We have had some great activities for students over the past few weeks. I had a nice time at the Hearts Dance held at our high school on February 3rd. Congratulations to the King Chris Kamp and Queen Melissa Syler. The Court included senior Brittany Barta escorted by John Vozar; junior Audra Batdorff escorted by Matt Schooley; sophomore Hannah Schmucker escorted by Aaron Hooper; and freshman Paige Samblanet escorted by Jordan McQuilkin. Thanks so much to the dance committee and advisor Chris Zerby. Over 640 students from grades 9-12 attended this grand event. It's really nice to see our students so dressed up, and they were very well behaved while also having a lot of fun.
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One of my Parent Advisory Council members recently shared the following story with me. The author is unknown. The story is entitled, "What Teachers Make":

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problems with education. He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"  read more »

I was able to attend Senior Night for our LHS Swim Team at the Louisville YMCA this past week. I was very impressed by the spirit of our swimmers, by the organization of the whole event, by the number of volunteers that helped, and by our fans. I want to congratulate our seniors who include Captain Nicole Perretta, Jessica Grove, Lyndi Ruth, Kristin Selby, Chris Kamp, and Mitchell Ramsey. I also want to thank our first year swim coach Lindsay Rice and her assistant Alissa Bryan for guiding our swimmers through their season. Nice job!

Thanks go out to all of the spring sport parents who attended the parent meeting on January 22nd. Of course the most pressing dialogue centered around the "pay to participate" fees for our spring sport families. Since some could not attend, please contact the high school or middle school athletic departments if you have further questions about amounts, timelines, or unresolved issues. You can also email me at lepley@louisville.sparcc.org. with your issues. I appreciate identified correspondence versus anonymous letters so that responses can be made.  read more »

On January 20th, several of our band members had the opportunity and honor of being selected to the 2007 All Star Bands sponsored by Kent State University. I am proud to announce that LHS had several students selected to participate including: Jackie Potts (clarinet), Vince Salvino (trumpet), Katie Turner (horn), Travis McDade (flute), Josephine Koltek (oboe), Chelsea Dougherty (clarinet), Erie McCue (clarinet), Julie Hopkins (clarinet), Justin Ost (saxophone), Caitlin Popa (trombone), Mary Kate Casper (trombone), and Paul Lesigonich (percussion). Way to go "Pride of Louisville" band members.

Our winter sports teams are doing well, with many athletes both at LHS and LMS participating. Our Hearts' Dance is coming up on February 3rd. This is an all school dance held at our high school. Thanks to Student Council and Advisor Chris Zerby for organizing and coordinating this wonderful event for our students. I know it will be super.  read more »

Due to the request of many people for more information about the finances of the Louisville City Schools and some of the reductions that have been made to balance budgets, I submit to the readers the following information that was recently sent out to our parents in building newsletters. I hope this will help you understand that we are trying to do our part as we seek additional funding for support of our programs.   read more »

Happy New Year! 2007 is here and waiting for the many opportunities before us. Yes, there are many challenges which we will have to resolve. Our financial situation heads the list. This does have a direct bearing on negotiations, as well as with the reductions in programs that will have an impact on students as well as staff.

One of the questions that continues to be asked - Were there any reductions made prior to the busing and pay-to-participate issues this year? The answer to that is clearly "Yes". Treasurer Jina Lingle, working with the five year forecast, made it clear to the Board that we had to reduce expenses by a minimum of $600,000 to balance this year's budget. As Superintendent, I was asked to make those reductions in preparation for this year. Having 34 years in this career, I know that with every reduction there will be some people who think cuts should be prioritized differently than those who have to manage through those reductions. These were cuts that were going to stay in place for this year, unless the 2006 levy passed.  read more »

Congratulations to the LHS Band, the Band Boosters, and the Band Council for a fun Band Prom held on December 9th at the Louisville Eagles. Band royalty included: King and Queen - Jacob Coblentz and Caitlin Popa; Senior Escort and Senior Attendant - Paul Lesigonich and Jackie Potts; Junior Escort and Junior Attendant - Scott Schrader and Rachel Fox; Sophomore Escort and Sophomore Attendant - Josh Kohut and Alyssa Gilpin; Freshman Escort and Freshman Attendant - Angelo Sylvester and Sarah Yoder; and Mr. and Miss Congeniality - Andrew Yoder and Katie Turner.

December is a great month for the performing arts. Many of our buildings perform Christmas holiday programs that really get oneself in the mood for Christmas. Recently I attended the Chamber of Commerce Luncheon hosted by LHS. Our Varsity Singers, under the direction of Mrs. Laurie Humphrey, sang several songs of the season. Then on the 12th of December, I was one of about 700 that attended the middle school choral concert. Under the direction of Mr. Keith Miller, over 160 students in grades 6, 7 and 8 sang the "songs of the season". What great opportunities for our students to step out in the arts. I was particularly impressed with the number of soloists who were involved in these programs. Way to go singing Leopards!  read more »

Congratulations to LHS Senior Adam Mickley who was recently named Stark County Teenager of the Month by the Canton Repository. This is our second Teen of the Month this school year. Great honor for a great student. Way to go Adam!

Our winter sports are now underway, and I want to wish the best to all of the teams as well as the coaching staffs. The NBC (Northeastern Buckeye Conference) is a great league for our student athletes. Best wishes to head coaches Jeff Couto, Girls' Basketball; Lindsay Rice, Swim Team; Jeff Berkebile, Wrestling; and Matt Miglich, Boys' Basketball.  read more »