Vol 3, No 13 • Thursday, April 12, 2007

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Message from Stu

Springtime and Success

It is hard to believe that spring break is over – complete with a 50 degree temperature change! I hope each of you were able to get some rest and spend time with your families. Our schools will be in high gear with state testing beginning in just a couple of weeks on April 23. Everyone has been working extremely hard this year and this is a time for us to shine. Although we want to do well on the state tests, this is really about the learning that has taken place this year. Assessments simply allow us to measure our progress and then figure out how to continuously improve based upon the data we receive.

There’s plenty of good news to report as our students show their talent in competitions around the region, state and nation. To name just a few … The speech team from SCAPA captured a record tenth state title. High school students around the district excelled in the American Mathematics Contest – placing among the very best in the nation. Elementary, middle and high school student musicians and singers from Fayette County shone at the Kentucky Music Educators Association conference. Students from our technical programs brought home top honors from the state SkillsUSA competition. High school artists earned top honors at a recent art show. And one of our littlest authors took first place in the state.

The individual and team accomplishments of our students are something we can all be proud of because they show the progression of education and serve as a testament to teamwork between students, educators and families. When a high school senior excels, he or she represents the sum of the work that took place over 13 years of education in our district schools. Teachers at the elementary, middle and high school each had a hand in guiding and helping nurture their budding talent. Partnerships between home and school have strengthened that success. Families are our students’ first teachers and are an integral part of supporting, guiding and enhancing what happens at school. Together we can help our kids do great things – we already have and with the increasing efforts I’m seeing around this district, I know our kids will continue to shine.

On a personal note, I wanted you all to know that I am continuing to recover well. I am getting stronger by the day. The doctors have said that the bone has healed well and the muscles are getting stronger to the point where I can now walk without a cane. I am not riding my bicycle outside, but I am trying to get back into shape by riding on a trainer inside the garage. As I shared earlier, my plan is not to ride outside until I retire. At any rate, I want to say thanks to each of you for your continued support throughout all of this! Given my pledge to ride only indoors, we’ll be modifying our Ride for Kids fundraiser for the Fayette Education Foundation this spring. We’ve changed the name to “Spin for Kids” and we’ll be doing it in early May at the Wal-Mart in Hamburg. Look for more details soon!

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Dunbar student named top leader

Jonathan Jones, who attends Paul Laurence Dunbar High School was recently given the first-ever Leadership Lexington Youth Distinguished Leader Award. Now in his junior year at Dunbar, Jones was selected from students who completed the Leadership Lexington program in 2005-2006 and 2004-2005. He will receive a $1000 scholarship upon his high school graduation.

Mirroring the Leadership Lexington Program for adults, the Leadership Lexington Youth program is a year-long educational program that provides a unique opportunity for sophomores and juniors to interact with community leaders and talk about issues, careers, business and post-secondary institutions. Throughout the program, students participate in interactive exercises aimed at motivating students to think seriously about the role they’d like to play in the Lexington community and how they can make a difference in their hometown. The program is sponsored by Commerce Lexington.

The Leadership Lexington Youth Distinguished Leader Award recognizes the class member who most demonstrated strong principles and dedication to the concept of community service. Nominated annually by class members and selected by the Leadership Lexington Youth Steering Committee members, consideration is given to the candidate’s communication and interpersonal skills, creativity, and their potential to make a difference in our community. The individual embodies the spirit of Leadership Lexington and has a keen understanding of community dynamics and public issues.

Jones, a native of Lexington, is president of the student technology leadership program at school. He recently started his own tech company, J&J Tech Solutions LLC.

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Students show off their “skills”

SkillsUSA is a national leadership organization for students in trade, industrial, technical and health occupations education. While competition is the main focus, students and advisors also have the chance to meet experts in their technical areas, attend career fairs, and attend Skills University, a series of educational sessions focused on professional development, trends in technical education, occupational opportunities and more.

