Kentucky Teacher

Three Kentucky schools are among 64 schools nationwide that have been named 2013 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools.

The program honors schools that are exemplary in reducing environmental impact and costs; improving the health and wellness of students and staff; and providing effective environmental and sustainability education, which incorporates STEM, civic skills and green career pathways.

 Kentucky’s National Green Ribbon Schools are:

• Cane Run Elementary (Jefferson County)
• Locust Trace AgriScience Farm (Fayette Co.)
• Northern Elementary (Scott County)

The 2013 National Green Ribbon Schools will be recognized during a national award ceremony scheduled for June 3.  In announcing winners, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan lauded the honorees for modeling a comprehensive approach to being green. Read the full story

Education Commissioner Terry Holliday, left, Gov. Steve Beshear and ACT, Inc. recognized Hazard Community and Technical College President Dr. Stephen Greiner, Layfette High School (Fayette County) senior Devin O’Neil Morton, Murray High School (Murray Independent) Principal Teresa Speed and Citi Vice President of Public Affairs Crystal Gibson for their college and career readiness efforts during a press conference this week at the Capitol.
Photo by Amy Wallot, April 15 , 2013

Gov. Steve Beshear and Education Commissioner Terry Holliday teamed up with ACT, Inc. this week to celebrate Kentucky’s progress toward the goal of college- and career-readiness for all students and recognize those who embody or advance the state’s commitment to preparing students for success.

“From preschool to career, getting students ready to take the next step is vital not only to their future but Kentucky’s future,” said Gov. Beshear. “Our ability to create and maintain an energetic and highly trained workforce depends on that preparation. Education is the single-biggest factor in determining long-term success for our state – whether success is defined by the quality of life for our people, the stability of our economy, or the competitive strength of our business sector.”

The event was part of the ACT College and Career Readiness Campaign that celebrates achievement and creates awareness around the goal of college and career readiness for all.

Kentucky is one of seven states (others are Alabama, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, North Carolina and Wisconsin) invited to participate in the national campaign’s inaugural year. Read the full story

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) cited three public schools today for their efforts with the environment, health and education by naming them 2013 Kentucky Green Ribbon Schools. The winners are:

• Locust Trace AgriScience Farm, Fayette County
• Cane Run Elementary, Jefferson County
• Northern Elementary, Scott County

The schools will be recognized and presented with the 2013 Kentucky Green Ribbon School Award at the state’s Earth Day event April 22 at the Capitol Education Center, located on the grounds of the Kentucky State Capitol. The event, which will include environmental education booths and displays, will begin at 10 a.m. ET. The 2013 Kentucky Earth Day celebration is sponsored by the Office of the First Lady, the Energy and Environment Cabinet and the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet. Read the full story

Three Kentucky schools  have been chosen as recipients of the 2013 Kentucky Green Ribbon School Award.

These schools now become nominees for the 2013 National Green Ribbon School Award, which will be announced on April 22, 2013 by the U.S. Department of Education.

The three winning schools, listed by school district, are:

Fayette County – Locust Trace AgriScience Farm

Jefferson County – Cane Run Elementary

Scott County – Northern Elementary

If selected for the 2013 National Green Ribbon School Award, representatives from the school will be invited to a recognition ceremony June 3, 2013 in Washington D.C. Read the full story

Student Energy Team members Mikayla Elverson, Madison Woods and Natalie Fowler pass out samples of kale chips during lunch at Rosa Parks Elementary School (Fayette County). Team members also shared information about the kale plant and informed students the kale was grown in Bourbon County as part of the Farm to School program.
Photo by Amy Wallot, Jan. 17, 2013

By Susan Riddell
susan.riddell@education.ky.gov

Early in 2012, Rosa Parks Elementary School (Fayette County) was named a Green Ribbon School for being an energy-efficient campus.

A few months later, the school earned a ribbon of a different color.

Boosted by a number of efforts and improvements in test scores – particularly science scores – the K-5 school was named a National Blue Ribbon School.

