It’s getting to be that time of the year when the potential for bad weather is upon us. In case of inclement weather and possible school closings or delays, we will use our School Messenger All-Call System to notify parents and staff.

The District will conduct a test call on Wednesday, December 14. Please be sure that your FinalForms account is up to date. That information goes directly into our School Messenger system. If you would like to receive text messages, text yes to 67587 to opt-in.

Additionally, keeping your student's FinalForms account current with emergency contact numbers is important, especially going into cold and flu season, to allow for parents to be contacted in case of a student's illness at school. Please also screen your student before they come to school for any symptoms of illness.

Social Media is also a great way to get information. For the most up-to-date school closing information, check our website, Facebook Page, Twitter, and Instagram. 

Kings High School and Mason High School teachers are learning and collaborating with each other in a process called Community Classrooms.

Mason invited Kings to collaborate this fall. Between the months of October and December, 23 staff members from Kings High School and 23 members from Mason High School took part in visiting each other's buildings, staff, and classrooms. KHS English teacher, Katie Isaacs said, "Authentically connecting with staff members within another district was invigorating and engulfed us with a feeling of support and increased resources and mentorship." 

Participants completed a 3-5 minute walkthrough of about 9 classrooms per visit. The main goal of the process centers around cultivating trust, support, and appreciation for one another’s art and the essence of teaching. Participants hope to help create exceptional working and learning experiences by providing their peers with positive feedback on their craft. Staff members visiting classrooms gain an increased sense of connection to and appreciation for their colleagues. "We do not get to see our people do what they do best because we are in our own classrooms doing it simultaneously. We do not get to see our people in their best forms teaching and loving our students," she said.



Critiquing, revising, and growing are all important aspects of the craft of teaching. However, Community Classrooms are not the venue for these. Isaacs said that Community Classrooms are solely for reiterating the things teachers are doing well and what their colleagues appreciate within their classrooms rooms and craft. "We are so grateful for Mason High School for including us and can't wait to show our appreciation through carrying out what we've learned within our school and district," she said.

All of this work aligns with the Kings Culture Blueprint by promoting a positive culture, future skills, and personalized learning.

Last year, we had over 250 students in the District who are classified as English learners. This year we have over 400! That's about 8.5% of our enrollment of 4,700. Over 30 languages are spoken among those students, some of whom come to school with no English speaking abilities.

The District's five English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers work tirelessly to support our students and their families as they adjust to school and life in the United States. They also strive to help other staff members and students build relationships with the students to create a welcoming environment.

Additionally, ESL teachers help teachers provide instruction that fits English Learners' needs. The following languages are spoken in the District - Afrikaans, Arabic, Bengali, Burmese, Chinese, Dutch, French Creole, Gujarati, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Kannada, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Khmer, Korean, Malayalam, Marathi, Persian/ Farsi, Punjabi, Oriya, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Tajik, Tamil, Telugu, Uyghur, Urdu, Uzbek, and Vietnamese, including different dialects of those languages.

The District uses a translation feature within our School Messenger system that translates messaging to the receiver's home language. As part of our District Culture Blueprint, we believe that it is important to honor every individual and embrace our differences so that we are stronger together.

Check out the video below that was made by KHS and KJH students in ESL teacher, Rhonda Allen-Harman's class made about the importance of respecting each other's names and identities. This video promotes the My Name, My Identity Campaign, which promotes awareness of the importance of respecting one's name and identity in schools which helps build a respectful and caring culture in schools.

Kings Career Quest is an in-school program that works to help high school seniors find their best first step after graduation. The program, which is run by the Kings High School Counseling office, typically consists of 20-25 students who are unsure of their future plans.

Students might be headed into the workforce, headed to college, or some combination of both. Using community partners like Warren County Community Services, LEAD Training, and Sinclair Community College, Career Quest is able to offer a systematic plan to evaluate career interests, research pathways, and job shadow local options.

The program is grateful to have an incredible partnership with these organizations who invest their time in our students and "recruit" community partners that want to hire our students and offer experiential learning to them.

One such example of a great success story is Aiden Krumme. Aiden is a 2022 graduate of Kings High School and was a highly motivated senior in our Career Quest program. He was interested in becoming an HVAC technician. Wingate Heating Cooling & Plumbing offered to host Aiden for a job shadow day and ride along with an HVAC technician. He had the opportunity to meet people in the company, learn about the job and discover the skills that would make him successful. 

