, personal          • Collaborative Relationships
growth, and social responsibility of each student.	• Continuous Improvement

Indian Hill School
District #9 in the	 Indian Hill School District #5 in Ohio!
	
t

Chef	Doctor	Architect	Theater Director rney

Chef
DermatologistComputer Engineertist CheComputer Engi Baseball Player

Engineer
Doctor	SoccerPlayer Firefighter	Enviro

Psychologist Mechanical Engineer	Mec

Dermatologist

neer	Scientist

nmental Engineer Veterinarian

hanical Engineer
	
Portrait of a Brave

2019-2020 Brave Achievements
We want to thank our
that is our Global Cultural
95%

ACT Composite Score 27.0 – Seven points above the national average.

World languages offered & global learning trips!

IHHS student Pranav Rastogi earned
second place honors along with the Viewer’s
Choice Award in the 2020 Congressional Art Competition. Pranav’s
pencil drawing entitled “Masked Mourner”will hang
in the U.S. Capitol building for one year.

IHMS sixth-grade student Casey de Blank and
seventh-grade student Andrew Coburn each earned a perfect score on national exams.de Blank earned a
perfect score on the National Mythology Exam; Coburn earned a perfect score on the National Latin Exam.

Seven IHHS students
earned state champion awards as part of the Ohio State
DECA Competition! Congratulations Lauren Sewell, David Slattery, David Heilbrunn, Morgan
Coburn, Vandita Rastogi, Emily Sichel,
and Nick Bulas!

IHHS senior Liz
Radway earned a $40,000 Amazon Future
Engineer Scholarship and a paid internship at Amazon for the
summer following her freshman year.Radway was also selected as one of 50 Cooke Scholarship winners in the country (one of two in Ohio)!

Seven IHES teams placed in the top 10 in the city and state as part of the annual Alpaugh Family Economics
Center Stock Market Game. Even State Superintendent Paulo DeMaria took time to observe this exemplar class.

IHHS senior Manasi Singh earned the President’s Gold Volunteer Service Award for her work with the Red Cross.

IHMS
& IHHS students earned 22 Scholastic Art
Awards, and five submissions earned highest possible regional recognition – Gold – and advanced to the national competition in New York City. We’ve also had an Overture Awards semifinalist the past three years, with two of those students moving to the finals.

		
G. Global Competence	parents who are helping
	
O. L. D.
	us to make the global
Prepare students of the Indian Hill Exempted	educational adventure
Village School District to understand and prosper
in a diverse global community to successfully	Week Celebration possible
lead, engage, and serve others.	for all of our students. Superintendent Kirk Koennecke

Global Cultural Week Celebration
Our Indian Hill Global Parent Network - which represents approximately 40 different nationalities within the District - assists the District in planning unique, age-appropriate learning activities for our students, and meets regularly to discuss ways to help our students and families grow and thrive in our community.
	
IHHS students competed in 24 sports with 43 teams, and participated in more than 50
STUDENT	student clubs – 95% student participation! PARTICIPATION

PORTRAIT OF A BRAVE | FALL 2020

2019-2020 Update: The District established formal partnerships with multiple regional businesses including Greenacres, Cincinnati Rotary, MSA, and the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce to provide learning opportunities for students.

Additionally, the student-organized Indian Hill Hack Club, a computer science and information tech club, made excellent use of the privately-funded Indian Hill High School Digital Arts Technology Lab that opened during the 2019-2020 school year.
The lab’s design started with a desire expressed directly by students to have access to a facility to pursue their passion for learning in the fields of digital arts and digital science, and the project was funded through alumni support led by Dean and Anne Kereiakes and Beth
the IHHS Hack Club
Reesë Tuttle founded	and Doug Brendamour through the Indian Hill Foundation.

I’m a very proud 1987 graduate
of Indian Hill High School. You should really feel confident and grateful for the foundation that you’ve gotten from Indian Hill.

President and CEO of McDonald’s Chris Kempczinski in a recorded, surprise message to the IHHS Class of 2020.

Scan the QR code to see the full speech.

Eight IHES student-poets were selected to be published in the 2020 Young American Poetry Digest! The fourth- and fifth-grade students included: Alice Luther, Ellie Pedrick, Elsa Trout, Kathryn Setzekorn, Haddyn Backlund, Michael Miller,Jeremy Starczynowski,and Ardisha Thawrani.

In one of the premier science competitions in the nation, IHHS made school history! The IHHS Science Olympiad Team placed fourth in the Southwest Science Olympiad Regional Competition,earning a spot to compete at state!

