March 2018
Current School Calendar Amended

The last day of school for students will now be Wednesday, May 23. The 2017-2018 school calendar has been amended to include May 23 as a make-up day for March 12, which was a snow day.

Tuesday, May 22, will be a Staff Development Day. (This was moved from March 16, which was used as a make-up day.)  Several of our school buildings are polling places, so schools cannot be in session for students that day.


Looking Ahead to 2018-2019

The Board of Education has set the school calendar for 2018-2019. The first day of school for students will be Wednesday, Aug. 8. The calendar is posted on the district website.

Supporting Public Education

Heart KY Public Education Central Office employees
Board of Education and administrators wear red to support education

Faulk named Lions Club Man of Year

Hopkins County Board of Education member Steve Faulk was named Madisonville Lions Club 2017 Man of the Year. The award was presented March 20. He was recognized for his involvements for school sports programs and his service on the school board. Woman of the Year was Kelly Forbes.


Lion Chasers
Counselors honored for work at MCHS

John Tichenor_ Shannon Bowles_ Jeannie Morris

Three of our guidance counselors were honored with Lion Chaser Awards at the Board of Education meeting Tuesday evening. Shannon Bowles of Pride Elementary, Jeannie Morris of Madisonville North Hopkins and retired counselor John Tichenor volunteered through the Kentucky Community Crisis Team in Frankfort to work with students at Marshall County High School following the tragic shooting there. They all accepted this challenge to help students who in need. Each of them is a true  #LionChaser
HCEF Grant Applications Available

Applications are now being accepted for the 2018 Hopkins County Education Foundation Mini- Grant. Teachers from Hopkins County Schools and Dawson Springs Independent Schools may apply.
 
Applications are due Friday, May 11, 2018.  Applications may be scanned and emailed to Jennifer Luttrell, sent to the Board of Education Central Office via interoffice mail, or mailed to 320 S. Seminary St., Madisonville, KY 42431.
 

Foundation Accepting Scholarship Applications 

Hopkins County Education Foundation is accepting 2018 Scholarship Applications. The foundation awards the following scholarships:
  • Pat Mickle - Awarded to a Madisonville North Hopkins senior planning to major in education
  • Waverly F. Lee - Awarded to a Madisonville North Hopkins senior involved in band.
Completed applications are due to the MNHHS guidance counselor by April 20.


HCEF Scholarship Application
Game Changer: WBES Workforce Team

West Broadway Elementary School's Workforce Team was honored by the Board of Education Students in West Broadway_s workforce group at board meeting on March 5 with a Game Changer Award. This is a new program for 5th-graders. Each applicant goes through an extensive application and interview process that includes submitting references to FRYSC coordinator Julie Faulk. They apply for specific job placements, such as special events/assembly crew, health/environmental crew, cafeteria crew, reading/math tutors and more. Students receive WBES bucks for their work. This may be spent on choices such as free homework pass, extra art, extra recess, and time assisting Mrs. Julie. Students must follow the school's Guidelines for Success and be positive role models. The program has improved students' motivation, responsibility and work ethic, while preparing them for real-life experiences such as applying for a job and being held accountable for their work performance. 


Parental Notice of Preschool Screening and Registration Requirements
Click image for a printable copy.
Parental Notice of Kindergarten Registration Requirements
Click image for a printable copy.
Stroud launches education blog
Garris Stroud

South Hopkins Middle School teacher Garris L. Stroud has recently launched Kentucky School Talk , an education blog dedicated to honest conversation about what's working and what's not when it comes to public schools in the Bluegrass State.
 
Kentucky School Talk is the result of Stroud's partnership with Education Post, a national organization focused on improving equity and excellence in public schools across the country. Founded by Peter Cunningham, former assistant secretary of communications and outreach in the U.S. Department of Education, Education Post seeks to "elevate the voices of the people who matter most in the movement to improve schools: parents, kids and teachers."
 
"I am grateful for this opportunity to continue elevating student, teacher and parent voice in a meaningful way," Stroud says. "Through these platforms, I have access to a statewide and nationwide audience of people who genuinely care about making meaningful changes for our students."
 
