Category: News

Welcome Sean O’Brien

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We welcome Sean O’Brien, who joins CISE as Staff Accountant for Management of School Funds and Partnerships.  “I am excited to join CISE after having served as the business manager at a CISE school where I closely worked with the CISE team. My experience at the school enabled me to have a front row seat to see what the kids and the school’s needs are, and exactly how the donors’ contributions benefit – to truly rewrite a child’s future. This on-the-ground experience was eye opening on a multitude of levels, but most specifically just how uniquely important the CISE mission is. I look forward to using my financial background to be part of the team that executes the amazing generosity provided by our CISE donors.” – Sean O’Brien

The Newest CISE Supported School

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CISE welcomes Romero Academy at Annunciation School in Clifton. Annunciation will open in mid-August. The grade school will start by offering PK through 5th grade, and will grow one grade each year until being a K-8 Catholic school by 2026. 

Ms. Kellie Pairan is the Principal of Annunciation School. Prior to Romero Academy, Kellie was a teacher in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati from 2014-2022, teaching one year of fourth grade English and seven years as a first grade teacher. Kellie attended Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio for her Bachelor’s Degree, her Master’s degree, and her School Administration Certificate. When Kellie is not in the classroom, she can be found reading, watching the Cincinnati Reds bring home a win, and spending time with her family.

CISE Quarterly Newsletter – Message from Phil McHugh

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Welcome to the third edition of CISE Quarterly Newsletter.

As many of you are aware, St. Joseph’s school will close for the 2023-2024 school year. While we respect the decision of the parish council and pastor of St. Joseph’s along with the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, we are saddened by this decision. Our efforts have been focused on providing whatever assistance CISE can to transition the students and teachers to another Catholic school. I am happy to report that great progress has been made in this regard for both the students and the teachers. We will continue to track these students and provide the resources needed.

Good News – The state of Ohio recently increased the Ohio EdChoice vouchers beginning July 1, 2023. The EdChoice Scholarship amount is now $6,165 for grades K-8 and $8,407 for grades 9-12. EdChoice will pay either the scholarship amount or the private school’s actual tuition amount, whichever is less.

Beginning this fall, we will have the largest number of CISE elementary students enrolled in a local, Catholic high school. We expect an enrollment of 148 students. Many thanks to our local, Catholic high schools for their partnership!

Finally, as we prepare for our 2023 campaign, I am grateful to Liz Niehaus and Don Mellott who have agreed to serve as Co-Chairs of this campaign. Both Liz and Don have been terrific supporters of CISE, and we look forward to working with them. Please watch your mail in mid-August for our campaign letter and the 2023 Annual Report.

In gratitude,

Philip R. McHugh
President & Executive Director

CISE Schools Welcome Two New Principals

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Meet Kim Childs
Principal of St. Boniface School

I have been married to my husband since 2001, and we have four amazing children. In my hours outside of school, I love to be with friends and family. I spend an enormous amount of time volunteering in my home parish’s athletic association, which I have done since 1992, coaching more teams than I can count.

I’m thrilled about the opportunity to continue serving our incredible school community in this new leadership role and working hard to ensure that St. Boniface continues to make a world of difference.

Meet Jack Corey
Principal of St. William School 

I am very pleased to have been appointed the next principal of St. William School. Since 1999, I have served as a school administrator in both Catholic and public schools, in rural, suburban, and urban settings. Prior to my most recent experience as an administrator in Cincinnati Public Schools, I spent 10 years as the principal of St. Antoninus School.

After graduating high school, I left Cincinnati to enlist in the Army, spending most of my time in Neckarsulm, Germany. After my honorable discharge from the Army, I attended Boston College and graduated with a degree in English.

My career in education began in Houston, TX where I met my wife, Mary Beth. We then moved to Alaska and Oregon, where I earned my Master’s degree at Portland State University and began my administrative career. After spending nine years in Oregon, we moved to Michigan before settling in the West Side of Cincinnati in 2006.

