Milford High School

Milford High School
Milford High School
Address
One Eagles Way Milford, Ohio, (Clermont County), 45150 United States
Coordinates	39°10′49″N 84°14′28″W / 39.18028°N 84.24111°W / 39.18028; -84.24111Coordinates: 39°10′49″N 84°14′28″W / 39.18028°N 84.24111°W / 39.18028; -84.24111
Information
Type	Public, Coeducational high school
School district	Milford Exempted Village School District
Superintendent	Robert Farrell
Principal	Mark Lutz
Asst. Principal	Dennis Klasmeier Ernie House Tom Wilson
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	Approx. 1800 [1]
Color(s)	Red and White [1]
Athletics	Division I
Athletics conference	Eastern Cincinnati Conference (2012–present), Fort Ancient Valley Conference (2008–2012), Greater Miami Conference (1989–2008), Eastern Hills League (before 1989)
Mascot	Eagle
Team name	Eagles[1]
Rival	Sycamore Aviators
Accreditation(s)	North Central Association of Colleges and Schools [2]
Newspaper	'Reflector'
Yearbook	Droflim
Athletic Director	Mark Trout[1]
Website	http://www.milfordschools.org

Milford High School is a college preparatory high school in Milford, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Milford Exempted Village School District, the largest building of the district's eight school buildings, and the largest high school in Clermont County, Ohio. The high school and the Milford Exempted Village School District serve the City of Milford, Miami Township, Miamiville, and parts of Loveland, Goshen, and Union Township.

History

Milford High School's history is parallel with that of Milford Exempted Village Schools, which began humbly in log houses and other single room buildings. The public schools first organized in 1867 when voters approved the first board of education and established Milford Union School. The community constructed an eight classroom school that included a high school. The newly organized high school graduated its first class in 1883. The Union School closed in 1913 when Milford Main School, originally called the Main Street School, opened with a total student enrollment of 381.^[3][4]

The location in the city housed all grades and was a state-of-the-art building when completed before World War I. The original building was later used as a middle school, grades 5–6, and then when Milford underwent an expansion of its elementary schools so they could cater to K–6, the building became a storage site for the district. Today, Milford Main houses several educational programs, including Fit-4-Kids, meal services for nearby St. Andrews school, and the Clermont County ESC has a school on the grounds. With these programs, Milford Main is self sustaining. The building remains a Milford landmark.^[5]

The Milford Main building, formerly the Main Street School

In 1914, Milford High School issued its first yearbook. “The Mirror” is on file at the Promont Museum along with every other yearbook issue ever created. In 1919, the yearbook gained a new name, “DROFLIM”, which it continues to have to this day. The Milford Board declared its independence in 1917 when it passed a resolution that relieved the school of district supervision. At that point, the Milford Exempted Village School District was born.^[6]

At a time when most schools were strictly segregated throughout the country, Milford High School was open to all children in the area regardless of race in 1917. Students posed in front of the school for class photos in 1917.

Yearbook photo of 1917 graduate Jessie Clark

Overcrowding was a problem for Milford Schools even in the 1920’s. The district solved the problem by housing students in temporary buildings or by reducing school to half-day sessions. In 1923, Milford High School started a newspaper called the Hi-Letter. The name changed to the Reflector in 1933. The student publication has maintained that name all of these years.^[7]

During WWII, Milford High School students and staff did their part to contribute to the war effort. Some boys left school before graduation to join the military. The Milford Area Historical Society’s book on the history of Milford, “Bridge to the Past” recounts the following: “Students collected tin cans, scrap metal, paper and rubber, which were piled on the school ground for pickup by large tractor-trailer trucks. High school boys were released from school to help local farmers harvest their crops before frost. Girls knitted and rolled bandages. Defense stamps and bonds were sold in classrooms and ration books and stamps were distributed from the school.” The district experienced tremendous growth for the next several decades. James H. Fley became superintendent in 1952. Under his leadership, the district expanded from one K-12 school to many different buildings. The district also looked to neighboring school systems to find additional classroom space.^[8]