IHHS Mock Trial earned sixth place during the Empire Atlanta Mock Trial World Championship; the team ranked in the International Top Ten for a fourth consecutive year!

17 students recognized by the National Merit program

IHHS Marching Band WINS Mid-States Band Association Championship!

Braves In Service

Indian Hill High School

Students Served 10,379 Hours

$249,614 in Economic Impact

620 Students Enrolled

Each Student Served an Average of 17 Hours

Highlights of an Indian Hill education include:
• Small class sizes for more individualized instruction – (student to teacher ratio is 11.6 to one)

• An experienced and award-winning teaching faculty with 90% of educators earning an advanced degree of M.Ed. or more

• Spanish instruction beginning in kindergarten, with French and Latin language options in grades 6 through 12

• More than 300 student-musicians from Middle School and High School who perform with orchestra and band as part of our nationally
recognized music education program

• 28 Advanced Placement courses; Indian Hill High School is one of an elite number of high schools approved to offer the challenging AP Capstone

• An award-winning team of five counselors supporting our Braves through the college application process

Objective

A Quality Profile for Indian Hill Schools

Develop meaningful student experiences throughout grade levels and beyond the Indian Hill Exempted Village School District

G. O.
L. D.

Operational Efficiency & Effectiveness

Optimize resource utilization and infrastructure components, including people, financial resources, processes, technology, physical grounds and facilities, equipment, and maintenance.

into the people
demonstrates the
excellence in fiscal
We invest our dollars	Indian Hill Schools	State Funding Loss, Conservation of Cash, and programs that	operations that match	and Cost-Saving Measure
enduring excellence
while maintaining
excellence. We regularly earn the
recognition from the state auditor’s
advance our vision of	our educational	The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in $300 million subtracted from the State’s K-12 Foundation payment.
the lowest tax rate in
ofice for excellence in fiscal reporting.	This reduction resulted in a significant loss of revenue for the Indian Hill School District.

2020
REVENUE
Hamilton County.	The District acted swiftly to manage the initial news
20%
66%
Tax Year 2019	of the $621,000 state funding loss. The District’s Collection 2020	Capital Plan, a tool to analyze capital needs and to
Rank District	Rate
plan future projects, was examined and the District

1	Finneytown	70.47
Rev
Real Estate	All Other	removed all budget line items except for technology

2
63.87
and transportation purchases. This freed much needed St. Bernard -	cash to help sustain dwindling balances; although
0%
2%
PUPP
Alloc
Aid
Aid
Elmwood Pl	8%Prop Tax	all carpeting, furniture purchases, and other general 3	Mariemont         62.73                          Res                            4%Unres	maintenance will be delayed, which could potentially
4
59.59
0%
Tax
Winton	Income	exacerbate current facility needs. Additionally, the Board Woods                                                                                            of Education voted in May 2020 to restructure custodial
5	Cincinnati	52.89
2020
operations through outsourcing services. The District will

52.39
Tax)
save approximately $325,000 annually as a result. 6	Wyoming	(1-1/4% Income	EXPENSES 18%
11%
52%
7	Deer Park	51.45	Benefits

Serv
Salaries
8	Madeira	51.41	Purch	We are also taking into

9
49.07
15%
Capital
& Mat
Mount	3%Supp	consideration the financial impact Healthy                                                                                                                   of COVID-19. The pandemic has

11	Norwood	46.99
1%
Other
10        Reading             47.14                                      Outlay                                                                          created a situation for districts of an uncertain financial future in terms of

Average	46.24
Exp	state funding. Immediately following

During the
COVID-19, we saw a significant and
12	Loveland	44.64	distance learning	immediate shortfall in the State’s revenue 13	Forest Hills	43.23	model that resulted from	which was passed to the budget items, such
14	Northwest	42.68
North College
the COVID-19 pandemic,	as school funding; the loss – at that time the Indian Hill School District	– to the Indian Hill School District totaled
Hill
16	Milford	41.19
families in the following ways:
15	41.83	remained committed to Kids First,	$621,000 for the District in fiscal year 2020. Content Second. We supported our	In June of 2020, a new bill was signed into

law providing some relief to districts; at
• 100+ Email & Phone
17	Princeton	41.08	• 275 Computers Sent Home	the Indian Hill School District we recovered 18	Lockland	40.46                                                                                $418,000 of what we thought we had lost.
Support Responses
19	Sycamore	38.15
Early news regarding fiscal year 2021- which
20	Three Rivers	35.75
21	Oak Hills	35.61
begins in July - is that districts should • 8 Families Supported through	anticipate a reduction in state funding.
– Mick Davis, Indian Hill School
Braves Helping Braves Program in