Mary Beth is currently teaching Spanish at Elder. We have two children, Mary Catherine and Joseph, who attended Seton and Elder respectively.

I look forward to engaging with the St. William school and parish community. 

CISE Pint Night Fun!

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Congratulations to Rhonda Morgan, who won tickets to a FC Cincinnati game in our drawing at Pint Night!

Pint Night at March First Brewery was great fun & we raised money for our mission! Thank you to all who came out to support CISE and also thank you to March First Brewery. We look forward to hosting another Pint Night soon.

Meet CISE Donors: Chris & Mike Wirth

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Chris and Mike Wirth have been consistent annual donors to CISE since 2016. This year, they were excited to become high school scholarship donors, sponsoring a high school student for four years. 

“Having been blessed to have been able to provide our children with a Catholic education up through high school, we understand the value, and also the challenge, of doing so. We look at our pledge and contributions to the CISE scholarship fund as an opportunity to pay it forward to those parents and students who also see the value and challenge of the Catholic education, but who for various reasons may be unable to make this tremendous investment. Our hope is that the children take advantage of the opportunity that the CISE education provides to them, both religiously and academically. We’re very happy to support this great local organization providing opportunities for our local children and we hope others who read this may consider doing the same.” Chris & Mike Wirth

Dr. Mari Thomas Radio Interview

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On July 5th, Dr. Mari Thomas was featured on Sacred Heart Radio’s program “Driving Home the Faith”. She talked with host, Fr. Rob Jack, about the new feasibility study she is leading with CISE to explore alternative pathways for our students after high school. Listen to the interview to learn more on this timely topic in education.

CISE Awards 79 Catholic High School Scholarships

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8th Grade Graduates Say, Thank You!
(view the video below)

We are thrilled to announce that, thanks to the support of our donors, CISE awarded 79 high school scholarships this year. Our 8th-grade graduates have worked hard to reach this milestone and are full of gratitude for the opportunity they have been given. Your belief in their potential has empowered them to achieve their dreams and pursue their passions. Together, we can continue to provide a quality Catholic education and opportunity to those who need it most.

CISE Rosary Project Visits Nine CISE Schools

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Each school year a group of CISE board members, known as the “Rosary Ladies”, visits our grade schools to teach children about the rosary. Louise Stakelin, Tricia Headley and Susie Castellini have been heading up this labor of love project since 2019, working with hundreds of students in that time. This is a hands on lesson, the ladies help each student make their very own rosary and teach students about the deep meaning of the rosary. The children are taught how to pray with the rosary and often take their new rosaries to Mass where they are blessed. The students love this interaction and also learn about the Catholic faith.  This year the Rosary Ladies were very busy, they visited and made Rosaries with students from nine of the ten CISE grade schools. That’s a new record. Thank you, Rosary Ladies! 

From Phil McHugh – President and Executive Director of CISE

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Thank you for all your positive comments we received about our first quarterly newsletter. We are grateful for your continued interest in CISE!

Under the leadership of Mari Thomas, CISE is participating in a feasibility study to address the needs of our students who may desire a career or technical path rather than a direct route to college. We also know that numerous businesses have job vacancies due to the lack of skilled workers. Ideally, we desire to match the needs of these businesses with the interests of our students to create a winning partnership for our community. Learn more about Mari below and stay tuned as we share our progress.

We are excited to share that CISE has agreed to support our eleventh elementary school, Romero Academy of Annunciation, which will open this fall. This will be our second school in partnership with Romero. As you may recall, the first school was Romero Academy at Resurrection which began in 2020. CISE is very pleased with the success at Resurrection, and we look forward for continued success at Romero Academy at Annunciation.

I would also like to recognize Marilyn Stoeckle who passed away last October. Marilyn was a faithful donor to CISE who also named CISE as the beneficiary of her retirement account. We are excited to re-launch our St. Benedict Society to recognize those individuals, like Marilyn, who have named CISE in their estate planning.

It is through your generosity that CISE continues to grow. Thank you for supporting our mission. Together, we are making a difference in the lives of the children we serve.