the bridge 2012 feb
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The Bridge 2012 FebTRANSCRIPT
February 2012 [THE LARUE COUNTY BRIDGE]
February 2012 [THE LARUE COUNTY BRIDGE]
The BridgeThe BridgeThe BridgeThe Bridge February 2012
ExCEL Teacher of the Year Nominees Honored by School Board
Four of LaRue County’s finest teachers have been honored by the LaRue County Board of Education.
These four exceptional teachers were nominated by their colleagues to be this year’s LaRue County
Teacher of the Year Excellence in Classroom and Educational Leadership (ExCEL) Award Winner.
Nominees include:
� Tom McGovern (LaRue County High)
� Jim B. Phelps (LaRue County Middle School)
� Heather Cline (Abraham Lincoln Elementary)
� David Edwards (Hodgenville Elementary)
The purpose of the LaRue County Teacher of the Year
Excellence in Classroom and Educational Leadership
(ExCEL) Award is to recognize, reward, and renew the importance and contributions of the public school
and teaching profession to the development and well-
being of our young people and community. This award is
to recognize public school teachers who exemplify
excellence in the teaching profession through
innovation, excitement, and enthusiasm in teaching
methodology; meaningful personal relationships with
students, parents, colleagues, and community
members; an exemplary role model of professionalism
and citizenry; and a personal commitment to continued
professional development and enhancement.
The ExCEL award is sponsored by EOnUS and WHAS-11. For over twenty years, WHAS-11 has been
honoring the best teachers in our region. Recipients are celebrated at a local award ceremony hosted by
Gary Roedemeier, WHAS news anchor. At the ceremony, teachers receive a golden apple award and a
$1000 scholarship. The LaRue County Board of Education awards the winner an additional $500 to be
used for their classroom. In September, winners from all participating districts are honored at a formal
February 2012 [THE LARUE COUNTY BRIDGE]
gala hosted by Gary Roedemeier at the Olmstead in Louisville. LaRue County is one of only eight
Kentuckiana school districts to participate in this prestigious award program. We have worked very hard
to bring this award to our district. We believe our teachers truly are the best and deserve to be
celebrated with such a high honor.
Our four ExCEL nominees were selected by their peers and are in the process of completing an
extensive, reflective application and evaluation
process. Three different committees made up
of community representatives and
administrators from outside the district are
determining the winner by evaluating their
written applications, interviewing our finalists,
and conducting observations in their
classrooms. The winner will be announced in
February. WHAS-11 will be sending a crew to
our district in March for the official award
ceremony at the winner’s school.
We so appreciate the enthusiasm and dedication these teachers have brought to educating the
children of LaRue County, and in turn the difference their influence has made to the world around us.
New Faces at LCHS
Michelle Jones joined LaRue County High
School’s English department in January. She lives
in Elizabethtown with her husband, Kenny, and
daughters, Haley (sophomore) and Riley (8th
grade). In August 2009, she transitioned from her
previous career of nearly 16 years and returned
to Western Kentucky University to complete her
degree in education with an emphasis in
Language Arts and Social Studies. Mrs. Jones is
passionate about teaching our students and
expanding their knowledge to help them reach
their goals and achieve their dreams.
February 2012 [THE LARUE COUNTY BRIDGE]
In addition to teaching, she enjoys being a wife, a full-time mother to her daughters as she
supports them in their many endeavors (including academic team, soccer, dance, and
basketball), spending time with family, cooking, watching movies, and reading. Mrs. Jones says
she is honored to have been invited to join the LaRue County Schools and feels blessed and so
welcomed to this wonderful educational environment.
Elizabeth Marsh joined LaRue County High
School’s Science department in January.
She recently graduated from WKU in
December of 2011. The LCHS students
were already familiar with her as she was
student teaching with Mr. Cecil last
semester. She teaches college prep
chemistry and integrated science. She
also is in charge of ESS for science on
Wednesday and Thursday of each week, so
if you need help with a science class, go by
and see her!
In her spare time she likes shopping, going to concerts, and doing anything outdoors. She is
engaged to Todd Lockett and will be getting married in the fall of 2012.
Hannah Allen is a senior at Lindsey Wilson College
majoring in English with an emphasis in Secondary
Education. She is student teaching with Mrs.
Cecil’s classes this semester, and is teaching a unit
over Of Mice and Men. Her favorite books include
The Hunger Games trilogy and Gulliver’s Travels.
Ms. Allen recently got engaged and moved to
Elizabethtown, Kentucky. She really likes playing
COD: MW3 and Little Big Planet. She drinks Diet
Mt. Dew like it’s going out of style. Ms. Allen is
looking forward to working with LaRue County
High School students and staff.