26.83
22	Southwest	(.75% Earned	partnership with IH Foundation	District Treasurer Income Tax)               • 10,780 Meals Delivered
Offered in Partnership with
 23 Indian Hill 23.99 • Telehealth Mental Health Services

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital	PORTRAIT OF A BRAVE | FALL 2020

Indian Hill is

2019-2020 Update:
Presented a comprehensive
a one-of-a-kind school community. As a teacher, I have so much gratitude for our families for their continued support of our
District, and for my colleagues for their

capital needs by building, department,
unwavering support for our students.
recommendation of short- and long-term                                        Getting to see this COVID-19 process as a parent, though, has really highlighted for

us as a family just WHY Indian Hill is so
and District to the Board of Education.	special. The work the District has done during this uncomfortable situation
shows why there’s no place like Indian Hill, and we are forever grateful to be a part of the
Shelli Wineland
Assessment of facilities and	Brave Family. operational needs                                                                                                                Bryan Daniel, In January 2020 a team of dedicated                                                                                                                       IHHS Teacher
Facilities Steering
Committee
Indian Hill School District residents who	& District Parent comprised the community-based Finance
Steering Committee presented the culmination
is that we started with the studen
of work eight months in the making. These	“The thing that I appreciated the

the core. So, it’s not about what w
think or what we want, it’s about
what the students need to
individuals, as tasked by our Board of Education, provided a recommendation on how to ensure our District “Builds a Brave Future” both
operationally and with our facilities.	thrive and continue for Indian
The Finance Steering Committee	Hill to be the best-in-class recommendation was built from guiding                                       school in the country.”

“The committee had a pretty
Bear Tullis
Facilities Steering
Committee
principles to optimize financial resources provided by Indian Hill School District taxpayers to benefit students, staff, and community members, and included the following goals: maintain unique programming; maintain student support services; maintain current student/teacher ratios;
maintain transportation; maintain current extra-	wide range of people. There were curricular programs. Additionally, the Finance              some people from the school
like me who do.”
Steering Committee was dedicated to honoring	district itself on the committee, the work of the District’s community-based	members of the community who Facilities Steering Committee.                                     don’t have students, and people

It is also important to note that when the District Facilities Steering Committee set their mission
Monique Sewell
Facilities Steering
Committee
and vision for the facilities assessment process, safety and security ranked No. 1 under
“There are routine
maintenance upgrades that need
the committee’s considerations. During that process, the committee assessed each building for safety and
to take place over the next 10
security. In their recommendation to the

Board of Education during the October 2019          years; we will be funding those, meeting, the committee did communicate                one way or the other. If we do
that as a minimum level of improvement,	not address them in this situation
address that as a community.”
all buildings needed safety enhancements.               they will continue to come out of The Facilities Steering Committee guiding                   operating funds and we need to

principles also included considerations of: learning environments (current & future);
accessibility; infrastructure and energy.	Objective

A Quality Profile for Indian Hill Schools

Cultivate plan for best-in-class facilities with approved funding and prioritize operational strategies to promote short- and long-range district goals

G. O.

Cultivate an environment that fosters quality learning for students and staff by creating pathways to explore and maximize each individual’s character and academic talents.
	
L. Learning-Centered Culture
	
D.

As part of understanding the student experience within the Indian Hill School

Beyond Brave
Beyond Brave – at the Indian Hill School District, that phrase could be the mantra for professional learning during the 2019-2020 school year. From podcasts to Twitter – Brave educators are learning in innovative ways outside the classroom.
Braves Academy
Braves Academy – in its third year – took place in August 2019. Attendees enjoyed more than 60 educational sessions presented by speakers from within the Indian Hill School District and outside professional organizations. Sessions focused on best instructional practices, innovation, brain health and mental wellness, and Courageous Conversations – exploring how mental health needs, gender identification, and race manifest within the school setting and impact school culture and classroom practices.
Best Workplace
Best Workplace: For the sixth year in a row, the Indian Hill School District was named a “Best Workplace” by the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Indian Hill Speaker Series
Cultivating a learning-centered culture doesn’t stop with our students in the classroom within the Indian Hill School District. Each year,
the District invites parents and community members to attend a specially developed series of informational sessions relating to student life, both in school and out of school.
Yale Educator Award
Teacher Aaron Debbink was nominated by a former student and honored with the Yale Educator Award. Debbink was one of 55 teachers selected from 311 nominations Yale received. The teachers nominated represented 40 states and 23 countries.
College Board Recognizes IHHS Counselor
Indian Hill High School counselor Lindsay Kearns was honored for the 2019-2020 College Board Counselor Recognition Program, established to recognize innovative middle and high school counselors who go the extra mile to expand opportunity for students.