In the late fifties to early sixties, Ohio initiated a consolidation of school districts across the state. Milford merged with Miami Rural Schools and then Miamiville to become a larger district incorporating much of Miami Township. Before the consolidations, the district was five square miles. Today, the district covers 49 square miles and is responsible for 6,500 students.^[9]

In 1962, a new high school campus and Pleasant Hill Elementary, now called Seipelt Elementary, opened to provide much needed space for the growing district. Despite the new buildings, overcrowding continued to be a problem at the high school. The growth and transformation of the district continued for the next twenty years under the direction of Boyd E. Smith who served as superintendent from 1965 to 1985. The new Milford Junior High (current high school) opened in 1966. The district moved the ninth grade class to join grades 7-8 at the junior high. The high school handled grades 10-12.^[10]

Sidney Cutlip was principal of Milford High School from 1952 to 1971. He saw many changes and proved to be an effective leader during a challenging time for the district. Student overcrowding continued into the 70’s as more families moved into the schools and the district struggled to find enough classroom space. In 1971, Milford Main became a middle school for sixth and seventh graders. Elementary grades were divided among the elementary schools while most kindergarten students attended classes in a variety of churches in the area.^[11]

In 1978, another bond issue became necessary for the construction of more schools. The plan called for the construction of Boyd E. Smith Elementary and renovations or additions to Main, Miami, as well as the high school and junior high. In 1980, renovation work began at the high school (current junior high)..^[12] The high school enrolled grades 10–12, and the adjacent Milford Junior High School campus enrolled grades 8 and 9. The first major renovation at One Eagles Way occurred in 1986. By 1987, the district needed more space at the high school level, so the decision was made to renovate the then junior high and convert it to the high school. The renovated high school on Eagles Way opened in 1989.

Four new elementary schools opened in 2003 and 2004, joining Boyd E. Smith and Charles Seipelt Elementaries: McCormick, Meadowview, Mulberry, and John Pattison. Enrollment increases also called for further improvements to the high school and junior high and additional space at the elementary level. In 2004, the first class of freshmen students were welcomed into the new Ninth Grade Community, functioning as a freshman school within Milford High School. The Ninth Grade Community was first housed in modulars, and would later be housed in its separate wing of the high school.

The Ninth Grade Community in 2012

In Spring 2008, after the signing of 108 varsity athletes to a petition opposed to leaving the Greater Miami Conference, the Milford Board of Education unanimously voted to leave the GMC and enter the Fort Ancient Valley Conference (FAVC). The petition was created by student-athletes Christopher and April Myers, and called for further review and reconsideration by the board before voting. Statements released by the school board upheld the unanimous opinion of coaches, desiring to soften athletic competition. 108 student-athletes led by the Myers released statements concerning equity amongst sports in athletic department decisions (such was the argument against granting football and basketball teams more gravity in the decision to leave the GMC than soccer and running teams), greater respect for the voices of student athletes, and equal treatment for misconduct following events concerning Men's basketball and Fastpitch Softball. The board's 2008 decision to enter the FAVC is highly criticized for overlooking the accomplishments of sports outside the football and basketball programs.

In 2009, construction began on the new additions to the Milford High School. The additions include the Ninth Grade Community wing, the new cafeteria and gymnasium, and renovated entrances and athletic fields. The project took 18 months and cost Milford School District over $33,000,000. The new expansion includes a state-of-the-art wing set aside for only the ninth grade. In addition, a new cafeteria has been built and a new music wing. Every room in the new music room has a projector and a tower with $10,000 worth of equipment inside. In the Ninth Grade Community, each room has a DVD player, a clock, and a speaker worn around the teacher's neck. Each ninth grade teacher was also given a Fujitsu Life Book tablet computer running Windows 7. In addition a new main entrance was built complete with new front offices and administration areas. These additions include a nurse office, principal offices, a new school store, and a main waiting area. Lastly, the old cafeteria has been renovated into new science labs.

