Deborah Kohl Kremer

Summer 2010

Kentucky Monthly Magazine

People are hunting for quilt squares all over Kentucky!

July 2011
The Kentucky Enquirer
A fourth grade class at Summit View Elementary are well-versed in the world of iPads.

 This tiny church is a proud Northern Kentucky Landmark

October 2, 2010

Some local girls were chosen to demonstrate riding techniques for the World Equestrian Games audience.

March 10, 2010
Fascinating photos of Bluegrass Music legends by Northern Kentuckian, Jim Claypool.

March 6, 2010

Read the inspiring story of Cody Barnes. A former high school drop-out who got his life back on track.

Janurary 12, 2010
Read about the local woman who wrote the Southern-Inspired tale of growing up: Saving CeeCee Honeycutt.

Cincinnati Enquirer

2/16/10

 Dr. Bruce Holladay has worked with many Olympic Athletes and shares his experiences.

February 8, 2010
Trinity Episcopal Church in Covington, Ky will be missing their pastor of 20 years.

This article was published in the Cincinnati Enquirer and then sent out via the Associated Press. It appeared all over the country in print, as well as on ABC News. Robin's story was also featured in the Jan. 2010 issue of People Magazine!

By Deborah Kohl Kremer • Enquirer contributor • October 18, 2009

COVINGTON -After listening to the familiar speech of stowing all carry-on items and how the seat cushion can be used as a floatation device, Delta flight attendant Robin Schmidt then asks a favor of everyone on board.

She passes around a journal, asking people to write a personal message to a soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan. When the journal is filled with jokes, prayers and notes of encouragement, she packs it up and sends it along with a care package to a soldier.

"This is not about war or politics," said Schmidt, 47, of Covington. "It's about the personal sacrifice these soldiers are making and if I can do something to brighten their day, then I will."

Schmidt has brightened a lot of days. Since 2002, she has sent care packages to soldiers she meets on her flights or to soldiers who are recommended to her. She began passing the journals around the plane in 2005 and has done so on every one of her flights since then. Hundreds of soldiers have received a journal written just for them.

"If we can bring smiles and laughter, even if it is just for a few minutes, to these people, well, then it is worth it," she said.

Schmidt 'adopted' Army National Guard Sgt. Tim Gallagher last year and sends care packages on a monthly basis. Although he enjoys the snacks and toiletries, he considers the journals the most moving and thoughtful of all the gifts he has received.

They will be something I cherish for the rest of my life," he said via e-mail. "Something for the ages to look at and see how people really feel about what we are doing here."

Even when Schmidt does not have time to put together a care package, she tries to send her soldiers a postcard or short letter.

"The morale of soldiers can be made or broken from the amount of mail they do or do not receive," said Gallagher, who is stationed in Kandahar, Afghanistan. "What Robin has done for me is kept my spirits high and me constantly guessing and laughing."

Schmidt's goal is that no soldier ever feels he is forgotten. So last year she teamed up with Taylor Mill Elementary School and asked the students to write cards and letters to the soldiers who are patients in military hospitals overseas. Now, three or four times a year, all students in grades kindergarten through fifth, send their greetings.

"This is really good for our students," said Lois White, principal of Taylor Mill Elementary School. "It is an easy way to thank these people for what they do for us."

White explains that the first batch of cards that are sent each year are tied to Constitution Day.

"The teachers talk to the students about freedom and what rights we have," she said. "Then they explain that these soldiers are over there fighting for these rights. It is a wonderful service learning project."

Gallagher could not be more grateful.

"What Robin has done for me and my unit and the other soldiers and their units has been and is a total blessing," he said. "Robin is the epitome of a patriotic American, through and through. She is, hands down, an angel watching out for all the troops everywhere." ...

.

Published Fall 2009  This is an amazing piece of work!
-  1,200 pages; 2,112+ entries
-  Nearly 175 photos
- 2 Coeditors, 7 Associate Editors, 15 Topical Editors, 400+ Authors
- 11 Counties: Boone, Bracken, Campbell, Carroll, Gallatin, Grant, Kenton, Mason, Owen, Pendleton, and Robertson .

- Weight is nearly 7 lbs.

