Category: article
Local girl discovers ASL ice-bucket challenge, one year late
(This is just a work of satire, like The Onion)
A local Reynoldsburg girl named Rose Cinnamon excitedly shared with her Facebook friends a video of her dumping a bucket of ice all over herself.
“I’m super stoked to be the first one of all my friends to be part of the SLA ice-bucket charity challenge to raise awareness of disease,” she said to her cell-phone camera as she shakily held the heavy ice bucket over her head.
As soon as she dumped the freezing water over her 112 lb body, she let out a blood-curdling scream and her white t-shirt from Justice immediately became transparent.
None of her “friends” had the heart to tell her that she butchered the name of the charity that she was supposedly helping.
At the end of the 3:33 min video, Cinnamon challenged her “BFFs” Carrie, Alexa, Shawn and he-who-must-not-be-named to also do the “pour-a-box-o-cold-water challenge”.
A few of Cinnamon’s 23 Facebook friends were quick to point out that the ice-bucket challenge is no longer cool.
“What the hell is this? I already did this last year. You cray if you think I soaking myself with ice again.” commented one of Cinnamon’s friends, Carrie Spice.
ASL (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or Lou Gehrigs Disease) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord
The ASL ice-bucket challenge was a cultural phenomenon that took place a long long time ago, back in the summer of 2014.
Participants who did dump ice on themselves were asked to use any of the following hashtags: #icebucketchallenge, #alsicebucketchallenge, and #strikeoutals.
Cinnamon did not even follow these simple directions.
Reportedly, Cinnamon did not make a financial donation to the ASL Association, but instead filmed herself dumping a bucket of ice cubes over herself.
Baskets, Barrels & Longaberger
(I wrote this article for the Fall/ Winter Signatures magazine for Longaberger. I went out to The Homestead and interviewed both Ahmad and Christy about the barrel basket. I enjoyed researching the history of barrels and learning how a basket evolves from being just an idea to a real basket. I’m proud of how factual this article is and the playful tone it has when referring to how much wine barrels can hold. I have included scanned images of the article from Signatures.)
Barreling Traditions
Barrel making is a centuries-old craft rooted in tradition, just like basket making. We’re proud to honor the tradition of barrel making with our new Barrel Basket.
For nearly 2,000 years, barrels were the most convenient method of shipping because of their round shape. They held a wide variety of items, just like baskets carry diverse things.
Techincally, a barrel is a hollow cylindrical container, traditionally made of wooden staves bound by wooden or metal hoops.
Archaeological research has found barrel making tools dating from as early as 100 BC. Even the Roman empire used barrels in the 3rd century AD. When the Romans began to spread their empire across the globe, they wanted to take their wine with them so they used wooden barrels.
After transporting their wines in barrels, for some time, the Romans and other societies after them, started to realize that the oak barrels imparted new, pleasant qualities to the wine. The contact with the wood made the wine smoother and sometimes it also made it better tasting.
Traditionally, the barrel was a standard size of measure referring to a set capacity or weight of a given commodity. For example, in the United Kingdom, a barrel of beer referred to a quantity of 36 gallons. That’s over 300 pounds!
The talented designers at Longaberger have perfected the art of creating timeless beautiful baskets exclusively for Collectors Club members.
Ahmad Takouri was excited about the Barrel Basket for Collectors Club members. He has been a Basket Designer for 16 years with Longaberger. Ahmad works on the Collectors Club baskets and the Master Studio baskets.
“I like trying to make something that looks like a barrel and putting the Longaberger signatures weave into it. We’ve done that a lot with previous shapes and it’s always neat to take a shape your used to seeing and making it into a Longaberger basket. That’s my favorite part,” Ahmad said.
“It makes sense to produce a Barrel Basket because barrels have a similar construction to baskets because of their bands, up splints and construction,” said Ahmad.
Barrels also relate to baskets because they require skilled artisans called “coopers” would manufacture them.
Coopers were once independent craftsmen, whose craft was economically vital and physically demanding. Until a century ago, many villages had at least one skilled cooper, plus younger recruits serving a seven-year apprenticeship.
