KDE this week released the 2010-2011 report cards, which are now available at www.fcps.net/reportcards and on each school’s Web page under “Student Achievement” (elementary | middle | high).

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“The Drunk Monster” was submitted by Dunbar’s Travis Gaines, James Grabmayer, Sam Habash and Austin Moore. It will air on television stations throughout the region and will be shown as pre-show ads in local cinemas through National Cinemedia.

Day Treatment’s “The Road Not Taken,” produced by students Dulce Silva and Victor Castillo, received the most support during the online voting Jan. 9-20. A total of 9,106 individuals visited the website, with 80,244 votes cast to determine the People’s Choice Award.  

The Keep It Real campaign is a youth-driven community effort to educate students about underage drinking; the contest invites teen filmmakers to submit 30-second PSAs telling their peers about the risks. This year 65 videos were submitted from students throughout Kentucky.  DVDs of the winners will be distributed for use in the schools. 

The winners received a total of $3,100 in prize money at an awards program Feb. 8 at the Kentucky Theatre. Congratulations to these students from Fayette County Public Schools.

• Grand Prize/Best Picture -- “The Drunk Monster,” Paul Laurence Dunbar High School (Travis Gaines, James Grabmayer, Sam Habash and Austin Moore)
• People’s Choice -- Winner: “The Road Not Taken,” Lexington Day Treatment Center (Dulce Silva and Victor Castillo); Honorable mention: “Rise Above the Influence,” Lexington Day Treatment Center (Trell Turner and Josh Greer)
• Best Direction -- Winner: “Underage Drinking PSA,” Eastside Technical Center (David Rearic, Daniel Boyd, Randon Juanso, Bailey Lowry, Dylan Kimmell, Keenan Steele, Dariel King, King Young, Ambri Bright, Eunice Martinez, DeShon Barber, Jason Rock, Michael Watts, Corey McCall, Greg King, David Loue, Connor Preston, Blake Smithson, Jackson Stamper, Nathan Akers, Jessica Marshall, Jake Barker and Cameron Plowman)    
• Best Original Music -- Winner: “Don’t Let Your Future Go Down the Toilet,” Martin Luther King Jr. Academy’s 21^st Century Program (Shantress Coleman, Travis Barrett, Deja Jones, DaJuanta Givens, Eugine Beatty and Destiny Gourdine) 
• Best Graphic Design -- Winner: “Sketched,” Paul Laurence Dunbar High School (Harry Fogle and Jake Redenbaugh); Honorable mention: “I Am,” Paul Laurence Dunbar High School (Paige Noe, Laurel Noe, Kelly Sanders, Sarah Widy and Kajsa Brindley) 
• Best Depiction of Message -- Winner: “Why Drink At All?” Henry Clay High School (Parker Comley) 
• Best Art Direction -- Winner: “Is It Worth the WEIGHT?” Paul Laurence Dunbar High School (Elizabeth Graves and Stacy Wilk); Honorable mention: “Win without Drinking,” Paul Laurence Dunbar High School (Micah Gaines, Traci Thomas, Trina Thomas and Kierra Muhammad)
• Best Comedy -- Honorable mention: “Stop Underage Drinking,” Henry Clay High School (Katie Crawford)
• Best Script -- Winner: “Choices,” Paul Laurence Dunbar High School (Paige Noe, Laurel Noe, Kelly Sanders, Sarah Widy and Kajsa Brindley); Honorable mention: “Pain,” Paul Laurence Dunbar High School (Matthew Moore and Josh Stone) 
• Best Editing -- Honorable mention: “Bottled Violence,” Henry Clay High School (Adam Crenshaw) 
• Most Original -- Winner: “Just Walk Away,” Paul Laurence Dunbar High School (Carolyn Betts and Jordan Brennan) 

View the winning videos

Archived feature article about the Lexington Day Treatment entries

Keep It Real is public/private partnership spearheaded by Bluegrass Prevention Center and facilitated by the Kentucky Agency for Substance Abuse Policy (KY-ASAP), Fayette County Local Board and the Lexington Mayor’s Alliance on Substance Abuse.  Funding is provided through the Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws Initiative and the Kentucky State Police. For more information, contact Lynsey Sugarman at (859) 361-1402.

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The Governor’s Cup was founded in 1986 as a way to promote and reward outstanding academic achievement. It has since become Kentucky’s premier academic competition. 

FCPS team standings / Region 15

• 1^st Winburn Middle School
• 2^nd Lexington Traditional Magnet School
• 3^rd Edythe J. Hayes Middle School
• 4^th Beaumont Middle School
• 6^th Jessie M. Clark Middle School
• 10^th (tied) Morton, Southern and Bryan Station

A contest consists of eight events: five written assessment exams, composition (on-demand writing), future problem-solving and quick recall (also known as quiz bowl).

