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Four members of the Madeira High School (MHS) Class of 2025 have been named National Merit Commended Students in the annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Nathan Gemmel, Nina Gravlee, Nora Katz, and Sasha Pinyayev are among approximately 34,000 Commended Students nationwide who are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2025 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 scorers of students who entered the competition by taking the 2023 Preliminary SAT (PSAT). The National Merit® Scholarship Program (NMSC), is an academic competition that began in 1955. High school students enter by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test which serves as an initial screen of approximately 1.6 million entrants each year. The minimum score to be considered for National Merit honors for the class of 2025 is 208. This is the highest cutoff in 4 years.

MHS Class of 2025 National Merit Scholarship Commended Students (pictured left to right): Nathan Gemmel, Sasha Pinyayev, Nora Katz, and Nina Gravlee.

 At the end of September, all Madeira Schools, together with the Madeira Police Department, worked together to build a more connected and inclusive community to help end social isolation. They participated in Start With Hello.

Start With Hello is a prevention program that addresses the fact that in every school and community, there are young people who suffer silently because they feel left out, alone, or invisible – which in turn can lead to bullying, violence, or depression. Started by the national nonprofit organization Sandy Hook Promise, the program’s goal is to prevent violence in schools by teaching students to ban social isolation.

Madeira first participated in Start With Hello during the 2018-2019 school year when Madeira Elementary School staff and City of Madeira employees united to help ensure the district’s youngest students started the new school year being seen and accepted with fun and impactful activities. Madeira Middle School joined the program in the spring of 2024 with the school’s Sources of Strength Peer Leaders working to help all students feel included. Students saw and heard positive messages in school and parents were asked to continue the conversations at home.  Madeira High School (MHS) was added this fall making it the first time the district held a joint effort among all three buildings and the police department. At MHS Sources of Strength members partnered with Student Government to host activities that helped promote that every Mustang and Amazon matters.

The Start With Hello program teaches students three simple steps: 1. See Someone Alone, 2. Reach Out and Help, and 3. Start With Hello. Parents are encouraged to have conversations at home with their child(ren) regarding the power of saying "Hello" and how that simple word can build connection, community, and empathy among classmates. Students are also asked to identify a trusted adult in their school that they would be able to share concerns with if they see something.

The Madeira Amazons golf team achieved a remarkable milestone at the OHSAA Division II District Championships at PipeStone Golf Club in  Miamisburg, OH, finishing second with a team score of 356. This impressive performance not only secured their place in the state tournament but also marked a historic moment for the program as they became the first girls' golf team in Madeira's history to qualify for the OHSAA Division II State Tournament.

The Amazons were led by freshman, Ellie Hartung (80), who showcased her skill with a solid 1-over par on the back nine, and junior, Grace Kellett (84), who delivered an impressive front nine score of 38, contributing significantly to the team’s overall score. The talented roster, coached by Catie Kauffman, also included Anica Rane (91), Maggie Meyer (101), and Brinkley Graves (127).

“I've been incredibly impressed by this team’s effort and determination,” said Chris O'Brien, Madeira Athletic Director. “This achievement is a testament to their hard work throughout the season and their commitment to excellence.”

The state tournament is set to take place on October 13-14 at the prestigious Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. The Amazons will look to build on their successful season and make a strong showing against some of the best teams in the state.

As they prepare for this significant competition, the Madeira community rallies behind the team, celebrating their historic accomplishment and looking forward to their performance at the state level.

For updates on the Amazons’ journey to the state tournament, stay tuned to Madeira Athletics and social media. Go Amazons!

Madeira City School District’s Community Coffees with the Superintendent are held each fall and spring to give residents a chance to hear updates and stay connected with the schools. A group of Madeira residents gathered in Madeira High School‘s (MHS) Perin Learning Commons on September 18 for the first coffee of the 2024-2025 school year.

District Superintendent Kenji Matsudo introduced Assistant Superintendent Dave Bergan spoke to the group about the recently released state report card. He commented that out of 607 school districts rated this year in Ohio, Madeira was one of only 18 in the state to receive the 5-Star rating and one of only two districts in SW Ohio to receive a consistent five stars across all components. He also talked about the renovated MHS gym locker rooms, training room, and future new bleachers and gym floor.

Superintendent Matsudo then talked about the Made in Madeira Scholarship that gives each graduate who attends a college, university, career training program, or enters the military receives a monetary scholarship. After a video of former graduates talking about their experiences at Madeira, he spoke to the attendees about the sense of community our alumni take with them. Before answering questions, Mr. Matsudo spoke briefly about the new Quality Profile, then invited them to the November Senior Citizens Day of the fall play in November.

“It’s so important to keep in touch with the people here who blazed the trails we walk, and who built the strong foundation our schools are built on,” Mr. Matsudo said.” It’s great to catch up with the Madeira residents who used to be involved in our schools, and share the good things that are happening here now.” Among the community members in attendance were former Madeira staff members, parents & grandparents of Madeira students - some who attended Madeira Schools themselves.

The spring coffee will be held April 2, 2025. Any Madeira senior citizen who would like to be added to the mailing list for future coffees, or other district senior citizen events are asked to contact Diane Nichols at dnichols@madeiracityschools.org or 513.924.3707.

Pictured: Gary Schneider, Gerri Schneider, Don Bedwell, Elaine Bedwell, Pam Leonardt, Pat Gentile, Jacque Gentile, Larry Lewis, Margee Lewis, Beth Steur, Vicki Penley-Kelly, Mike Steur, Jim Decatur, Suzanne Schottner, Carolyn Edington, Charlie Schottner, Dave Bergan, and Rich Bartone.

The Madeira City School District has released its twelfth annual Quality Profile (QP), a compilation of accomplishments from the 2023-2024 school year in areas most important to the Madeira community.

Madeira began producing the yearly QP in 2012 along with Forest Hills, Indian Hill, Loveland, Mariemont, Mason, Milford, Oak Hills, Sycamore, and Wyoming school districts. Participating schools surveyed their residents to determine additional factors they valued in their child’s education in areas not represented on the state’s report card. The Quality Profile was initiated to highlight those areas from the previous school year. Today, over a decade after its inception, approximately 50 school districts throughout Ohio produce this assessment of their district’s performance to supplement the state’s report card.

The Quality Profile spotlights just some of the many student, staff, and community member accomplishments during the 2023-2024 school year in Academics, Arts, Student Leadership & Activities, Fiscal Stewardship, Parent & Community Involvement, Athletics, Student Services, and Staff & District Recognitions.

Some of the highlights included in this year’s report are Murals With a Mission - a powerful student-led design and art project, six Madeira teams winning the State of Ohio Personal Finance Challenge, the 2024 I Make a Difference Award recipients, and middle school students learning responsible online citizenship and safe and responsible use of technology through a partnership with the Madeira Police Department.

All twelve Quality Profiles can be found at The Rest of the Story. Postcards were mailed to all Madeira residents with a QR code to access the QP. Residents can leave their address with Diane Nichols at dnichols@madeiracityschools.org or 513.924.3707 to have a paper copy sent to their home.