I have a boy that goes to Campbell Co. schools right now. He's in grade school. He won't go to CC, he'll go to HHS starting in middle school. He's in the second grade and I'm not sure how much he even likes football, but he will end up at Highlands. Once he gets their and drinks the blue kool aid, who knows what will happen. He would fall under your numbers of transfers, etc. But again it has nothing to do with football. It's education! If he plays football and is lucky enough to contribute, then like one of the others says, Icing on the cake!

 

So basically what you are saying is that your child is going to learn to read, do math and all other basic elementary skills that are needed to be successful in middle/high school at an elementary school in Campbell County, but then he is going to go to Highlands because of the education?

Good post and great examples. Lets take a deeper look though. I don't know all of these kids situations, because they are spread out over a long period of time, which is the first thing I'd say. And over that period of time, I can name way more kids that were from Ft. Thomas that went on to the next level. That list looks like a lot, but in reality, that's 9 kids over and 18 year period!

 

Justin Frisk - Best player on team, Player of the Year in 3A KY - Don't know when he transferred, but yes came from other district.

Jared Lorenzen - D1, Mr. Football - Don't know when he transferred, but yes came from other district.

Derrick Smith - D1, UK - Actually came in the 7th grade from Silver Grove. Came to HHS to play bball, not football. If you were his parents and had an athlete like him and lived in Silver Grove (which depending on where he lived could be closer to HHS than even parts of Ft Thomas), where would you send him. This is not a good example.

Brett Hamblin - D1, UK - Don't know when he came or enough about him. But he is one you can have back! It doesn't always work out for the good!

Jordan Nevels - D1, UK - Don't know when he came or enough about him.

Rob Smith - D1, Tennessee - Don't know when he came or enough about him.

Mike Mitchell - D1, NFL - Don't know when he came or enough about him.

Drake Bruns - D1, UC - Mother is an alum! Not sure he would have went anywhere different no matter what.

Zach Harris - will be a 3 year starter - Very good player. Don't know when he came. Great kid. But are you saying that HHS doesn't win state without him??? Mcoy, abner, hope, Turner, cochran, murray, seidel, whitford, hayes, merkle, Collinsworth (i know i'm missing a ton of others, but you get my point) are all born and bred in Ft. Thomas or have deep roots with the program.

 

Give it a break! And even though the ones you mentioned (over 18 years) were surrounded by great Ft. Thomas kids that were successful too. If you take them off the team, that doesn't mean the outcomes would have been any different. Just a different name in the spot they played. Instead of beating teams by 50, they may have only beat them by 15-20.

 

I'm sure there have been more than than listed. There's is nothing wrong with the way HHS is doing things. It just makes scratch my head when supporters of the program act as if, kids don't move there to play football.

I'm sure there have been more than than listed. There's is nothing wrong with the way HHS is doing things. It just makes scratch my head when supporters of the program act as if, kids don't move there to play football.

 

Do other schools not get transfers? Of course they do. The reason Highlands is being singled out is because they win. But the misguided perception is they win because of those transfers. They would win with or without the transfers.

Good post and great examples. Lets take a deeper look though. I don't know all of these kids situations, because they are spread out over a long period of time, which is the first thing I'd say. And over that period of time, I can name way more kids that were from Ft. Thomas that went on to the next level. That list looks like a lot, but in reality, that's 9 kids over and 18 year period!

 

Justin Frisk - Best player on team, Player of the Year in 3A KY - Don't know when he transferred, but yes came from other district.

Jared Lorenzen - D1, Mr. Football - Don't know when he transferred, but yes came from other district.

Derrick Smith - D1, UK - Actually came in the 7th grade from Silver Grove. Came to HHS to play bball, not football. If you were his parents and had an athlete like him and lived in Silver Grove (which depending on where he lived could be closer to HHS than even parts of Ft Thomas), where would you send him. This is not a good example.