Individual winners

• Math: Theo Livas, Winburn.
• Science: Thirushan Wignakumar, Winburn.
• Social studies: Angelina Shi, Winburn.
• Language arts: Jacob Ferguson, Winburn.
• Arts and humanities: Kyra Seevers, Beaumont.
• Composition: Amelia Rogers, Edythe J. Hayes.

Hume Sportsmanship Award: Jessie Clark Middle School.

For scores and further details, visit www.kaac.com. (Click on “Governor’s Cup results” in the quick links, choose middle grades “regional,” then type the school name in the search box.)

Elementary students participate in district and regional contests. The middle grades and high school divisions include district, regional and state competition. This year’s state finals are March 10-12.

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The award, which is open to grades 3-6, recognizes a student who has not only achieved in academics, leadership or the arts but also contributed to the community at a level beyond his or her age expectations. In this case, Kasey coordinated a 5K fun run/walk called Running 4 the Sole, which gathered shoes for people in poor countries and disaster-struck areas.  

• Kasey reflects on her leadership experience

“Kasey truly raised awareness for health and wellness, collected almost 800 pairs of shoes for needy people and, through her example, inspired untold numbers of people to ‘be the change they want to see in the world,’” said Melanie Stivers, a gifted and talented resource teacher at SCAPA. “We often hear people say that it will be exciting to see what certain students will accomplish as they grow up and choose careers. We don’t have to wait on Kasey Fields. She is selflessly making amazing contributions right now.”

The Nicholas Green Distinguished Student Award is presented by the Kentucky Association for Gifted Education and the National Association for Gifted Education. The Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority provides the $500 savings bond for the winner. Kasey will be recognized Feb. 7 during KAGE’s state conference at the Marriott Griffin Gate.

This nationwide award honors the memory of a 7-year-old boy named Nicholas who was killed in a drive-by shooting while visiting Italy in 1994. It has been given to one distinguished student in Kentucky each year since 2000. Kasey is the first winner from Fayette County.

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Twenty-two elementary, middle and high school students from across the Commonwealth received U.S. savings bonds as winners in the annual essay and visual arts contests. They were congratulated Thursday by Gov. Steve Beshear and Lt. Gov. Jerry Abramson at the MLK celebration in Frankfort.

• Complete winners list

The Martin Luther King Jr. State Commission hosted the event, “Exploring the King in You,” to highlight his life and to honor individuals who embody the spirit and energy of the late civil rights leader. Roszalyn Akins, founder of the Carter G. Woodson Academy in Lexington, was guest speaker; and Abramson presented the M.L. King Jr. Citizenship Award to Pamela Smith-Wright of Owensboro, the first African-American to hold the position of mayor pro tem.

“The legacy of Dr. King is one that very much lives on today and one that must live on though each of us,” Beshear said. “His mission remains not only relevant but also urgent and presents us with a challenge that we must answer.”

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Meadowthorpe G won the primary title outright, while Tates Creek D edged Veterans Park C for runner-up honors after a five-question playoff. Maxwell H came in fourth. 

On the intermediate side, two teams from the same school needed two extra questions to determine the winner, with Rosa Parks A nipping Rosa Parks G for first place. Meadowthorpe G finished a close third after the day-long single-elimination tournament.  

Teams of students in grades 2-3 and grades 4-5 worked together to answer questions in all subject areas. Groups of teams squared off in classrooms throughout host Bryan Station High School, with each winner advancing to the next round. Ultimately, the last teams made it to the finals in the auditorium, where coaches and families gathered to support their students.

Primary finals (grades 2-3)

• 1^st place, with 15 of 20 possible points: Meadowthorpe G – Elizabeth Crawford, Juliann Hyatt, Dallas Rager and Skyler Towel.
• 2^nd place, with 15 points after a 13-13 tiebreaker: Tates Creek D – Breonna Hardwick, Shalavion Howard, Joey Ilagan, Chuck Logsdon and Shane Stover.
• 3^rd place, with 14 points after a 13-13 tiebreaker: Veterans Park C – Alex Bradbury, Rachel Chrisman, Jacob Cunnagin, Jed Hampton, Sofia Ricketts and Luke Straub.
• 4^th place, with 10 points: Maxwell H – James William Grant, Tameara Powell, Kaylyn Stacy, Henry Worth and Kyla Zurlage.