February 2012 [THE LARUE COUNTY BRIDGE]
Kayla Ernst is student teaching in the English
department with Summer Garris. Mrs. Ernst
says that throughout elementary, middle, and
high school she had many great teachers who
taught her to love learning and exploring. Once
in high school at E-town, she began to favor one
subject over all the others: English. She loved
reading stories and novels just to see if she
could decipher them. Most of her free time was
spent reading, a trend that continues to this
day. Her love of literature paired with the
enjoyment that she felt working with young
adults steered her in the direction of teaching
high school. While attending Western Kentucky University she met numerous intelligent and
interesting people there who only reaffirmed her chosen career path. This summer, she
married a graduate of LaRue County High School and moved to Elizabethtown to settle down.
So far, she says she has had a really great time here at LaRue County High, getting to know the
students and the other teachers, and knows now that she has made the right choice.
Trevor Ervin is from Glasgow, Kentucky and
attended Barren County High School. He is
currently attending Campbellsville University
pursuing a Music Education degree with
Percussion emphasis. He is also an active
participant in Drum Corps International and
the Winter Guard International Sport of the
Arts.
Stephanie Scott is completing her student
teaching here in Larue County. Upon its
completion, she will graduate from the
University of the Cumberlands with a
Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) focused
on Special Education. She received her
Bachelor of Science in Liberal Studies (BSL)
February 2012 [THE LARUE COUNTY BRIDGE]
focused on Social Sciences and Business from Excelsior College in 2009.
Mrs. Scott and her family recently moved to Kentucky from Connecticut. They have a small
horse farm in Campbellsville where she owns 4 horses, 2 miniature donkeys, 4 cats and 2 dogs.
She enjoys running, kayaking, eventing, show jumping and spending time with her family. She
is looking forward to beginning her new career as a Special Education teacher in 2012!
LCHS Students place 4th in Quiz Bowl at State Beta Convention
13 students from LCHS attended the State BETA conventions on December 9th and 10th. BETA
club is a new club at LCHS. BETA club is an honor society whose mission is to promote the
ideals of academic achievement, character, service and leadership among elementary and
secondary school students.
At the convention, students competed in written
events and group events. The group of Zach Lee,
John Slack, Brandon Henning, and Tyler Skaggs
placed 4th in the Quiz Bowl competition. In round
one, students from 25 different schools took a 50
question multiple choice exam and the top 16
teams from this exam then competed in a single
elimination quick recall format. After winning the
first two rounds, LaRue was in the top 4 and
ended in 4th place.
For a new club, Rex Hanson, the club sponsor, was
very pleased with the results and the performance of the students throughout the convention.
February 2012 [THE LARUE COUNTY BRIDGE]
Matthew Hornback – iPad 2 Winner
The Band of Hawks recently broke new ground by
acquiring a Charitable Gaming License to legally hold
raffles. The new fundraising efforts started with selling
chances on winning an Apple iPad2 – 64GB Wi-Fi+3G.
Jaime Smith, band director, said “We wanted to start this
new venture in a big way. The iPad2 is a product that is
becoming one of the most desired technology devices on
the market, so we thought it would go over well in our
community.” Overall, the band was happy with the
raffle’s success. Chances were sold to community
members, friends, and family from around the country.
The band plans to do many more in the future. The
winner of the iPad2 was LaRue County High School
student, Matthew Hornback.
February 2012 [THE LARUE COUNTY BRIDGE]
A Message from Mrs. Reed
Dear ALES School Community:
I have been appointed by Superintendent Sam Sanders to serve as interim principal for the
remainder of this school year. Although I am deeply saddened by the loss of Principal Amber
Thurman, I am excited to serve as the interim principal. I began my teaching career in 1996
teaching math at LaRue County High School. I have served as Instructional Supervisor for ten
years, focusing on curriculum, instruction, and assessment district wide. I completed Principal
certification in 2009.
I am looking forward to getting to know the ALES students,
parents, and staff. I intend to be visible in the halls and
classrooms. The safety and well-being of our students will be
my top priority. I will work with parents, students, and staff
to make decisions that put students first. ALES is an excellent
school with a dedicated, hard-working staff focused on
meeting student needs. Building positive relationships with
students is an essential part of this mission. ALES has many
honored traditions from full school celebrations to the
principal’s lunch with students. Our celebrations won’t be the
same without Mrs. Thurman, but I will make it a priority to
carry on her tradition of keeping the “fun” in school. As a first
step, lunch with students will resume this Friday.
I want to thank Penny Cecil for supporting ALES as acting principal during this very difficult time.
We are working together to make this transition as seamless as possible for your children. Mrs.
