Dixie Dialog

Have you checked out our new webpage?

Dixie Height’s webpage

March 17, 2010

Mark your Calendar

At Dixie Heights, we have the courage to question traditional wisdom, the passion to break new ground, the imagination to pursue quality, and the resolve to champion our community. Our students will achieve greatness with a limitless future. Dixie has the faculty and staff to bring education to life. ---Thoughts of Principal Kim Banta

Spotlight on

School Based Decision Making Council

Elections for 2010-2011

The Dixie Colonel Club will be holding the School Based Decision Making Council Election on Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. in the library. If you are interested in serving on this Council, please fill out a Parent Nomination Form that can be found in the principal’s office and return it, along with a letter of intent and resume to:

Dixie Heights High School

3010 Dixie Highway

Edgewood, KY 41017

Attention: Robin Clark, Susan Cook, Colonel Club

Or it can be dropped off at the school between the hours of 7:50 a.m. and 2:40 p.m. All nomination forms and letters of intent must be received no later than March 26, 2009.

Bobbie Brock

Dixie Heights High School

Administrative Secretary

CONGRATULATIONS!! GREAT JOB!!

Dana Shanley finished fifth in the State Governor’s Cup Competition for Written Composition. If you see her today, please congratulate her. She represented our school very well.

Molly Nimmo has been awarded the American Business Women’s Association, Dixie Gateway Chapter, $1500 renewable scholarship, Please congratulate her!

Dixie’s Chamber Choir and Treble (women’s) Choir participated in the District Choral Adjudication Festival.

Both Dixie choirs received overall Distinguished Ratings—and the judges were rather rough this year.

Both choirs scored a Distinguished on sightsinging—probably the greatest triumph of the day!

Our scores were as follows: (be aware that in music the scores are reversed from the portfolio scores as I is Distinguished and IV is Novice).

Treble- II+, I-, II, and I in Sightsinging

Chamber- II, I, I, and I in Sightsinging

KyAEA All State Regional results

Regional Kentucky Art Educators Association.

Let me first say how truly proud I am. This group of students has truly blown me away.

We have 8 pieces of art advancing to the state competition. The most we have ever had in the past 18 years.

There is an awards ceremony Friday night at the Durr Library.

There is a list of winners that will advance to the state competition. We host the State level competition here at Dixie. The judging for state will happen sometime before Spring Break and the awards Ceremony will be held on April 25th from 1-3.

Congratulations to everyone- and I hope to see you Friday night and again April 25th at the state art show!!

Painting

*Lauren Hayes : Dixie High School – “Vanitas”

*Marlie Rife : Dixie High School – “Self Portrait”

Marlie Rife : Dixie High School – “Vanitas”

Honorable Mention

Lauren Hayes : Dixie High School – “Self Portrait”

Printmaking

*Chelsea Vaal : Dixie High School – “Self Portrait”

Sha Li : Dixie High School –“Silent Butterfly”

Photography(ALL)

*Miranda Brewer : Dixie High School – “Feet”

Honorable Mention

Marlie Rife : Dixie High School – “Self Portrait”

Digital Photography

*Kyle O’Brian : Dixie High School

Kelsey Vaal : Dixie High School

Graphic Design

*Jacob Ball : Scott High School + Best of Show 2D

*Kyle O’Brian : Dixie High School – “Built Tough”

Fashion Design – Judges only awarded honorable mention in this category

Honorable Mention

Caitlyn Powell: Dixie Heights High School

Cultural Heritage and Diversity

*Jennifer Smith: Dixie Heights High School

Video:

*Kyle O’Brien – Dixie High School

List of students going on to State

Lauren Hayes – Dixie High School “Vanitas”

Marlie Rife: Dixie High School “Self Portrait”

Chelsea Vaal- Dixie High School “Self Portrait”

Miranda Brewer – Dixie High School “Feet”

Kyle O’Brien – Dixie High School

Kyle O’Brien – Dixie High School “Built Tough”

Kyle O’Brien – Dixie High School “Video”

Jennifer Smith – Dixie High School

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Printable Calendar with all events.