Several Eastside and Southside Technical Center students recently participated in the regional SkillsUSA competition. Students who received a gold medal went on to represent Fayette County in the state competition during spring break. The students who won gold at the state level are now eligible to attend the SkillsUSA National Competition in Kansas City this summer.

View a list of regional gold, silver and bronze medal winners.

View a list to see how students did at the state level.

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And the Band Plays On…

Congratulations are in order for the talented students who were accepted to perform as members of all state ensembles in conjunction with the Kentucky Music Educators Association.

Named to the All-State Jazz Ensemble were: on sax: Graeme Gardiner, Lafayette; Michael McGonigal, Henry Clay; on trumpet: Don Lafluer, Lafayette, Taylor Huffacker, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Taylor Foley, Paul Laurence Dunbar; on trombone: Chris Grzech, Paul Laurence Dunbar; on vibraphone: Lyle Blunck; and on drums: Vinay Shroff, Paul Laurence Dunbar.

Named to the All-State Band/Orchestra Wind and Percussion Ensemble were: on bass clarinet: Emily Habermann, Lafayette; Laura Brown, Paul Laurence Dunbar; on bassoon: Jillian Scott, Henry Clay, Thomas Iorio, Paul Laurence Dunbar; on Bb clarinet: Muriel Navitzkas, Henry Clay; Sara Finnie and Ellen Trammel, Lafayette; on flute: Margeret Lutz and Amanda Su, Henry Clay; Jenny Ross and Qing Xie, Lafayette; Jennifer Griffith, Paul Laurence Dunbar; Caitlin Bright and Anastasia Kruse, Tates Creek; on French horn: Melanie Erena, Taylor Smith and Mia Wirkus, Lafayette; Jordan Bryan and Eric Coriell, Paul Laurence Dunbar; on oboe: Kaitlin Graff, Henry Clay; Rebecca Hertog, Lafayette; on tenor saxophone: Kendall Goffinet, Paul Laurence Dunbar; on timpani: Jeremy Wade, Lafayette; on trombone: Daniel Jackson, Lafayette; Joseph Hudson, Paul Laurence Dunbar; John Duff and Robert Lawson, Tates Creek: on trumpet: Robbie Elliott, Lafayette; Amber Allen and Michael Colliver, Paul Laurence Dunbar; on tuba: Elliot Rosenburg, Paul Laurence Dunbar.

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New program brings out kids’ “ImagiNation”

Thirty eight students on six teams at Rosa Parks Elementary School recently brought home medals while competing in the state Destination ImaginaNation tournament.

The program is new to Fayette County, and Rosa Parks Elementary is the first school in Lexington to participate. While DI has competitions at every level, kindergarten through college, Rosa Parks is gearing their program for the younger set in kindergarten through second — The Rising Stars. Destination Imagination is a problem-solving program that helps young people learn how to work and grow together as a team. Practicing and competing nurtures mutual self respect while enhancing students’ self-confidence and problem solving skills.

“I am thrilled to find a fun, yet academic, after school activity specifically geared for the lower primary students,” said Leslie Thomas, principal at Rosa Parks Elementary. “The feedback I have received has been overwhelmingly positive from students, parents, and teachers. The kids are enjoying themselves and learning a great deal, which benefits everyone.”

The open-ended challenges allow for a wide variety of solutions and a sense of accomplishment for the team. As part of the process, the participants develop critical thinking and creative problem solving skills. Each group is led by a team manager who is either a parent or adult volunteer.

“We have found that through this program, students are really thinking through challenges and using those skills to figure out practical, real-life problems,” said Jodi Dodd, who coordinates the program at Rosa Parks. “You can see the ‘light turn on’ when they understand that there are many ways to attack a problem — and there is no ‘right’ answer. The students are building confidence knowing they have a team to stand with them.”

