Ashire Communications

02/17/2025

The Cincinnatus Association and five universities celebrated outstanding preK-12 educators at their annual Excellence in Education Awards dinner.

Ashire President Elliot Grossman not only chaired the Cincinnatus awards committee but also interviewed the eight winners. "What impressed me most about the winners is their commitment to continually improve their teaching skills and methods – to accelerate their students’ growth," he said. "Their level of professionalism is extraordinary."

Here is the first of the video interviews. Elliot worked with videographer Kevin McLaughlin.

2025 Excellence in Education Award presentation to Dr. Jennifer Williams, Principal, Hughes STEM High School

02/17/2025

The Cincinnatus Association and our five partner universities celebrated outstanding preK-12 educators at our annual Excellence in Education Awards dinner.

I felt privileged to not only chair the Cincinnatus awards committee but also to interview the eight winners. What impressed me most about the winners is their commitment to continually improve their teaching skills and methods – to accelerate their students’ growth. Their level of professionalism is extraordinary.

Here is the first of the video interviews. I worked with videographer Kevin McLaughlin, who volunteered his time.

2025 Excellence in Education Award presentation to Dr. Jennifer Williams, Principal, Hughes STEM High School

01/26/2025

https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2025/gulf-of-america-mexico-mount-mckinley-denali-ap-style/

In a statement explaining its decision, the AP said Trump has the authority to change the mountain’s name, but the gulf is a global name

09/26/2024

One of the reasons Ashire Communications serves nonprofits is so we can promote good causes. And that’s what this guest column by Independence Alliance does. It advocates for the rights of people with disabilities.

Independence Alliance is a nonprofit that serves people with disabilities in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. We’re proud to be associated with Independence Alliance and to have helped them with this column.

By Rob Festenstein, the executive director of Independence Alliance In the 1950s and 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement fought to eliminate discrimination against Blacks. At about the same time, a lesser-known civil rights movement was showing potential as well. In Berkeley, California, traditionally....

08/24/2024

Who says government can't be creative in its marketing? This is a brilliant way to get attention and stimulate people's curiosity.
https://www.facebook.com/MammothCaveNPS

07/25/2024

Happy 34th birthday to the Americans with Disabilities Act, the world's first comprehensive civil rights law for people with disabilities.

Ashire President Elliot Grossman has been fortunate to have first-hand experience with the positive impact the law has made, both in his journalism career and now as a consultant to organizations that serve people with disabilities.

Disability rights are civil rights. From voting to parking, the ADA is a law that protects people with disabilities in many areas of public life.

07/22/2024

Independence Alliance, formerly the Center for Independent Living Options, does important work to help people with disabilities live and work in our communities. We're proud to have this Cincinnati nonprofit as a client. Ashire Communications has been helping them announce their new name, including with this postcard.

04/02/2024

Alta ski area in Utah is one of the oldest and most traditional ski areas in North America. In fact, it is so old-fashioned that it continues to only allow skiing. No snowboarding.

But in the last couple of years, Alta has embraced social media in a big way as a marketing tool. Its page is continually updated with awesome photos of skiers in deep snow as well as updates about its record-setting snowfalls.

And this April 1 post is as clever as you can get.

https://www.alta.com/stories/avalanche-porcupines?fbclid=IwAR2gAIcbDgeTc0d5cNoKKTjDhdE-RhEejGH1ltxFWugaFvIJRBdC8LHPyhg_aem_AcC0sypeJjSo0Wxp0Cdgzw52IP6KXLoVYqqFC8kO-ZhdOrh39vCh1tie182uKmzMfNNlIzrYpAM2qCGGP-zQVDh8

A new chapter is set to unfold as Alta Ski Area will replace traditional Avalanche Dogs with Avalanche Porcupines—continuing its legacy of innovation in avalanche mitigation and rescue.

03/25/2024

FC Cincinnati has shown that it’s an impressive organization by nearly winning the MLS championship last year after only several seasons in the league. But this year, the team has shown how poorly it understands media relations.

Earlier this month, it revoked a reporter’s credentials because of stories the reporter wrote, an unprofessional and childish move.

