First lady urges Morton kids to take responsibility

Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Tuesday, September 23, 2008

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Morton sixth-grader Chris Ward offered the first lady a basketful of snacks for her horses. The school's PTSA put together the basket for Jane Beshear, who spoke on Kentucky Kids' Day.

Morton sixth-grader Chris Ward offered the first lady a basketful of snacks for her horses. The school's PTSA put together the basket for Jane Beshear, who spoke on Kentucky Kids' Day.

Morton sixth-grader Chris Ward offered the first lady a basketful of snacks for her horses. The school's PTSA put together the basket for Jane Beshear, who spoke on Kentucky Kids' Day.Morton principal Ronda Runyon and sixth-grader Chris Ward presented first lady Jane Beshear with a gift. The basket, courtesy of the PTSA, was filled with carrots, apples, peppermints and oatmeal cookies for Beshear's horses.Lots of Morton Middle School kids raised their hands when the first lady asked who participates in sports. She encouraged students to choose a healthy lifestyle.First lady Jane Beshear urged Morton students to take initiative for excelling in their studies and choosing to be healthy.

First lady Jane Beshear spoke at Morton Middle School on Kentucky Kids’ Day, extolling a strong education – and yes, even homework – as tools for success in life.

“If you dream it and you work hard, you can be whatever you want to be,” she told the students, noting that her two sons who attended Morton became a lawyer and a veterinarian.

Some 700 kids filed into the gym for Tuesday’s schoolwide assembly, packing the wooden bleachers and sitting crossed-legged on the basketball court. Principal Ronda Runyon raised a hand to quiet the low rumble before introducing the governor’s wife.

Beshear, a former PTSA president at Morton, talked first about Morton’s 174-year tradition as the oldest public school in Lexington and about her own Mustang roots. “You guys have a real special place in my heart,” she said.

She also praised the principal and the students for their dedication, citing Morton’s impressive rankings in the latest CATS results (seventh-highest scoring middle school in the state and second-highest in Fayette County). “It shows what a great school you have,” she said.

Overall, Beshear urged students to take responsibility for their own destinies by:

  • Having the courage to ask for help, whether in school, in sports or with friends;
  • Working hard in the classroom;
  • Choosing to be healthy.

“It is so important for your future that you think about a healthy lifestyle,” she said as Morton teachers hooted and applauded.

Being active – whether playing sports, biking or dancing – is a choice, as is pushing away from the TV and the computer, said Beshear, who peeked in on a P.E. class before the assembly. Such smart choices can help students be better prepared for study and learning.

The first lady did not soft-pedal what’s required to succeed in middle school and beyond. And she used inspiring, homegrown examples such as Ryder Cup winners Kenny Perry and J.B. Holmes to make her point: “They put in the time and effort.”

Establishing good habits and patterns now will pay off later, Beshear told the kids, adding, “All the teachers in this room, and your parents, truly believe in you.”

She wrapped up her half-hour pep talk by encouraging Morton’s kids to “go green” and remember simple efforts like turning off the lights in vacant rooms and unplugging cell-phone chargers when not in use.

“If each one of us will take responsibility to do a little something, then you will be part of saving the planet for another generation,” Beshear said, challenging students to take the lead.

Kentucky PTA Kids’ Day, which was established in 1985, reminds the public of the educational and personal needs of children and the role they play as our most important natural resource. The goal of Kids’ Day is to send the message to each child that he or she is a special and unique individual who is respected and loved.