Intermediate finals (grades 4-5)

• 1^st place, with 17 points after a 16-16 tiebreaker: Rosa Parks A – Niam Abeysiriwardena, Humza Anwar, Michelle Choi, Megan Horn and Neal Rekhraj.
• 2^nd place, with 16 points: Rosa Parks G – Farhan Ashfaq, Will Hairston, Ela Saraff, Rachel Seevers and Shreya Tamilselvan.
• 3^rd place, with 15 points: Meadowthorpe G – Reka Gal, William Gregory and Samirah Wiggins.

Fayette County Public Schools hosts three Academic Challenge tournaments, culminating in a competition for college scholarships. This year’s Superintendent’s Cup is March 10.

Since 2004, One Community, One Voice initiatives have focused on getting parents more involved in their children’s education. The centerpiece has been the Academic Challenge, which aims to foster a culture that encourages all children to embrace education as a worthy endeavor, allows all students a chance to compete in rigorous academic contests, and prepares kids to compete for the “big prize” – a good life and a bright future.

All students are welcome to participate, and most schools field several teams. Contact a child’s teacher for details. On the district level, email Alice Nelson for more information.

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KMEA’s District 7 includes 19 high schools in Fayette and surrounding counties.

• List of FCPS honor band members

The honor bands recently presented a concert at Bryan Station High School. World-renowned conductor Glen Price from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music led the Symphonic Band; while George Boulden, associate director of bands at the University of Kentucky, conducted the Concert Band.

For more information, contact District 7 band chair Jeff Bayerle at (859) 381-3423.

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About 730 band students from across the district recently auditioned using music they had received in early December. FCPS band directors then chose roughly 90 students from each grade level based on their individual efforts.

• Sixth-graders
• Seventh-graders
• Eighth-graders

Under the direction of Debbie Shelton, Kevin Bowling and Tim Allen, the honors band will perform at 4 p.m. Saturday March 24 at Bryan Station High School.

For more information, contact coordinator Kristi Broady at Lexington Traditional Magnet School, (859) 381-3192.

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The Governor’s Cup was founded in 1986 as a way to promote and reward outstanding academic achievement. It has since become Kentucky’s premier academic competition. 

FCPS results in District 43

• Overall: 1^st Henry Clay, 3^rd Lafayette, 4^th Bryan Station.
• Quick recall: 1^st Henry Clay, 3^rd Lafayette, 4^th Bryan Station.

In District 44

• Overall: 1^st Paul Laurence Dunbar, 2^nd Tates Creek.
• Future problem-solving: 1^st Dunbar, 2^nd Tates Creek.
• Quick recall: 1^st Dunbar, 3^rd Tates Creek.

A contest consists of eight events: five written assessment exams, composition (on-demand writing), future problem-solving and quick recall (also known as quiz bowl). For individual results and complete details, visit www.kaac.com/. (Click on “Governor’s Cup results” in the quick links, choose high school “district,” then hover over Fayette County and pick a school.)

This year’s high school regional contests are Feb. 14 and Feb. 18, and the state finals are March 10-12.

The middle grades and high school divisions include district, regional and state competition. Elementary students participate in district and regional contests.

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Certified employees

Certified employees planning to retire at the close of the 2011-2012 school year need to contact the Kentucky Teachers’ Retirement System for an application. Once you receive it:

• Complete the employee portions.
• Schedule a retirement conference with the FCPS Department of Human Resources by calling (859) 381-4118.
• Submit the application to HR for completion of the employer portion prior to your conference.
• A letter of retirement to the superintendent will be completed at the conference.  

June 1 retirees – Must submit an application to KTRS by May 1.

July 1 retirees - Must submit an application to KTRS by June 1.

Note: Appointments must be scheduled by May 9 in order for you to be included in this year’s Fayette County Public Schools retirement dinner, scheduled for May 19.

For salary estimates and retirement applications, contact:

Retirement counselors

Kentucky Teachers’ Retirement System

479 Versailles Road

Frankfort, KY 40601

(800) 618-1687 or www.ktrs.ky.gov

Classified employees

Classified employees planning to retire at the close of the 2011-2012 school year must file a retirement application (Form 6000) with the County Employees’ Retirement System. Contact that office for an application and to discuss your options. Once you receive the application:

• Complete the employee portions.
• Schedule a retirement conference with the FCPS Human Resources Department by calling (859) 381-4118.
• Submit the application to HR for completion of the employer portion prior to your conference.
• A letter of retirement to the superintendent will be completed at the conference.

Note: Appointments must be scheduled by May 9 in order for you to be included in this year’s Fayette County Public Schools retirement dinner, scheduled for May 19.