“I think Collectors Club members will appreciate that we’re honoring an age-old craft, especially an older hand-made craft and such a historical shape. It’s who we are,” Ahmad said.
The purpose of the barrel and basket are very similar, but barrels carried larger quantities of goods and were used in shipping.
“Sauerkraut used to be fermented in the barrels. They also stored dried meats, fruits, and of course, whiskey,” said Ahmad. “It also carried a lot of fragile things like eggs and pottery which would be packed among layers of straw.”
Barrels were additionally used to transport wine and most barrels could hold 55 gallons of wine. Now we’re talking.
Christy Flood is a weaver of the Barrel Basket and loves “making something that people can pass onto generations.”
The Barrel Basket is unique to weave because it uses a breakaway form where small pieces can be taken out as the basket is woven from the bottom to the top.
Flood said that she has several Longaberger baskets and she “will pass them onto her boys when they grow older.”
She joked that when she goes to garage sales and sees Longaberger baskets, she checks the bottoms to see if any of them have her initials.
It was only fitting that Longberger honored the rich heritage of barrels with a Collectors Club Barrel Basket. The Barrel Basket is available through the Fall/ Winter WishList.
Sidebar:
The Barrel Basket is made of Soft Gray maple weaving and Rich Brown accent chain. It has a small black band on the top and bottom with a Pewter trim.
The Barrel Basket has a soft gray board bottom. Unlike other baskets, it is not signed and dated on the bottom because it has a WoodCrafts board bottom. It is signed on the inside once it is completed.
It is marked with the Longaberger logo that authenticates our proud tradition of quality and craftsmanship.
Parents hear draft of gifted program revamp
Tuesday December 23, 2014 9:28 AM
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Page A2 of 12/25 issue |
The Dublin City School District presented a Gifted Service Delivery Draft to community members recently and then listened to their feedback.
About 60 community members gathered Dec. 10 in the Wyandot Elementary School Library to listen to Kimberly Pietsch Miller, the district’s chief academic officer, present the draft and answer questions.
In the fall, the school district convened a task force to review the current gifted service delivery model.
The district is responding to new and more rigorous content standards for all students, Miller said. In addition, the community provided feedback to the district during the 2013-14 school year indicating Dublin should review gifted services for possible improvements
In addition to reviewing the current model, which has been in place for eight years, the task force studied the research about service delivery, reviewed the ability and achievement of the current student population and considered the needs of different groups of students.
One of the goals of the task force is to ensure all students reach calculus by 12th grade.
In the draft, students in grades K-3 would receive group testing and gifted intervention specialists would visit classrooms to offer extension activities.
Students who are high achievers in math or reading in grades 4 and 5 would receive differentiation in the classroom.
Differentiation is an approach in which teachers give slightly different assignments to groups of students to best fit their learning needs.
For high achievers in math, numeracy coaches would be available and so would single- and double-accelerated options in sixth grade.
Miller assured parents the district “doesn’t want to accelerate students too quickly and risk them missing out on foundational skills.”
The task force also took into consideration students’ maturity levels when thinking about when to begin acceleration.
“In this model, we would bring the high school math classes to the middle school so students can stay in their building and be with students their own age,” Miller said.
The draft stated that fourth- and fifth-grade students who are identified as having superior cognitive skills would receive more “pull-out” and “cluster grouping in the regular classroom.”
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From the 12/25 issue |
Pull-out instruction is when students are taken out of their usual classroom for a period of time so they can work on different material.
Cluster grouping refers to placing small groups of superior cognitive students in each classroom.
In middle school, superior cognitive students would receive “social-emotional skills support.”
The current draft does not address gifted high school students.
The state of Ohio requires school districts to identify students who score above the 95th percentile on standardized testing. However, the state does not mandate service, once students are identified as gifted.
In Dublin, 22 percent of students scored above the 95th percentile in math and 16 percent scored above the 95th percentile in reading on standardized tests.
About 8 percent of Dublin students have been identified as gifted in the area of superior cognitive ability, Miller said.
