Turning sweet 16 in Kentucky used to mean a trip to the DMV. Now Kentucky teens have less of a wait time to get behind the wheel. Kentucky’s House Bill 15 has passed, meaning 15 year olds are now eligible to apply for their driver’s permits.

Introduced to the House on January 8th, Kentucky’s House Bill 15 proposed to “allow persons who are at least 15 years old to apply for a motor vehicle instruction permit”. The bill moved it’s way through Senate, the Department of Transportation and was effectively passed with a 90-5 vote on March 13th.  Delivered and signed by Governor Andy Beshear, the bill is now in effect as of March 25th, 2025.

For families with 15 year olds, the steps to acquiring a permit remain the same.

• Pass a written knowledge test (study using the KY Driver Manual, click here)
• Take a vision test
• Apply for a permit at local DMV

When applying for a permit, bring the following documents:

1. Original Birth Certificate (or certified copy)
2. Social Security Card (must bring card as proof)
3. One proof of Residency (two for REAL ID)
4. School Compliance Verification Form issued by their school

A parent or legal guardian that is listed on the applicant’s birth certificate must also sign the license/ID card application form.

Permit holders must abide by certain rules to maintain their permit status, including:

• May only driver with a licensed driver 21+ in the front passenger seat
• Limited to one unrelated passenger under 20 years old
• Before obtaining a full, unrestricted license, drivers must complete a driver’s training program
• Additional rules may apply, see drive.ky.gov

Drive safe, Kentucky!

Learn more about the new driver licensing law for 15-year-olds by clicking here. 

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HIGH ACADEMIC STANDARDS

Private school students tend to outperform their public school peers. National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data states that private school students tend to perform better on standardized tests and in almost all subjects.

“Catholic schools maintain rigorous academic standards, preparing students for future academic and professional challenges,” says Covington Catholic High School Director of Marketing, Julane Becker.

In addition to higher test scores, private schools offer other academic benefits. They have more flexibility than public schools in designing academic programs.

“Private schools can offer a variety of enrichment options and electives that help students learn more than the basic required curriculum,” says Saint Ursula Academy Vice President of Communications, Jill Cahill. “They can learn how to think critically and problem-solve. They can learn how to make an impact in the world by exploring and focusing on their talents.”

St. Bernard Catholic School Principal, Tony Ertel adds, “Private schools have the ability to decide how they are going to achieve academic excellence and which social issues are appropriate to address in the school setting. Private schools, compared to public, also can prioritize student learning and growth over meeting the sometimes arbitrary, sometimes senseless barometers of success established by the government (and driving government funding).”

CLASS SIZES

One of the most important reasons parents opt to send their children to private schools is class size. Research.com states that the average public school class size is 24, whereas the average private school class size is 18.8. Smaller class sizes provide students with more teacher attention, which can translate into higher achievement.

“Choosing a school is a difficult decision,” says Villa Madonna Academy Director of Communications, Amy Holtzman. “The Cincinnati area has many good public and private options. It is all about finding the right fit for each family. One difference that parents will generally find at private schools like Villa Madonna Academy is small class sizes. Teachers are able to get to know the students and tailor instruction to meet the students where they are.”

Becker articulates, “With smaller student populations, Catholic schools provide more personalized attention, fostering a supportive learning environment and meaningful teacher-student relationships. With small class sizes and five levels of classes available, teachers can take the time to understand the individual learning styles, strengths and challenges of each student and can tailor their approach to meet the specific needs.”

Seven Hills Head of School, Chris Garten says, “Many independent schools can offer smaller class sizes and pupil loads that permit teachers to understand much more fully the unique needs of each of their students.”

“Smaller class sizes allow teachers to focus on fewer students at a time, thus allowing them to gain a better understanding of whether the students are understanding the material,” Cahill adds. ”Some data shows students learn faster and perform better in smaller classes (fewer than 20). These small classes lead to increased individual attention, increased participation and better communication between the teacher and the students.”

