Even though the end of the school year is still around the corner, students at McNicholas are already thinking about what it is going to be like in the next grade. The Milestone staff elicited the biggest advice to give to the next grade. For incoming freshmen: Freshmen Malia Shaver, Chylynn Wadkins, and Casey Fritsch … More Advice for McNicholas students from their peers in the grades above
Mrs. Indigo Hudepohl, an art teacher at McNicholas High School, is finishing her first year of teaching at McNicholas. She has earned the admiration of her students through the planned creative projects in the course. She offers five different classes with subjects such as embroidery, painting, charcoal, perspective drawings, and watercolor that all grade levels … More Teacher Feature: Mrs. Indigo Hudepohl
Summer is finally approaching, marking the end of the school year on May 31, 2023 at McNicholas High School. Students are showing their devotion to McNick by continuing their work on campus even throughout the summer. Many students will be participating in camps, cleaning, summer studies, and other events over their break. There is a … More Students on Campus Over Summer
Seniors finished their last exams on May 18, 2023. It’s now time for the class of 2023 to move on-to their next adventure. College may be the next step for most, but before that many have plans for summer. Seniors are spending time over the summer in activities that will give them experience for … More Seniors looking forward from graduation and transitioning into college
With less than ten days left of the school year, it is common for some teahcers to cram in last-minute assignments, leaving students racing to get everything completed. This pile-up of schoolwork and the anticipation of summer has led many students to feel burnt out. “Burnout is just when you’re so exhausted you cannot put … More Students learn to identify their triggers to battle end-of-the-school-year burnout
Exams at McNicholas begin for students on May 25, 2023, and students are preparing to show their learning from the year. Studying for exams can be difficult and tedious if there is not a system to work diligently in place. Students struggle to study due to the distraction of phones, work schedules, and athletic events. … More Helpful ways to study for exams
Note: Photos included in this publication are credited to Evan Kuznar. Brian Gatio, the head coach of the McNicholas Varsity Baseball Team, has led the team to a 14-10 record in the 2023 season. After the 2020 season, Gatio came to McNicholas to coach the team and has been here since then. This year, … More 2023 McNicholas Baseball Season
The freshman and sophomore theatre students are reaching the end of the year which is the time to perform their final acts on stage. For this process, the freshman have been assigned a movie or musical theme and the sophomores have a Disney theme. The showcase will be at 7:00 p.m. on May 17, … More Freshman and Sophomore Theatre Showcase to take place on May 17, 2023
Each year, incoming and returning Rockets are required to read a book before school starts in the fall. The summer reading book assignments and format of the program change every year based on the department paired with English to design the interdisciplinary experience. This year, incoming freshmen and sophomores will read Home of the Brave … More Summer Reading for the 2023-24 school year is announced
The lacrosse season has started at McNicholas High School with a scrimmage and game on March 11th. The girls’ lacrosse team kicked off their season against Madeira starting their season off with a record of 0-1. The girls’ lacrosse team has been practicing and training for their season. Pete Collopy, the athletic trainer said, “We … More Girls Lacrosse Kicks off the Season
Mrs. Andrea Wheeler is one of the astounding teachers at McNicholas High School. Wheeler is an English teacher and has been working at McNicholas High School since December 2021. In her free time, she enjoys watching Netflix, especially The Office, playing video games, and hanging out with her family, especially her grandson. “My favorite video … More Teacher Feature: Mrs. Andrea Wheeler
The Damascus Abundant Retreat has been in place at McNicholas High School for three years led by Mr. Todd Naumann, Student Culture Coordinator. The purpose of this retreat is for students to grow closer to God and not lose that relationship outside of Damascus. The program has grown in the last three years to meet … More Damascus Abundant Life Retreat
Biosphere 3 is an event created by environmental science teacher Eric Hickman in celebration of Earth Day with the help of his students in contributing to this big event. The event is hosted on April 24th, both throughout the school day and open to the public in the evening from 6-8 p.m. All are welcome … More Environmental Science Student Showcase