During the meeting, parents asked questions about the current middle school gifted delivery model, whether test scores from elementary would be taken into consideration and what changes they should expect next year.
Miller reminded parents the only time a child would “fall out of the gifted education program is if a parent, teacher or principal suggested it.”
The first part of the service model plan would be implemented next year, Miller said.
This first stage would likely include name changes (for example, LEAP would be renamed) and changes in the elementary schools.
The task force will meet in early January to revise the draft, taking feedback from the meetings into consideration.
Additional community meetings will be held in January to gather feedback on the revised draft, Miller said.
A final plan is expected to be reached by March.
Sara Hallermann, a parent of three gifted students, said the meeting answered her questions.
“I think the Gifted Education Task Force is doing an excellent job in revamping the service model to better meet the needs of gifted students,” Hallermann said.
She said the meeting was positive and helpful, even though sometimes the content was controversial.
Hallermann appreciated that Miller explained the rationale of each decision and assured parents that everything is grounded in research.
Another parent, Rae Kroger, said the meeting was informative.
“They did a really good job at answering diverse questions,” she said.
Kroger said the district is moving in the right direction.
At the end of the meeting, community members were given an opportunity to write down what components of the service model they liked, components they want to see included, any questions they had and any additional input.
“We don’t want to glaze over anything,” Miller said.
“I want all students to achieve at high levels.”
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Deb’s Details: This article happened during a crazy moment in my life. I was on my way to where the meeting was held when I was rear-ended! I’d never been in an accident before. I was a little late to the meeting because of that but I don’t think it affected my ability to get the facts. At the meeting, it was clear that the parents were very concerned and passionate about the gifted education program. The meeting lasted almost three hours.
I wanted this article to explain to those who couldn’t attend any of the three meetings what was discussed and emphasize how it’s not too late for them to give their suggestions to the school board.
Student’s organ donation honored on parade float
(originally published in ThisWeekNews)
Wednesday December 17, 2014 3:37 PM
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Tom, Kathy and Reilly Harrington look at the floragraph of their daughter and sister, Lindsay Jones (photo from ThisWeekNews) |
To honor the late Lindsay Alyce Jones, her family invited students and staff to help decorate her floragraph, which will be displayed on the 2015 Donate Life Tournament of Roses Parade float.
Floragraphs are memorial portraits created with floral materials. They are recreations of a favorite photo submitted by family members.
Jones attended Dublin Scioto High School until she died from a brain aneurysm 10 days into her senior year in September 2002.
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The floragraph of Lindsay Jones (photo from ThisWeek News) |
The event took place in Scioto’s cafeteria at 12:15 p.m. Dec. 12, during lunch, so students and staff could have an opportunity to view the completion of the floragraph.
Upon unveiling Jones’ floragraph, the family had the privilege of finishing the portrait by completing the decoration of Jones’ eyebrows.
The image of Jones was printed, applied to foam board and decorated in a method similar to “color by numbers” with flowers and organic materials, including seeds, grains and spices.
Bob Scott, Scioto’s interim principal, said he was honored to have the event at Scioto.
“This building loved Lindsay and the Jones family and to host this event for them and for Lindsay is the least we can do,” Scott said in an e-mail.
Jones’ family will travel to Pasadena in late December to attend the 126th Tournament of Roses Parade Jan 1.
Jones is the first person from Dublin to be honored in this manner during the parade.
“To have a program at school promoting being an organ donor and the impact it can have on others is clearly something we need to support and celebrate,” Scott said.
Scott said Jones will forever be a hero.
The decorating of Jones’ floragraph began in Pasadena by volunteer transplant recipients and donor family members under the direction of experienced float artists.
Jessica Petersen, media and public relations coordinator for Lifeline of Ohio, said it was a sweet moment to see the floragraph come to life.
“Kathy Harrington, Lindsay’s mom, was very anxious before it was unveiled. It looked so beautiful and lifelike. It was heart-melting,” Petersen said.
“Kathy has been volunteering at Lifeline of Ohio for 11 years. Her passion for organ donation has now led her to Pasadena.”