Deborah Kohl Kremer contributing author.

Fall 2008

This article was published in The Cincinnati Enquirer and The Louisville Courier- Journal

June 2005, Kentucky Monthly Magazine

This was the cover story about Emily Craig, Kentucky's Forensic Anthropologist.

Loss of her parents didn't stop her - Christy Carlisle, Walton-Verona High School
Writer: Deborah Kohl Kremer
6/14/2009 Kentucky Enquirer, Covington

WALTON -- Losing both parents in six years could cause a child to shut down, rebel or just give up. But Cristy Carlisle, a recent graduate of Walton-Verona High School, has turned her tragedy into triumph.

The family, from Mississippi, moved to Walton after Cristy's mother died in 2001. Clifford 'Scott' Carlisle, Cristy's father, brought his two children here to find work.

He was a long haul truck driver and life was hard for them. That life got even harder in December 2007, when Scott passed away due to heart problems.

"Sometimes you don't expect people to leave you in life," said Cristy. "But life isn't permanent. It is precious."

In the small town of Walton, people came to the aid of Cristy, 17 at the time, and her brother, Daniel, who was 19.

At school, Larry Davis became the catalyst to making sure the kids were taken care of. As the S.A.F.E. agent for the school, his job involves reducing barriers to learning and preventing dropouts.

"This community came together like you wouldn't believe," Davis said. "Everybody knows everybody around here and, as people heard about this, they started sending money in. It was amazing."

Davis and Chris Grubbs of Chambers and Grubbs Funeral Home held a funeral for Scott, and tried to figure out what the kids' options were. Daniel decided to go back to Mississippi to live with relatives, but Cristy wanted to stay here and finish her education.

She was a junior at the time, a B student and had enjoyed participating in the choir and drama club. She feared if she returned to Mississippi she might not finish school, and wasn't sure where she'd live.

In stepped Donna Owens, the mother of Cristy's best friend Cori Owens. Owens, a single mother, opened her home to Cristy.

"It broke my heart when her father died," said Owens, a nurse at St. Elizabeth Medical Center. "I just knew I had to make sure she would be OK. Even though she's not mine biologically, she is mine just the same."

At the Owens' home, Cristy lives in a more stable and structured environment than she ever had before.

"My dad had a hard time making a home for us," she said. "But Donna makes sure my grades are good and that I'm home on time."

Though there have been adjustments for everyone, Donna says Cristy is a good kid, mature beyond her years.

"Cori and I have completely absorbed Cristy into our household," Owens said. "She has brought so much pleasure to our lives."

Cristy plans to attend Gateway Community and Technical College in the fall. She wants to eventually transfer to Northern Kentucky University to pursue a degree in social work. But for now, she will continue living with the Owens family.

"This is such a nice place to live," Cristy said. "I think of Walton as my home."

 CINCINNATI ENQUIRER Sunday 29th April 2007

High school seeks to stop surreptitious smoking
BY DEBORAH KOHL KREMER
The song says, "Everybody knows that smoking ain't allowed in school." That's certainly the case at Dixie Heights High School.
Anyone trying to sneak a smoke in the boys' room - or girls' room - at Dixie is greeted by a woman's voice who informs the of-
fender: "You are smoking in a non-authorized area. The proper authorities have been notified. Please extinguish your flame and
exit the restroom."
All 10 restrooms at Dixie have been equipped with very sensitive cigarette detectors made in England. These are not like smoke
detectors for home use. According to Harry Wessel, Dixie's plant manager, the detector is made up of two parts - one picks up
the smoke, the other the flame. After the verbal warning, the detector discharges a noise and flashing light that alerts nearby fac-
ulty of the offense, and they converge on the restroom.
Smoking on the grounds results in a trip to detention, and repeat offenders are suspended.
"One light from a lighter or two puffs from a cigarette will set this thing off," Wessel said. "The students are thanking me for install-
ing them. It is just awesome."
After about three weeks, Dixie Principal Kim Banta says not one cigarette butt has been found in a restroom. Because of this suc-
cess, other high schools in the area are looking into the system as well.
"The idea came about as a result of the non-smoking students complaining because sometimes the restrooms smelled like
smoke," said Banta. "Although we try to have faculty in the restrooms to prevent the smoking, we just can't be everywhere at all
times. With this system we are covered."
Kenton County School District Superintendent Tim Hanner said the exciting part, besides working to eliminate smoking within a
school, is that the students are leaders within the high schools.
"This shows they not only have a voice, but when they generate ideas, they are listened to, and many times acted upon, by
school staff," Hanner said. "I am proud that we have school administrators who work with and listen to our students, because we
have a lot to learn from them."
Banta believes the overwhelming majority of Dixie students are non-smokers. "I can only think of about five students in the whole
school who struggle to get through the day without a cigarette," she said. "So they may not be happy with the system, but they
are not allowed to smoke on school grounds anyway."
Many students are glad they don't have to deal with the smell of cigarettes in their school. Senior Merrill Sams says that it was
never a huge problem, but occasionally students could smell smoke in the restrooms.
"I think kids who smoke are really getting the picture now," she said. "They will get caught with this system, and no one wants to
get in trouble."