FC Cincinnati is not required to abide by the First Amendment because it only applies to government. But if management was smart, it would have done so anyway. It’s amateurish to interfere with freedom of the press.

Laurel Pfahler, who writes for the online Queen City Press, lost her FC Cincinnati credentials for two weeks. She’d been covering the team for years. Perhaps the biggest problem in not having credentials is this: She lost access to coaches and players for interviews.

On Saturday, Pfahler released a statement indicating it seemed like the team revoked her credentials because it did not like three stories she wrote, including one about the departure of a player Alvaro Barreal.

“I’ve never had my professionalism or reputation come into question like this in 20 years as a journalist,” she wrote. “I am still stunned and hurt.”

Other excerpts from her statement: “I can’t help but suspect that general access issues in Major League Soccer contributed to the club’s belief it was OK to suspend my access. It’s become too commonplace to restrict coverage in this league.

“My experience covering the NFL and MLB is vastly different from MLS, where transparency is wildly lacking.

“I understand the club is not always going to agree with some of my analysis or the need to give a voice to individuals that FCC leadership might not wish to hear. But those disagreements should not prevent me from doing my job.”

Here’s what Enquirer sport columnist Jason Williams wrote:
“Any professional sports franchise that wants to be widely respected, at least by the media, shouldn’t ban a reporter. I could never see the Reds and Bengals revoking a reporter's credentials for the reason FC Cincinnati pulled Pfahler’s press pass. The Reds and Bengals know local and national media would swiftly unite and threaten an all-out coverage boycott.”

01/20/2024

The Cincinnatus Association, in partnership with five local colleges, has announced the winners of its 2024 Education Awards.

The program recognizes outstanding public and private school teachers, administrators and volunteers.

The public is invited to attend the awards banquet on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024 at 5 pm at Xavier University. Ashire President Elliot Grossman is a Cincinnatus member and he’ll be attending. To buy tickets, go to: https://bit.ly/48ZId32

Guest speaker will be Leila Kubesch, 2020 Ohio and National Teacher of the Year. In 2022, she was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame. She has spoken on five continents. Through her sessions, she emphasizes the significance of innovative teaching methods, such as enhancing student motivation and engagement, school safety protocols, and the art of grant writing.

The categories and this year’s winners are:
• James N. Jacob Award for Outstanding Administration in Cincinnati Public Schools: LaTasha Kimbro, Resource Coordinator, Rothenberg Preparatory Academy
• John E. Pepper Award for Outstanding Volunteer in Cincinnati Public Schools: Ruth Ann Wolfe, Pleasant Ridge Montessori School
• Woodward Trust Distinguished Teacher Award in Cincinnati Public Schools: Sabrina McGill, Teacher, John J. Gilligan Digital Academy
• Outstanding Northern Kentucky Private School Educator: Erin Gilday, St. Therese School
• Northern Kentucky Public School Teacher of the Year: Bonita Pack, Reiley Elementary, Campbell County Schools
• Outstanding Student Teacher Mentor Award: Adam Beard, 3rd grade teacher, Vermont Elementary School, Wyoming City Schools
• Teacher of the Year: Dr. Deborah Jackson, Sharonville Elementary School, Princeton City Schools
• Outstanding Ohio Public School Educator: Brittney Priore, Three Rivers Elementary School, Three Rivers Local School District

The participating higher education institutions are the University of Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky University, Thomas More University, Mount St. Joseph University and Xavier. Cincinnatus is a century-old civic organization that strives to improve life in Greater Cincinnati by focusing on education, good government, inclusion and the arts.

11/02/2023

This seems like a good time to share some of my reporting from Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip -- to generate more understanding of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

Today’s story is 20 years old, but it’s still relevant. With a photographer, I spent a week traveling back and forth between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank to profile two college students – one a Palestinian Muslim, the other an Israeli Jew. They had a lot in common, including a love of movies, talking to friends on the phone and helping others less fortunate. But when I asked whether they would ever consider meeting each other, their answers were simple: Never.

Click here to read the story: https://www.ashire.net/journalism

(Estimated reading time: 10 minutes)