Brett Hamblin - D1, UK - Don't know when he came or enough about him. But he is one you can have back! It doesn't always work out for the good!

Jordan Nevels - D1, UK - Don't know when he came or enough about him.

Rob Smith - D1, Tennessee - Don't know when he came or enough about him.

Mike Mitchell - D1, NFL - Don't know when he came or enough about him.

Drake Bruns - D1, UC - Mother is an alum! Not sure he would have went anywhere different no matter what.

Zach Harris - will be a 3 year starter - Very good player. Don't know when he came. Great kid. But are you saying that HHS doesn't win state without him??? Mcoy, abner, hope, Turner, cochran, murray, seidel, whitford, hayes, merkle, Collinsworth (i know i'm missing a ton of others, but you get my point) are all born and bred in Ft. Thomas or have deep roots with the program.

 

Give it a break! And even though the ones you mentioned (over 18 years) were surrounded by great Ft. Thomas kids that were successful too. If you take them off the team, that doesn't mean the outcomes would have been any different. Just a different name in the spot they played. Instead of beating teams by 50, they may have only beat them by 15-20.

So did these kids make a difference or not? We are talking about division 1 athletes.

So basically what you are saying is that your child is going to learn to read, do math and all other basic elementary skills that are needed to be successful in middle/high school at an elementary school in Campbell County, but then he is going to go to Highlands because of the education?

 

Yep! The school he attends for free right now is a blue ribbon school in the CC district. The middle and high schools don't compare though. (I say that knowing that the CC district is working very hard and making great strides at turning things around). So yes, another uninformed post about an idividual situation. Eveyone generalizes all the situations and you have no idea what you're talking about. I can send him to a blue ribbon school for free through the 5th grade and then send him to one of the top middle and high schools in the state. Yes, education. I don't even know if he'll play football. He is in the 2nd grade and he's not a big kid or does he seem to care whether he plays or not.

Do other schools not get transfers? Of course they do. The reason Highlands is being singled out is because they win. But the misguided perception is they win because of those transfers. They would win with or without the transfers.

Yep, and I bet the schools who get transfers for the purpose of a sport probably win on a regular basis too.

I agree it is not just Football kids, heck I think they have 5 on the roster for girls Basketball. Kids just want to go there.

So did these kids make a difference or not? We are talking about division 1 athletes.

 

absolutely made a difference over 18 years. But the success of the program wouldnt have died without them! Someone else would have stepped up, just like they always do.

 

We don't deny that we get kids that move here. We deny the perception that the program is based or supported by those kids. The fact is they are a very small part of the over all success and every school gets transfers and move ins. You name the kids that transferred, worked hard and made it. Over those same 18 years, I can name way more kids that were transfers that were very average players when all said and done. Or never even saw the field! It's easy to point out the stars, but they are a small percentage.

 

But you guys know everything about the HHS progam! In reality, you know what you hear from all the other haters. Again, why don't you use HHS as a positive example for your program rather than arguing about how they do things?

Yep, and I bet the schools who get transfers for the purpose of a sport probably win on a regular basis too.

 

If sports are the only reason for transferring schools, then I would probably be right there with you on this issue. But as has been stated many, many times, Highlands High School delivers one of the best educations in KY. The sports side is just an added bonus.

Yep! The school he attends for free right now is a blue ribbon school in the CC district. The middle and high schools don't compare though. (I say that knowing that the CC district is working very hard and making great strides at turning things around). So yes, another uninformed post about an idividual situation. Eveyone generalizes all the situations and you have no idea what you're talking about. I can send him to a blue ribbon school for free through the 5th grade and then send him to one of the top middle and high schools in the state. Yes, education. I don't even know if he'll play football. He is in the 2nd grade and he's not a big kid or does he seem to care whether he plays or not.