He accepted a position after graduation and has been working ever since, already adding several certifications and qualifications to his name. He's a valued member of their company and well on his way to a successful skilled job in the HVAC trade. His story would be applicable to many other trades like electrician, plumbing, ironworking, construction, and even welding.

KHS Counseling Office Coordinator, Debby Henderson said, "He's setting himself up for success, and we're so proud of his hard work!" Congratulations to Aiden!  A couple of weeks ago, Mrs. Henderson had a chance to connect again with Aiden Krumme. Watch the video below, where he talks about his experience so far. She said, "He's knocking it out of the park, and we're so proud of him!"

Kings High School Fashion Studio students presented a Fashion Show on Friday, December 9. The students designed, created, and then modeled their favorite piece down the catwalk in front of their peers.

The course models a studio setting for individual and collaborative experiences that investigate fashion materials, design, and merchandising strategies. Students learn about the design process of fashion garments and accessories in phases from research, sketches, and brainstorming to final garment creations and modeling. 

Pictured above, not in any particular order, are Paige Alford, Zhana Burnside, Olivia Crawford, Kyra Gardner, Gabriella Gardner, Madison Huhn, Madison Jent, Ainsley Johnstone, Kay Mack, Amir Mohanna, Lauren O'Donnell, Keira Picard, Maria Scriptore Marques Ferreir, Chloe Smith, and Kaylee Thompson.

We caught a Facebook Live of the Fashion Studio Fashion Show. Even though there were some technical difficulties during the show, Check it out!

Recently, we have received notes from parents who would like to recognize the efforts of a few members of our Transportation Department.

Parent Tania Marcano reached out to us about Ms. Sandy Carpenter, who drives bus 38. Mrs. Marcano told us that her son left his winter jacket at the bus stop. The bus left, and Mrs. Marcano was hoping that Ms. Sandy would find it.

She said, "Unbeknownst to us, she had already contacted dispatch and had them call me asking to meet her at the bus stop to retrieve it. She knew how cold it was going to be and wanted to make sure he was warm in the morning."

Mrs. Marcano continued, "We can’t say enough about her thoughtfulness and how she makes sure 'her kids' are taken care of. It was a small gesture but certainly appreciated. I know the bus situation has been a struggle this year, but we are glad you have drivers like Ms. Sandy."

We also were told that today, Bus Driver Dan Shallenberger and Debbie Prince provided pizza, pop, and snacks for the kids at Kings High School who had ridden their buses over the years. A parent who told us said, "They contacted them and did this with their own money!"

We see this sort of kindness every day. We thank all of our staff who go out of their way to do what's best for kids every day!

The Kings Local School District’s Kokorodza Marimba Ensemble will be holding tryouts for new members from January 4 through January 13, 2023. 

Over the past 20 years, the ensemble has performed throughout the Greater Cincinnati and Tri-State area, as well as performances and clinic/demonstration sessions at the Ohio Music Education Association Professional Development Conference, the Governor’s Ohio Arts Awards program, and the American Orff Schulwerk National Conference in Denver, Colorado. Take a listen!

The ensemble is open to students of Columbia Intermediate School and Kings Junior High School. Prospective members will be provided a video demonstration of the techniques and tunes required for the audition and will be loaned a marimba or xylophone to take home over winter break to use in preparing for the audition. 

The ensemble rehearses Thursdays from 4:00 - 6:00 PM. The Kokorodza Marimba Ensemble will perform at Bandcakes, an annual fundraising event for the Kings Local School District’s band programs. Other performances will be scheduled for later in the spring. The group will also be recording and submitting an audition/application to perform at the Ohio Music Education Association Professional Development Conference set for late January/early February 2024 in Columbus.

For further information, please contact Kings Mills Elementary music teacher and marimba ensemble director Matt Jenkins at 398-8050 ext. 14025 or email mjenkins@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 next meeting will be a combined Work Session and Regular Meeting on Tuesday, December 13 at 5:30 p.m.

The Board has set the date for their 2023 Organizational Meeting. The meeting, which will include the January Work Session, will take place on Tuesday, January 10, at 5:30 p.m. At this meeting, the Board will elect a President and Vice-President and set the meeting schedule for the year.

2022 Board Meeting - Agendas & Minutes

2022 Board Meeting Recordings

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!

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!