Spring Break has excited students all over the country for years. At McNicholas, the break is finally approaching. Students recently shared their thoughts, plans, and opinions about Spring Break at McNick this year. The majority of students thought that Spring Break was perfectly timed this year despite it falling later than surrounding high schools. Students like … More Students at McNicholas discuss their thoughts and plans for Spring Break 2023
March Madness is an annual college basketball tournament that began in 1939 where teams fight for the title of “National Champions.” Since then, people have invented bracket pools where they can predict the outcome of March Madness and enter their brackets to compete against others. An example of a blank March Madness pool. Many people … More March Madness bracket excitement at McNicholas
Since early September, many seniors have been working on their Senior Capstone Projects. Facilitated by a chosen teacher as their mentor, the students work in groups or as individuals to advocate for poorly represented issues in society. There are 10 groups and one individual, Jacob Patterson. The seniors collaborate with their partners and reflect on … More Senior Capstone members have dedicated their year to spreading awareness for underlying issues
Mr. Sam Roflow is one of the amazing teachers at McNicholas High School. Roflow teaches in the Theology department, mainly the morality course. He is also an alumnus of McNicholas and has coached the baseball team at McNicholas. He has been with the school for 25 years. As a high school student, Roflow’s journey was … More Teacher Feature: Mr. Roflow
Note: Losekamp uses alliteration each morning to describe the upcoming day, as a way to inspire the students. Mr. Bill Losekamp is one of the tantastic teachers here at McNicholas High School. He is a Purcell Marian graduate but says “All three of my kids have come through here so I almost consider myself a … More Teacher Feature: Mr. Bill Losekamp
The Mardi Gras dance is an experience unique to McNicholas High School. This tradition is one of the students’ favorites to celebrate. The event combines a ceremony to celebrate the students who embody the McNicholas value and then a dance. Along with the festivites, the Mardi Gras Banner Competition showcases the themes of Mardi Gras. … More McNicholas students celebrate and prepare for 70th annual Mardi Gras Ball
The McNicholas Theatre Department will debut the 2023 spring musical Xanadu written by Douglas Carter Beane, Jeff Lyne, and John Farrar from March 2nd-5th at the Anderson Center. The musical is set in the 1980s following an artist, Sonny Malone, who is struggling when he encounters a young, Greek muse who inspires him to create … More McNicholas Theatre presents ‘Xanadu’
Mrs. Angie Noble has been working at McNicholas for 26 years. She has chosen to stay at McNicholas for her career because the community feels more like a family than going to work every day. Noble first wanted to become a journalist, but when she kept on switching majors, her advisor at Bowling Green State … More Teacher Feature: Mrs. Angie Noble
One of McNicholas’ winter sports, offered to both men and women athletes, is bowling. The women’s bowling season is coming to an end with a record of 1-14. Besides their record of 1-14, the team is positive and ready for new matches coming their way. The women’s bowling match this week was Feb. 6, which … More Girls McNicholas bowling season comes to an end
Kairos is a four-day retreat for juniors and seniors held at the Milford Spiritual Center where they all come together to dive deeper into their faith and share new things with a small group from their grade. The students that attend have kept many of the aspects secret to avoid students going into it with … More Kairos 133: uniting students in different ways
Willy Corbett coached baseball on and off for fourteen years and brought the boys teams to the state. He was also a retired teacher well known in the community. Now, as the head coach of softball, he has many new ideas for the upcoming softball season. With softball’s preseason here, there are many things the … More Softball team gears up for their season with training under Coach Willy Corbett
Geometry teacher, Mr. Matthew Brunner has been at McNicholas High School for two years. He has already made the school a better place. Brunner has started up a new team at McNicholas High School: The Robotics Team. They are a group of students who program, design, and create robots to enter into competitions. This is … More Teacher Feature: Math teacher, Mr. Matthew Brunner, creates the Robotics Team
The Rocket Raffle is a school-wide fundraiser, in which people can buy raffle tickets for a chance to win a $10,000 prize. This year, the tickets cost $25 each or 5 for $100, and were for sale for a 3-week period in January. The proceeds from the Rocket Raffle go directly to tuition assistance, which … More Rocket Raffle has a successful second year