According to Ertel, smaller class size offers so many benefits including better class culture and teachers can identify individual students’ needs more easily – both where they need support and where they can be extended (challenged further).

VALUES

About 84 percent of private schools are religious. Many parents who send their children to private schools wish to instill religious values in their children. Some parents also send their children to private schools because they do not feel comfortable with some of the values that public schools instill.

“Catholic schools prioritize instilling strong moral and ethical values, fostering character development alongside academic learning, Becker articulates. “Catholic schools promote a close-knit community, encouraging strong bonds among students, teachers and parents, creating a supportive network.”

In addition, many independent schools share a commitment to nurturing the growth of the ‘whole child’ and to fostering important life skills such as curiosity, critical thinking and creative problem solving,
according to Garten.

EXTRA OFFERINGS

As recently as 2020, public schools received 47 percent of their funding from state governments and 45 percent from local governments. Some localities are wealthier than others, and many public schools have limited extra offerings. Private schools tend to offer more amenities.

“Private schools also have the added benefit of providing unique opportunities that may not be available at other schools,” says Holtzman. “For instance, Villa offers inclusive extracurriculars. All students are invited to participate in sports and clubs giving them the benefit of being a part of the team.”

Bethany School Director of Advancement, Kristen Reyes-Tarsiuk articulates that private schools also provide parents with a sense of agency.

Cahill adds, “Private schools can also offer additional resources that might not be found in public schools like student centers, athletic fasciitis, IT support, nutritional meal options, more one-on-one counseling support, and whole-person development, including faith development in many cases.”

Private schools are not all the same and many have different offerings. Some are religious and others are not. However, private schools seem to consistently offer higher academic standards, smaller class sizes, and more amenities.

The post What the Best Private Schools Have in Common appeared first on Cincinnati Family Magazine.

Great Parks and Cohen Recycling 

Great Parks is renewing its holiday lights recycling program this season (diverting thousands of pounds of material from going into landfills). Holiday light sets are accepted in specially marked bins at six Great Parks destinations now through February 1, 2024. From there, Cohen Recycling will collect and recycle all the wiring and light sets. Plus, Cohen will present a check to Great Parks for the value of the recycled material at the end of the program.

Both LED and traditional bulb string lights can be dropped off, but other recyclable materials should not be left in the bins. Only lights and their wiring should be dropped – bags or boxes used to carry lights into the parks should not be placed in the bins.

Here are the destinations you can drop off your lights:

• Farbach-Werner Nature Preserve
  Ellenwood Nature Barn, 3455 Poole Road Cincinnati, Oh
• Glenwood Gardens
  Gatehouse, 10397 Springfield Pike Cincinnati, Oh
• Miami Whitewater Forest
  Visitor Center, 9001 Mt. Hope Road Harrison, Oh
• Sharon Woods
  Sharon Centre, 11450 Lebanon Road Sharonville, Oh
• Winton Woods
  Winton Centre, 10245 Winton Road Cincinnati, Oh
• Woodland Mound
  Breezy Point Pavilion, 8250 Old Kellogg Road Cincinnati, Oh

Learn more at greatparks.org.

The Campbell County Christmas Tree and Light Recycling Program

The Campbell County Christmas Tree Recycling Program begins Tuesday, December 26, and runs through Sunday, Jan. 14. Residents can drop off natural Christmas trees at the designated area in Pendery Park during daylight hours.

Note: trees should not be wrapped in bags and be sure to remove all ornaments, tinsel, ribbons and lights before drop-off. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife will collect the trees for fish habitat in lakes throughout the commonwealth.

The holiday light recycling program takes place now through February 1, 2024.

Campbell County residents can drop off unwanted string lights at these six locations:

• Campbell County Administration Building
  1098 Monmouth St., Newport
• Campbell County Clerk’s Office
  8330 W Main St., Alexandria
• Campbell County Public Library locations

The county asks that only string lights be recycled in the provided barrels, free of plastic bags and other packaging products.

