In one classroom, students listened to Hanukkah stories. They also learned how to make mkekas, special placemats used during Kwanzaa.

In another classroom, students learned about Christmas in Scotland, as well as other countries in Europe.

And the big piece of fun came when they learned how to make gingerbread houses.

Springer School is the only resource in Greater Cincinnati dedicated entirely to teaching students with learning disabilities.

The school teaches learning strategies to 205 day-school students; provides information and referral services; and offers programs for parents, teachers, and individuals affected by learning disabilities.

Helping others find work

The Rev. Raymond Jones, executive director of the Cincinnati Concerned Citizens Association, thinks Christmas should be a combination of a paycheck and presents.

This time each year, he leads his group into sponsoring an Adopt-a-Family program. His group gets donations from individuals, organizations and companies. Families are matched with donors, and unemployed members of that family are given at least a temporary job through Labor Solutions, a temporary employment agency.

"This program is not a handout,'' Jones said.

"If families want help, the able-bodied members in that family who are unemployed must come in here and go to work.''

This week, the group has matched 475 families.

For families needing help and willing to follow the group's guidelines, call 723-0033.

Employees donate

Employees of the Hubert Co. in Harrison again partnered with Harrison Junior High School to provide gifts for 33 needy families in that community.

Employees donated gifts, money and then shopped for the children. Items included socks, shoes, clothing, CDs and special toys.

"No matter what their role, each employee takes away a sense of joy knowing that they have touched a family in such a small way,'' said Amy Bibee, spokesperson for Hubert.

Food drives and more

Food drives in November and December by 275 students at the Miami Heights Elementary School blossomed into 3,050 items that included food, beauty and health products, cleaning supplies and paper products.

Students delivered the items to Three Rivers Area Ministry Food Pantry in Addyston.

Clifton library turns 50

Jake Speed, an entertainer and author, will pick his guitar and banjo, blow his harmonica, buzz his kazoo and kick his washboard to entertain customers at the library during Family Fun Day, from 12-4 p.m. Jan. 17.

The occasion is the 50th anniversary celebration of the branch in Clifton.

Speed wrote The Cincinnati Legends of Jeremiah Schmidt, stories about Cincinnati history.

The branch opened as a storefront on Jan. 19, 1954. It was remodeled in 1971.

Last summer, the public donated $106,155 to expand the library.

Circulation has steadily increased even though it is one of the smallest branches.

In 2002 more than 225,000 books and other items were checked out, a 6 percent increase over 2001.

Through November of this year, circulation was up 17 percent.

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E-mail daveck@fuse.net

Behind the badge: Leadership college completed

LOVELAND - Loveland Police Sgt. Kim Nuesse recently graduated from the Law Enforcement Foundation's Police Executive Leadership College at the Ohio State University.

The training program spans three months of study.

Nuesse was among 29 police supervisors and chiefs attending the session. More than 1,100 Ohio police executives have attended PELC since its inception in 1988.

Sgt. Nuesse has been on the Loveland force for 10 years and has served as patrol officer, investigator, DARE officer and patrol shift supervisor.

She is a graduate of Xavier University and is the fifth member of the Loveland force to graduate from the leadership college.