The Kings Board of Education met on Tuesday, January 10, for their annual Organizational Meeting. During the meeting, the Board nominated and elected their leaders for 2023.

Congratulations to Stacie Belfrom who was elected to another year as Board President and Peggy Phillips was elected Vice-President. The Board also established the 2023 Board meeting dates.

Being a school board member is an important role in a school district. Serving as a link between the community and the classroom, school board members are elected to establish the policies that provide the framework for public schools.

We thank our entire Kings Board of Education, Stacie Belfrom, Peggy Phillips, Deb Cowan, Janelle Groff, and John Skerl, for caring about our children and giving so much to our community. Your dedicated service is recognized and truly appreciated. Happy School Board Recognition Month!

Over this past summer, a group of Kings High School staff and students created a mural in the high school in memory of late KHS Spanish teacher Jorge Gonzalez.

KHS teachers Rhonda Allen-Harman and Pete Moore wanted to create a meaningful tribute to Jorge's legacy that was unique and could be enjoyed by staff and students for years to come.

They created a space with a mural and a bench across from Mr. Gonzalez's classroom. Allen-Harman said, "It's a place where students and staff can gather in the hallway. Jorge would stand there every morning greeting students and playing music on holidays and special occasions."

The mural was designed by Ella Linahan and Maya Hicks. It is full of images that represent Jorge's contributions to our school district and the education profession, as well as other images of the things Jorge loved. Throughout the summer, Mrs. Allen-Harman and Mr. Moore met with a group of students, including Savannah Silva, Kendal Keith, Maya Hicks, and Lucy Gonzalez, to paint the mural. There are plans to make the mural interactive by adding QR codes linked to video interviews describing the significance of the images in the mural.

When it came time to make a bench for the space, Allen-Harman

immediately thought of 2018 KHS graduate Shane Bauer. Shane is employed by Guilfoyle Custom Homes and has had a passion for woodworking for a very long time. He was a student of Jorge's.Allen-Harman said, "I can remember seeing the 2 of them admiring the hand-crafted wooden pens that Shane created and sold when he was a freshman." Shane and his wife, Rachael, also a KHS graduate and student of Gonzalez's, were very excited about the project.

Even after a few setbacks, including Shane's workshop being destroyed during a summer storm, he created a beautiful bench from a single solid piece of walnut taken from the center of the tree. Allen-Harman said, "Jorge would be very proud of Shane's work."

A dedication ceremony for the space as well as a fundraiser to help with the cost of the project is being planned. Details TBA.

Do you know a Kings teacher who demonstrates a dedication to educational equity and a personal commitment to their community? And one who also holds themselves and others accountable to the ideals of compassion, integrity, honor and respect?

Nominate them for the TORCH award, Teachers of Ohio Representing Character and Heart. This recognition program honors five extraordinary teachers annually by celebrating their efforts to model a strong character and heart for students, colleagues, and the community.

Nominations are due by February 4, 2023.

Kings Junior High School Theatre students will entertain audiences in their production of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," on January 26, 27, & 28 at 7:00 p.m. in the Kings High School Auditorium. They will also offer a 2:00 p.m. matinee on Saturday, January 28.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students, staff, and senior citizens. Tickets can be purchased online at www.kingstheatre.net.

Join us for the first Annual Elementary STEAM Showcase on Thursday, February 23, 2023, from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. at Kings Mills Elementary School.

The Showcase is an opportunity for your child to be involved in the STEAM process. Through a STEAM experiment or a STEAM challenge, students will engage in the Scientific Process by asking a question or will engage in the Engineering Design Process as they try to find a solution to a problem. 

Individuals or small groups are invited to register a project for the Showcase. Each person who participates in the STEAM Showcase will be responsible for creating a board showcasing their project and results.

Click here for the application and more information.

The Kings Education Association (KEA) is having their end of the year Celebration and Silent Auction in May. The money raised at this silent auction will provide a $1000 scholarship for a Kings High School graduating senior who is entering the field of Education.

How can you help? We are looking for donations for this Silent Auction. If you have any connections or suggestions for places that may donate to our organization, please get in touch with Sheridan Pagan at South Lebanon Elementary School by email spagan@kingslocal.net or phone 513-398-8050 x 1554. Thank you!

Any families interested in participating in the College Credit Plus (CCP) program for the next school year are highly encouraged to attend a Virtual Information Night on Wednesday, January 18.

The evening will consist of three sessions and will offer time for questions and answers at the end of each session.

College Credit Plus (CCP) is a state-wide program that allows students ready for college-level courses to earn both high school and college credit at the same time. The program is available for students entering 7-12 grade in the 2023-2024 school year.

To learn more about the CCP options available, please register here. If you have any questions about how the program works, please contact your child's school counselor or Kings Director of Teaching and Learning, Matt Freeman, at mfreeman@kingslocal.net.

Board Members

Kings Board of Education (L-R): John Skerl, Board Member; Janelle Groff, Board Member; Peggy Phillips, Board Member; Deb Cowan, Vice-President; and Stacie Belfrom, President.

The Board of Education meets on the 2nd Tuesday of every month for a Work Session at 5:30 p.m. and the 3rd Tuesday of every month for a Regular Meeting at 6:00 p.m.

The Kings Board will meet for their Regular Meeting on Tuesday, January 17, at 6:00 p.m.

Visit the Board of Education page on our website for meeting dates, meeting recordings, and agendas.

All meetings are live-streamed on the Kings Youtube channel.

In an effort to be "green," the District does not send paper flyers home. We use a platform called Peachjar that houses flyers of community programs and resources. 

Parents receive approved flyers via email, and they are posted on our digital flyerboard for easy retrieval. Any organization can distribute information to our community by creating an account!

The Cincinnati Enquirer just released the Enquirer's Great Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky 2022 Fall Sports All-Stars.

In Division ll Football, congratulations to Kings Football's Will Kocher, who was named the Eastern Cincinnati Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Additionally, Coach Alex Garvin was named Coach of the Year!

Many other of our fall sports athletes made the list as either first or second team or honorable mention.

Congratulations to all of our fall athletes!

Please join the Kings Athletic Booster Club for their annual gala fundraiser, Knight To Remember, to support our KINGS student-athletes! The evening will begin with a cocktail hour from 5:30-6:30 p.m., followed by dinner, live & silent auctions, a reverse raffle, and dancing!

This year's theme is KNIGHTS IN THE JUNGLE and we encourage you to dress in your favorite JUNGLE attire! 

Not able to attend? You can still participate in our online silent auction by registering for a GiveSmart account. Auction items will begin to appear on the site as we get closer to the event. 

Purchase tickets and register now for KABC's biggest night of the year!

Please email Sara Ritter at saritter@cinci.rr.com if you have any questions or if your business is interested in being a sponsor or donating to our live or silent auction!

If you aren't following Kings Athletics on Facebook and Twitter, or Instagram you're missing out on some of the great things our student-athletes are doing!

Like and follow them today!