 

Fair enough, but you do realize that the success of Ft. Thomas Independent schools has WAY more to do with parental support and community expectations than anything else. If you switched the teaching staffs at Covington Holmes and Highlands, the results would not change. Covington Holmes would still be low achieving and Highlands would still be elite.

Yep, and I bet the schools who get transfers for the purpose of a sport probably win on a regular basis too.

 

You missed his point...all schools get transfers on a regular basis. But you and others only want to talk about transfers when it's convenient to beat down a successful program. Heck, I know two kids that transferred to Brossart. Why aren't you talking about them??

Yep! The school he attends for free right now is a blue ribbon school in the CC district. The middle and high schools don't compare though. (I say that knowing that the CC district is working very hard and making great strides at turning things around). So yes, another uninformed post about an idividual situation. Eveyone generalizes all the situations and you have no idea what you're talking about. I can send him to a blue ribbon school for free through the 5th grade and then send him to one of the top middle and high schools in the state. Yes, education. I don't even know if he'll play football. He is in the 2nd grade and he's not a big kid or does he seem to care whether he plays or not.

 

Right now FT Thomas is not accepting tuition students in grades 6-11 due to capacity being reached. Not sure if they've projected out for future years after this one.

absolutely made a difference over 18 years. But the success of the program wouldnt have died without them! Someone else would have stepped up, just like they always do.

 

We don't deny that we get kids that move here. We deny the perception that the program is based or supported by those kids. The fact is they are a very small part of the over all success and every school gets transfers and move ins. You name the kids that transferred, worked hard and made it. Over those same 18 years, I can name way more kids that were transfers that were very average players when all said and done. Or never even saw the field! It's easy to point out the stars, but they are a small percentage.

 

But you guys know everything about the HHS progam! In reality, you know what you hear from all the other haters. Again, why don't you use HHS as a positive example for your program rather than arguing about how they do things?

 

I agree with a lot of what you are saying. I have stated that the Ft. Thomas kids are the foundation many times. This is not debatable.

If sports are the only reason for transferring schools, then I would probably be right there with you on this issue. But as has been stated many, many times, Highlands High School delivers one of the best educations in KY. The sports side is just an added bonus.

I'm sure it's not the only reason. Educational success has more to do with home and the student than it has to do with school system. State curriculum is taught at all public schools.

No, but the majority of them have! And you can say that about any school. No idea what school you follow, but I would ask you the exact same question. I have two kids that go to HHS right now. I don't live in Ft. Thomas. I pay tuition. I'm an alum and want my kids to go there. Alot of alums move out of Ft Thomas when they are first establishing themselves in life and then either move back when they have kids and can find a way to get back in or pay tuition. Again, very uninformed assumptions. Everyone thinks football players are knocking down the doors to move to Ft Thomas. It's just not reality. They develop from within! Yes they get some, but the majority of them were bred through the Ft Thomas school system since day one! And if parents made a choice that early to move to Ft Thomas, them what is wrong about that. Again for education. They have no idea whether their kid will like football or even play. Families move here because of the schools and community, not just football. Again, there are some. But everyone acts like it's easy to pick up and move to Ft Thomas. Well really think about that. How many actually can do it? Even if 10 families (which is probably nowwhere close) picked up and moved to Ft Thomas after their freshman year, that's still less than 10% of the program. Give me a break. Quit looking for excuses other than the coaching and hard work.

 

I have a boy that goes to Campbell Co. schools right now. He's in grade school. He won't go to CC, he'll go to HHS starting in middle school. He's in the second grade and I'm not sure how much he even likes football, but he will end up at Highlands. Once he gets their and drinks the blue kool aid, who knows what will happen. He would fall under your numbers of transfers, etc. But again it has nothing to do with football. It's education! If he plays football and is lucky enough to contribute, then like one of the others says, Icing on the cake!

I thought that Highlands has sltopped taking tuition paying students .Will this affect your 2nd grader when it is his time to leave the CC school system ? If he can't attend Highlands where will you send him then?