In Kenton County: Developer to pay schools

Board brought suit over tax incentive

CRESCENT SPRINGS -- Crescent Springs Council on Thursday unanimously passed an ordinance that requires Bear Creek Capital, the Cincinnati-based developer of the $56 million Buttermilk Towne Center, to pay Kenton County School District about $500,000.

"It's a win-win for everybody," said Mayor Jim Collett. "The school board gets some revenue and Bear Creek gets some tax incentives that may not be as great as originally anticipated but helps them keep everything moving forward."

The ordinance comes after a November agreement between the city, the school district and Bear Creek, which opened the shopping center in 2006.

The agreement states that in lieu of taxes, Bear Creek will make a payment to the school district of $367,878 for the years 2005, 2006 and 2007, plus $144,403 for 2008...

This from the Cincinnati Enquirer.

New program helps empower Kentucky schools to go green

Twenhofel Middle School students in Kenton County are learning it is easy being green as they get an education in conservation. Their school building itself serves as a classroom as they monitor the school's energy usage, study in naturally lit classrooms and use science labs powered by solar panels.

They showed off their school - one of Kentucky's first “green” schools - as the Kentucky Environmental Education Council (KEEC) and the Kentucky Department of Education, with Kentucky Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet Secretary Teresa Hill, toured the school Friday to launch Kentucky Green and Healthy Schools (KGHS). This program encourages schools to teach and follow healthy and environmentally sound practices.Public and private schools across the state are invited to join the voluntary program.

KGHS provides tools to empower students and staff to help schools operate at peak efficiency while simultaneously following core content curriculum.“Emerging studies have found a significant correlation between the condition of school buildings and student health and academic performance,” said Maria Zoretic, KGHS program coordinator. “KGHS allows students and teachers to assess and identify strategies that will improve the quality of the school environment.”...

This from the News Democrat and Leader.

Simon Kenton uses MySpace as learning aid

Some see MySpace.com, the Internet's popular social networking site, as nothing more than a place where kids reveal personal information and chat with strangers.

But one Kenton County teacher is trying to turn it into a learning tool to help her students succeed in class.

Shannon Dunhoft, freshman English teacher at Simon Kenton High, said roughly 75 percent of students polled at her school claim to spend two to three hours each night on MySpace.

"I figured 'Why not do some good with it?' " Dunhoft said. "When I was in college, they encouraged us to use technology." And she's heeded that advice to the fullest.

She's created a class MySpace page, blog and Web site for her students and their parents to get instructions and assignments and ask her questions if they need help.

"It's a lot more work for me at home, but I tell my students I'll do whatever I need to make information accessible for them," Dunhoft said.

She received permission this summer from the school's site-based council to set up the MySpace page. Students can use it to post comments and ask questions about what they learned that day.

She started the blog at the end of last school year, which serves the same purpose as the MySpace page. "I think the blog is something the parents will use more than the kids," Dunhoft said.

The Web site has a calendar that shows what students will be taught three weeks out, as well as what they'll need for each class. There are also guidelines for the book reviews they have to do and an approved novel list.

There is also a link to the school's freshman academy page (which she also maintains)...

This from the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Minority educators can lead

Intern preparing to be superintendent

Demetria Choice hopes to one day become a school superintendent in Kentucky.

"We have 174 superintendents and just one of them is a minority," said Lisa Gross, spokeswoman for the Kentucky Department of Education. "That does not reflect the racial makeup of this state."

That's why the department started the Minority Superintendent Internship Program in 2003.

Choice is the program's lone participant this year and is conducting her internship with the Kenton County School District. Her salary is paid by the education department, but her work is in Kenton County.

She's filling in the next three weeks for an assistant principal who is on leave at Simon Kenton High. She has attended training sessions on law and finance, and has done research and written a letter for the district to legislators about scholarship money.

"This isn't about shadowing me," said Kenton Superintendent Tim Hanner. "We're making sure that we're putting her in a position where she's getting hands-on experience and learning everything there is to learn."

Kentucky has a 9.6 percent minority population, according to the 2005 Census. Gross said fewer than 10 have gone through the program. Two became superintendents....

This from the Cincinnati Enquirer: Photoby Patrick Reddy: Superintendent intern Demetria Choice (right) with Erin Welch, a first-year special ed teacher at Simon Kenton High.