04.12 Hornet Headlines |

The rich diversity and cultural representation of Licking Heights are characteristics that truly set us apart from other school districts. Each year, it is an absolute pleasure to celebrate the cultures of our students and their families at our districtwide community Culture Fair.

I invite you, your friends, and your students to join us for this FREE event on Saturday, May 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Licking Heights Middle School. The event is open to all students, families, and residents of our district. All children are welcome, but please note they must be accompanied by an adult to enter.

This year’s event highlights include:

• Family friendly activities, which include a photo booth, face painting, henna art, sidewalk chalk, inflatable slides, and a bounce house.
• Live performances from high school students in the Cultural Identity Club. The Columbus Crossing Borders traveling art gallery and video project will be there, too.
• Delicious food available for purchase from local food trucks
• Opportunities to connect with different social, educational, health, and wellness community organizations. Families can speak with representations from organizations and receive free swag.

The event will take place at Licking Heights Middle School, 4000 Mink St., Pataskala, OH 43062. Do not miss this opportunity to experience and celebrate the culture and diversity among our students!

Sincerely,

Dr. Kevin S. Miller, Superintendent

Interested in seeing what it is like to drive a school bus? Join the Transportation Department from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. TOMORROW, Saturday, April 13 at the middle school for our FREE Come Drive a Bus Day event! You can test-drive a school bus and meet directly with department leaders about available positions and the training process. Participants must be 21 years old or older, be a licensed driver, and have proof of insurance. Free snacks provided!

Our school calendar for the 2024-25 school year is now live on the district website. Please note that this year's calendar has two major changes from last year:

• In October, you will see the addition of a "Fall Break" for families from Oct. 14 to Oct. 18, 2024. For our teachers, it will include 2 days of professional development on October 14 and 15.

• The last day of school this year will be May 30, 2025, following Memorial Day weekend (students will not have school on Memorial Day, May 26, 2025). Graduation will be Saturday, May 31, 2025.

See the edited simplified 2024-25 calendar below. The version sent last week had the incorrect first day listed for preschool. The correct date is Monday, August 19, 2024. We apologize for the confusion.

All buildings grades K-12 are collecting gently used solar eclipse glasses from Thursday, April 12 to Tuesday, April 16. Donated glasses will go to the Columbus Metropolitan Library, which will send the glasses to schools in Latin America so students can safely view the next total eclipse happening in their region.

Glasses can be turned in to homeroom teachers. Thank you for your participation. If you have any questions, please contact Anna L. Davies at anna.davies@lhschools.org.

If your child is 5 years old by September 30 and lives in the Licking Heights Local School District, they are eligible to enroll in kindergarten for the 2024-2025 school year. Click the button below to begin the preregistration process. Kindergarten screening will begin next week on Thursday, April 18, 2024. Additional available screening dates include:

• Friday, April 19
• Monday, April 22

Please note that the preregistration MUST be completed before a student can sign up for a kindergarten screening appointment.

The nationally acclaimed Camp Invention® program comes to Licking Heights June 24 through June 28 with an inspiring new experience: Illuminate! Camp Invention is open to all district students currently in grades 1-4. Camp Invention will take place at West Elementary School.

Learn more about Camp Invention by clicking the button below. Over 100 scholarships to cover most of camp registration fees are available on a first-come, first-served basis for Licking Heights families. Reach out to Amy Mohler for details at amohler@lhschools.org regarding scholarships and stay tuned for an official announcement next week.

Licking Heights is pleased to offer transportation to this one-day FREE event on June 11. Sign up now to secure your spot!

Any student interested in trying out for cheering should pick up an informational flyer from the front office of their building (Central, middle school, high school). Clinics will be April 17 and April 18 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the High School Main Gym and tryouts will be Saturday, April 20 in the High School Main Gym.

Click the button below for more information.

Is your teen graduating soon? If they’re unsure about their next step, join a live, free webinar to learn about the education students can access at Ohio Technical Centers like C-TEC of Licking County to prepare for in-demand 21st century jobs. The webinar is April 23 at 6:30 p.m. Register by clicking the button below.

Please join us on Tuesday, April 30th at 6:30 PM in the Licking Heights HS Auditorium to learn more about all of the trips being offered to Licking Heights students during the spring & summer of 2026, including our first-ever trip to the continent of Africa.