The blog has already caught the eye of Commissioner of Education Stephen Pruitt. "This is an excellent piece," commented Pruitt on a recent blog post . "Thanks for what you do for our kids!
 
Stroud, who envisions Kentucky School Talk as "the Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR) of Kentucky schools," also serves as a Kentucky State Teacher Fellow, one of 28 across the state of Kentucky. Stroud received a three-year appointment to the Commissioner of Education's Teacher Advisory Council in February, and is a 2019 Kentucky Teacher of the Year nominee. Recently, Stroud was invited to speak on teacher leadership at the 2018 Global Issues in Multidisciplinary Academic Research Conference in Tokyo, Japan.
 
Stroud's site recently launched at kentuckyschooltalk.org . His writing can also be found on the Education Post blog .
Student Named to Juvenile Justice Advisory Board

Hopkins County Central student Jontae Minor has been appointed to the Juvenile Justice Jontae Minor Advisory Board by Gov. Matt Bevin.
 
Jontae Minor, who has been a part of the Light of Chance, Hopkins County-based Breathe Youth Arts program for six years, will serve a three-year term, starting Sept. 15, representing youth and young adults under 24. He is the only high school student to be appointed this term.
 
"I am honored I have been selected to be a part of this program," Minor said. "I really appreciate the opportunity, and I am excited to start voicing my opinion."
 
The JJAB established a subcommittee for youth called the Subcommittee of Kentucky's Youth. This allows Kentucky's youth to voice their opinions and experiences to make improvements to the juvenile justice system. This board develops program criteria for early juvenile intervention, diversion and prevention projects. It is made up of members from across the state, who are between the ages of 16-24 when appointed. Those involved are made up of youth advocates, current or former system involved youth and high school or college students who want to be involved in systems of change. Members are expected to have a mature and responsible attitude at all times.


WBES Student Receives Disney Grant
Wendy Gamblin and Emma Gibson

Emma Gibson, a 5th-grade student at West Broadway Elementary School, has been awarded a Disney Summer of Service grant through YSA (Youth Service America). The grant will support Gibson in leading a community service effort involving The Primrose Project.

Her goal is to plant more primrose flowers throughout Madisonville. WBES teacher Wendy Gamblin assisted with the grant application.

Gibson is one of 270 young leaders across the country awarded a $500 Disney Summer of Service grant to organize projects to help make their communities healthier, greener and stronger. 

PBIS Recognitions

School representatives receive PBIS recognitions.
Schools that reached PBIS Fidelity for the 2016-2017 school year were honored by the Board of Education on Feb. 20. Earlington Elementary reached Silver Status, and the others were Bronze Status.


Nicholson receives 
Evelyn Nicholson
MLK Education  Award

Pride Elementary School 3rd grade teacher Evelyn Nicholson was honored with the CommunityImprovement Founda
tion's Martin Luther King Jr. Education Award on Jan. 20 during Hopkins County's 35th annual MLK celebration. In presenting the award, CIF board member Phillip Noel called Nicholson, "one of the best-kept secrets in Hopkins County," according to The Messenger. "She puts everything she has and everything she can do to save our kids in Hopkins County, and she believes that every kid can learn. That's a special gift." The event was held in Byrnes Auditorium on the Madisonville Community College health campus.



MLK Essay & Visual Arts contest winners honored

Several Hopkins County students were honored in the Essay and Visual Arts contest organized through the Community Improvement Foundation as part of Hopkins County's 35th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. The theme was "Keeping the Dream Alive: How is the Work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Relevant to Your Generation?" The list of winners follows:

K-1st grade -  Art: 1st Eric Clark, Hanson Elementary.
2nd-3rd grade -  Essay: 1st Avery Todd, Pride Elementary; 2nd Chloe Rawlins, West Hopkins; 3rd Lily Blades, Pride Elementary;  Art: 1st Gauge Clark, Hanson Elementary; 2nd Veda Cook and 3rd Macey Wright, both of West Broadway Elementary.
4th-5th grade -  Essay: 1st Madison Arnold and 2nd Will Strader, both of Pride Elementary; 3rd Caitlin McClain, West Broadway;  Art: 1st Abigail Keown and 2nd Raul Morero, both of Grapevine Elementary; 3rd Sarah McCoy, West Broadway.
6th-8th grade -  Essay: 1st Ella Knight, 2nd Emma Hampton, and 3rd Megan Oakley, all of James Madison Middle;  Art: 1st Ja'Coria Robinson, James Madison Middle.
9th-12th grade -  Essay: 1st Ronak Patel, 2nd Kurt Stallins, 3rd Zane Jackson, all of Madisonville North Hopkins;  Art: 1st Keri Reynolds and 2nd Natalie Richey, both of Hopkins County Central.