Cecil is a curriculum specialist and former principal of HES. As curriculum specialist, she is a
tremendous support for teachers as they plan and implement high-quality instruction. She will
continue to support our school and be part of our ALES family as she returns to this role.
February 2012 [THE LARUE COUNTY BRIDGE]
Mrs. Thurman was a mentor, colleague, and a cherished friend to me. As a young teacher at the
high school, it was Mrs. Thurman who inspired me to pursue a career in school administration.
She can never be replaced, but my hope is to honor her memory by leading ALES in a way that
would make her proud.
I look forward to meeting you and your children. Please feel free to contact me if you have any
questions.
Sincerely,
Amanda Reed
A Special Thank You from the Staff of ALES
We would like to say thank you to the wonderful people of Larue County for the love and
support shown to us during the loss of our beloved principal, Amber Thurman; So many of you
showed kindness by sending cards, preparing food, donating money and
saying prayers to get us through those first days of shock and sadness.
Thank you to the staffs of LaRue County High School, LaRue County
Middle school, FYRC and the Central Office for providing lunches for our
staff and for being there to help with whatever was needed. A special
thanks goes out to our sister school,
Hodgenville Elementary for lunch, the
“hallway hearts” for the students, and for
being there with us at school on Saturday
morning when we were at such a loss.
Thanks to the parents of our students
who have been supportive in so many
ways. We have been overwhelmed with the outpouring of
support from the entire community.
Sincerely,
The Staff of Abraham Lincoln Elementary
The Staff of ALES would like to say…
We are happy to welcome Amanda Reed to our school as
Interim Principal. Amanda, we look forward to working with
you. We also want to give a big thank you to Penny Cecil for all
February 2012 [THE LARUE COUNTY BRIDGE]
her support the past few weeks in helping us transition. Our school is privileged to have both
ladies working with us.
Sincerely,
The Staff of ALES
Memorial Balloon Launch
As if on cue, the clouds disappeared, the rain
ceased, and the sun came out last Tuesday as
students and staff honored their late principal,
Amber Thurman, with a celebration of life service
and balloon launch.
Superintendent Sam Sanders noted Ms.
Thurman’s school spirit and her love for her
school family and Sue Williamson, an instructional
assistant at ALES, read a poem she wrote about
Thurman. On behalf of the Thurman family, Jim Weiland
thanked the community for their support and challenged
the students to continue to do their best.
The group will travel to Louisville with Music Educator,
Penny Akers, in early February for rehearsals at the Kentucky Center for the Arts with their
concert on February 9 at 5:15 p.m. Guest conductor for the event will be the noted Melissa
Malvar-Keylock.
Shakespeare at ALES
The age old story of Romeo and Juliet was rewritten
with a happy ending because of a little creativity of the
students at ALES. The selected scenes were presented
as an interactive play
for primary students
and then again for the
intermediate classes.
The children also
learned about
William
Shakespeare, dance,
and acting. The performance was given by the Kentucky
Shakespeare Company and was sponsored by Wonderful
Wednesday.
February 2012 [THE LARUE COUNTY BRIDGE]
5th
Grade Celebrates by Giving
As the holiday season approached this year, the fifth
grade teachers at A.L.E.S. began to make plans for
classroom celebrations. In the past, there have been
gift exchanges and donations to worldwide charities.
This year it was decided that the students needed to
experience the joy of giving on a local level. All the
fifth grade classes collected money to donate to the
Kelly Dean Sanders fund. In a week’s time, there was
an overwhelming response! Mr. Rogers’, Mrs.
Cecil’s, and Mrs. Riggs’ classes collected over $600!
What a wonderful way to celebrate the holiday!
5th
Grade Girls Basketball Team
The 5th Grade Girls Basketball Team is made
up 5th grade girls from HES and ALES Schools.
They had a terrific regular season by going
undefeated. Their only losses came during
the year end tournament which they
finished as Runner-Ups. They are continuing
to play in some tournaments in the
surrounding counties. These girls represent
LaRue Co. very well with their hard work and
great sportsmanship!
The team members are: Emma Bell, Kristen
Boone, Chloe Childress, Clair Keller, Haley
McDowell, Bailey Rogers, Chloe Sandidge,
Kylee Thurman, Ameena Wells and Ameera Wells.
Nine Area Students Advance to All State Chorus
As the students, staff, and family moved to
the school grounds and released their five
hundred balloons, many with heaven-bound
messages attached, the LaRue County Band
of Hawks played the school song one last
time for the outstanding educator.