For questions, email SolidWaste@campbellcountyky.gov or call 859-547-1866.

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Find out more at pogopass.com/cincinnati.

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Private School Open Houses

BETHANY SCHOOL
bethanyschool.org
513-771-7462
555 Albion Ave., Glendale
Sunday, Oct. 22 from 2 – 4 p.m.

CALVARY CHRISTIAN
ccsky.org | 859-356-9201
5955 Taylor Mill Road, Covington, KY
Thursday, Nov. 16 from 6 – 8 p.m.

CINCINNATI CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS
cincinnatichristian.org
513-892-8500
7350 Dixie Highway, Fairfi eld
Elementary Open House: Monday, Nov. 13 from 1 – 3 p.m.
JH/SH Open House: Monday, Nov. 13 from 3 – 5 p.m.

CINCINNATI HILL CHRISTIAN
chca-oh.org | 513-247-0900
8283 East Kemper Road, Cincinnati
Saturday, Nov. 4 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

CINCINNATI WALDORF SCHOOL
cincinnatiwaldorfschool.org
Lower School: 513-541-0220
Upper School: 513-386-7974
6703 Chestnut St., Cincinnati
Lower School Open House: Saturday, Nov. 4, 10 a.m.

High School Open House: Saturday, Nov. 4, 11 a.m.

COVINGTON CLASSICAL ACADEMY
covingtonclassicalacademy.org
859-693-9203
525 Scott St., Covington, KY
Sunday, Nov. 5 from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

COVINGTON LATIN SCHOOL
covingtonlatin.org
859-291-7044
21 East 11th St., Covington, KY
Sunday, Oct. 29 at 1 or 3 p.m

MARS HILL ACADEMY
marshill.edu | 513-770-3223
4230 Aero Drive, Mason, Oh
Saturday, Nov. 4 from 9:30 – 11 a.m.

MERCY MCAULEY HIGH
mercymcauley.org
513-681-1800
6000 Oakwood Ave., Cincinnati
Sunday, Oct. 29 from 1 – 3:30 p.m.

MERCY MONTESSORI CENTER
mercymontessori.org
513-475-6700
2335 Grandview Ave., Cincinnati
Virtual Meet-up: Nov. 7 at 9 a.m.

MOUNT NOTRE DAME HIGH SCHOOL
mndhs.org | 513-821-3044
711 E Columbia Ave., Cincinnati
Sunday, Nov. 5 from 1 – 5 p.m.

ROYALMONT ACADEMY
royalmontacademy.org
513-754-0555
200 Northcrest Drive, Mason
Wednesday, Nov. 15 from 5 – 7:30 p.m.

SETON HIGH SCHOOL
setoncincinnati.org
513-471-2600
3901 Glenway Ave., Cincinnati
Open House: Thursday, Nov. 2 from 4:30 – 8:30 p.m.

ST. XAVIER HIGH SCHOOL
stxavier.org | 513-761-7600
600 W. North Bend Road, Cincinnati
Sunday, Nov. 12 from 1 – 5 p.m.

SEVEN HILLS SCHOOL
7hills.org | 513-728-2400
Hillsdale Campus: 5400 Red Bank Road, Cincinnati
Doherty Campus: 2726 Johnstone Place, Cincinnati
Lotspeich Tour: Thursday, Oct. 12 from 9 – 10 a.m.; Hillsdale Tour: Thursday, Oct. 19, 9 – 10 a.m.

SPRINGER SCHOOL

springer-ld.org | 513-871-6080

2121 Madison Road, Cincinnati
Virtual Open House: Tuesday, Oct. 10
from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.;
Open House: Wednesday, Nov. 8 from
9:30 – 10:30 a.m.

ST. URSULA VILLA SCHOOL
stursulavilla.org | 513-871-7218
3660 Vineyard Place, Cincinnati
Saturday, Nov. 4 from 10 a.m. – 12
p.m.