The Blue Ribbon School program rewards schools that score in the top 10 percent statewide in reading and mathematics on state assessments.

Trapp Elementary (Clark County) and Porter Elementary (Johnson County) schools were the other state public schools to earn the Blue Ribbon honor in 2012. Both schools will be profiled in Kentucky Teacher in March and April.

Rosa Parks Principal Leslie Thomas said her school’s Green and Blue Ribbon recognitions go hand in hand. When the school moved to its current location in 1997, mathematics and science already were highly-targeted areas of instruction.

The school council, six years later, added a science lab teacher to its staff.

“We put this in our special class rotation for students to augment their classroom science lessons with additional lab time,” Thomas said. “As we grew and changed over time, our science lab started to promote activities to improve the environment of our campus and surrounding areas.” Read the full story

By Amy Wallot
Amy.wallot@education.ky.gov

After weeks of following the 2012 presidential race, students in Vincent Tinker’s AP Government class at Lafayette High School (Fayette County) talked about the re-election of President Barack Obama.  Every day leading up to the election, his class spent a few minutes reviewing election news.

“We’ve been learning about the election step-by-step as it happened,” Tinker said.

The day after the election they watched the President’s acceptance speech, looked at how newspapers covered the results and discussed the breakdown of votes. The class will study the election more in-depth in the spring, learning about the political parties, interest groups, media coverage and the election process.

This is the first year the AP Government class has been open to freshman. According to Tinker, the interest from students has been so great that he is teaching it for three class periods.

Vincent Tinker discusses the breakdown of local votes in the presidential election with his AP Government class at Lafayette High School (Fayette County). Photo by Amy Wallot, Nov. 7, 2012

Freshman Rai Utomo listens to Vincent Tinker discuss the presidential election results.
Photo by Amy Wallot, Nov. 7, 2012

After weeks of discussing the election in class, sophomore Loretta Peterson listens to teacher Vincent Tinker talk about the results of the presidential election. Photo by Amy Wallot, Nov. 7, 2012

Freshman Alex Elias reads the USA Today’s analysis of the presidential election during her AP Government class. Photo by Amy Wallot, Nov. 7, 2012

By Amy Wallot
amy.wallot@education.ky.gov

Science experiments are underway every day in schools across Kentucky. Students enjoy the hands-on activities and teachers like to get in on the fun, too. This is a small collection of science I’ve seen happening over the past few months.

A small group of teachers recently gathered at the University of Kentucky for a climate science workshop. Middle and high school teachers participated in hands-on experiments and group discussions. The workshop was a joint effort between the UK College of Agriculture and the UK College of Education.

Students in Tawnya Boyd’s 7^th-grade science class at Deming School (Robertson County) tried to keep penguins made of ice from melting as part of a lesson on heat transfer, conductors and insulation. Students constructed small, house-like structures to fit the ice cube penguins in and placed them under heat lamps to test how long it would take the penguins to melt.

Egg candling is a favorite experiment of students in Joann Hall’s 6^th-grade science class at Roy G. Eversole Middle School (Hazard Independent). Students use an egg candler to observe the eggs until they turn into chicks as a lesson on life science. This year, students were surprised to find an egg containing two embryos.

North Hardin High School (Hardin County) science teacher Laura Lang checks the temperature difference between air and air enriched with CO2 during a climate science workshop at the University of Kentucky. Photo by Amy Wallot, June 14, 2012

Vint Collins, an 8th-grade science teacher at Leestown Middle School (Fayette County), talks to faculty member George Wagner (not pictured) during the climate science workshop at the University of Kentucky. Wagner led the experiments during the workshop. Photo by Amy Wallot, June 14, 2012

Jerri Dyer, a science teacher at West Jessamine Middle School (Jessamine County), measures melting ice during an experiment demonstrating the affects of soot on icebergs during a climate science workshop at the University of Kentucky. Photo by Amy Wallot, June 14, 2012