The chapel, on the first floor of the convent, was built in 1915 for the sisters of St. Joseph. The chapel was used for the students and nuns that lived there for prayer and Mass throughout all the years it has been here. The chapel is still in use for modern-day Mass, as it was … More The history of the chapel at McNicholas
After a year-and-a-half process of experimenting and hypothesizing, McNicholas sophomores and juniors were selected to participate in the 38th Annual McNicholas Science Fair on Thursday, Jan. 26. Students chose and performed their experiment when they took Biology, which can be taken as a freshman or sophomore, as well as researching information to expand their ideas. … More McNicholas High School hosts its 38th Annual Science Fair
McNicholas has held many raffles since its first opening years, but starting last year, the Rocket Raffle has significantly stood out as the most successful of the raffles. The fundraiser is student-led and puts all proceeds directly towards tuition assistance for future McNicholas students. “Last year was the largest student-led fundraiser in the history of … More Rocket Raffle provides direct tuition assistance to future McNicholas students
Christmas is a special time around McNicholas High School celebrated with daily themes, lights up around in hallways and Christmas décor all over. Teachers play Christmas music all day to get all the Rockets into a festive mood. One of the perks of being a student at McNicholas is the holiday spirit in the school. The themes … More Christmas Spirit at McNicholas
Winter is on its way and Men’s Basketball is about to start their season. The first game is December 6th at home vs the Dayton Carrol Patriots. Tim Monahan, head coach said that he was excited for another competitive schedule for both league and non-league play. Monahan said “There’s nothing that beats Friday night GCL … More Mens Basketball Prepare to Start the Season
Every few weeks at McNicholas high school, the Rockets watch various clips about other students being asked about their hot takes, favorite holiday, and other simple interview questions during their lunches. Technology teacher, Barb Gillming started these small skits and interviews in 2004 with former theology teacher, David Sandmann and his graduating class. Gillming’s theory … More Bringing back Rocket Reports
Mr. Shawn Young is one the amazing teachers at McNicholas. He is an alumnus from the graduating class of 1982. Mr. Young teaches 6 classes this year. He states, “I teach four classes of Modern U.S History and I teach two classes of advances placement U.S History.” Young has been a teacher for a longer … More Teacher Feature: Mr. Shawn Young
In many schools, standardized testing is a prevalent evaluation of a student’s abilities. Encompassing English, Science, History, Math, and cognitive tests, standardized testing focuses on many different aspects of a student’s potential academic knowledge. McNicholas uses a few different forms of standardized testing for evaluations, including the most common IOWAs and MAP testing. IOWA testing … More Standardized testing should not be a determining factor of academic success
Teacher Feature with Mrs. Almer Mary Walsh Mrs. Chelsea Almer is the librarian at McNicholas, a position she’s held for six years. Previously, Almer worked at Hamilton County library for some years after she had been a librarian at Guardian Angels School for 5 years. “The thing that I like most about being a librarian … More Teacher Feature: Mrs. Chelsea Almer
McNicholas welcomed many new teachers to the faculty this school year. The McNicholas Milestone is starting “Teacher Features” to highlight teachers for their excellence in their role as a teacher at McNicholas. Mr. Eric Hickman, a Biology and Environmental science teacher, is our first teacher feature. Hickman has been teaching for 30 years. He planned … More Teacher Feature: Mr. Eric Hickman
The Theatre Department fall production debuted on November 3rd-6th at the Jeanne Spurlock Theater. Kodachrome is a play written by Adam Szymkowicz about grief, love, and moving on. The play follows a woman, The Photographer, who is trying to move on from her hometown and accept that not everything is in her control. The … More ‘Kodachrome’ is an artistic success
On Friday, October 21st, 2022, Taylor Swift released her tenth studio album called Midnights. It is about thirteen sleepless nights throughout her life. This album is under the techno-pop category, a new genre for Swift, and holds all Top 10 Billboard songs currently. So far, for this album Swift has released two music videos: “Anti-hero” … More Midnights Album Review