IHMS teacher presents as part of Xavier University’s professional learning
Teacher Bradley Bell was requested to present a powerful presentation about the United States Civil War to administrators at Xavier University as part of their professional learning.
	District, each building principal received an assignment at the start of the 2019-2020 school year – be a student for two days. The first shadow experience was with a student in the building they serve; the second was spent with a student at another building within the Indian Hill School District. Scan the QR codes below to read the full stories authored by our building principals.

Indian Hill High School
“As an educator and a parent, I hope for my students and my own children that school is a place that
makes them feel welcomed and is always a place they want to run into each day rather than run out of. My experience at IHMS and IHHS reafirmed that dream and makes me feel very fortunate that I have the opportunity to work in this phenomenal community.”
– IHHS Principal Jeff Damadeo
Indian Hill Middle School
“Both IHMS and IHES challenged students to think, collaborate, and communicate their ideas. Students
learned to work through challenges, mistakes, and come out with a growth in learning. Our teachers plan creative and innovative lessons which kept that spark to learn going throughout the day. My shadow dates were amazing!”
– IHMS Principal Jennifer Ulland

Indian Hill Elementary School
“Our students participate in amazing learning experiences every day. They are engaged, and lessons are designed to meet them at their
level. They are happy and feel cared about. I had the best day with both students, and I am so fortunate that our District supports this type of professional learning.”
– IHES Principal Whitney Buell

Indian Hill Primary School
“At Indian Hill we are never content. We are always seeking ways
to improve the experience and opportunities for our students. At the same time, it was reafirming to
see the incredible opportunities we provide our students through their eyes. Our teachers are incredible! I saw the small moments they
took with individual students to help them navigate the day, the management of 20-plus students while handling a myriad additional responsibilities and ultimate joy they took in teaching their students.”
– IHPS Principal Jim Nichols

PORTRAIT OF A BRAVE | FALL 2020

A Quality Profile for Indian Hill Schools
Caleb Tan
Coburn
collegiate level
Linda@lwchphoto.com
I got a solid
exploration inside and
outside the classroom.
My creativity and
curiosity were
BRAVE
64%
of our
Indian Hill High
50%
of those
continue to excel
79%
GPA
of
3.5
or higher.
Library Wr ter-in-
full Q&A.
seven league

2019-2020 Update:	education and Significant work continued to evaluate the new BRAVE Character Education                                      had opportunities for Plan through internal and external stakeholders. The new program was
developed exclusively for Indian Hill in a District-led effort that included a steering committee of parents, Indian
Hill High School students, teachers, staff members, and	encouraged. administrators. Boldly Respect and Value Everyone.
BRAVE is comprised of four components: Community,
Cultural Intelligence, Pillars, and Student Strengths.	Award-winning journalist
	
The goal is implementation in the 2020-2021 school year.	and IHHS graduate Dani McClain
	
	McClain was named
		
	the 2020 Cincinnati Athletics: Learning outside the classroom	Residence.i Scan the The Indian Hill School District believes in using athletics to: encourage	QR code to see the
leadership; exhibit sportsmanship; set goals and objectives; understand teamwork; learn accountability and discipline; strengthen self-esteem;
	
	and become better prepared for life in general.
We are and always will be BRAVES!
	
During the 2019-2020 school	20 senior student-athletes
year, our student-athletes	committed to play at the ATHLETIC	made incredible headlines:	Photo: Linda Clement-Holmes ACHIEVEMENTS

2019 Girls Tennis State	Enquirer Boys Swimmer Doubles Champions:	of the Year, Division II:
School student	Hayley Hirsch, Morgan	Gibson Holmes body who
participate in athletics –and
2020 Boys	Enquirer Swimming
Swimming State	Coach of the Year: student-athletes	Champions	Matt Harrison
participate in multiple sports.

