Upper School Blast Sep 26, 2025
Key Dates
Monday, Sept. 29 — College Financial Aid Workshop, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 30 — Upper Choral Concert, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 3 — Winter Sports Registration Ends
Monday, Oct. 6 — TSHS Parent LEAD Together Series: Social Skills with Lisa Damour
Thursday, Oct. 9-Friday, Oct. 10 — Fall Break. No Classes
Monday, Oct. 13 — Records Day. No Classes
Wednesday, Oct. 15 — Upper Picture ReTake Day
Wednesday, Oct. 15 —Board of Trustees Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
Photos of the Week
Upper School Sustainability Coordinator Brian Wabler leads a group of student volunteers and Head of School Matt Bolton into a wooden area of the Hillsdale Campus to remove Honeysuckle, an invasive species.
What to Know Now
Dismissal Reminder
For a smoother exit at dismissal, Upper parents should use the thru lane closest to the parking lot curb. The three far-right lanes are reserved for Lotspeich pickup. Entering those lanes can cause delays and extra waiting. Thank you for helping keep dismissal safe and efficient!
Between the Pages Author Visit: Jen Wang — Today, Friday, Sept. 26
We are excited to have young adult author and artist Jen Wang visit on Friday, Sept. 26! Seven Hills Middle and Upper School students will have a chance to hear Ms. Wang speak and have books signed. Books are available for purchase on the day of the event from local bookstore Downbound Books. Students are welcome to charge book purchases to their school account or pay via cash or card. We encourage you to have a conversation with your child ahead of the visit about which books are best for them and whether or not they will be purchasing any.
- “Stargazing” $11
- “The Prince and the Dressmaker” $15
- “In Real Life” $12
- “Ash’s Cabin” $15
- “Lumberjanes Bonus Tracks” $13
College Cost and Financial Aid Workshop — Monday, Sept. 29, 7 p.m., Zoom
Just as students have applications, essays, and deadlines, the college financial aid and scholarship process comes with its own set of requirements. Join us Monday, Sept. 29, at 7 p.m. on Zoom to dive into topics such as sticker vs. net price and value, how colleges calculate financial aid, FAFSA, CSS/Profile, federal aid, institutional aid, loans, deadlines, etc. This presentation is geared towards families of seniors and juniors, but all are welcome. A Zoom link will be posted to all College Counseling Canvas pages. Slides and a meeting recording will be posted to Canvas Pages in the days following the meeting.
Register for Winter Sports
Winter sports registration is officially open! Registration is being handled through FinalForms. Please see the required OHSAA documents for FinalForms. Registration will close on Friday, Oct. 3. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact Erin Wierzba, Brandon Williams, or Mike Combs.
Parent Association News
Stay in the Know
Use this Upper School PC Resources link to stay in the know and see what interesting programs are coming up. This is a live document and updates will be made regularly. All programs were chosen by the broader parent community during the end-of-year survey. We take your preferences seriously!
How Does the School Incorporate the Use of AI?
Join us for a talk to understand the Seven Hills perspective on the responsible use of AI on Oct. 15, 8:15-9:30 a.m. AI is here to stay and our students are navigating how to act responsibly with this ever evolving technology. Please join us at this interactive program discussing how AI is being taught at Seven Hills, as well as the Seven Hills’ AI policy for students, faculty, and staff. RSVP!
What Are You Reading?
Find a book. Share a book. This is an easy way for us to all to engage! Check out Book Buzz Don’t be shy! Email us if you have a book you would like to share. Or send us a joke. We love jokes.
Announcements
First LEAD Together Event — Monday, Oct. 6
Our first LEAD Together event for families and faculty is on Monday, Oct. 6, 5:30-7:30 p.m., in the Lotspeich library. Childcare and pizza dinner will be offered for our Lisa Damour webinar viewing and discussion. Registration is now open. RSVP today! If you’d like to sign up for childcare, RSVP by Oct. 1. The LEAD Together flyer includes all events for our first semester.
Fall Break Movie Night — Wednesday, Oct. 8
Kick off the fall break right! Join the Upper School Black Student Union on Wednesday, Oct. 8 for an awesome movie night with face painting, pumpkin painting. and more on Wednesday, Oct. 8. We will be watching “Soul.” If you haven’t seen it, it is a must see and if you have seen it, it is worth seeing again! Activities will start at 6 p.m. along with pizza, drinks and snacks in The Schiff Center lobby. The movie will begin at 7:15 p.m., but no food or drinks are allowed into the theater so come early and enjoy the fun and community! All proceeds go to charity. Hope to see you there!