Nine local elementary and middle school
students recently received notification of
February 2012 [THE LARUE COUNTY BRIDGE]
their successful auditions for the 2012 Kentucky Music Educators Association’s Children’s All
State Chorus. Of the nearly 660 Kentucky fifth and sixth grade students who auditioned, almost
600 had scores between the required 200 and 250 range making it more difficult than ever to
become a part of the 200 member ensemble.
Anna Grace Turner and Bridget Southwood will represent Abraham Lincoln Elementary and
former ALES students Kalli Flanders, Mary Gearon, Alyssa White, Laurel Locke, Marissa Cecil,
Taylor Ulrich, and Kathryn Reding will represent LaRue County Middle School.
The young ladies were scored from their taped auditions in three areas- tonal memory,
ability to accurately sing harmony passages without assistance, and the singing of a prepared
selection which was Mozart’s Alleluia.
100th
Day Fun!
The 100th day of school at ALES was packed full of exciting
activities, especially for Kindergarteners! Students came to
school sporting their 100th day shirts as well as collections
from home of 100 items. Several learning activities centering
around 100 took place throughout the day.
Students enjoyed counting out 100 Froot Loops to make
necklaces in Mrs. Smith’s class.
Mrs. Newby’s and Ms. Lockett’s classes practiced counting to
100 while enjoying a delicious snack made from 10 different
healthy snack foods. Students
counted out 10 of each snack
to make 10 groups of 10.
Students in Ms. McDowell’s class got their creative juices
flowing by creating a picture using the number 100.
Mrs. Kelly’s students had fun forming the number 100 with their bodies in the school bus loop.
February 2012 [THE LARUE COUNTY BRIDGE]
HES Jumping Hawk News
Hodgenville Elementary Jumping
Hawks have been in full swing
over the past few weeks as over
60 students have participated in
the club, which is sponsored by
the Hodgenville Elementary
Family Resource Center.
Students have worked to
develop flexibility, strength,
endurance, rhythm, and balance
needed to perform various group
and individual tricks. Students
also learn perseverance and
work ethic in order to develop
their skills.
Fourth and fifth grade Jumping Hawks have begun traveling to surrounding school districts to
help kick off Jump Rope for Heart events in schools who participate in raising money for the
American Heart Association. The two groups will end up presenting at 11 area schools over the
course of four trips. The
twenty eight 4th and 5th grade
jumpers have been working
almost two days per week
since late October in order to
perform as one of nine
American Heart Association
demonstration teams in
Kentucky.
The third grade club consisted
of 36 students who learned
individual, partner, and group
tricks over a five week period.
At the end of the club
sessions, family and friends
were invited to a short demonstration from the group.
February 2012 [THE LARUE COUNTY BRIDGE]
Skatetime at HES
Hodgenville Elementary 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders just
completed a five day quad roller skating unit in
physical education that allowed them to develop
coordination, balance and self-confidence. Students
faced fears and nervousness as they worked to
demonstrate proper technique by focusing on good
skating posture and learning to glide from side to side.
Most students attempted to gain check offs for various
identified skills such as turns, crossovers, one foot
glides, and low level skating. Near the end of the week
each class held a limbo contest and 4th and 5th graders
also held speed skating contests. The unit was made
possible by parents of HES students who contributed
$8 for their child and several who sponsored other
students as well. Special thanks go to Sandy Lafollette
who donated several hours in assistance by helping in a variety of ways.
The unit culminated with a
demonstration at a Friday morning
assembly that consisted of 5th grade
student skill demonstrations and
class champions competing in limbo
and speed skating contests. The
overall limbo winner at assembly
was Giselle Martinez. The girl speed
skating winner was Kylie Thurman
while the boy winner was Noah
Davis. Elizabeth Walters and Trey
Ireland were the speed skate runner
ups.
February 2012 [THE LARUE COUNTY BRIDGE]
HES Artwork to be displayed in NYC
Hodgenville Elementary fourth grade student, Lexi
Hodges, won a school-wide vote for her artwork of a
rainforest ecosystem. Lexi’s artwork will be seen in
New York City at the National Art Education
Association National Conference on March 2-3, on a
30’x16’ LED screen in Big Screen Plaza, located
between 29th and 30th Streets. Approximately 900
artworks from across the United States will be on
display in the slideshow with only one from each
participating NAEA school. Along with Lexi’s artwork,
her name, city, state, and artist statement will be on
display. Lexi said in her statement that she enjoys
doing all art activities and chose to depict a rainforest
because she’d been studying ecosystems in science
class.
February 2012 [THE LARUE COUNTY BRIDGE]
Award Winner
LaRue County Board of Education
Superintendent - Sam Sanders
Board Members
Price Smith - Board Chairman
Dick Greenwell - Vice Chairman
Norbert Skees - Member
Ronnie Chelf - Member
Michael Hornback – Member
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