Kentucky Teacher

The fifth Annual “Soar to New Heights: A STEM-ulating Adventure” summer camp for gifted and talented learners will be June 18-29 at Eastern Kentucky University.

This summer’s camp will offer students an opportunity to explore current topics in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and health in a state-of-the-art instructional and research facility.

The courses, collaboratively designed and implemented by Eastern Kentucky University STEM-H faculty and gifted/talented graduate students, are targeted to students entering grades 4-6 in the fall. The half-day program runs from 8 a.m. to noon daily with a tuition cost of $65 per student.

A brochure detailing the class offerings as well as special events for parents and students will be available soon. For more information, contact Debra Sparks.

A webinar regarding urban districts and the Common Core is scheduled for  April 25.

A panel of urban education experts — including leaders from Chicago Public Schools, Albuquerque Public Schools and the Kentucky Department of Education — will discuss how they are using NAEP resources to adapt to changes in curriculum, testing and teaching.

For more information, go to www.nagb.gov/commoncore-tuda/webinar.

What an exciting opportunity for the Franklin County High School marching band. As we all know, the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team is the NCAA Division I National Champion.Coach John Calipari took the trophy on a tour around the state last week, including a stop in Frankfort. Franklin County High School band director Dave Shelton got a call from the Governor’s office Thursday asking if the band could play for the event Friday. The next 24 hours was spent practicing and preparing, including learning the UK fight song. The band entertained the crowd on the Old Capitol lawn with upbeat music for 45 minutes while they waited for the coach to arrive, much longer than the eight minutes of a halftime show. They sounded great, the crowd loved them and they will surely have another great memory of their high school band experience.

Band director Dave Shelton joins in on the trumpet with the Franklin County High School marching band as they entertained the waiting Kentucky fans. Photo by Amy Wallot, April 13, 2012

Wearing a blue flower and a friend's UK hat, junior Nikki Harney plays the piccolo on the lawn of the Old Capitol. Photo by Amy Wallot, April 13, 2012

Senior Sadie Meyer plays the violin - a rarity - with the Franklin County High School marching band. Photo by Amy Wallot, April 13, 2012

Sophomores Ki-Jana Taylor and Deonte Watson lead the band in a dance to Pick Up the Pieces by the Average White Band on the lawn of the Old Capitol. Photo by Amy Wallot, April 13, 2012

Junior Hasaamnj Hart takes a pause from the clarinet to sing with the Franklin County High School marching band. Photo by Amy Wallot, April 12, 2013

Senior Josh McCoin performs with the Franklin County High School marching band before UK basketball coach John Calipari arrived by train to downtown Frankfort. Photo by Amy Wallot, April 13, 2012

Junior Ella Klemens claps along as the percussion section keeps the music going. Photo by Amy Wallot, April 13, 2012

Denver Pascua and Tommy Townsend play the trombones for the Franklin County High School marching band while area residents wait for UK basketball coach John Calipari to arrive at the Old Capitol in Frankfort. Photo by Amy Wallot, April 13, 2012

Classes from Second Street School (Frankfort Ind.) wait for UK coach John Calipari to walk past, hoping for an autograph. Photo by Amy Wallot, April 13, 2012.

Fourth-grade students Kennadi Woods and Kennadie Prickett sport markered-on blue unibrows. Both are Second Street School (Frankfort Ind.) students in Megan Murray's class. Photo by Amy Wallot, April 13, 2012

The Men's Basketball National Championship trophy is carried to the steps of the Old Capitol as fans gather to catch a glimpse. Photo by Amy Wallot, April 13, 2012

UK basketball coach John Calipari speaks to the crowd about his winning team and the importance of fan support. Photo by Amy Wallot, April 13, 2012.

On the final Education Matters of the 2011-2012 school year, “Inside the Teaching Profession,” guests take a look at the job of educators in Kentucky and across the nation. The program airs Monday, April 23 at 9/8 p.m. CT on KET.

Host Bill Goodman and panelists – including practicing teachers – discuss a variety of topics, including the challenges and successes of teaching in the United States, evaluating classroom performance, compensation, and attracting and retaining teachers.