Mar. 18SBDM 4:00 pm

Apr. 7Parent/Teacher Conference 5-7

Apr. 8SBDM 4:00 pm

Apr. 9NO SCHOOL PD Day

Apr. 12-16Spring Break

Apr. 19CATS is coming!!!!!

Apr. 22-23Nunsense Drama dept. 6:30 pm

Apr. 30Prom & Project Prom

* Denotes a change

STUDENT INVOLVEMENT

Cantus

This link is of the men’s a cappella group called Cantus (kahn-toos) that will be coming to Dixie on Monday, March 22nd @ 1pm. Tickets are for sale during lunch for $6 to VPAM, Band and Choir students. After March 12, the tickets will be on sale for any Dixie student.

The lead singer of this ensemble is from Erlanger KY and graduated from Lloyd High School. This group is completely professional and are the premier and top male ensemble in the United States performing pop and classical literature.

This is BIG!!!

Prom: Friday, April 30, from 8 pm until midnight, at Receptions in Erlanger. Ticket sales begin next week. Below is the schedule for pricing. Please share this information with the students. Tickets will be on sale in the cafeteria during lunch on the mentioned days. Mrs. Banta will be in charge of ticket sales.

Thursday, March 25 $30 each

Tuesday, March 30-Thurs, April 1 $35 each

Tuesday, April 6-Thurs, April 8 $40 each

Tuesday, April 20-Thurs, April 22 $45 each

Tickets will NOT be on sale the week before the prom. Final count is due to Receptions on Friday, April 23, so NO tickets will be sold after April 22.

FAMILY & FRIENDS….WE NEED YOU!!

Parents Please be advised that we are having a rash of stolen phones and iPods. Students literally set the item down turn away and it is gone. Please, please encourage your student to keep the phones away or at home. We simply cannot search everyone to find them. Thank you for your help. An announcement was also made at school to alert the students.

The Dixie Football team is now selling LaRosa's Buddy Cards for $10.00and The Worlds Finest Chocolate or Hershey Bars for $1.00 each. The fundraiser will run till March 20th and they should see any Football player to purchase.

Spring Craft Show

We are currently seeking crafters & vendors for our spring craft show – May 8 at Dixie High School from 9am -2pm. Booth Space $50, all proceeds benefit Marching Band. For information see the web page or call Cindy Benken 859-341-9311 – THANKS!!!

Cindy Benken

PROJECT PROM 2010

Friday, April 30, 2010

12:30 am – 5:00 am

Yes! I want to support the Dixie Heights High School Project Prom!

Enclosed is my contribution of $______

Yes! I will donate a prize for Project Prom

Yes! I will serve as a chaperone for Project Prom

Name______

Phone______

Please make checks payable to DHHS Project Prom and return to the Dixie front office marked “Project Prom” (Donations are tax-deductible)

Thank you for your support.

Dixie Spirit Wrap…………..$40

GET YOUR DIXIE SPIRIT WRAP TODAY BY EMAILING:

Mrs. Catchen –

FAMILY OPPORTUNITIES & HELPS

HOGGY’S

Dixie Heights is proud to announce our new business partnership with Hoggy’s Restaurant in the Crestview Hills Town Center. We are in the process of developing a variety of ideas that will help us to develop this partnership to its fullest extent. Hoggy’s is offering a special incentive to our seniors for their graduation parties. (See attached flier) Give Robert Fischer a call today at Hoggy’s for more details. Thank you to Hoggy’s and we look forward to working with them.

Save 20% on Hoggy's Graduation Catering

Graduation Party Early Booking Discount

Book your Graduation Party early and receive 20% off your final total.

Contact Robert Fischer at (859)331-3538 with any questions or to book your party.

Or Email him at

**Cannot be combined with any other discounts or special pricing**

Offer Expires: April 1st 2010-Graduation party must be BOOKED by this date.