Seventh-grade students Dakota Moore and Jimmie King construct a model house for their ice penguin during Tawnya Boyd's science class at Deming School (Robertson County). Photo by Amy Wallot, May 14, 2012

Seventh-grade student David Kennedy places houses for penguins made of ice under heat during an experiment involving heat transfer, conductors and insulation at Deming School (Robertson County). Photo by Amy Wallot, May 14, 2012

Sixth-grade student Gavin Franks examines an egg with two embryos during JoAnn Hall's science class at Roy G. Eversole Middle School (Hazard Ind.). Photo by Amy Wallot, March 28, 2012

By Amy Wallot
amy.wallot@education.ky.gov

A beautiful day makes for a wonderful field trip. As was the case when 2^nd-grade classes from Southern Elementary School (Fayette County) visited the Salato Wildlife Education Center in Frankfort. The students were enthralled with learning about native Kentucky animals, even trying to out growl a bear. The snakes, bees and wildcat seemed to be their favorites.

I have always enjoyed visiting Salato. My favorite exhibit is The Living Stream, where you can walk behind a waterfall and peer into a small fish pond.  With both indoor and outdoor exhibits, hiking trails, fishing ponds, picnic areas and plenty of geese to feed, Salato has plenty to keep you busy.

Cailin Kernan fills out a worksheet about the black rat snake at the Salato Wildlife Education Center. Photo by Amy Wallot, May 11, 2012

Southern Elementary School (Fayette County) 2nd-grade students watch a black bear during their visit to the Salato Wildlife Education Center. Photo by Amy Wallot, May 11, 2012

John Baggerman holds a pine snake for Southern Elementary School (Fayette County) 2nd-grade student Cheyenne Carpenter, center, during a class visit to the Salato Wildlife Education Center. Photo by Amy Wallot, May 11, 2012

Southern Elementary School (Fayette County) 2nd-grade students visit the Salato Wildlife Education Center in Frankfort. Photo by Amy Wallot, May 11, 2012

Second-grade student Jarros Madison sits on a giant quail at the Salato Wildlife Education Center in Frankfort. Photo by Amy Wallot, May 11, 2012

Second-grade students Alexis Bailey and Cheyenne Carpenter sit inside an over-sized egg in the quail exhibit at Salato Wildlife Education Center in Frankfort. Photo by Amy Wallot, May 11, 2012

Students are seen through a waterfall in The Living Stream exhibit at the Salato Wildlife Education Center in Frankfort. Photo by Amy Wallot, May 11, 2012

Three Kentucky public schools were among 78 nationwide named U.S. Department of Education (USED) Green Ribbon Schools.

The three are:

• Rosa Parks Elementary, Fayette Co.
• Georgetown Middle, Scott Co.
• Richardsville Elementary, Warren Co.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, along with White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson, announced the list of first-ever U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools on Monday.

U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools is a federal recognition program that opened in September 2011. Honored schools exercise a comprehensive approach to creating “green” environments through reducing environmental impact, promoting health and ensuring a high-quality environmental and outdoor education to prepare students with the 21st-century skills and sustainability concepts needed in the growing global economy. Read the full story

The Kentucky Department of Education, along with our Green partners, recently selected three outstanding Kentucky schools as recipients of the first Kentucky Green Ribbon School Award.  These schools are the nominees for the 2012 National Green Ribbon School Award, which will be announced on April 23.

The three winning schools, listed by school district, are:

Fayette County – Rosa Parks Elementary

Scott County – Georgetown Middle

Warren County – Richardsville Elementary

KDE also acknowledged the other Kentucky Green Ribbon School applicants for their accomplishments:  Christian County’s Lacy Elementary and Kenton County’s Turkey Foot Middle.  Representatives from all five schools will be invited to a recognition ceremony in April.

The award is the first comprehensive recognition of exemplary achievement in environmental impact, health and education.  It recognizes schools where staff, students, officials and communities have worked together to produce energy efficient, sustainable and healthy school environments and to ensure the sustainability and environmental literacy of graduates. Read the full story