Each of the challenges offers a different focus, such as mathematics, technical design and construction, experimentation, theater arts, social studies, research, story development, architecture, geography, structural engineering or other disciplines requiring critical thinking skills necessary to be successful in college, the workplace and in tomorrow’s world.

For more information about Destination Imagination, please visit www.idodi.org or contact Jodi Dodd at jodidodd@gmail.com.

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Calling all artists

It’s time once again for students to show how much they understand the importance of protecting one of our most precious natural resources. The second annual “Protect our Watershed Art Contest,” sponsored by Kentucky American Water is now underway and open to all fifth graders who live in Kentucky American Water’s service area (including Fayette County.) The contest is a fun and imaginative way to draw the attention of youth to the protection and preservation of the Commonwealth's watersheds. What's more, the contest can serve as a springboard for teachers to encourage students to think responsibly about the value of water. Contest applications have been mailed to elementary schools within Kentucky American Water’s service area. The top prize will be a $150 savings bond and the opportunity to have the student’s artwork displayed on the Kentucky American Water website as well as at the company’s main office on Richmond Road in Lexington. Prizes will also be awarded for second and third place. All artwork must be mailed by April 20, 2007. Winners will be announced in May.

Bluegrass Community & Technical College’s (BCTC) Peace and Justice Coalition is soliciting art entries for the “Art for Peace Contest,” which will be held in conjunction with the Second Annual Peace and Global Citizenship Fair, Think. Act. Discover. Peace on May 19. The “Art for Peace Contest” is open to all kindergarten through senior high students in Kentucky. Students are invited to draw or paint a picture of a peaceful world in which they would like to live. Mediums accepted include pastels, crayons, pen and ink, acrylics, oil, charcoal or watercolors. Entries will be accepted at the BCTC, Cooper Campus, 470 Cooper Drive, at the Information Desk in the Oswald Building, from April 1 -15. A total of four cash prizes will be awarded in the following categories; kindergarten through second grade, third through fifth grade, sixth through eighth grade, and ninth through twelfth grade. In addition, all art entries will form a collage for the 2008 Bluegrass Peace Calendar and be on display at the Fair. For more information, contact Rebecca Glasscock at (859) 246-6319.

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High School artists honored

Several Fayette County High School students took top honors in the 22nd Annual Bluegrass Regional High School Art Exhibition. Hosted by the Department of Art & Design at Eastern Kentucky University and the Kentucky Art Education Association, this show features the region’s most creative young artists from grades 9-12. Students who earn first place in the regional event advance to the Kentucky Art Education Association’s All-State Competition/Exhibit.

The student work will be on display through noon on April 12 in the Giles Gallery, which is located in the Campbell Building on campus at Eastern Kentucky University.

Winners include:

From Henry Clay High School:

• First Place in Painting: Hannah Shafer for “Jars of Blue” (Bob Sandford, teacher)
• Second Place in Painting: Lena Ruan for “Another Perspective” (Bob Sandford, teacher)
• First Place in Drawing: Ming Hong “Cow Skull” (Barbara Christensen, teacher)
• Second Place in Mixed Media: Allix Plymale for “Flowers for Industry” (Barbara Christensen, teacher)
• Second Place in Printmaking: Muriel Navitzkas for an untitled piece (Eric Bolander, teacher)
• First Place in Digital Media: Jonathan C Herrera for “It’s a Small World…” (Bob Sandford, teacher)
• Third Place in Digital Media: Nate Blankenship for “Short Street” (Eric Bolander, teacher)
• Second Place in Cultural Heritage/Diversity: Asuka Mabuchi for Japanese Culture (Erick Bolander, teacher)
• Third Place in Cultural Heritage/Diversity: Lena Ruan for “Together” (Bob Sandford, teacher)
• Best of Show 2-D: Lena Ruan for “Together” (Bob Sandford, teacher)
• Best of Show Overall: Hannah Shafer for “Jars of Blue” (Bob Sandford, teacher)
• Chair’s Award: Allix Plymale for “Flowers for Industry” (Barbara Christensen, teacher)