“Inside the Teaching Profession” is a follow-up to the recent statewide screenings of the documentary American Teacher, sponsored by the coalition of Kentucky education organizations. Narrated by Matt Damon, the film was based on the 2005 bestseller Teachers Have It Easy: The Big Sacrifices and Small Salaries of America’s Teachers by Daniel Moulthrop.

Program guests will include: Stu Silberman, executive director, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence; Elizabeth Ann Fuller, 2012 Kentucky Elementary Teacher of the Year and reading/writing teacher at Atkinson Elementary School, Jefferson County; Stephanie Winkler, science teacher, Mayfield Elementary School, Madison County; and Jonathan Rogers, science teacher, Bryan Station High School, Fayette County.

Education Matters is a KET production, produced by Nancy Carpenter. More information about KET programming and education services, as well as how to support KET, can be found at www.ket.org.

Kentucky State University’s Creating Opportunities for Leadership, Transformation and Scholarship (COLTS) Summer Initiative is looking for teachers seeking summer employment. The following positions are available:

• male and female dorm supervisors – nine-week employment duration to cover all five programs
• five lead teachers (mathematics, science and English certifications, preferred) – employment duration varies based upon selected program
• research assistant – two-week employment duration for agdiscovery program only

All positions include a stipend, on-campus housing, meals and an opportunity to share knowledge with young people.

Read more about program opportunities on the KSU COLTS website.  Applications can be found here.  Submit completed application to JoAna McCoy, 400 East Main St., Frankfort, KY 40601 or call her at (502) 597-5584 for more information.

The Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection (DEP) is honoring the six winning 2012 Eco-Art Contest high school artists this week by presenting awards at the respective schools.

The Kentucky students used the contest themes or categories of conservation, pollution prevention and environmental protection and submitted artwork using the media types of drawing/painting/print, mixed media, sculpture and photographs.

The winners of the 2012 Eco-Art Contest are:

• Emily Larson from Taylor County High School in Campbellsville
• Stephen Welch and Erin Downs from North Bullitt High School in Shepherdsville
• Jacob Turner from Western Hills High School in Frankfort
• Kisaki Takeuchi from Lyon County High School in Eddyville
• Amber Pyle from Pleasure Ridge Park High School in Louisville Continue Reading

The annual Kentucky Council for Social Studies Conference will be Oct. 10-11 at University Plaza Holiday Inn in Bowling Green.

For more information, go to http://www.kcss.org/or contact Rick Daniel at (502) 485-3054.

The Kentucky Board of Education has been awarded a $6,000 grant by the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) to help the board continue to strengthen and implement policies to foster healthy eating among students and promote school health programs.

The grant will be used during the next two years as the board works with state agencies to create a plan to sustain this work beyond the grant period.

Kentucky was one of four states to receive a grant from NASBE.

“Working with state boards nationwide as they develop policies to help students be healthy and ready to learn is at the core of NASBE’s mission,” said NASBE Executive Director Jim Kohlmoos. “With this grant, we are pleased to support the continuation of the work already taking place in Kentucky.”

In addition to working with NASBE personnel and health and education experts in Kentucky to sustain the health committee created with a prior grant, the state board will continue its work to enhance the state’s process of evaluating schools’ compliance with school health initiatives.

The grants were made possible through funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Even though the school year is winding down, Kentucky Teacher is still looking to profile outstanding leaders in Kentucky’s public school districts.

From superintendents to classroom teachers and aides and everyone in between, these profiles are intended to offer insight into what it takes to be a strong leader and to say “well done” to those who excel at it.

If you know of an excellent district staff member who has innovative ideas, strong leadership qualities and a passion for helping students become college- and career-ready, e-mail the following information to Susan Riddell:

• nominee’s name, position, school and district
• contact information for nominee
• examples of how nominee has served in a leadership capacity
• what makes the nominee a strong leader

One leader will be profiled monthly in the Leadership Letter section of the Kentucky Teacher website. For more information, contact Riddell at (502) 564-2000, ext. 4621.

The University of Kentucky College of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership Studies invites participants to join a community of learners who are leading next-generation school systems.

New face-to-face, blended and online programs in teacher leadership, school technology leadership, principal and superintendent preparation, educational leaders, and professional services are now available.

Visit http://leadership.uky.edu to learn more.