**No Coupon Necessary

Exercise: Miracle Gro for the Brain

Last night I attended a lecture by John Ratey, Harvard psychiatrist, researcher and author of Spark: the Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain.I wish every parent, teacher, principal, school board member, superintendent and legislator in the state could hear what he has to say.A few highlights:

  • Humans can make new brain cells and nothing encourages this growth like exercise. All exercise benefits the brain but aerobic exercise is the most effective. Aerobic dance is the “queen of brain enhancement” because it requires the body and mind to work together.
  • Exercise thickens cerebral cortex, increases the number of cells responsible for memory and increases BDNF (Brain Derived Nuerotropic Factor: known as Miracle Gro for the brain).
  • The more recess children have, the better behaved and more attentive they are.
  • Exercise inhibits impulsivity. Exercise is like taking a little Prozac and a little Adderall. It increases serotonin, norepinepherine and dopamine.
  • Play is important for brain development. Children learn to control emotions in play.
  • When kids have fixed playground equipment, they’re less active. When they have portable equipment—balls, discs, trikes—they’re more active.
  • Some schools are offering “time in” instead of “ time out” for bad behavior. Unruly children are given the choice of Dance Dance Revolution or a treadmill to work off their frustrations.
  • The more fitness standards children meet, the better they do in math and language arts (California study). This is true regardless of gender, race and income.
  • In Napierville Illinois schools, students get 45 minutes of exercise a day, competing against themselves to improve fitness standards. They scored #1 in science and #6 in math on international test. Only 3% of their students are overweight compared to 33% nationally.
  • Standing improves brain function by 10%. Standing desks and standing meetings are becoming popular.
  • Tread-desks set a walking pace of 1.5 miles an hour (iPlod!) You don’t sweat but you think better and burn calories.Google University has tread-board rooms: treadmills around a big board table. If you can’t get a tread desk, consider sitting on a balance ball part of the day.
  • The same part of the brain responsible for high order thinking is responsible for our ability to move.
  • When we were hunters and gatherers we moved 8-14 miles a day.
  • Institute of Medicine has a new diagnosis: sedetarianism. Linked to 10 major causes of death.
  • American adults spend 9 ½ hours / day in front of screens.
  • Obese 77 year olds have 8% less brain mass than 77 year olds of normal weight.
  • We need health reform, not just health care reform.

Every step we can take to increase physical activity for ourselves, our children and communities is important.

Anita Courtney, M.S., R.D.

The Partnership for a Fit KY

Public Health Consultant

GUIDANCE FROM GUIDANCE

Scholarship Information click here & click here

AP Online Exam Review

The Kentucky Virtual High School (KVHS) is pleased to provide an online exam review for students preparing for the College Board’s Advanced Placement examinations again this year free of charge to students attending school in Kentucky.

AP Exam Reviews include released AP examinations and support materials licensed from the College Board. Some distinguishing characteristics of the reviews are:

  • A review of actual “student” essays taken from past AP Exams accompanied with detailed advice and instruction to facilitate student comprehension of the material. The AP Exam Reviews break these essays down step by step to demonstrate and distinguish the differences between essays that satisfy the prompt and essays that do not.
  • Analyses of multiple choice questions from past AP Exams with specific guidance to help students better understand why an answer is correct and why the other answers are incorrect.
  • Students complete practice multiple choice exams in a simulated, test environment.
  • Access to support materials from College Board and from FLVS AP instructors to prepare students for the testing environment including testing tips, review of testing terminology and web site references.

The following ten AP Exam Reviews are available to your students:

  • Biology
  • Calculus AB
  • European History
  • Literature and Composition
  • Language and Composition
  • Macroeconomics
  • Spanish Language
  • U.S. History

Students need to contact their AP Teacher if interested for instructions.

Spring College Fair

Juniors: Thinking about starting your college search? Attend the Spring College Fair to be held at Xavier University’s Cintas Center on April 25 from 1-3 pm. More than 150 universities will have representatives there to provide information.

Gateway hosting: Open House & Career Pathways Expo on April 1 from 5:30-7:30 pm at its Boone County campus. Explore careers in manufacturing, allied health, criminal justice, energy, massage therapy and others offered at Gateway. Meet reps from local businesses and learn about financial aid and other gateway services. See posters hanging outside the Guidance Office for more details.

