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

Allison Hunt

A lot of emphasis has been placed on student empowerment in the classroom, but less attention has focused on student empowerment in the school as a whole. One way to empower students in the school is through the development of a student government with the power to impact school policies. Many student government groups function as purely social groups with activities oriented toward school spirit. While fostering a collective school identity is important in the development of a school community, such groups typically are devoid of any real decision-making power.

Why is being able to impact the school so important? First, having a legitimate student government provides hands-on, authentic learning experiences for students that imitate the larger political framework they will encounter outside of school. By learning the dynamics of such systems within the school context, students are more likely to be able to navigate and impact change in our political system.

Second, participation in student government enhances student achievement, not just in civics, but in general. While many studies confirm the validity of that assertion, in particular the CIRCLE research by professors Davila and Mora (2007) shows the positive impact, especially on female students.  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

Atkinson Academy (Jefferson County) teachers Margot Smith and Leslie Montgomery wrote Word Nerds: Teaching All Students to Learn and Love Vocabulary. They stress creating a classroom atmosphere where students feel safe to learn about language and take risks. Photo by Amy Wallot, Feb. 5, 2013

By Matthew Tungate
matthew.tungate@education.ky.gov

When teachers Leslie Montgomery and Margot Holmes Smith started at Atkinson Academy (Jefferson County) in 2007, they followed the prescribed literacy program. Smith, who was a 3rd-grade teacher at the time, said the pattern for teaching vocabulary was simple – introduce the words and give the definitions; write a sentence with the words; read a story with some of the words; and give an assessment – but ineffective.

“The level of rigor just wasn’t there. The kids weren’t retaining the words because they had no attachment to the words,” she said.

Fortunately, following that school year the two teachers participated in an Every 1 Reads conference. They were impressed by a video of a teacher who taught vocabulary words by introducing synonyms and acronyms.

“That’s how this all came about, because we were like, ‘Our kids would benefit so much from that.’ Because we saw them teaching vocabulary at a much deeper level,” Smith said.

So the two teachers began to work on a framework that ultimately would lead them to implement creative vocabulary lessons that 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

Georgia Hampton

Georgia Hampton’s favorite quote comes from John Quincy Adams. “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and to become more, then you are a leader.”

Hampton has been principal at Indian Trail Elementary School (Jefferson County) for nine years. In that time, she has worked to make sure her students do dream, learn and do more, and her mindset is that a strong leader is one who is servant-minded.

“In education, we are here to serve the needs of our children,” Hampton said. “I often say to our staff, ‘We meet the needs of the children first and the convenience of adults second.’”

Hampton, one of three Kentucky leaders participating in the Minority Superintendent Intern Program (MSIP) this year, has served as an educator in both California and Kentucky.

Prior to teaching school-age children, Hampton served in the United States Air Force as an Instructor for Chemical Biological Warfare and Survival Training (Aircrew Life Support). She later worked as a 3rd-, 6th- and 7th-grade teacher, and has held administrative positions for the past 15 years.

Being an educator in both California and Kentucky has been beneficial to her because of the different viewpoint each state offers, she said.

“I believe I bring a broader perspective of education having taught in two diverse states,” Hampton said. “I hope to gain an even greater depth of knowledge from the educators I will come into contact with (through the MSIP program) and, in turn, become a more effective leader for our students. Read the full story

Shervita West

Shervita West-Jordan feels it’s imperative that leadership in Kentucky reflect the diversity of its students.

“In our state’s history there have been two African American superintendents,” said West-Jordan, referring to Elaine Farris and Donald Smith, superintendents in Clark County and Marion County school districts, respectively.

The Minority Superintendent Intern Program (MSIP) strives to create a more diverse pool of qualified superintendent candidates. West-Jordan, along with Georgia Hampton and Alvin Garrison, was recently chosen to participate in this program.

Kentucky Teacher will profile these three educators as the next Leaders of the Month, starting with West-Jordan for January.

West-Jordan attended school in the Jefferson County school district, as do her children. She taught in the district and served in administrative positions before becoming the principal at Brandeis Elementary School.

While she appreciates everything she’s learned while attending school and working in her district, she is excited to see the “broader perspective” she can learn outside of it through the MSIP. Read the full story

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

Lt. Gov. Jerry Abramson talks with seniors about their postsecondary plans during the Close the Deal kickoff at Bullitt Central High School (Bullitt County).
Photo by Amy Wallot, Oct. 9, 2012

Lawrence County High School seniors strolled through their gymnasium last Monday, looking for their names on place cards.

Once all seated, they dined on a catered meal while watching a slideshow of Lawrence County High alumni. Each alumni photo included the person’s name, college, degree information and his or her current profession and place of residence.

That slideshow – which was part of the kickoff event for a new college-going program being piloted in the district called Close the Deal — will someday include the 136 seniors watching it. “We want to put into motion the notion that all of you are college- and career-ready,” Lawrence County school district Superintendent Mike Armstrong told students.

Close the Deal, which was spearheaded several years ago by Lt. Gov. Jerry Abramson and other educational stakeholders in the Louisville area, gathers high school seniors to meet college recruiters and representatives from financial institutions that help students pay for college.

The program is being expanded this year to include Bullitt, Campbell and Lawrence county public schools. Similar kickoff events were held in Campbell and Bullitt counties earlier this month. Read the full story

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

Mohamed Hassan helps Twanajia Dorsey handle a python during practice for the Reptile Roadshow at Kennedy Metro Middle School (Jefferson County). Photo by Amy Wallot, Sept. 6, 2012

As Micah Deramus practices his presentation, he gently pets the hedgehog he’s holding while reciting his research. He starts at the top of the hedgehog’s head, working his hand backwards along the path of its quills.

“This is the safest way to pet them,” Deramus said. “Her quills are white because she’s an albino.”

He continues with more information:

“If they get frightened, they will curl up in a ball and their quills will come out.”

“They may eat any insect.”

“They are native to Africa, Europe and Asia.”

“Hedgehogs can get cancer.”

“If you have one as a pet, keep him in a cage, but make sure it’s big enough for him to run around.”

“You can feed them cooked meat, cat food or hedgehog food.” Read the full story

Ten alternative education programs have been selected as Best Practice Sites in an effort designed to recognize the work of educators and programs that serve at-risk students.

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) began the project in 2009 to highlight exemplary practices in A5 and A6 programs in public school districts. A5 programs are school district-operated and -housed instructional programs that provide services to at-risk students with unique needs, and A6 programs are district-operated instructional programs that are located in non-district facilities or schools that serve youth who are considered state agency children through the Kentucky Educational Collaborative for State Agency Children (KECSAC), the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Department of Community Based Services and/or the Department for Mental Health and Mental Retardation Services.

 The programs were nominated in three categories:

• Category 1: Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
• Category 2: Culture, Support and Professional Development
• Category 3: Leadership, Resources/Organization and Planning Read the full story