The 12th Donate Life Rose Parade float — with the theme “The Never-Ending Story” — will symbolize the enduring power of organ, eye and tissue donation and transplantation.
Jones’ floragraph will be one of 72 on the float.
The float will feature 60 butterflies emerging from an open book, representing the number of lives transformed by a single donor.
Walking alongside the float will be 12 living organ donors whose stories have become intertwined with those of their recipients.
The overall theme of the parade, which will be seen by an estimated 80 million TV viewers, is “Inspiring Stories.”
Since its debut on New Year’s Day 2004, the Donate Life Rose Parade float has become the world’s most visible campaign to inspire people to become organ, eye and tissue donors.
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Deb’s Details:
This event was covered by some of the bigger news outlets in Columbus and I read their coverage of it before writing mine. That gave me perspective on how I could make mine stand out from their articles. I did this by interviewing Bob Scott and Jessica Petersen. I’m an organ donor myself so it was neat to see how that little heart on my license really can mean a lot.
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My article on the front page 😀 |
Front Porch Memories
Front Porch Swinging with Gary and Lynn Longaberger



Parents ride bicycles while their children ride tricycles a few feet ahead of them. Young couples walk their dogs. Trucks give friendly honks. Gary and Lynn wave to everyone who passes by.
Dublin’s advanced placement programs receive honor
By
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Deb’s Details:
This was a pretty straight forward article to write because I had a press release to work off. I wanted to make the press release my own and so I tried to reword some things.
I think this article confirms that Dublin is a highly ranked district and they put a lot of emphasis on great academic achievement. Their students work very hard and are clearly performing very well on AP tests. I remember how hard those AP tests were so I think it says a lot that they are getting 4s and 5s.
I would’ve liked to have gotten a quote from a student in an AP class or an AP teacher at a high school.
Elementary School Additions
Work progressing on preparing recommendations
At the Dublin Board of Education meeting, discussions continued about elementary school additions.

Deb’s Details:
Man, did I struggle with this article. It was my very first assignment and was supposed to go in last week’s issue. I thought it would be an easy assignment and maybe I just got cocky and didn’t pay attention hard enough. I turned off my voice recorder and didn’t take very detailed notes because I thought a video of the meeting would be posted online. Looking back, I think that was a stupid move. The video was not posted and I could not easily get a hold of an audio recording. To make things worse, I didn’t fully understand the meeting lingo and what was news and what was not. I reached out to my parents, my editor and the PR person for Dublin City Schools and they all helped me immensely.
Next time, I’m going to pay close attention to the whole meeting, record it, take notes and do a better job. Now, I know what I’m looking for and what to expect at the school board meetings.
Even in high school, I wrote articles
Flashback Post!
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With the band directors at senior night |
This Saturday, I went to the OMEA State Marching Band Finals with my best friend, Emily. Of course, Hilliard Darby got a superior rating!
Freshman year of high school, Emily and I became friends because of marching band. I couldn’t imagine my life without her or if I hadn’t been involved band.
It was so wonderful to see that marching band is still a part of so many high schooler’s lives. It teaches values like teamwork, hard work and dedication.
In my high school journalism class, I wrote an article as part of an assignment and I wanted to share it.
The article covers a marching band competition that we went to.
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Marching band hats |
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Hillard Darby marching band |
Students share their experiences as dining hall workers
Max Collins, a junior from Stamford, Conn., does not have a typical on-campus job such as working at the library, being a tour guide or working in a department. Instead, Collins works for Bon Appetit at Curtis. While it may not be the most glamorous job, Collins said he enjoys the people he works with and that he likes his job. I caught up with him in the Curtis Veggie room to ask him more about his job.
Gabby Vecchio, a sophomore from Cleveland, Ohio opened up about her time working for both Sodexo and Bon Appetit. Vecchio has worked at Huffman, Curtis, Slayter and has been involved with selling concessions for a couple years. I met up with Vecchio in the Slayter pit to chat about what she liked about her job.
G: I hope to get more into catering and concession stands. I like setting up and running my own thing. It’s kind of like owning your own business but you’re under supervision. I think it’s better to work catering as a student because the hours are more flexible.