The fall semester brought engaging academics in the classroom, stellar performances on the stage, and exciting matchups on the court and field. Each and every day, more than 1,000 curious minds enriched the Seven Hills community. Join us as we look at the highlights.
14 Upper Schoolers Recognized by National Merit Scholarship Competition
National Merit Semifinalists
Eight seniors were named semifinalists. Congrats to Ethan Avera, Jasper Burroughs, Mikael Choi, Tyler Imrie, Madeline Jordan, Rohan Kulkarni, Victoria Rodriguez, and Isabella Wang.
National Merit Commended Scholars
Six students were named National Merit Commended Scholars. Congrats to Rhys Ceron, Sabrina Donovan, Lily Plum Gartenlaub, Caleb Katz, Meggie Kunkel, and Adam Schaefer.
Seven Hills Ranked #1 in Ohio by Niche
Seven Hills is pleased to announce Niche has ranked Seven Hills #1 in two categories for Ohio and four categories for the Cincinnati area.
Seven Hills was named #1 Best Private K-12 School and #1 Best Private High School in Ohio for 2026.
For the Cincinnati area, Seven Hills was named #1 Best Private K-12 School, #1 Best Private High School, #1 Best College Prep Private High School, and #1 Best High School for STEM.
Niche is a website for researching schools and colleges that annually publishes rankings of K-12 schools in national, state, and local categories based on parent and student reviews and data from the U.S. Department of Education.
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Seniors Inducted into the Seven Hills Scholars Society
In November, 30 members of the Class of 2026 were inducted into the Seven Hills Scholars Society. The Seven Hills Scholars Society is closely tied to the Seven Hills values and honors students for meeting requirements in GPA, community service hours, class participation, and Challenge Experiences. The program replaced the Cum Laude Society during the 2023-24 school year.
Congrats to Samantha Allison, Daniela Alper, Ethan Avera, Claire Bachelder, Jasper Burroughs, Rhys Ceron, Alisha Chaudhary, Mikael Choi, Maya Dant, Valarie Deyer, Elliot Domet, Sabrina Donovan, Malcolm Faison, Colin Froehle, Lily Plum Gartenlaub, Grace Guminey, Nina Head, Tyler Imrie, Gitu Iyer, Caleb Katz, Grace Kennedy, Elizabeth Klocek, Ellie Krause, Meggie Kunkel, Colin McNerney, Hannah Olowokure, Victoria Rodriguez, Adam Schaefer, Avani Shah, and Harrison Zhang.
Early Childhood & Lower School Events
Throughout the fall, students and the community took part in various events to prepare for the unification of the Lower School. Swipe through the carousels below.
Seven Hills Collects Nearly 2,000 Items During the Food Drive
The Seven Hills School held its annual Thanksgiving Food Drive during November.
Students from Doherty, Lotspeich, and Upper collected rice, pasta, dried beans, lentils, and tomato paste for La Soupe, a local nonprofit that helps bridge the gap between food waste and hunger.
As a fun incentive for Lotspeich this year, for every 100 items collected, one Lotspeich teacher promised to spend the night at school.
With nearly 1,700 items collected, 17 faculty and staff members had a slumber party at Lotspeich in December.
Click here to watch a video from the sleepover.
Lotspeich teachers lived a student's dream during the sleepover — rollerskating and scootering down the halls, telling stories in the library, and snoozing in their sleeping bags with stuffed animals.
At the Upper School, the collection effort was led by the Service Club. Upper Schoolers took part in a friendly competition to see which Swarm could collect the most items. In total, the Upper School collected more than 200 items. Students celebrated their efforts and danced the Turkey Tango at the annual Thanksgiving assembly.
Kindergartners Explore the Nature Center
In early October, Doherty and Lotspeich kindergartners became outdoor adventurers during their field trip to the Cincinnati Nature Center’s Nature PlayScape. The Nature PlayScape encompasses 1.6 acres of forest, field, stream, and wetland habitat within Rowe Woods. The students navigated deep creeks, played wooden musical instruments, found caterpillars, and built structures with logs.
Upper’s Philanthropy Class Secured A Grant for Local Nonprofit
Students in the Upper School’s new philanthropy class, $1,000 and Change, gave their final presentations in December to a panel of teachers, guests, and representatives from Magnified Giving, a Cincinnati-based educational organization that teaches young people about philanthropy.
