School News from Around Kentucky

Madison Southern teacher earns award: Students in Jennifer Allen’s classes at Madison Southern High School are learning the importance of money. Allen, who teaches business economics, financial services and advanced computer applications, was recently honored by Kentucky Jump$tart Financial Literacy as its Teacher of the Year.Jump$tart is a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., that promotes the advancement of financial literacy among students in pre-kindergarten through college, according to its website. (Allen seen on left with Kentucky First Lady Jane Beshear Richmond Register<>)

North Hardin mixes it up with lunch program: North Hardin High School incorporated life lessons into the lunch period this week. North Hardin participated Tuesday in National Mix it Up Day. The program is a day set aside for students to sit with new people at lunch as a way to meet others and break down social barriers. About 250 students signed up to participate in the lunchtime program. Mix it Up Day is part of Rachel’s Challenge, a program that local schools have adopted after receiving a presentation at the beginning of September. The program is based on a philosophy that focused on kindness to others espoused by Rachel Scott, the first person shot during the shooting spree at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999. (News Enterprise)

Cloverport Schools’ “Apples for Aces” Initiative Enhances Student Learning: On Tuesday, November 11, the certified staff of Cloverport Independent Schools embarked on a new and exciting journey to enhance learning opportunities for all students in the district. The “Apples for Aces” initiative seeks to make the latest, most engaging learning technology accessible to all students. The first phase of this initiative was the distribution of an Apple iPad to every certified staff member in the school district for everyday use in their classrooms. The iPad is a valuable learning tool that students will now have available in each class that they attend.
The vision for our district is that the iPad will change the way that students and staff interact with new information in every area of the curriculum. (KSBA)

Graves County Schools Meet Goals After All: Graves County School District did indeed meet its Adequate Yearly Progress targeted goals on last spring’s Kentucky Core Content Test, according to Graves County Assistant Superintendent/supervisor of secondary instruction Carla Whitis. When KCCT scores were announced in late September, the Kentucky Department of Education reported that the district had met 12 of 13 goals. The goals under discussion relate to sub-population groups of students with disabilities. Whitis said the district was informed of the correction in recent days. She attributed the discrepancy to technical errors in KDE’s calculations. (WestKyStar)

Fayette schools plan to fund 28 new jobs with money from federal program - Money will pay for Academic coaches, training: Fayette County Public Schools is receiving $2.3 million through a new federal "EduJobs" program this year, and the district plans to spend the money to close achievement gaps and get ready for new core content standards.
About half the money would go for hiring academic coaches to help middle and high school schools raise test scores and reduce dropout rates. The rest of the money would help teachers prepare for new, tougher Kentucky core content standards in math and English in grades K-12 that will kick in next school year. (H-L)

Russell students get lesson in war: Highly decorated war veteran Ed Ashley spoke openly to students from Russell Middle School and Russell High School on Veterans Day as he recalled the IED attack that claimed the lives of three soldiers and left him with permanent physical and mental challenges.Ashley of Flatwoods walked to the center of the gymnasium and thanked the veterans representing conflicts from World War II to modern-day war in the Middle East who were also present for the ceremony. He began his talk by citing the number of Americans who have died or been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan at last count, offering a total of 5,769 dead and 41,076 wounded. He described the incident that nearly claimed his life, prompting three spinal surgeries and the remaining brain damage that challenges him on a daily basis.“I’m not going to give you a speech. I’m going to tell you exactly what happened,” he promised the students, veterans and school faculty alike. (Daily Independent)

Jefferson County teachers call for 'stability' in troubled schools: The more than 100 Jefferson County teachers gathered in Fern Creek High School's gym for a rally Wednesday night chanted a clear message: “Fix 176.” They were referring to Kentucky House Bill 176, which redefined low-performing schools when it was passed in January and calls for remedies such as replacing the school principal or more than half the faculty to improve performance. But teachers argued that hurts schools and students by creating unstable learning environments. (Courier Journal)

Superintendent: Being on low-performing schools list 'unacceptable' - must change: Having Clark County Schools named this week to a list of the state’s low-performing districts that didn’t meet No Child Left Behind goals for eight or more years didn’t sit well with the Clark County Board of Education. “It’s embarrassing. It’s truly embarrassing to be on this list. I’ve been in every school district on this list, and we don’t need to be on this list,” said Superintendent Elaine Farris. “This is not company we want to keep. We don’t have some of the challenges they have, and there is no reason for us to be on this list, none whatsoever, and I’m not accepting it.” The board spent a good portion of the meeting passionately discussing the ignominious distinction and what it would take to get off the list. (Winchester Sun)