Balanced List of Colleges

With thousands of colleges and universities across the U.S., there are great options for students besides the schools often touted in the rankings. During this webinarsponsored by Kaplan Test Prep, a former Director of Admissions from Stanford University will teach families to research and identify colleges and create a balanced list of good fit schools. Parents and students are invited to attend this webinarand learn how to “read between the headlines” to effectively evaluate potential schools based on students’ interests and priorities.The two dates for the webinar are:

Sun., March 21, 2010

4:00 PM EST (or 3:00 PM CST)

Register now!

Tue., March 23, 2010

8:30 PM EST (or 7:30 PM CST)

Register now!

Meet the presenter:

Jon Reider is currently the director of college counseling at San Francisco University High School, an independent 9-12 high school. Before that, he served as an admissions officer at Stanford University for 15 years, rising to the post of Senior Associate Director of Admission. He has two degrees in history, including a Ph.D. from Stanford, and taught there for twenty-five years, for which he won a university-wide teaching award.

Jon’s expert advice is featured in the ApplyWise program. He is a nationally known speaker and essayist in the admissions profession and is widely cited in the media. Jon is a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling and has served as the chair of its committee on Current Trends and Future Issues.

Beyond the Rankings: Creating Your Balanced List of Colleges

Visit to register!

In addition to this exciting new seminar, we are also offering a free ACT Practice Test at our Kaplan center here in Cincinnati. Students can take a free ACT or SAT Practice Test on any Wednesday. Our hours are 3-9.

If you have any questions, call Becky Ostendorf at Kaplan at 513 731-8378.

Federal student aid programs may help pay college costs

The federal government sponsors numerous financial aid programs that may help students and their parents pay for college expenses. Below are brief summaries of the more common federal grant and loan programs. Grants do not have to be repaid, but loans do.

  • Academic Competitiveness Grant: These grants provide up to $750 for college freshmen and $1,300 for college sophomores. Sophomores must have at least a 3.0 GPA to qualify.
  • Federal Pell Grant: Pell Grants provide up to $5,350 for undergraduates.
  • Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant: These grants provide up to $4,000 per year for undergraduate students who have exceptional financial need.
  • SMART Grant: These grants are available to college juniors and seniors in certain areas of science, math and foreign language. SMART grants provide up to $4,000 a year.
  • Federal Perkins Loan. These loans are for students with exceptional financial need. Undergraduates may qualify for up to $4,000 per year, while qualifying graduate students are eligible for up to $6,000 per year.
  • Federal Stafford Loan. Stafford Loans are available to undergraduate and graduate students. The amount students may borrow depends on their year in school.
  • Federal PLUS Loan. Parents of dependent undergraduate students may qualify for PLUS Loans, depending on the parents’ credit ratings. The loan amount depends on how much other financial aid the student receives. Graduate students may receive PLUS Loans after all of their Stafford Loan eligibilityis exhausted.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is used to apply for all of these programs. Parents or students seeking a PLUS Loan must also submit a separate application. The priority deadline in Kentucky for filing the FAFSA is March 15. You can access it online at

Students interested in Stafford and PLUS Loans and parents interested in PLUS Loans should be smart consumers. Lenders may charge different fees and have different repayment incentives. Picking the right lender may save students and parents thousands of dollars in fees and interest payments.

To learn how to plan and prepare for higher education, visit For more information about Kentucky scholarships and grants, visit write KHEAA, P.O. Box 798, Frankfort, KY 40602-0798; or call (800) 928-8926, ext. 6-7372.

College Scholarships: Show Me The Money!

College workshop at Dixie, Tuesday March 30th starting at 7:00 pm

and running until 8:30 at the latest in the Auditorium.

Below is abrief description for this College Workshop

Learn where to findthe money!College Expert Dan Bisig from College and Beyond will showfamilieswhere to find College Scholarships that every student can apply for and share some of the most unusual that exist.Take away the mystery surrounding scholarships. You will leave this workshop with a number of FREE resources and a Game Plan on how to jump-start or supercharge your current scholarship search.STUDENTS are encouraged to attend with their parents!Visit