You'll learn about:

• The Licking Heights travel program and its travel partner EF
• The importance of seeing the world and the incredible growth it leads to
• Safety and support on-tour
• How to earn academic credit
• Flexible payment options, how to sign up (space is limited!) and EF's Risk-Free Enrollment period

Click the button below to register for the info session.

Our employee of the month for April is Sharon Darnell (left). She has been a transportation assistant for nine years. Sharon does a great job and the students love her!

Congratulations to the team in the Central Intermediate kitchen for winning Kitchen of the Quarter. They have done an excellent job this year with communication and timely paperwork, and are great at making the appropriate meal accommodations for students with allergies.

Absolutely no students, staff, or community members should enter the construction sites for the Transportation Center, Athletic Complex, and new Elementary School. These are active construction sites, and for the safety of our students, staff, and community, only the construction professionals working with the district may enter. Any unauthorized individual who enters a construction site will be subject to prosecution for criminal trespass under R.C. 2911.21. Thank you.

Join the Licking Heights Hornets on August 4, 2024, for our inaugural celebration of the new Licking Heights Hornets Stadium. We are raising funds to support the Licking Heights Music, PTO, and Sports programs. The 5K race event will start at 8 a.m., followed by the 1-mile Family Fun Run at 8:15 a.m.

The run will be around the flat, paved, and scenic Licking Heights campus, starting and ending on the brand-new Athletic Complex. We will post a course map as soon as everything has been finalized. All running will receive a high-quality race shirt with the Licking Heights Hornets 5K logo, a bib number, and a finisher medal.

Click the button below to register today.

Leave the cooking to Marco's Pizza and enjoy takeout from the Reynoldsburg location (8072 E Broad St) this month. Proceeds will support schools on the following dates:

• April 16 - North Elementary
• April 17 - Central Intermediate

Mrs. Jones' 1st grade class read books and colored a map that showed the path of totality. The class also watched a video together, and made special hats and crafts to celebrate.

Mrs. Sommerkamp's 4th grade class did an “eclipse in a cup” project, where students mimicked what happens during a solar eclipse using clay, cups, and tennis balls.

Mrs. Bernotas and Mrs. Willet taught students how animals can be affected by a total eclipse. Students then wrote their predictions of how animals would react and shared with their classmates.

Members of Central Intermediate’s Spanish Club, which includes fifth and sixth grade students whose first language is Spanish, decorated the classroom door with eclipse artwork. Mrs. Shaw and her students watched videos in both English and Spanish explaining the concept of a solar eclipse as inspiration.

Mrs. McGraner’s ELL classes created an informational website where they investigated what causes a solar eclipse, how it impacts Earth and its inhabitants, and how to explain the phenomena. Students presented research in class and connected with a retired professor from Denison University to ask questions.

Mr. Williams and his class worked with the District Office to share essential eclipse viewing information and safety facts with Licking Heights families. The class also made a presentation with 20 different eclipse facts to share on social media. They printed the slides as individual posters and hung them around schools in public areas.

Film Columbus is hosting its 8th annual Teen Screenwriting Workshop and Competition beginning Saturday, April 13. This partnership between Film Columbus and the Columbus College of Art & Design (CCAD) helps foster the creative talents of central Ohio students in scriptwriting and filmmaking. Additionally, after the students have attended two of these workshops, they are encouraged to submit a short screenplay and a select few students’ screenplays will be made into short films by CCAD students.

The workshop is free for Central Ohio teens aged 13-18, providing a unique platform for young creatives to explore and develop their scriptwriting abilities.

Participants must attend two workshops, each with two possible dates to accommodate busy schedules:

• Workshop One: Saturday, April 13 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. or Saturday, April 20 from 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Workshop Two: Saturday, April 27 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. or Saturday, May 4 from 1 p.m.-4 p.m.

Register now by clicking the button below.

The LHYSL is preparing for the 2024 Fall Tackle Football & Cheer Season. Registration will open on May 12th for incoming 1st through 6th grade boys and girls of Hornet Nation. Information for both programs can be found on our website by clicking the button below. Please remember to follow us on Facebook @LHYSLHornets for registration updates and general LHYSL news and activities. GO HORNETS!

• April 13 - Come Drive a Bus Day with Licking Heights Transportation
• April 16 - Regular Board of Education Meeting
• April 18 - High School OMEA Preview Concert
• Click here to buy spirit wear from our official Hornets shop
  
• Click here to see the latest fliers on Peachjar

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