SUMMIT COUNTRY DAY
summitcds.org | 513-871-4700
2161 Grandin Road, Cincinnati
Montessori Parent Preview Day: Thursday, Oct. 19 from 8:30 – 10:15 a.m.; Upper School Open House: Thursday, Nov. 16 from 6:30 – 9 p.m.

The post Private School Open Houses appeared first on Cincinnati Family Magazine.

GUINNESS CINCINNATI CELTIC FESTIVAL
East Freedom Way, Cincinnati; cincycelticfest.com
July 14 from 5 – 11 p.m.; July 15 from 12 – 11p.m.; July 16 from 12 – 7 p.m. Celebrate Cincinnati’s Celtic heritage with food and drink, games, tastings, the Highland Dance Competition, live entertainment and more.

FESTIVAL OF SYCAMORE
Bechtold Park, 4312 Sycamore Road, Sycamore Township; sycamoretownship.org
July 14 & 15; Festival of Sycamore is a two-day, family-friendly music festival with food and drink vendors, games, live music and rides.

THE OHIO CHALLENGE
2301 Wedekind Drive, Middletown; ohiochallenge.com
July 21 and 22 from 5 – 10:30 p.m; A festival that features carnival rides, a car show, a fireworks show, hot air balloons, a plane show and rides. Admission is $5.

FAMILY OUTINGS

LOVELAND CASTLE
12075 Shore Drive, Loveland; lovelandcastle.com
A real castle and museum with English, French, and German architecture. Take self-guided tours and see artifacts including period swords and weaponry. Admission is $5 for ages 5 and older. Picnic on the grounds.

MAINSTRASSE VILLAGE
Covington, KY; facebook.com/MainStrasseVillage
A historic German village with international eaeries. Eat Japanese food at Nagomi; Italian pizza at Goodfellas Pizza; Mexican dishes at Frida 602; English fare at Cock & Bull and more.

SCREAMING EAGLE AT THE ARK ENCOUNTER
1 Ark Encounter Drive, Williamstown; arkencounterzip.com
Aerial challenges starting at $39; free fall start-
ing at $17.95; and zip line starting at $59.

SCREAMING RAPTOR ZIP LINES
2800 Bullittsburg Church Road, Petersburg; screamingraptorziplines.com
Located at the Creation Museum, take aerial challenges starting at $29 for kids and 49 for adults; free fall starting
at $17.95 and zip line courses starting at $49.

WHERE TO COOL OFF

AQUA ADVENTURES WATERPARK
8762 Thomas Road, Middletown; landofillusion.com/aqua
The park has an inflatable floating obstacle course that features 65 pieces (launch pads, cliffhangers halfpipes and action towers). Tickets cost $14.99 from Monday through Thursday and $19.99 from Friday through Sunday for kids ages 3 – 7 and seniors ages 62 and older. Tickets cost $18.99 Monday through Thursday, and $23.99 Friday through Sunday for ages 8 to 61.

CONEY ISLAND PARK
6201 Kellogg Ave., Cincinnati; coneyislandpark.com
Sunlite Water Adventure, Sunlite Pool, a Floating Obstacle Course, water slides, Typhoon Tower and more. Monday through Thursday tickets cost $15 for ages 2 – 7, $18 for ages 62 and older, and $23 for ages 8 to 61. Friday through Sunday tickets cost $17 for ages 2 – 7, $20 for ages 62 and older, and $24.50 for ages 8 – 61.

GREAT WOLF LODGE WATER PARK
2501 Great Wolf Drive, Mason; greatwolf.com/mason
A hotel and indoor water park which features swimming pools, water slides, an interactive four-story water fort, a lazy river and more. Half-day passes to the water park start at $40; day passes start at $50. Room rates vary, but generally start at $299.99 per night and include water park admission.

KINGS ISLAND SOAK CITY
6300 Kings Island Drive, Mason; visitkingsisland.com/soak-city
Soak City Water Park offers more than 50 water activities, including 36 water slides. Admission to Soak City is included with a Kings Island ticket or pass. Daily tickets start at $49.99.