Halloween on Monday, October the 31st comes with many excitements at McNicholas. Students dress up, trick or treat, and party. Costumes among the school will be anywhere from pirates, angels, superheroes, devils, and other iconic costumes. The costume most Rockets will be wearing is a pirate costume, second being a witch, and Batman as the … More Rockets celebrate Halloween on campus
The Heritage House over the years has had many people live in it. The Heritage House is where nuns or other people of religious order can live. People who have lived there have stories of strange things that have happened. Sister Judi, who is still on campus has some crazy stories about things that have … More The stories of the haunted Heritage House
The McNicholas faculty and staff has come together in recent years to develop the most accommodating and enjoyable schedule for the students. With the introduction of new policies and the return of old policies, students can change their schedules to facilitate academic growth. In a normal school week, students start off with an 8-bell Monday … More Combined staff efforts result in personalized and accommodative schedules for McNicholas students
SAIL is a program to help students with learning differences including ADHD, Dyslexia and Autism. SAIL has 5 Intervention Specialists that help students stay focused on schoolwork, so they don’t fall behind. According to Renee Herndon, SAIL department chair, The SAIL program started in the early 1990’s as an after-school place where students could go … More SAIL at McNicholas positively impacts students
With another year at McNicholas High School well underway, the issue of not having air conditioning arises again. Currently, there is air conditioning in the theater and cafe, library, and aux gym along with select classes and offices. This leaves some classes without air conditioning, but McNicholas is fixing it. With Alter Hall and Senior … More McNicholas putting air conditioning in more school areas
The McNicholas High School women’s volleyball regular season came to an end on Thursday, October 13th. This squad has been led this year by the new head of the program, Darlene Tierney. Varsity is coached Darlene Tierney and assistant coach, Beth Osterday Strange. Leading Junior Varsity is Jason Gundrum and leading freshman is Sammie Wheatley. This … More Rockets Women’s Volleyball: The Recap of the Season
Open house is October 23rd-24th at McNicholas High School. The school’s faculty and ambassador program are getting ready for Open House. Open House is an event that showcases McNicholas to 8th graders that are considering going here. “Open house is like a snapshot of what McNicholas is like,” said Laurie Carigan, Director of Admissions and … More Teachers and ambassadors give insight on upcoming Open House
McNicholas has some new news for the students and the teachers. There have been big changes since the previous year like new classes, new teachers, no convent classes. The convent was used for classes since it was made into a school. The main part of the building was not there until it started to get bigger. The world … More The classroom changes at McNicholas
As shadow season at McNicholas begins, the student ambassadors are ready to show the school in hopes to increase enrollment. Ambassadors give tours, answer questions, bond with their shadow, and show guests the McNicholas experience. Student ambassadors are not considered a club, it is a program. Being involved in McNicholas is easy with the many … More Teaching others about McNicholas through ambassador
McNicholas High School offers many clubs including the school-wide inclusion and diversity acceptance club, Hands Across Campus. Moderated by Theology educators and Missions & Ministry Team members Teresa Davis and Amanda Beatty, the club is also led by five students: Senior Karly Leibreich, junior Mary Metzger, and sophomores Cara Metzger, Kennedy Kramer, and Michael Egan. … More McNicholas’s Hands Across Campus Leadership Team receives the first IJPC Youth Justice Award
This year a new elective, Culinary Chemistry, has started with science teacher, Jessica Boese. In this class, students learn about basic cooking skills including measuring skills, cookware, acids and bases, and the chemical reactions between different ingredients. Boese stated, “in this class, you will learn very practical knowledge about cooking and chemistry.” Students gain the skills of … More New culinary chemistry class excites McNicholas students about cooking
Every year students get the opportunity to go to Tennessee for the Appalachian Retreat. This retreat took place with 12 seniors led by Anne Jones and Jeff Hutchinson from September 13 to 18th in Grainger County, Tennessee. This is an opportunity for students to get out of their comfort zone and help those in need. … More McNicholas Students and Teachers reflect on the recent Appalachian Retreat
The McNicholas Milestone 