Middletown Youth Symphony to Perform Tuesday April 27

The Middletown Youth Symphony’s spring concert will be held at the Middletown High School and will be free and open to the public. As usual, there will be a short showcase preceding the main concert featuring soloists and small ensembles which will begin at 7:00pm. At 7:30 p.m., the Middletown Youth Symphony will serve up some of the most challenging pieces these young musicians have ever played.

The program is coordinated by co-director, Deborah Dornon and will open with “A Mighty Fortress”, arranged by Vaclav Nelhybel, which will be “a big, massive workout for the orchestra.” Another quite difficult song being performed is called "Scheherazade" by the composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and based on the famous “Arabian Nights.”

“I’m very excited about that." said orchestra co-director Lucy Firlie Ginther "It’s a piece a lot of youth symphonies are afraid of, but we have the personnel to do it,” he said. “We have a really talented and very well-developed bunch of kids.”

Also on the roster is “Poem” by C.T. Griffes, for flute and small orchestra, and Mendelssohn’s “Octet,” which is for eight string players. The show’s finale is a work by Robert Smith called “The Great Locomotive Chase,” which tells a story in music about the theft of a train during the Civil War.

One of this year’s graduating seniors, Alex Lindon of Middletown, who plays first trumpet with the Middletown youth symphony had this to say about the concert. "It’s definitely going to be a good show,” he said, citing “Scheherazade” as a piece he thoroughly enjoys. “It’s mostly strings, but it sounds really cool".

Remember, by attending this free concert you will be supporting the Middletown community and the Middletown Youth Symphony. Hope to see you all there!

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ProgressBook Debuts in Middletown Schools

A new software product that allows educators to record, retrieve and use student information for progress-based education is making its debut in three Middletown schools. ProgressBook will be available in Middletown High School, Vail Middle School, and Verity Middle School.

The program also allows parents and students to review grades, homework assignments, attendance, report card information, student progress, teacher comments and more, opening the door for more communication amongst students, teachers, and parents.

"Communication is the key. Better communication, between home and school, equals a better educational process," said Debbie Houser, the Middletown Schools' Curriculum Coordinator.

Funding for the program came through a federal stimulus grant. According to the Senior Director of Learning, Betsy Carter, the school system was only given enough funding for three schools but hopefully there will be enough for more in the future. "When the grant runs out in two years, the district will have to fund the program through the General Fund. Better communication with our parents is a vital part of our strategic plan, so perhaps in the future we can add the program to the entire district," she said.

Parents at the two middle schools have already been made aware of the program and were sent letters with their username and password information. Middletown High School plans to do the same the week students return from winter vacation.

A training demonstration for parents and students is scheduled for January 12 at 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, and 7:00 PM in the Manchester Building Banquet Room at 4420 Manchester Road. No reservation is required to attend.

Middies to Make Fourth Playoff Appearance

The Ohio School Athletic Association announced, on Sunday, the 32 teams who will be part of the state football championships. The Middletown High School Middies, who are currently 9-1, made the cut. It's their fourth playoff appearance and the first time they've made the playoffs since 1990. On Saturday, November 8th, they'll play Moeller. Tickets will be $9.00 at the gate and $7.00 at participating schools.

The Monroe Hornets also made the cut. They are currently 8-2. This is their eight playoff appearance and in both 2005 and 2007, the team made it to the state semifinals. They will play at Chaminade Julienne on Friday night, November 6th.

Other nearby teams who made the playoffs include Valley View and Carlisle.

Middletown High School Graduation 2009

The 134th graduating class of Middletown High School received their diplomas Monday June 8th, 2009, at Princeton Pike Church of God in Liberty Township. The more than 330 student class gathered for one final meeting before stepping out and taking on the world. The auditorium, packed with friends and family members of the graduates celebrated the achievements this class has accomplished over their four years at Middletown.

Clad in white and purple gowns, the graduates listened and reminisced about their time at MHS with help from the two commencement speakers, graduates Alex Landen and Myka Lipscomb. Landen reveled about the Middies football team and their 42-39 victory against Colerain High School and the basketball teams amazing 19-3 season as well as the accomplishments of the High School band and the drama department with their many plays and musicals.

Lipscomb spoke on the words she heard from her principal, Dennis Newell, and his role on molding the class of '09 into the leaders of today. "Every day he told us to be leaders" Lipscomb said. The more than 330 graduates of Middletown High School are taking many different paths in their lives, but one thing is for sure, this class, who received $1.8 million in scholarships, will certainly have an impact on the world of tomorrow.

Below is a video of Lipscomb's speech, we hope you enjoy it.

Middletown Senior to Play Basketball at Penn State

Middletown High School senior Bill Edwards has signed on to play basketball for Penn State next year. The 6-foot-6 Edwards was the Ohio Senior Player of the Year, averaged seventeen points, and led the conference with nine rebounds and almost five assists this past season. He was also the co-player of the year in the conference, district player of the year, and named first-team All-Ohio in the largest classification of schools.

Edwards narrowed his decision down to Penn State or Miami University but in the end Penn State won out. “It was pretty tough but coming down to it, I think that Miami and Penn State really stood out because Miami was always there throughout the way and so was Penn State...Penn State felt right and I think it will be somewhere for me to pursue my career at," he told Rivals.com.