WAKE NATION WATER PARK
201 Joe Nuxhall Way, Fairfield; wakenation.com
Wake Nation has a giant, floating, inflatable water park. It has a mild section for kids ages 6 and older, and two larger, more thrilling sections. Ticket prices start at $29.

WATER RAFTING

LITTLE MIAMI CANOE RENTAL
225 Corwin Road, Oregonia; littlemiamicanoe.com
Rafts, canoes, kayaks and tubes. Advanced reservations are mandatory. Rafting prices start at $30 per person for a six-mile trip. There is a five-paddler minimum.

MORGAN’S CANOE & OUTDOOR ADVENTURES
5701 OH-350, Oregonia; morganscanoe.com
Morgan’s Canoe rents rafts plus canoes and kayaks from three different locations. The Brookville, Indiana location offers tubing. They offer eight-person, non–capsizable rafts. They require reservations – three days in advance for individuals and one week in advance for group sizes of six or more rafters.

More Options for Summer Fun, CLICK HERE! Our award-winning event calendar has it all!

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Learn more by visiting newportonthelevee.com/the-brickery-cafe-play, and follow on Facebook at facebook.com/thebrickerycafe.

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CINCINNATI 

Accele-Rayshawn Athletic Training
3320 Tylerville Road, Fairfield | accelerayshawnathletictrainingllc.com | 513-549-1652
This youth sports performance enhancement program is designed for K-12 children. With a focus on making kids quicker, faster and more explosive, this training facility is great for that.

Big Blue Canopy
11230 Cornell Park Drive, Blue Ash, Oh | bigbluecanopy.com | 513-880-6800 
Pediatric gym and therapy services available to enhance developmental skills, socialize and learn to accept differences through play, leisure and recreation. 

Kids First Sports Center
7900 East Kemper | kidsfirstsports.com | 513-489-7575
Active kids will feel right at home! Kids First Sports Center offers tons of physical programs to get kids moving like tumble bees, gym jam, dance, soccer, fencing, ninja-parkour, aerial arts, TaeKwonDo and more. 

Trainers Spot
8432 Old 3C Hwy., Maineville | trainersspot.com | 740-503-2690
A privately-owned gym, it’s the perfect spot for kids to get with a certified personal trainer and gain skills to get strong, build confidence and prepare for their upcoming sports season!

Swift Movement Studio
4460 W Mitchell Ave #6 | swift-movement.com | 513-549-4460
Parkour is play-focused fun! Kids will get moving and make athletic gains while boosting self-esteem.

USA Ninja Challenge
4727 Red Bank Road | ninjacincinnati.com | 513-739-5528
With six levels of mastery, kids ages 4 – 17 will love testing their strength and agility through jumping, climbing, swinging, traversing, balancing and through cool floor skills, too. 

NKY 

All Star Performance
4506 Dixie Hwy, Erlanger, Ky |  facebook.com/Allstar2021/about | 859-360-1860
Speed, agility and strength training for youth, high school and college athletes. Offering both open gym hours and specific sport sessions. 

D1 Training
1952 North Bend Road, Hebron | d1training.com/northern-kentucky | 859-904-5445
Student athletes can follow a strategic eight-week training cycle to utilize the entire body and optimize their human performance.

Kid Strong
2816 Town Center Blvd. | kidstrong.com/locations/crestview-hills | 859-757-0201
Whole body well-being is the goal at KidStrong through brain, physical and character development. Kids will enjoy science-based curriculum taught by professionals.

We Rock the Spectrum
331 Kenton Lands Road, Suite 400, Erlanger, Ky | werockthespectrumnorthernkentucky.com | 859-727-9787 
New to NKY this year, this special needs gym provides a nurturing and fun environment for kiddos to explore, learn and play without judgment. 

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Learn more about the crocodiles at the Newport Aquarium (1 Aquarium Way, Newport) and get your tickets at newportaquarium.com or call 1-800-406-3474.

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