On August 29, 2009, Principal Dr. Raymond Bauer died suddenly from a heart attack while exercising in his home. Bauer was honored with an 800-pound granite memorial stone that sits at the high school, as well as with renamed space at the Milford High School Commons, a scholarship fund, and a website.^[13] In 2012 it was announced that the Milford Eagles athletic teams will leave the Fort Ancient Valley Conference and become charter members of the Eastern Cincinnati Conference.^[14]

Academics

Milford Exempted Village Schools achieved the rating of Excellent with Distinction in 2011. The high school is college preparatory, and offers several advanced placement programs:

As of the 2010–11 school year, Milford High School offers twelve Advanced Placement Courses.
AP Biology
AP Calculus
AP Chemistry
AP English Language and Composition
AP English Literature and Composition
AP Environmental Science
AP Government and Politics: United States
AP Physics
AP Spanish Language
AP Statistics
AP United States History
AP Psychology

The district currently has about 6547 students in grades Preschool through 12th grade. Click to download the August 28 enrollment count. There are nine schools in the district including:

• Milford High School—1917 students (Capacity, 1,365)—includes vocational students
• Milford Junior High—920 students (Capacity, 650)
• McCormick Elementary—540 students (Capacity, 600)
• Meadowview Elementary—675 students (Capacity, 600)
• Mulberry Elementary—620 students (Capacity, 600)
• Pattison Elementary—715 students (Capacity, 600)
• Seipelt Elementary—403 students (Capacity, 356)
• Smith Elementary—565 students (Capacity, 407)
• Milford Preschool—192 students

The cost per pupil has become an important statistic for the aging community to compare Milford to other schools. The following information details the costs per pupil for area schools and the state average for the 2007–2008 school year, with Milford students garnering less funding than in other districts:

• Sycamore—$13,159
• Mariemont—$12,152
• Winton Woods—$11,022
• Wyoming—$10,734
• Madeira—$10,689
• Forest Hills—$10,097
• STATE AVG.—$9,939

• Finneytown—$9,924
• Mason—$9,815
• Loveland—$9,322
• Lakota—$9,129
• Milford—$8,938
• Oak Hills—$8,713
• West Clermont—$8,528
• Fairfield—$8,191

• The 2007–08 cost per pupil is the most recent statistic available from the Ohio Department of Education based on the 07–08 Local Report Card.

Athletics

The Milford Eagles compete under colors red and white. The Milford High School Athletic Department is located at One Eagles Way. The Eagles belong to the Fort Ancient Valley Conference (FAVC) Buckeye Division, having traded Mason High School its position in the Greater Miami Conference. The Eagles will become a charter member of the Eastern Cincinnati Conference in 2012. The Eagles have maintained a dominate and high-achieveing record for all sports in the conference. The Eagles, prior to 2008, competed in the larger Greater Miami Conference (GMC) and are still arch-rivals with the Sycamore High School (Ohio) Aviators, as both the Eagles and Aves had entered the GMC in 1989, are division-I, and maintain academic excellence amongst their teams. Sycamore students used to dress up as "Millbillies" before the rivals competed, and Milford students would shout "suck-a-more," although now the rivals have grown more academic. The Eagles' compete against the Loveland Tigers for the Cross-County Shootout Trophy in men's basktball.

Fall Sports
Girls Cross Country
Boys Cross Country
Football
Marching Band
Boys Golf
Girls Golf
Boys Soccer
Girls Soccer
Girls Tennis
Girls Volleyball
Boys and Girls Water Pollo

Winter Sports
Cheerleading Academic Team
Boys Basketball
Girls Basketball
Boys and Girls Bowling
Chess
Dance
Boys and Girls Diving
Boys and Girls Swimming
Wrestling

Spring Sports
Baseball
Softball
Boys Tennis
Boys Track
Girls Track
Boys Volleyball

Ohio High School Athletic Association State Championships

• Boys Golf – 1989 ^[15]

• Boys Water Polo - 2006, 2008*^[16]

• • *Water Polo is not an OHSAA sanctioned sport

Student organizations

Milford High School student organizations include Student Council, National Honor Society, Spanish Club, Drama, Robotics Club, Chess Club, Key Club, Hi-Y, Yearbook(co-curricular), Reflector(co-curricular), DECA(co-curricular) and JROTC(co-curricular). The school's Latin Club functions as a local chapter of both the Ohio Junior Classical League (OJCL)^[17] and National Junior Classical League (NJCL).^[18]

Band Program

Milford is well known for its strong overall band program. The Milford Band Program has a long history of excellence and prestige. It is one of the largest and most successful groups in Milford High School.