MNHHS Unit Review

Madisonville North Hopkins High School's Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps went through an Annual Military Inspection on March 21. This included an award ceremony and pass in review in the school gym.
NJROTC Academic
Team 6th in Nation
Madisonville North Hopkins JROTC National Academic Team


The Madisonville North Hopkins High School Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps National Academic Team placed 1st in Area 3. There are 163 teams competing from Area 3, which includes North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia. The team finished 6th out of 1,779 teams nationwide.

Sharing Acts of Kindness

Sharing simple acts of kindness is becoming a daily habit for the kids at Pride Elementary. Collage of five photos from kindness project_ with hearts in background Leaving a note in a backpack, picking up trash, or opening the door for another are the kinds of actions that have been shared on handmade hearts throughout the school.

"They are hanging like a chandelier in our lobby," said school guidance counselor Shannon Bowles.

The school's faculty first learned about the project at a conference. It got started at Pride in January. Pride is now a Kindness Certified School through The Great Kindness Challenge. This certificate was presented during an assembly involving Madisonville Mayor David Jackson.
The school celebrated Kindness Week from Jan. 22-26. During specials, children wrote or drew their acts of kindness on their hearts. Bulletin boards throughout the school display similar messages. The effort has grown, and continued through February, which is Acts of Kindness Month.

The in-school "Falcon News" TV show recognized students as "Kindness All-Stars."

"It's been amazing with the kids, and they've enjoyed it," Bowles said. "Everyone knows the winter is challenging. Depression spikes in the winter months. This has been an initiative that helped them when they were closed in the school. It has created a climate of us very intentionally going out of our way to be kind."

Students have started talking to each other about behaviors that are kind - or not.

"As we end the campaign for this year," Bowles said, "we want to aspire to be a school that's not only focused on academic excellence, but on character excellence."
Hopkins County Central dance team
State Champs &
4th in the Nation

Hopkins County Central's High Voltage Dance Team won State Champs in Large Varsity Hip Hop at the KDCO State Competition Feb. 24 in Frankfort. The team placed 2nd in Large Varsity Pom. Head coach is Vickie Fox and assistant coach is Ashley Mitchell. The team also celebrated its placements at the NDA National Competition in Orlando. It placed 4th in the nation in both medium hip hop and medium pom and won the special NDA Unleashed Award in each division.

State Champs in Hip Hop

South Hopkins Middle School Dance Cats won the State Championship in Small Middle School Hip Hop at the KDCO Middle School State Competition Feb. 25 in Frankfort. The team placed 2nd in Pom. The coach is Whitney Perdue.


Perfect Score

Hopkins County Central High School junior T Sanchez shot a perfect score of 300 in a recent match. This is only the 5th time this mark has been achieved in the 17-year history of the National Archery in Schools Program! In the recent NASP Regionals, Sanchez placed 1st overall in the male division, and was named top overall archer in the competition. The HCCHS team placed 2nd in the competition.


Hanson Top School Team at Book It!
Hanson Elementary School received the award for having the most participants in the Book It! 5K Run/Walk and 1-Mile Fun Walk.  Some of the participants are shown above after the race. The annual event, which was held March 10, is a fund-raiser for the Hopkins County Literacy Celebration. Participants are allowed to pick out a free book.

Helping Hands
Beta Club members with hygiene items donated
Grapevine Elementary School Junior Beta Club collected personal hygiene products, which they donated to local veterans.


Event Calendar

April 2-6 - Spring Break
April 16 - Board of Education meeting, Central Office, 5:30 p.m.

High School Sports Schedules

MNHHS on maroon background HCCHS on blue background



To submit information for upcoming issues, email Communications and Community Engagement Specialist Lori Harrison

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