Marine Science Trip to Key Largo, Florida for Current Ninth-11th Graders — Informational Meeting Oct. 16
The science department is excited to once again offer a student trip to Marine Lab in Key Largo, Florida this coming June 6-9. Through daytime boat and snorkel excursions and evening class and laboratory work, students will learn about mangrove, seagrass, and coral reef ecosystems. Lessons include water quality testing, invertebrate diversity studies, microplastics analysis, and so much more. In conjunction with Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, students will also participate in coral restoration by preparing live coral for Motes’ nursery program!
An important informational meeting for parents will be held via Zoom at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 16. During the meeting, we’ll provide additional information about the trip including per-student cost which, depending on the number of trip participants, will be between $1,500 and $2,500. Financial aid is available for this trip; cost should not prohibit any interested student from attending.
Important to Know Regarding May Terms
Students going to Marine Lab will engage in pre-trip lessons and activities for two days during our May Term Intensives week. These activities will occur May 20 and 21. Trip participants will be off of school for the remaining days of May Term (Friday, May 22, Tuesday, May 26, and Wednesday, May 27). Students attending the school’s world languages trips during May Term may request a spot on the Marine Lab trip but priority placement will be given to those who participate in the pretrip work on May 20 and May 21 (We are able to accommodate between 12 and 18 students on the trip.)
Registration for Informational Zoom
Please use this form to register for the informational Zoom meeting and to access the Zoom link. Please direct any questions that require a more immediate answer to Karen Glum. We look forward to speaking with you and sharing this amazing experience with your child!
Save the Dates — Upcoming Dates by Grade Level
Ninth Grade
Fall Day of Service and Fun — Wednesday, Oct. 22
In advisory on Oct. 8, students will learn about the organizations they will serve and be given waivers to be signed by parents. Please sign and return waivers to your child’s adviser by Wednesday, Oct. 15. On Oct. 22, service in the morning will be followed by a pizza lunch (provided at no cost) and fun activities on campus in the afternoon. Following the day of service, students will get an Introduction to Upper’s Community Service graduation requirements, tracking application (MobileServe), and other resources.
Zoo Trip — Friday, Oct. 31
On the morning of Oct. 31, the ninth grade will attend a field trip to the zoo organized by their biology teachers. After lunch, students will be back on campus for Halloween activities. Stay tuned for more details!
Looking Ahead: Spring Day of Service Learning — Friday, March 6
Students will be off campus the whole day for a service-learning experience in collaboration with the Linden Grove School and the Ozanam Center. Please avoid scheduling appointments on this day as late drop offs and early pick ups will not be possible. Parent chaperones are needed on March 6 from 8:10 a.m.-3:05 p.m.. Please contact Karen Glum with questions or to sign up. Thank you!
10th Grade
PSAT Day — Wednesday, Oct. 22
Sophomores take the PSAT on Wednesday, Oct. 22. More information to follow.
Service Learning — Friday, Oct. 31 (followed by Halloween festivities)
Last spring the ninth grade participated in a Poverty Simulation Workshop at the Ozanam Center. To follow up on that work, the Poverty Liberation Collective will be on campus with the 10th grade on the morning of Oct. 31. The Poverty Liberation Collective consists of individuals who can speak about experiencing poverty from the “I” perspective. The morning will consist of a panel discussion followed by breakout sessions that explore poverty myths and realities, and the right of everyone to have both “bread and roses” (meet basic needs and experience joy).
11th Grade
PSAT Day — Wednesday, Oct. 22
Juniors take the PSAT on Wednesday, Oct. 22. More information to follow.
Holocaust Exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center — Friday, Oct. 31 (followed by Halloween festivities on campus)
The 11th grade will be off campus the morning of Friday, Oct. 31 to experience the exhibit “Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.” at the Cincinnati Museum Center. Visit the museum’s website for more information about the exhibit.
12th Grade
Senior College Application Work Day — Wednesday, Oct. 22
Due to the PSAT, seniors are not required to report to school on Wednesday, Oct. 22, but we hope they will use this extra time to work on college applications. The Commons will be open during the school day and reserved for seniors who would like a quiet place to work. The college counselors will be available in the Commons to work with seniors throughout the day. We are excited to offer this time to seniors as they complete their applications before the Nov. 1 deadline!
College Counseling Application Support — Friday, Oct. 31 (followed by Halloween festivities)
All seniors are required to be in school and will spend the morning working with the college counselors on submitting fall college applications and making the transition to working on applications that are due in December and January. More information to come.