Our athletes also	2020 100-Meter	Amy Dunlap and Ellen
within the classroom:	Butterfly State	Hughes reached 300 Champion:	wins as head coach
of	Gibson Holmes our graduating
student-athlete
seniors earned a	 2020 Freestyle Relay	Enquirer Girls Basketball State Champions:	Player of the Year, Division II: Gibson Holmes, Devin	Maddie Antenucci
Edwards, Dan Edmonson,	Photo: Linda Clement-Holmes Will Taylor	Linda@lwchphoto.com

2019-2020
Indian Hill captured	All American Soccer Players: championships!	Ellie Podojil (two-time),
Objective
	
Optimize Learning-Centered Culture to create an inclusive Indian Hill School District community, nurture the best in every student, and close performance gaps by department, grade level, teacher, and student

G. O. L.

Build and nurture relationships with parents, community members, business leaders, alumni, and government representatives through transparent communications to foster support of the Indian Hill Exempted Village School District’s Vision, Mission, Values, and Goals.

D. Dynamic Stakeholder Engagement

2019-2020 Update:

To increase Dynamic Stakeholder Engagement, during the school year the District:

Debuted a Be Brave video capturing the #IHPromise on the District website

Recruited and structured two committees of stakeholders for the evaluation of District facilities and finance

Launched a new State of the Schools four-part video series

Produced a total of nine printed publications – six of which were mailed to all residents

Started Twitter chats to expand professional development of faculty

Increased authentic student voice storytelling through Senior Experience column and My Brave Story features

Managed 295 total communications

Continued in-home coffee chats to interact in person with stakeholders; began Meet the CEO/CFO community coffees at places of business

indianhillschools @ihschools Indianhillschools

Had coverage of 272 stories in traditional media outlets

And, increased the combined social media audience by 1,410 likes and follows

PORTRAIT OF A BRAVE | FALL 2020

We appreciate our partners in education

Touring with The
Phantom of the Opera is perhaps the
biggest highlight of my career. It is such a piece of theatre history, and I loved being on tour with that show so much.

IHHS graduate Sarah Mossman, Indian Hill Foundation	professional artist with The
Phantom of the Opera

Scan the
In 2019-2020, the Foundation provided 3,800 hours of
to see
service through volunteers and staff, and $17,100 in grants	QR code and $1.75 million in restricted gifts.	the full
• IHHS Digital Arts Technology Lab: Doug (’71) and Beth (’79) Brendamour	Q&A. and Dean (’71) and Anne Kereiakes challenged the community and IHHS class of ’71
to a 2-1 matching grant which raised $165,000 facilitating new classes and clubs at IHHS.

• IHPS received a two-year grant from the Braves Forever Fund to equip a library makerspace.

• Home of the Braves opened replacing outdated locker facilities for student-athletes.

• Alumni and community connections continue to expand real-world learning.

• The Braves Helping Braves fund was established and immediately assisted the Indian Hill school community families with rent, utilities and food during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Indian Hill Parent-Teacher Organization (IH PTO)

In 2019-2020, IH PTO supported all Indian Hill schools with financial support totaling $136,430.07, and contributed substantial donations in materials. Countless volunteer hours were given to lead a variety of events.

Indian Hill Boosters

In the 2019-2020 school year, the Indian Hill Boosters organization donated $61,999.47 to our District. The Boosters organization supports our students as they participate in academic clubs, sports competitions, and arts productions.

Cincinnati Academy of Performing Arts (CAPA)

CAPA provides programming in performing arts for students in grades K-12. A percentage of each student’s tuition goes back to the District to support music scholarship programs. Each summer, CAPA also offers intensive full production musical theatre camps.

Indian Hill Parent Equity Group

Founded in 2016, the Indian Hill Parent Equity Group consists of parents from a multitude of racial, cultural, and religious backgrounds who support the Indian Hill School District initiative to bring racial awareness and cultural competency into our District and community.

A Quality Profile for Indian Hill Schools

Objective

Stakeholder engagement and communication measured by group as highly engaged

# Promise

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Cincinnati, OH Permit No. 197

Indian Hill Exempted Village School District 6855 Drake Road, Cincinnati, OH 45243
(513) 272-4500

facebook.com/indianhillschools @ihschools
Indianhillschools

indianhillschools.org The Indian Hill Exempted Village School District serves students
in the Village of Indian Hill, Kenwood, parts of Sycamore and Symmes Township, Camp Dennison and a small portion of Loveland.

Indian Hill Exempted Village School District Board of Education
(Left to Right) Elizabeth Johnston,VP for Operations; Nancy Aichholz, President; Dr. Eddie Hooker, Member; Kim Martin Lewis,VP of Finance; Niki Singh, Member

DON’T MISS OUT: beBRAVE

Stay informed by signing up to receive our weekly electronic District publication highlighting the Indian Hill School District #IHPromise in Action!
It’s News Braves Need!
Scan the QR code to sign up and select IH District: or visit our District website indianhillschools.org

The Quality Profile is supported by the Alliance for High Quality Education.