Marching Band

The Milford High School Marching Band, directed by Brian Brown, Paul Schrameck, and John Espy, is an award winning and nationally renowned marching band. The band is frequently ranked among the top bands in Ohio. The band is a fourteen time BOA regional finalist ,has made semi-finals at Bands of America Grand National Championships five times, in 1996, 1999, 2004, 2006, and 2011. In 2008, the band had the honor of winning the Kentucky Governor's Cup at a competition in Campbell County, Kentucky. The band is the first band from Ohio to have won this award since they did in 1977. Also, the band placed first in Music Bowl I in 1979. Currently, the band has over 140 members and counting. The band's most recent show, This is Us, was composed of original songs by Andrew and Wayne Markworth and clinched a fifth Semi-Finals appearance for Milford. The Milford High School Band has a large, well-qualified staff including.

Drum Majors - Quinn Cartheuser & Ashleigh Baker

• Director - Brian Brown
• Assistant Director - John Espy
• Assistant Director - Paul Schrameck
• Percussion Instructor - John Espy
• Color Guard Director - Drew Steinbrecher
• Drill Writer - Brian Brown
• Visual Coordinator - Kyle Haas
• Music Writer - Andrew Markworth, Wayne Markworth
• Music Writer (Battery) - Nick Angelis
• Front Ensemble Technician - Rob Knueven
• Battery Technician - Chris Kabbes
• Field Commander Instructor - Kirstie Rheinheimer

§-Denotes a Semi-Finals Appearance

±-Denotes the awarding of the Governor's Cup

• KMEA - Kentucky Music Educator's Association

• MSBA - Mid-States Band Association

Concert Band Program

Milford High School boasts a rich and successful Concert Band Program. Although smaller than other schools, the Concert Band system at Milford is strong and organized. Students start out in 6th Grade Band and in Junior High there is a 7th and an 8th Grade Band (All directed by Mr. Paul Schrameck). The 8th Grade Band annually competes at the OMEA District XIV Concert band contest and has earned a Superior Rating almost every year. In High School there are the Concert Band (Directed by Mr. John Espy), for Freshman, and the school's top band, The Symphonic Band (Directed by Mr. Brian Brown). Students place in the Symphonic Band based on audition, those not in Symphonic Band are in the Concert Band. The Concert band plays High School Class B pieces and has received Superior at the OMEA High School Concert Band Competition in recent years. The Symphonic band, which plays Class A and AA pieces, has also enjoyed success, having earned Superior for many years running. In addition to these bands, the school offers a Jazz Band as an extra curricular activity, a percussion ensemble, and a Pep Band. In 2010, twenty-three Milford High School band students were selected for the District XIV Honor Band, this encompassed almost a third of the ensemble.

Unlike many other schools, Milford High School lacks a string program and an Orchestra.

Winter Guard

In addition to a strong band program, the Milford High School Winter Guard has enjoyed recent success. Directed by Drew Steinbrecher, the guard has improved greatly in recent years. The guard program in Milford consists of an Elementary, Jr. High, and High School Junior Varsity and Varsity Guard. The varsity guard's 2011 show, "Jar of Hearts", recently won bronze in Scholastic A class at WGI World Championships in Dayton, Ohio. In addition, they won gold at the Mid-South WGI Colorguard regional in Nashville, Tennessee.

Notable alumni

This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability or notability policies. Please improve this article by removing names that do not have independent reliable sources cited within this article showing they are notable and alumni or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations. (April 2011)

• Michael A. Banks^{[citation needed]} - New York Times Bestselling Author
• John Van Benschoten^{[citation needed]} - Major League Baseball Player
• Barry Bonnell^{[citation needed]} - Major League Baseball Former
• Napoleon McCallum - class of 1981 - National Football League Former
• Zach Strief - National Football League Player
• Eben Franckewitz - American Idol Semi-finalist

External links

• District Website
• High School Website
• Fort Ancient Valley Conference Website
• Milford High School Athletics Site
• Milford Band Homepage

Notes and references