“The students have been phenomenally invested in the class and the nonprofits they have been researching,” said teacher and Director of Experiential Learning Karen Glum.
In teams of two or three, the students selected a nonprofit after months of careful research and gave persuasive presentations to the panel with the goal of getting a $1,500 grant from Magnified Giving awarded to their nonprofit, Life Learning Center.
The students conducted site visits and interviewed members of each organization to learn about their funding structure. They were asked to consider how the funds would be used, if the organization’s goal is charity or justice, and explain why they chose their organization over similar ones in the area.
Lotspeich Spent a Morning with the Bridges
In December, Lotspeich second graders proudly hosted Morning with the Bridges, an event where they showcased their recreated models of bridges from around the world.
The project was the culmination of weeks filled with engaging lessons on bridge construction, geography, and more. With enthusiasm and creativity, the students took on the roles of architects and engineers, researching and recreating their bridge models.
Friends, family members, and teachers gathered in Founders Hall to celebrate their hard work.
During the event, the young architects presented their creations with confidence, sharing the stories behind their chosen bridges and explaining the inspiration and thought process that went into their designs.
Seventh Grade Studies the Stars
As part of their study of space, seventh graders in science teacher Kristin Montalvo Suer’s class brought the solar system into the Middle School while making scale model replicas.
Using a data table they previously filled out, students measured the scaled distance between planets and the sun, using different objects as stand-ins for the heavenly bodies.
Afterwards, students compared the progression of sizes and the distance between the planets of their scale model and the real solar system.
Eighth Graders Build their Own Canvas and Learned to Paint
In September, eighth graders assembled canvases before learning to paint their chosen landscapes in Middle School art teacher Elissa Donovan’s class.
To make their canvases, students assembled the wood stretcher strips to make the frame, attached their canvas material, and sealed the canvas with an acrylic primer.
Once their canvas was complete, students began working on their landscapes using different landscape photos for reference.
Sixth Graders Explore Books at Carnival
Sixth graders had fun exploring literary genres while playing carnival games during the fourth annual Sixth Grade Library Carnival.
Games included Connect Four, a modified dart game, and a fishing game. After completing a game, students were given a genre of books to look through and select one to potentially check out.
“We wanted students to discover new genres or authors they might not have otherwise leaned toward. While the students enjoyed playing the games, they were also introduced to different types of books,” Upper and Middle School head librarian Megan Whitt said.
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Upper School Hosted Students from Spain
Throughout September, Seven Hills hosted 20 students and two teachers from Colegio Claret Askartza in Bilbao, Spain.
The Spanish students stayed with Upper Schoolers and spent two days attending their classes with them at Seven Hills.
“Having a heritage speaking student in one’s home creates many benefits, including practicing the target language, understanding cultural nuances, and forming lifelong friendships and opportunities for exchange,” Head of Upper School Rick Tate said.
Upper School teachers created special lessons for the Spanish students, in which they learned American games in Kristen Bowman’s P.E. class, practiced metric to imperial conversions while making cookies in Anna Works-McKinney’s math class, and learned about Latin American literature in Teresa Bardon’s Spanish class.
Outside the classroom, the Spanish students took part in Homecoming Spirit Week, attended the Homecoming Dance, and practiced with the boys soccer team.
“Having a heritage speaking student in one’s home creates many benefits, including practicing the target language, understanding cultural nuances, and forming lifelong friendships and opportunities for exchange”
-Head of Upper School Rick Tate said.
Freshmen Explore Textual and Archaeological Evidence
In September, freshmen in Katie Swinford’s world history class discussed if there is archaeological evidence to prove Homer’s description of the Trojan War in “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey.” The students read excerpts from Homer’s epics and evaluated artifacts excavated by University of Cincinnati archeologists.
The Golf Program Has a Stellar Season
Middle School Golf
The Middle School boys golf team had a widely successful season, ending with a third place finish at the CMS Championship.
Varisty Girls Golf
Upper School’s varsity girls golf team made history this season, earning the team’s first-ever Miami Valley Conference Championship. A balanced effort from all players led to the Stingers finishing with a team score of 520, beating out Roger Bacon, Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, and Cincinnati Country Day.
Junior Matia Kastner
Junior Matia Kastner placed second at the DIII sectional tournament with a score of 75 and was crowned the district champion with a score of 73.
Kastner earned a spot at the DIII state tournament, where he placed 28th overall.