 The Cincinnati Enquirer

Sisters to graduate together
Writer: DEBORAH KOHL KREMER
6/5/2007 Kentucky Enquirer, Covington

You can hear the roll call now.

"Rogers?" "Here."

"Smith?" "Here."

"Tomaszewski?" "Here." "Here." "Here."

That's what teachers at Scott High heard over the past four years when they found themselves with three sisters, Rachel, Shannon and Courtney Tomaszewski in their classes.

Although the sisters are part of a blended family, Rachel is 18 and Shannon and Courtney are 17-year-old twins, most people assume all three are triplets.

"We are used to dealing with that confusion," Rachel said. "It is unusual to have three siblings all in one grade, but never a problem for us."

On the contrary, all three girls see the advantage of it. The daughters of David and Heather Tomaszewski of Taylor Mill help each other with school projects, remind each other about class assignments and can work as a small study group at test time.

"We had to read a novel for advanced placement literature," Shannon said. "We discussed the book and had three completely different views of the same book all from inside our own house."

The Tomaszewski sisters are part of the class of 267 Scott High School seniors who will graduate Wednesday at Northern Kentucky University.

All three will earn the prestigious Commonwealth Diploma as well as a Work Ethic Diploma.

The Commonwealth Diploma shows the successful completion of at least four advanced placement classes. The Work Ethic Diploma is awarded through the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. It assures future employers that recipients have met criteria, which includes punctuality, teamwork, attendance and good behavior.

All three girls have immersed themselves in advanced placement classes throughout high school and credit the teachers at Scott for their successes.

"Scott High School teachers are just marvelous," Courtney said. "Because they genuinely want to teach, they connect so well with the students. I am definitely prepared for college."

Each girl excelled academically and participated in academic team, science Olympiad and National Honor Society.

Tim Boggs, who teaches science, has had the girls in class and coached them for academic team. "These three girls work so well together, they are like a well-oiled machine," he said. "On the quick recall team they did not compete with each other, instead they knew which answers their sisters would know and let them take the question."

Next year the sisters, who have been in the same school since freshman year, head in separate directions.

Shannon, who spends her free time working to earn a pilot's license, has been accepted into University of Cincinnati where she plans to go into aerospace engineering. Although her dream job is to work for NASA, she is considering applying to the U.S. Naval Academy.

Courtney has always been interested in working around the kitchen. She describes her late grandfather as a cooking enthusiast who taught her to "beat an egg before she was old enough to go to school." She has been accepted into the Culinary Institute of America in New York, where she will pursue a bachelor's degree in culinary arts. Her ultimate goal is to own and operate her own restaurant.

Rachel, who works part time at PETSuites, is the animal lover. She has been accepted at Purdue University, where she will study veterinary medicine.

Boggs knows the girls have the brains to do well in college. But these girls have more than just intellect.

"They're just really nice girls," Boggs said. "They are very kind to everyone and they go out of their way to make people feel welcome."

All three say they will miss their friends and family as they begin the next chapters in their lives. It will be especially tough to break up the trio.

"People are always looking for an ultimate best friend," Shannon said. "I'm lucky, I've got two."