Mrs. Alice Cooper served as Media Assistant at Wantz and the Miamisburg Middle School for a total of 40 years. Wednesday evening, the staff at MMS honored her with the renaming of the library at Miamisburg Middle School. MMS teacher Dee Dee Oliver spoke of her years with Mrs. Cooper and thanked some of the people who helped make the dedication possible. "I would like to thank everyone for being here tonight to celebrate Alice Cooper. Especially Tom Madigan, Mitch MCElroy, Doug Shade, Steven May, Amy Thompson Tim Fries, Kelly Thomas, Kathy O’Donnel, MMS administration & central office for their countless hours working on the media center dedication for Mrs. Cooper. We had an outpouring of support for monetary donations for the plaque. Mr. Madigan had to turn money away because the goal was reached. Thank you to all who contributed to the plaque. Also, a big thank you to Linda Newland, Lori Flory, Julie Hunter, Myra Downing & Belinda Jovanov for their contributions of the refreshments.

Mrs. Cooper has been an instrumental part of the Wantz & MMS staff over her years of service as the librarian/media specialist. She was very dedicated to every student & staff member that walked through the library doors. She would skip her lunch break and open her doors for the students who needed a safe place. She never turned away a student that needed some peace and quiet. Mrs Cooper would celebrate with pizza and snacks with her library workers at the end of each semester to show her gratitude for their help. She was always eager to help a student find a book, reserve a book or order a book. She ordered the Kingdom Keepers series for my oldest daughter. The joy in her eyes over the years told her story.

Now my personal story: She will hate me for saying this but she was my librarian when I was at Wantz. After I was hired in 1997, we developed a life long friendship. My two daughters had her as their librarian and I’m very thankful for her being a part of my life and their lives.

Congratulations to Mrs. Cooper, an honor well deserved!

The Miamisburg City School District December Student of the Month is Miamisburg Middle School eighth grade student Kandi Carpenter. She was nominated by her team 10 teachers and her counselor Monique Hobbs. They said Miamisburg Middle School is proud to nominate 8th grader, Kandi Carpenter, as our December Student of The Month! Kandi embodies our building PBIS values of Respectful, Responsible, and Safe behavior. Kandi's teachers use the word "amazing" to describe this special young lady. She is personally driven to achieve academically and takes responsibility for doing so. As a dedicated student with a rigorous class schedule, she has maintained straight A's. Additionally, Kandi started attending classes at Sinclair during 6th grade and has maintained a 4.0 in her college level coursework. She says that her daily "To Do" list is what helps her get things done on time. Her excellent work habits and organizational skills enable her to be successful, but her love of learning is what inspires her to achieve and look for the next challenge. At a young age Kandi got hooked on reading and learning and has never stopped. She has developed a particular interest in forensic science.

Although, she is personally responsible for completing and doing well on her assignments, Kandi also says the support of adults in her life has been so important. She is thankful for her family, Miamisburg teachers, professors at Sinclair, and feels that their support and guidance is invaluable to her success.

Kandi is also a role model for others, because she is an enthusiastic learner, shows kindness to everyone, and demonstrates good character. Her classmates and friends recognize that she will stand up for what she believes in, but always in a way that is respectful to all. She is mature beyond her years. Congratulations Kandi!"

Congratulations to all of our December Students of the Month! Other Building Student of the Month representatives can be viewed at right.

The Ohio Department of Education and Disability Rights Ohio have received preliminary approval of a settlement in the class action lawsuit, Doe v. State of Ohio, case number 2:91-cv-00464. The Ohio Department of Education has requested that all Ohio public school districts provide parents with a copy of the Notice of Proposed Class Action Settlement. A copy of the Notice can be found at Notice of Proposed Class Action Settlement. Please direct any questions to the Ohio Department of Education’s Office of Chief Legal Counsel at (614) 752-5807.