From Lafayette High School:

• Third Place in Painting: Brandon Howard for “Sanguine Petals” (Connie Tucker, teacher)
• Honorable Mention in Painting: Lydia K. Dildilian for “Watercolor Still Life” (Connie Tucker, teacher)
• First Place in Mixed Media: Ellen Gillespie for “In the News” (Connie Tucker, teacher)
• First Place in Fiber Arts/Textile Design: Katherine Simson for “Radiation Motif” (Connie Tucker, teacher)
• First Place in Jewelry/Metalsmithing: Brandi Teate for “Pretty in Purple” (Timi Goodman, teacher)
• Second Place Jewelry/Metalsmithing: Misbah Adil for “Dramatic Turquoise” (Timi Goodman, teacher)
• Second Place Digital Media: Samir M. Barrett for “Pulsion” (Connie Tucker, teacher)
• Best of Show Merit Award: Lydia Dilclian for “Self Portrait” (Connie Tucker, teacher)

From Paul Laurence Dunbar High School:

• Honorable Mention in Drawing: Denise Hall for “Self Portrait” (Karen Carrico, teacher)
• First Place in Fashion Design: Nancy Todd for “Fall” (Karen Carrico, teacher)
• First Place in Sculpture: Kaichiro Nakanishi for “Human” (Karen Carrico, teacher)
• Honorable Mention in Ceramics: Meredith Dahlstrom for “Pueblo Picasso” (Debbie Eller, teacher)
• Honorable Mention in Ceramics: Alyssa Wetzel for “Long Neck Vase” (Debbie Eller, teacher)

The event is co-sponsored by the EKU Department of Art and Design, the Kentucky Art Education Association, the Lexington Herald Leader Newspaper in Education Program, KU and LG&E, and EON Companies.

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Lift Every Voice and Sing

Congratulations are in order for the talented students who were accepted to sing as members of the Kentucky All-State Children’s Chorus in conjunction with the Kentucky Music Educators Association. Nearly 500 students auditioned for the chorus and roughly 200 were selected.

The following students were selected: from Cardinal Valley Elementary (Bebe Bond teacher): Kala Brown; from Glendover Elementary (Debbie Stegner, teacher): Adam Kiser, Claire Head, Emily Birdsong, Lucy Van Gorder, Mary Lacy, Sophia Whitman-Sandmeyer; from James Lane Allen Elementary (Marla Sowers, teacher): Faith Marts, Luke Theirl; from Morton Middle (Deborah Sogin, teacher): Cambria Collins, Edie Brown; from Northern Elementary (Amber Hedges, teacher): Julia Holland; from SCAPA Bluegrass (Millie Fields, teacher): Aaron Karp, Adam Brown, Andrew Burton, Anna King, Anna Wilson, Caroline Pellegrino, Caroline Bolling, Carrie Baldwin, Colton Ryan, Emma Centers, Glen Krebs, Haley Fish, Kalyn Williams, Kara Cliffe, Lauren Gardner, Madeline Charles, Margaret Kelly, McKenna Slone, Natalie Betts, Sydney Jahnigen.

For the first time this year, the KMEA also seated a Kentucky Junior High Chorus. Two local students were named to that group: Andrew Miller and Bo Brooks from SCAPA Bluegrass where the vocal music teacher is Millie Fields.

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Power of the Pen

Congratulations are in order for the following students who were selected as Fayette County winners in the Young Authors competition. The Young Authors’ Program, sponsored by the Louisville Courier Journal, is designed to integrate the writing process as a “real life” experience that culminates in the publication of a book for students in elementary and middle schools.

“This contest is a wonderful way for our imaginative story writers to create a masterpiece, be judged by their own peers, and be recognized for their talents at the school, county, and state level,” said Julius Marks fourth grade teacher Diane Spaulding, who coordinates the contest for Fayette County.

