Stu's News: March 17, 2008

Great things were happening around town this past Saturday! Some students competed in the Academic Challenge at Tates Creek High School, others showcased their knowledge at the STEM Fair at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, and SCAPA students performed “Cats” at the Opera House.

Congratulations to Athens-Chilesburg Elementary (primary division) and Veterans Park Elementary (intermediate) for winning the Principal’s Cup at the Academic Challenge. We had more than 1,000 kids from all the elementary schools participating. It’s great to watch our students compete in an academic arena surrounded by the spirit of a large sporting event. You had to get there early or you couldn’t get a parking space! Our kids studied very hard to get ready, and the day was extremely competitive. Again, congratulations to all who participated, as you all are winners!

The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Fair also was an exciting event. Students from across the district came together and presented some of their work in technology. The displays were of high quality, and our students did an outstanding job of explaining their projects. Thanks to our STLP students, teachers and staff for presenting this fair to our community. It was a super event!

To top off the day, Kathy and I went to the SCAPA performance of “Cats.” We had seen the play several years ago with the traveling cast in Owensboro. Kathy said the kids’ performance was better, and I totally agreed. The talent on that stage was unbelievable, and our students performed like Broadway professionals. Congratulations to our students, staff and families on a terrific show!

Hopefully we will be seeing spring weather ahead of us. As soon as possible in April, we will finalize and announce the high school graduation dates. Thank you for being patient as we wait to ensure that the bad weather is past so the dates will be firm.

Eight schools to get arts funding

The African American Forum is partnering with eight Fayette County schools to support arts programming. Read more

Leestown gets a new principal

Jennifer Kendall will take over July 1 as principal at Leestown Middle School. Read more

Gaines to lead Northern Elementary

Meribeth Gaines will take over July 1 as principal at Northern Elementary School. Read more

Henry Clay’s JROTC wins Challenge

Henry Clay High’s Army Junior ROTC took first place in the Cadet Raider Challenge at Western Kentucky University. Read more

SCAPA team focuses on environment

Congratulations to the Skomajoma Team at SCAPA at Bluegrass, a group of eighth-graders competing in the Lexus Environmental Challenge. They won a $3,000 prize and qualified for the next round of the contest. Read more

Students fare well at UK competition

FCPS students competed well in the Central Kentucky Regional Science and Engineering Fair, which was March 1 at the University of Kentucky. Read more

Beaumont is the only Fayette County school that organized an archery team for the NASP regionals, where 10 middle schools competed. Read more

Lafayette High
Jenni Williams
Adam Wolffbrandt
Paul Laurence Dunbar High
Red Cross Club
Veterans Park Elementary
Romona Willhoite
Winburn Middle
Vania Ma

The regular-season winner on the boys side was Paul Laurence Dunbar. Team members are David Tooley, Steven Fagan, Taylor Watson, Cameron Ewert, Andrew Luy and Parth Parkeh; Kenny Hohensee is their coach. Read more

The Bryan Station High girls bowling team was in first place at the end of the regular season. Team members are Maggie Horton, Jennifer Johnson, Tiffany Russell, Crystal Land and Brooke Howard; Ashley Howard is their coach. Read more

MATHCOUNTS adds up to scholarships

Yuki Inoue of Beaumont Middle School came in second, and Sadik Shahidain of Lexington Traditional Magnet School was third in the state MATHCOUNTS competition in Louisville. The top four finishers each won a full-tuition, four-year college scholarship to either the University of Kentucky or the University of Louisville. Read more

Students excel in Principal’s Cup

Congratulations to the more than 1,000 elementary students who participated in the Academic Challenge Principal’s Cup. Read more

PGA donates to book drive

The Glendover/Julius Marks Family Resource Center and the Lansdowne Family Resource Center received 341 books and $165 from the Professional Golfers Association of America (PGA) during their spring meeting. Read more

STEM Fair is a success

The annual STEM Fair, held March 15, showcased the technology skills of students from across the district. Read more

E.J. Hayes tops dance team contest

The pom team from Edythe J. Hayes took home the grand champion trophy at the middle school Cheer and Dance Team Showcase. Read more

Staying focused

This past weekend, my legs were bothering me again. I have been working out at the gym to get my legs strong, but I think I might have overdone it.

Dad said it is good to stay focused and to work hard, but it also is important not to overdo things. He said we have to know what the breaking point is and stop before we get there.

Well, I am good with that for sure because after I got some sleep and ate a lot of food, I began to feel better.

Dad said I have to continue to work on my legs and I can’t just eat and sleep all the time. Oh wow, I thought I could forget about all this hard work, but Dad said the hard work will pay off in the end, and I just have to be tough and stay focused.

Focus, focus, focus – that’s all I hear about. I want to focus on FOOD!

Bow wow…

Compassion vs. indifference - Investing whatever is necessary to heal the hurts of others.

I will stop to help.
I will listen when others want to talk.
I will give of my resources to help those in need.
I will look for lasting solutions.
I will comfort others without regard to race, gender, faith, age or nationality.

We’re always on the lookout for special events and interesting programs to spotlight in our schools. Send your suggestions to Tammy Lane. Please include your full name, school and a daytime phone number.
Here’s a sampling of what we’ve recently discovered:

Law enforcement’s sophisticated equipment and investigative technology won over the youngsters who toured the Lexington Division of Police. It was all part of the annual Groundhog Job Shadow Day. Read More

Whether the focus is children’s health or our planet’s, green initiatives are gaining a foothold in the central Kentucky soil. The recent Green Tools for Green Schools regional summit brought nearly 200 folks together to explore low-tech methods for fostering green, healthy schools. Read More

Dragons and cows and cats in hats, oh my! Youngsters throughout Fayette County Public Schools enjoy reading, and special events fuel their enthusiasm. So when there’s a mayor to meet or a dragon to dress, youngsters eagerly step up. Read More