For an application or additional information, contact:

Retirement counselors

County Employees’ Retirement System

Perimeter Park West

1260 Louisville Road

Frankfort, KY 40601

(800) 928-4646 or www.kyret.ky.gov

Eighth-graders Sara Bidarian, Herman Bratcher, Blakeley Burger, Spencer Burt, Jordan Luciano and Baylee Polzin will divide $7,000 for their efforts. Their adviser, science teacher Ashlie Beals, will get $1,000 for school supplies, and SCAPA will receive the remaining $2,000 of the prize money.

For their project, the One-Towel Wonders encouraged people to reduce their energy consumption by using only one towel a week. The team created a Facebook page, Twitter account and website, made posters and a commercial about their campaign, and handed out nearly 500 informational brochures to six libraries, two hotels and more than 100 students.

The SCAPA team now advances to the next phase of competition along with a group from Tates Creek Middle School, a national winner in last semester’s land/water division contest.

This spring’s Final Challenge, which includes middle and high school teams, aims to inspire environmental action worldwide. Eight first-place teams will each receive $15,000, while two grand prize winners will take home $30,000 apiece for scholarships and school supplies. Winners will be announced in March.

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“I’m looking forward to meeting with this group of students and hearing their ideas and thoughts about Kentucky’s public education system,” he said.

Students in grades 10-12 were invited to apply for the council, which will provide valuable feedback and engage student leaders in learning by doing. Appointments were based on how well the applicants communicated their ideas on how to improve schools and student achievement. 

This council, which will serve through June, will meet with Holliday and Kentucky Department of Education staff, both in person and virtually, to discuss how decisions made at the state level affect students throughout the Commonwealth.

To enroll a child in Fayette County Public Schools, families should go to the school their neighborhood is assigned to and fill out a registration packet. To determine which school, use the online street directory (www.fcps.net/street) or call (859) 381-4315 for assistance.

To enroll a child in a different school, families must complete an out-of-area request. However, it is still recommended they register at their neighborhood school. Visit www.fcps.net/outofarea or call (859) 381-4122.

Registration for kindergarteners and other new students will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays during these windows:

• Feb. 13 through March 9 (also 4 to 7 p.m. Monday Feb. 13)
• April 9-26 (also 4 to 7 p.m. Monday April 9)
• Tuesdays from June 12 through July 17 (except July 3)
• July 23 to Aug. 15, the first day of school

Resources

www.fcps.net/enrollment 

www.fcps.net/registration   

List of elementary schools

Department of Pupil Personnel: (859) 381-4130

Kindergarten: (859) 381-4202

Early Start preschool: (859) 381-4105 

Español: Información de Matrícula para Kindergarten

• www.fcps.net/espanol

The Governor’s Cup was founded in 1986 as a way to promote and reward outstanding academic achievement. It has since become Kentucky’s premier academic competition. A Governor’s Cup contest consists of eight events: five written assessment exams, composition (on-demand writing), future problem-solving and quick recall (also known as quiz bowl).

FCPS results in District 57

• Overall: 1^st Winburn; 2^nd Lexington Traditional Magnet School; 4^th Bryan Station Middle.
• Future problem-solving (team) – 1^st Winburn; 2^nd LTMS.
• Quick recall (team) – 1^st Winburn; 2^nd LTMS.
• Hume Sportsmanship Award – Lexington Traditional Magnet School.

District 58

• Overall: 1^st Edythe J. Hayes; 3^rd Southern Middle.
• Future problem-solving (team) – no contest 
• Quick recall (team) – 2^nd Hayes; 4^th Southern.
• Hume Sportsmanship Award: Southern Middle School.

District 59

• Overall: 1^st Beaumont; 2^nd Jessie Clark; 4^th Morton.
• Future problem-solving (team) – 1^st Beaumont; 2^nd Jessie Clark.
• Quick recall (team) – 1^st Beaumont; 2^nd Jessie Clark; 3^rd Morton.
• Hume Sportsmanship Award: Morton Middle School.

Individual results and complete details

• www.kaac.com (Click on "Governor's Cup results" in the quick links, choose middle grades "district," then hover over Fayette County and pick a school.)

The middle grades and high school divisions include district, regional and state competition. Elementary students participate in district and regional contests.

This year’s middle school regional contests are Jan. 31 and Feb. 4, and the state finals are March 10-12.

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• Research Award (first place):  “Team Yoda” with Jason Burke, Cager Garrett, Brennan Johnson and Joe Muschong. 
• Mechanical Design Award (first place):  “Team Vader” with Alex Brinkhorst, Renner Clements, Mitchell Slavik and Jared Young. 
• Gracious Professionalism Award (runner-up):  “Team Leia” with Sophia Carlton, Alex Elias, Maya Elias, Kalie Estes and Erin Remley. 