Students compete first on a county-wide basis and then go on to compete at the state level. Layne Robinson of Rosa Parks went on to win in the Grade 1 category at the state level.

Here are the other county winners:

• Grade 1 Winner – Layne Robinson of Rosa Parks Elementary, for “The Tweetle Dee’s Dance Party”
• Grade 2 Winner – Alajah Artis of Ashland Elementary for “The Dance“
• Grade 3 Winner – Lily Chasteen of Ashland Elementary for “Life is Tough Through a Dragon’s Eyes”
• Grade 4Winner – Olivia Dixon of Ashland Elementary for “The Great Frog”
• Grade 5 Winner – Sarah Spires of the School for the Creative and Performing Arts for “Julian, the Baby that Could”
• Grade 6 Winner – James Toohey of Edythe J. Hayes Middle School for “Grand Lane Apartments”
• Grade 7 Winner – Beth Bollinger of the School for the Creative and Performing Arts for “Somewhere Over the Century”
• Grade 8 Winner – Greta Witzke of the School for the Creative and Performing Arts for “Bridge to a New Family”
• Group Division Winners – Virginia Smith, Hannah Averitt, Kara Winchester and Zoe Williamson of Clays Mill Elementary for “The Backpack Adventure
• Group Division Winners – Chongsoo Jeon, Elaine Lin and Lesley Carter of Rosa Parks Elementary for “Lost in Cyber Space”

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Lexmark Employees Make a Cultural Connection

The following article was submitted by Lexmark employee Juli Gaworski.

With students who represent at least 33 nationalities and speak 27 different native languages enrolled in the Fayette County Public Schools, the need for English education is greater than ever. That’s why Lexmark has partnered with the school system to provide volunteers to tutor in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program.

Lexmark’s pilot program is set to begin at Lafayette High School, which currently has two after school ESL programs. The classes are designed to teach English to students in order to allow them the opportunity to succeed in their studies. Students will be paired with employees from Lexmark who are either from the child’s home country or are fluent in that student’s particular native tongue.

While the adult-student pairings will begin initially as tutoring relationships, program coordinators hope the work will foster the development of mentoring relationships. The intent is to provide a positive role model for each high schooler so that the youngsters can see themselves represented in the community.

“The overwhelming majority of our ESL students are Hispanic,” said Fabio Zuluaga, director of ESL programs for Fayette County. “Right now we have a critical need for adult Latino males from Mexico to partner with our students in order to provide positive role models and help increase their attendance and skill levels.”

The Hispanic Diversity Network Group at Lexmark has agreed to take on this initiative as its core outreach program. “We are very excited to have the opportunity to make a direct impact on these students,” said Harold Gonzalez, chair of the Hispanic Diversity Network Group. “Many of our members understand the unique challenges of learning another language and living in a foreign country, so they can connect with the kids on a different level.”

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Math whizzes? Go figure!

Fayette County students have once again shown they can compete nationally in math with their recent performance on tests designed to ferret out the very best. The American Mathematics Competitions is dedicated to the goal of strengthening the mathematical capabilities of our nation’s youth by identifying, recognizing and rewarding excellence in mathematics through a series of national contests. Students are given tests, and then based on their performance are able to advance to the next round of examinations.

Several Fayette County students performed exceedingly well recently on a pair of tests given by the American Mathematics Competitions, called the AMC 10 and the AMC 12. Both tests are 25 question, 75 minute multiple choice examinations in secondary school mathematics containing problems which can be understood and solved with pre-calculus concepts. But the AMC 10 is for students younger than 17.5 years and is not open for juniors or seniors. The AMC 12 is for students who are younger than 19.5 years. Students who meet the age and grade restrictions can take both. Students who rank in the top 1 percent of the nation on the AMC 10 or the top 5 percent of the nation on the AMC 12 are invited to the next level of competition – known as the American Invitational Mathematics Exam.