It's not surprising Edwards is on his way to becoming a basketball great. His father, Bill Edwards, Sr., played college basketball at Wright State, briefly played with the Philadelphia 76ers, and played professional basketball in Europe. His mother, Glenetta Edwards, was a star basketball player at Monroe High School.

Jerry Lucas: The Stuff of Legends

When most people think of legends in the field of athletics, Middletown Ohio probably does not come to mind very quickly. However, the name Jerry Lucas is probably one of the first things people would think of.

Born in Middletown, Ohio, on March 30, 1940, Jerry Lucas played an amazing basketball career spannig 20 years and breking numerous high school, college, and professional records. Middletown Ohio, a community of around 50,000 people, had one of the best high school basketball teams in the country in the 1940's and 1950's that spawned one of the greatest basketball players to ever play the game. Early in his years as a basketball player, Jerry Lucas was already known on the playground by his impressive skills with the ball. At age 15, Lucas was almost at his full grown height of 6'9". By this time he was already developing an impressive shooting accuracy from 30 feet and was training his jumping ability and timing to become a very impressive rebounder.

In 1956 and 1957, Lucas led his hometown Middletown Middies to back-to-back undefeated seasons and Ohio High School State Chamionship titles. WIth his impressive array array of talents, it was no surprise that Lucas broke nearly every existing Ohio high school record during these two seasons. It is because of these talents and records that Lucas arguably the first high school basketball player to be known coast-to-coast, which may not seem all that special today, but this was in a time when there was no internet, t.v. was just a baby, and people's primary electronic enterainment was the radio. More impressivley is that Lucas drew out crowds as large as 10,000 people which shadowed local colleges and even the state's professional basketball team the Cincinnati Royals.

High school was not the end of Lucas' career however. Lucas was offered over 150 athletic scholarships and had his pick of any school he wanted. Most people thought that Lucas would choose to play for Adolph Rupp at the Universuty of Kentucky, but when the recruiting staff for U.K. approached Lucas before the regulated recruitment time, he opted for Ohio State which, at the time, was not well known for basketball greatness. Lucas insisted on an academic scholarship which came easily for him since he was already well known for his intelligence and memory being nearly a straight-A student. An old urban myth goes that Lucas persuaded fellow star high school recruits Bobby Knight and John Havlicek to go with him to Ohio State. Surprising to most, Lucas did not play on the varsity squad his freshman year due to strict NCAA rules that a freshman must wait one year for varsity play.

During his years on Varsity, Lucas led the Buckeyes to three straigh NCAA Finals and an amazing record of 78 wins and 6 losses over three seasons. During his career at Ohio State, Lucas led the nation in shooting accuracy all three years, rebounding for two years, and won a National Championship in 1960. At Ohio State, Lucas was All-American all 3 years, Big Ten Player of the Year all 3 years, and, named above all college and Pro athletes, Sports Illustrated "Sportsman of the Year" in 1961.

In 1960, Lucas was added to the roster of the U.S Olympic Men's Basketball team set to play in the Rome Olympics. The team, whose roster included Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Walt Bellamy, and Terry Dischinger, went on to win all 9 games and the Olympic Gold Medal. Lucas was co-leading scorer and leading rebounder and made an incredible 84% of his shots in the Olympics. U.S. coach Pete Newell named Lucas "the greatest player I have ever coached."

In 1963, Lucas joined the NBA playing for the Cincinnati Royals. Lucas, along with teammate Oscar Robertson, were named First Team All-NBA in 1965, 1966, and 1968 and Lucas won Rookie of the Year and both men had been consecutive All-Star Game MVP's. While also at Cincinnati, Lucas became a 5-time All-Pro and 6-time All-Star player and also averaged 20 points and 20 rebounds per game in a single season and was also the only player in NBA history to pull down 40 rebounds in a single game! His career in the NBA included multiple Finals apperances and Championships as well as numerous All-Star apperances and victories.

Jerry Lucas is widley considered to be the greatest basketball player to ever play the game. In his impressive career he has played at every level of the game. In each level he has broken uncountable records, won numerous championships and is the only basketball player in the history of the game to win a championship in each level of play, i.e. High School, College, Professional, and Olympic basketball. He has had his high school jersey number 13 retired at Middletown High School, his number 11 jersey number retired at Ohio State University(the second in school history), and has been inducted into the National Basketball Association's Hall of Fame. No one can ever match up to the accomplishments on and off the court of Jerry Lucas. He will forever be a legend in the ciy of Middletown, the state of Ohio, the NBA, the Olympics, and the game of basketball as a whole

Middletown Hires New Football Coach

After consulting with the community about what kind of characteristics they want their head coach to have, the survey revealed that "The community clearly wants someone who is a leader not only to the players but in the community. They want a winning team, but they want a team of players who are making sound academic progress and are being prepared for their 'after high school' future."

Jason Krause has been offered the head coaching position for Middletown High School. Principal Dennis Newell states that, "His long-term commitment to youth and deep understanding of football will serve our program well. He has high expectations for all student athletes both academically and athletically."

Jason Krause will also be an intervention specialist at MHS and will work with students who need extra help in core classes. He will also be the coordinator for all sport's weight training programs.

Good luck to Head Coach Jason Krause and the MHS football team!