The Jessie Clark teams were coached by Mark Evans and Sandy Wright. 

About 285 students on 41 teams competed Jan. 14 in the state tournament at Western Kentucky University’s Diddle Arena. A group from the Louisville Robotics Institute won the overall state championship, and second place went to a home-schooled 4-H Club from Lawrenceburg.

This year’s theme was “Food Factor,” which called on the 9- to 14-year-olds to explore ways in which food can become contaminated and propose real-world solutions. Each team built, tested and programmed an autonomous robot using LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT to solve a series of food-safety missions as well as research, develop and share their innovative suggestions. 

For more information about robotics opportunities in Fayette County Public Schools, contact technology resource teacher Leanna Prater.  

For beginners

A beginners class for students’ families and community members, taught by Tracey Alexander, is set for Mondays from 5:30 to 7 p.m.: Jan. 2, Jan. 9, Jan. 23, Jan. 30, Feb. 6, Feb. 13, Feb. 27, March 5, March 12 and March 26. The group will not meet if schools are closed because of inclement weather; the make-up date is March 19 if needed.

These sessions will also meet in the IAKSS annex library, and participants are expected to attend all 10 sessions. To register, call Shannon Laine-Banks in the Special Education Department at (859) 381-4182.

Intermediate level

The intermediate class is designed for those who have taken a beginning-level sign language class or who already know the manual alphabet and numbers and have basic signing skills.

These sessions will be taught by Carlin Robbins in the annex library at "It's About Kids" Support Services. Classes are scheduled for 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Thursdays starting Jan. 26 and running through March 29. The annex is off Walton Avenue behind the school district's main administration building at 701 E. Main St.

This class is limited to 30 participants and requires attendance at all 10 sessions. To register, call Shannon Laine-Banks in the Special Education Department at (859) 381-4182.

Waiting list

Call (859) 381-4182 to be added to a waiting list for the next round of classes.

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Employee may review their current voluntary benefits (dental, vision, short- and long-term disability, life insurance, cancer insurance, etc.) and decide whether to change, add or delete their selections for the 2012-2013 school year. The choices made last spring remain in effect until June 1.

Schools and departments will post sign-up sheets for a one-on-one meeting slot with American Fidelity. For additional questions, email Tracy Dennis, associate director of employee benefits and services for FCPS.

Overall schedule

Human Resources

Amelia Hurt was the overall winner and received a $500 savings bond. Runner-up Mollie Watson received a $300 savings bond. Stephanie Lopez, an eighth-grader at Winburn Middle School, came in third and received a $100 savings bond.

Their one-page essays were based on the theme “Unity: Moving from Concept to Reality.” Amelia was invited to read her winning entry Jan. 16 at Lexington’s annual MLK Day breakfast commemorating the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr.

• First-place essay

The contest was sponsored by the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Alpha Beta Lambda Chapter Education Foundation.

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• View and vote (Jan. 9-20)

Prizes will go for Best Picture, Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best Art Direction, among other awards. New this year are a category for Most Original Music Score and a drawing for two free iPad2s at the February awards ceremony.

The overall winning public service announcement will be broadcast on WKYT-27 and select cable stations and shown with trailers in local movie theaters. In addition, an FCPS winner will present his or her video at a Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government council meeting.

The statewide Keep It Real initiative is funded by a national grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and hosted by Kentucky State Police.

Since midday Jan. 2, random network outages varying in duration from 15 minutes to a couple of hours have off and on impacted all our schools. We’ve all become so dependent on technology that the loss of our email, Internet and network access is affecting many of our daily tasks as well as communication with our students' families. For schools and offices with phone lines linked to the network, we’re also losing our phone access. To exacerbate the problem, we have been experiencing some of the outages during the school day. 

We want you to know that not only are we acutely aware of the issue, but also that our technology staff has been working tirelessly to solve the problem. Rest assured that resolution has been and will continue to be of the highest priority. Fixing a technological problem like this is a process of elimination. Our folks have been addressing issues one at a time, working with network equipment and service providers and troubleshooting literally around the clock. We have in fact “resolved” the problem on three separate occasions (or so we all thought) only to have it reappear hours or days later. 

Thank you for your patience. We know this is frustrating for our staff and our families. We are posting this information on our Web page and Facebook page to let people know what’s been going on. We ask  for your continued patience and want you to know that we are working diligently and doing everything humanly possible to get everything up and running. We’ll keep you posted on our progress.