Cross County Ran Strong into the Post-Season
Junior Campbell Coyne competed at the state cross country meet in November, finishing 21st overall.
Coyne earned her spot at state after finishing seventh at the regional meet. The girls cross country team qualified for regionals and finished eighth overall. For the boys, junior VJ Ross, junior Tyler Wells, and sophomore David Bramlage all qualified individually and had stellar performances.
Boys Soccer Were Regional Runners-up
The boys varsity soccer team went into the post-season with a No. 2 seed, were district champions, and went on to face Summit Country Day in the regional finals earning the title of regional runners-up.
In the first round, the Stingers defeated Finneytown 1-0 with a goal by junior defender Nathan Mingo with less than two minutes remaining. The Stingers went on to beat Country Day 4-1 in the semifinals.
The Stingers beat Dayton Christian and were crowned district champions thanks to an overtime goal by senior Davion Washington. In the regional semifinals, the Stingers took down Troy Christian in penalty kicks and advanced to face Summit Country Day in the finals.
The boys team went 13-5-1 overall this season, with coach Mike Combs earning his 400th career win with the 10-0 win over Norwood in September.
Boys Soccer Were Regional Runners-up
The boys varsity soccer team went into the post-season with a No. 2 seed, were district champions, and went on to face Summit Country Day in the regional finals earning the title of regional runners-up.
In the first round, the Stingers defeated Finneytown 1-0 with a goal by junior defender Nathan Mingo with less than two minutes remaining. The Stingers went on to beat Country Day 4-1 in the semifinals.
The Stingers beat Dayton Christian and were crowned district champions thanks to an overtime goal by senior Davion Washington. In the regional semifinals, the Stingers took down Troy Christian in penalty kicks and advanced to face Summit Country Day in the finals.
The boys team went 13-5-1 overall this season, with coach Mike Combs earning his 400th career win with the 10-0 win over Norwood in September.
Athletes Honored at Spirit Nights
Doherty, Lotspeich, and sixth grade student athletes were honored, cheered on, and high-fived by varsity athletes at the Fall and Winter Spirit Nights during varsity soccer and basketball games.
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Grammy Winner Jon Batiste Visited Seven Hills
In October, Grammy and Oscar winner Jon Batiste, along with Savannah College of Art and Design President Paula Wallace, visited Seven Hills for a discussion about their professional journeys and the various pathways to creative careers.
Batiste surprised student musicians on stage after his Q&A.
Batiste emphasized the significance of remaining true to one’s creative vision and the importance of persistence when faced with challenges.
His message deeply resonated with students, motivating them to chase their passions with dedication and bravery.
One of the day’s standout moments was when Batiste jammed with a few of our student musicians. The students matched his energy, their faces glowing with excitement as they collaborated with such a talented artist.
As the event came to a close, students departed with a renewed sense of purpose and a deeper appreciation for the creative industries. They were inspired not only by Batiste’s musical prowess but also by his humility and generosity in sharing his journey.
It was a day filled with learning, laughter, and music — one that would undoubtedly leave a lasting impression on everyone who attended.
Upper School students asked Batiste questions in a Q&A.
Doherty Unit III Recorded a Radio Play
For several weeks, Doherty Unit III students worked on recording a murder-mystery radio play called “The Tenth Clew,” by Dashiell Hammett.
The story follows two characters who find an excess of clues regarding a recent murder. Instead of making clever deductions like in a Sherlock Holmes-esque fashion, the pair conduct a tedious investigation and must sift through the piles of evidence before them to uncover the motive and the perpetrator.
After recording their lines, students used different objects like a rotary phone, heeled shoes, pens, and more, to create realistic sounds, called Foley, enriching the audience’s experience.
Middle School Performed Two One-Act Plays
In October, the Middle School pulled off the impressive feat of performing two one-act plays: “The Adventures of Rocky & Skye” and “Herby Alice Counts Down to Yesterday.”
Both of the plays featured a cast of Middle School aged characters, which encouraged Middle School drama teacher Jacob Hauser to select them.
“I like having the students tell stories that are relatable and have relevant characters for them,” Hauser said.
“The Adventures of Rocky & Skye” follows a group of friends as they progress from kindergarten into Middle School.
‘“Herby Alice Counts Down to Yesterday’ had some fun technical challenges, the biggest of which was building a rocket out of various abandoned and repurposed materials, which earned a shoutout from Jon Batiste during his talk,” Hauser said.
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