Porter named state's P.E. Teacher of the Year

Beaumont’s LaDonda Porter is the state’s 2019 Middle School Physical Education Teacher of the Year. The Kentucky Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance congratulated her during a late-fall meeting at the Embassy Suites in Lexington. 

“I am very non-traditional when it comes to physical education, and it involves more than just basketball. I find activities that students are unfamiliar with,” Porter said. “My whole approach is simple: Make it fun.  Exercise shouldn’t be a chore – it should be fun. If you find something you enjoy doing that gets your heart rate up, keep doing it. I hope my students take at least one activity from my class and practice it outside of my four walls.” 

Porter earned a bachelor’s in Physical and Health Education from the University of Kentucky and a master’s in Library Science from Eastern Kentucky University. A native of Richmond, she has taught at Beaumont for 13 years. She also serves as the school’s athletics director, girls’ track coach, and intramurals coordinator and as the district representative for middle school track and field. “I have the best job in education,” Porter said. 

Sixth-grader’s video takes first place in ‘Write Stuff’ contest

Beaumont's Thomas Lister earned 2018-19 first-place honors in “The Write Stuff,” a statewide contest sponsored by Gilda’s Club – Kentuckiana, an affiliate of the cancer support community. In his video, Thomas shared about his mother’s battle with leukemia and how humor – and his aunt – help bolster the family’s spirits. 

Read Thomas’ artist statement 

Watch his four-minute video

The Write Stuff is an annual competition for teens facing cancer themselves or through someone they know and love. Students can submit an essay, poetry, visual art, or video. 

• Complete list of winners 

Eighth-graders heading to South Carolina coast

Find out all you need to know about the eighth-grade trip to Charleston, South Carolina:

Charleston trip

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