The following students qualified for the AIME based upon excellent AMC 10 scores:

• Youngwook Kim, Lafayette, school winner
• Oliver Zhang, Dunbar, school winner
• Keunbo Hur, Henry Clay, school winner
• Brandon Hounshell, Tates Creek High, school winner
• Michael Shen, Dunbar
• Motoki Mizoguchi, Dunbar

The following Fayette County students qualified for the American Invitational Mathematics Exam based upon their excellent AMC 12 scores:

• Jenny Ross, Lafayette, School Winner
• Ching Ip, Tates Creek, School Winner
• Connie Wu, Dunbar, School Winner
• Brian Fei, Dunbar
• Rohit Ray, Dunbar
• Sagar Chokshi, Dunbar
• Mimi Yang, Dunbar
• Yuan Wen, Dunbar
• Colin Zhou, Dunbar
• Amit Chakraborty, Dunbar
• Ben Nosarzewski, Dunbar
• David Parell, Dunbar
• Tracey Hayse, Henry Clay
• Kathleen McCarte, Henry Clay
• Ned Peters, Henry Clay

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Turn Off the TV. Turn On Life.

“Turn Off the T.V.” Week is a national campaign to encourage people to turn off their televisions, recreational computers and electronic games for seven days. Designated this year for April 23 through April 29, this week is a chance to read, be more physically active, converse, think, create and do, rather than view. By taking a week off from screens, families can evaluate the role that screens play in their lives and reclaim time for family, community and health.

On average, children in the U.S. watch more than four hours of television each day. In the course of a year, that means they spend more time in front of the television (1,023 hours) than in school (900 hours). Studies show that children who watch less T.V. are more likely to read and be physically fit.

Here are some tips to keep families “screen lean”

• Set limits on screen time.
• Don’t let your children watch T.V. while doing homework.
• Don’t put a T.V. or computer in your child’s room. (Nationally, 56 percent of children ages 8 through 16 have a television in their bedroom.)
• Make meal time, family time. Turn off the T.V. while you eat.
• Give other options. Watching T.V. can become a habit for your child. Stock the house will balls, jump ropes, Frisbees, books and games.
• Don’t use T.V. to reward or punish a child. This makes T.V. seem even more important.

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French Classes Hold Videoconference at Dunbar

The following article was submitted by Tates Creek sophomore Jeromy Height.

Thursday, March 15 was an exciting day as Mademoiselle Nicki Shelton’s Advanced French III students took their seats and prepared for a videoconference with students in France that they have corresponded with over the course of the entire year. The French classes here at Tates Creek sent menus, posters, and other various items representing American culture to an English class at the College Jules Ferry in Beaune, France during the first semester.

During the videoconference, the French III students were finally able to see and speak directly with the people they had been writing to all year. Questions were tossed back and forth over 6000 miles of wire regarding many cultural and school-related topics ranging from “Have you ever eaten snails?” to “Do you have cheerleaders in your class?”

The idea of the videoconference was planned before the commencement of this school year but the final details weren’t worked out until about a month before it actually happened. Since Tates Creek High School doesn’t have the technology available to do a videoconference, the event was held at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School.

“The most difficult thing to arrange was the schedule,” said Shelton. “It was hard to find a time that suited all 3 schools involved, Tates Creek, College Jules Ferry, and Dunbar.”

Shelton said she plans to stay in contact with English teacher in France and hopes to hold another videoconference in the future.

“This experience has provided my students with the opportunity to do what was once an impossibility – communicate in real time with a class of students in France. I feel, as a teacher, that real life experiences such as these are what make language learning important and memorable for students,” she said.

This year has been an important learning one for the Advanced French III classes as they explore French language and culture and its importance in an international context.

“At Tates Creek, we continue to strive for international mindedness to be instilled in our students,” Shelton said, “This was a wonderful opportunity to promote just that.”

Students planning on taking the Advanced French III class next year will surely not be disappointed.

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